Phish Madison Square Garden Setlist And Skinny

FULL BREAK DOWN OF PHISH NEW YEAR’S EVE SHOW AT MSG

[via @Phish_FTR]

2013 marked 30 years since Phish first formed on the campus of the University of Vermont in Burlington, VT. Keyboardist Page McConnell mentioned the occasion on New Year’s Eve 2012-2013 and then there was little talk of the anniversary throughout the year…until last night. The quartet finally celebrated their anniversary last night at Madison Square Garden as part of their New Year’s Run finale at the NYC venue. The members of the band loaded on top of a truck made to simulate a stage of a club from early in their career for Tuesday night’s second set. Phish also tipped their hats to the band’s first gig by using hockey sticks as microphone stands and an extremely basic gear setup. Furthermore, in between the end of the third set and the encore, a montage showing scenes from the past 30 years was displayed on The Garden’s scoreboard. With the exception of the “Auld Lang Syne” that signaled the start of 2014, Phish didn’t play any covers throughout the four night run.

Last night’s first set was a straight-forward affair that didn’t give many hints as to what was to come. Opener “AC/DC Bag” was the first Gamehendge selection of the evening on a night where we’d see a total of six songs from guitarist Trey Anastasio’s famed senior thesis/rock opera. Once the Vermonters cleared the stage after the first set, a film was displayed on the scoreboard showing drummer Jon Fishman loading a truck marked with the band’s JEMP Records imprint, presumably at their Burlington home base. The footage showed Fishman driving down to the venue and faded to black as a replica of the truck was brought by venue staff onto the middle of the floor. At 10:18 the quartet ascended to the top of the truck putting them within feet of each other as they worked through a set of classic material from the ’80s and early ’90s including the year’s first versions of “Glide,” “Fuck Your Face,” “Colonel Forbin’s Ascent” and “Fly Famous Mockingbird.” Jon, Trey, Mike and Page played in tight formation using a stripped-down gear setup. Lighting guru Chris Kuroda utilized an extremely basic set of par can lights, simulating one of his early rigs. Kuroda accenuated the basic lighting setup with just enough larger lights so that most in the massive venue could see exactly what was going on.

Unlike past years, the Phish “gag” took place during the second set, so the spectacle of the New Year’s Countdown was mostly dependent on thousands of balloons which fell from the venue’s top tiers. “Character Zero” kicked off the third set leading to a countdown on the scoreboard. When the countdown hit 0, the band lit into the run’s only cover -the traditional “Auld Lang Syne.” Phish continued to look forward in their 30th anniversary year by performing “Fuego” from the Wingsuit suite of songs they debuted on Halloween as their first original number of 2014. A 16:50 take on “Light” provided the evening’s improvisational highlight thanks to a multi-dimensional jam that stands among the best pieces the band had ever played at a New Year’s show. “Twenty Years Later” gave fans and band a breather, as did “Bouncin’ Around The Room,” before a strong “You Enjoy Myself” brought the third set to a close. Following the 30th anniversary montage, Phish returned for the encore with the a capella “Grind.” Anastasio took a moment to invite fans back in 30 years for the group’s 60th anniversary. “Show Of Life” wrapped up the marathon show just after 1 a.m.

Setlist…

Set 1: AC/DC Bag > A Song I Heard the Ocean Sing, Wilson > Divided Sky, Ocelot, Sugar Shack, Halfway to the Moon > Fluffhead

Set 2: Glide, Llama, Colonel Forbin’s Ascent > Fly Famous Mockingbird, Fuck Your Face, Reba, Icculus, The Lizards > Split Open and Melt

Set 3: Character Zero > Auld Lang Syne, Fuego > Light, Twenty Years Later, Bouncing Around the Room, You Enjoy Myself

Encore: Grind, Show of Life

[via Phish.net]

Click here to view the full breakdowns of every show Phish has played in 2013 including setlists, recaps and our statistical rundowns.

Venue Capacity / Attendance / Type: 20,000 / 20,000 / Indoor Arena/li>
Previous Shows at Venue: 30 Shows -12/30/94, 12/30/95, 12/31/95, 10/21/96, 10/22/96, 12/29/97, 12/30/97, 12/31/97, 12/28/98, 12/29/98, 12/30/98, 12/31/98, 12/31/02, 12/02/09, 12/03/09, 12/04/09, 12/30/10, 12/31/10, 01/01/11, 12/28/2011, 12/29/2011, 12/30/2011, 12/31/2011, 12/28/2012, 12/29/2012, 12/30/2012, 12/31/2012, 12/28/2013, 12/29/2013 and 12/30/2013
Number Of Songs / Length – First Set: 8 / 8:37 -9:45 (68 Minutes)
Number Of Songs / Length – Second Set: 9 / 10:18 -11:22 (64 Minutes)
Number Of Songs / Length – Third Set and Encore: 9 / 11:52 -1:15 (83 Minutes)
Total Number of Songs / Covers / Originals: 26 / 1 / 25
Biggest Bustout: Col. Forbin’s Ascent > Fly Famous Mockingbird – 86 Shows (LTP -8/17/2011)
Average Song Vintage: 1995
Debuts: N/A
Weather: 33° and Clear at show time
Average Song Gap: 21.12
The Spread: Junta -3, Lawn Boy -3, Picture of Nectar -2, Billy Breathes -1, Undermind -2, Joy -4, Wingsuit -1, Misc. -9, Covers -1,
Longest LivePhish Track / Shortest LivePhish Track: You Enjoy Myself 20:30 / Grind 1:59
Audio: Live Phish