When you take the A train to Penn Station for Phish at Madison Square Garden this week, you might just hear a PSA from Trey Anastasio: From now through New Year’s Eve, the New York City local will serve as the official voice of the subway.
In a video posted on Tuesday as part of a Metropolitan Transit Authority (MTA) messaging push surrounding the impending retirement of the MetroCard, the subway’s ubiquitous yellow ticket, Anastasio says, “The MetroCard has been around since 1994, the year Phish started playing at Madison Square Garden. This year on New Year’s Eve, I’m tapping and riding with OMNY,” the MTA’s new mobile phone tap-to-ride system set to go into effect on January 1st.
The clip itself is an entertaining snapshot of Anastasio as a New Yorker: Echoing the advice of every local to cab-happy out-of-towners, he explains, “Fans should absolutely take the train to see Phish at the Garden. It takes me eight minutes to get to the Garden from my apartment on the train. It takes 40 minutes in a car. Next time we play the Garden I’m going straight down with my guitar and getting on the train and going home. See you on the subway!”
Related: Phish Thaws A Snowy City That (Usually) Never Sleeps At 2025 MSG Opener [Photos/Videos]
In addition to his MetroCard eulogy/subway evangelism in the aforementioned video, Trey Anastasio recorded a number of public service announcements for straphangers all around the city throughout the rest of the MSG run. If you listen closely on the train, you might hear a helping, friendly reminder from Trey like, “The MetroCard’s been with us through a lot of rides, but where do you go when the swipes go out? The answer is easy: tap and ride,” or, “Courtesy Counts. As we’re all getting to where we’re going, remember: Don’t block the doors, take your backpack off, read the book, and set the gearshift for the high gear of your soul!”
Cue: influx of guesses about a train-themed New Year’s gag.
Here’s to the MetroCard, the Phish at the Garden, and going hoooome on the train.
While you ride, check out Live For Live Music‘s full coverage of Phish’s 12/28/25 and 12/29/25 shows at The Garden. Grab your 4K or HD webcast pass for tonight (12/30) and tomorrow (12/31) on nugs or LivePhish to tune in from wherever you might be.
[Note: Live For Live Music is a nugs/LivePhish affiliate. Purchasing your livestream via the links on this page helps support our work covering the world of live music. Thanks for reading, and happy new year!]
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