The Disco Biscuits closed out a banner year over the weekend with a three-show, two-city jaunt featuring one night in New York, NY (12/28) and two dates in Philadelphia, PA (12/30, 12/31), all of which straddled the line between honoring past traditions and celebrating new beginnings—from old haunts with new names to new songs based on old jams, and beyond.
Both venues included in the run, New York’s Palladium Times Square and Philly’s Franklin Music Hall, are beloved sites in Biscuits history, though they now go by different names. The subterranean Palladium has operated under various official banners over the years (Best Buy Theater, Nokia Theater, Playstation Theater, etc.) but it once again became the “Untz Dungeon” to Biscuits fans on December 28th as the band resumed its post-Phish NYC late-night tradition in Times Square with a show-opening “Times Square”. A rendition of “Spacebirdmatingcall” soared from there into an inverted “Portal to an Empty Head”, 2022-vintage Space Opera track “Twisted In The Road”, and the debut of a new original song, “Dino Baby”, culled from the improv jam from their take on “M1” at Catskill Mountain Jubilee this past August. The band went on to finish its first set in New York with a return to the “Spacebirdmatingcall” from earlier in the frame. Set two came together as an extended “Rock Candy” sandwich featuring originals both new and old before a “42” encore pushed toward 4:00 a.m. View the full setlist and stream full audio of the 12/28/23 NYC show below.
The Disco Biscuits – Full Show – New York, NY – 12/28/23
Biscuits NYC late-night runs of old have often extended for multiple nights, through the end of Phish’s run at nearby Madison Square Garden. The band altered that formula in 2023, using December 29th to travel to Philadelphia, PA and set up shop at Franklin Music Hall for the final two nights of the year. While this marked the first Disco Biscuits show at the renamed venue, the band built upon its extensive history (dating from 1997 through 2015) of playing hometown shows in that building when it was known as the Electric Factory with a pair of red-hot shows and an appropriately “electric” New Year’s countdown.
Highlights from the first set back at the Electric Factory Franklin Music Hall on 12/30 included a “home-y” first set featuring snippets of Rocky theme “Eye of the Tiger” within an appropriate “Coming Home”, a Tractorbeam-style jam on “To Be Continued”, a rollercoaster cover of LCD Soundsystem‘s “Tribulations”, and a “Home Again” closer. Set two began to boil with a free-form improv jam laced with “Gamma Goblin” teases before proceeding into “Digital Buddha”.
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After riding that momentum through “Freeze”, “Cyclone”, and “Another Plan of Attack”, the band debuted another new original, “Ring The Doorbell Twice”—this one inspired by the “Buy The Time” > “Digital Buddha” from The Capitol Theatre on 10/28/23—before bookendeding the set with a “Digital Buddha” reprise. For the encore, the Biscuits tipped their hat to the inspiration behind the evening’s new original with “Buy The Time” before rounding things out with the closing section of Pink Floyd‘s “Run Like Hell”, a nod to the famous, Floyd-ian Biscuits show played in Times Square exactly 14 years prior. Click below to view the full setlist from 12/30/23 at Franklin Music Hall.
The Disco Biscuits returned to Franklin Music Hall on New Year’s Eve and signaled a memorable show to come with an opening rendition of fan-favorite narrative “Nughuffer”. This take on the tale featured a Marc Brownstein story about changing over time—and keyboardist Aron Magner becoming the band’s reigning stoner-in-chief over the course of 2023. The anecdote also took fans in attendance through a band trip to Club Space in Miami during which Magner brought and broke a bong, reminiscent of the original “Nughuffer” story.
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Forecasting the electric spectacle to come, The Disco Biscuits came out for the second set in brand new black jumpsuits dyed with shockwave patterns as a low-hanging fog crept in around their feet. The Biscuits quickly got to work making the old Electric Factory “electric” once again with an electricity-themed New Year’s set featuring renditions of “Reactor” (with “Macarena” samples), Eddy Grant‘s “Electric Avenue”, and electricity-referencing 2022 Space Opera tracks “Shocked!” and “The Deal”. The “electricity” refrain from “The Deal” echoed through the room as pyrotechnic sparks and confetti filled the air and the crowd counted down to midnight. The customary New Year’s “Helicopters”, complete with holiday lyrics and a Nutcracker tease, brought set two to a close. Watch the full Disco Biscuits New Year’s “electricity” set below.
The Disco Biscuits – Full Set Two/”Electric” New Year’s Countdown [Pro-Shot] – Philadelphia, PA – 12/31/23
With one more set to go, the band got started with “Basis for a Day” before moving into yet another new song inspired by a live jam, “Fire Will Exchange” (culled from 8/13/23’s “Basis for a Day” > “Times Square” jam). The electric energy spilled over into “We Like To Party” and a return to “Basis” before a “Wormhole” > “Reactor” encore featuring “Buy The Time” teases brought the wild run to a close.
With new songs steadily entering the rotation, a new album on the way, and over 35 shows already announced, the Disco Biscuits are charged and ready for their biggest year in ages. For a full list of upcoming tour dates, head here.
Find the full 12/31/23 setlist below. Scroll down for a gallery of photos from The Disco Biscuits’ “electric” 2023 New Year’s Eve show in Philly via Tara Gracer.
