After taking Monday off, Phish‘s Baker’s Dozen 13 show residency resumed at Madison Square Garden. The band selected “jam filled” as the fourth night’s donut flavor and there’s really not a better description for Tuesday’s concert in New York City. A five-song first set and seven-song second set packed MSG full of improvisational highlights.
“Sample In A Jar” rang out through The Garden to open the first set and the foursome opened the normally straightforward rocker up, stretching it several minutes beyond its usual length. Keyboardist Page McConnell emerged with microphone in hand to sing “Lawn Boy,” but the typically brief lounge number saw Page break out his keytar for the first-ever jammed-out “Lawn Boy.” The groovy improvisation grew as McConnell settled back to his normal spot on stage and guitarist Trey Anastasio steered the quartet through another abnormally placed, massively expansive, multi-layered and fantastic jam. By the time the band finished the first two songs of the evening – “Sample” and “Lawn Boy” – nearly 40 minutes had passed.
“My Friend, My Friend” materialized out of the incredible assemblage of improvisation, offered a short dose of highly composed playing and led to third straight unexpected jam sequence. The band crossed the one hour mark while performing the fourth song of the set, “Stash.” Next came “Bathtub Gin,” a song that’s led to many memorable jams throughout the group’s career. Drummer Jon Fishman shuttled his band mates into a peppy “Gin” jam that solidified and reached a set-closing peak around bassist Mike Gordon’s stabilizing pattern, Page’s piano embellishments and Trey’s fiery guitar work. And then, after just five songs and 75 minutes it was time for set break.
Set two opened with “Fuego,” a more recent edition to their repertoire that’s also been a springboard for standout jamming. Tuesday’s performance of the title track to their 2014 studio album took on a mellow improvisation, meandering into ambience as each musician added to the amorphous audio landscape. Anastasio introduced a melody that took the jam in a new direction and ultimately brought about the second rendition of “Thread,” the proggy original Phish debuted earlier in the summer in Chicago. Energetic Talking Heads’ favorite “Crosseyed And Painless” came out as the first cover of the show. Often a source of substantial jamming, this “Crosseyed” did not disappoint, as more restrained interplay developed between the quartet over the ensuing several minutes, finally building momentum toward a blissfully melodic Trey-led crescendo.
An angular, dark swell of noise grew from the stage as the “Crosseyed” jam recharged and plotted a new path toward another joyous payoff. Fish picked up the beat and Mike added a danceable groove as the foursome found their way back to final run through the “Crosseyed” refrain. “Makisupa Policeman” brought a reggae vibe to The Garden, featuring Trey teasing Bob Marley’s “Jamming” while delivering a Mike-related “keyword.” Page’s organ signaled the start to Phish’s live debut of “End Of Session,” an ambient deep cut that closes the band’s 1998 studio album The Story Of The Ghost and had been the only song on the record not played in concert. One week after its debut in Dayton, Trey’s “Tuesday” made it into a setlist for the second time and came ahead of the set closing “Cavern.” A romp through “Julius” kicked off the encore that ended with Page retaking the front of the stage to belt out the ending of “Lawn Boy.”
Phish returns to MSG tomorrow for night five of the Baker’s Dozen residency.
The Skinny
The Setlist |
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The Venue |
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Madison Square Garden [See upcoming shows] |
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42 shows — 12/30/1994, 12/30/1995, 12/31/1995, 10/21/1996, 10/22/1996, 12/29/1997, 12/30/1997, 12/31/1997, 12/28/1998, 12/29/1998, 12/30/1998, 12/31/1998, 12/31/2002, 12/02/2009, 12/03/2009, 12/04/2009, 12/30/2010, 12/31/2010, 01/01/2011, 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, 12/30/2013, 12/31/2013, 12/30/2015, 12/31/2015, 01/01/2016, 01/02/2016, 12/28/2016, 12/29/2016, 12/30/2016, 12/31/2016, 07/21/2017, 07/22/2017, 07/23/2017 |
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The Music |
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5 songs / 8:07 pm to 9:23 pm (76 minutes) |
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8 songs / 9:58 pm to 11:29 pm (91 minutes) |
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13 songs / 12 originals / 1 covers |
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1999 |
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8.82 [Gap chart] |
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End Of Session |
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Sample In A Jar, Fuego, Crosseyed And Painless, End Of Session |
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Sample In A Jar - 22 show gap (LTP 10/22/2016) |
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Crosseyed and Painless - 33:07 |
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Lawn Boy - 1:53 |
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Lawn Boy - 2, A Picture of Nectar - 2, Rift - 1, Hoist - 2, The Story of the Ghost - 1, Fuego - 1, Misc. - 3, Covers - 1 |
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The Rest |
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66° F and Cloudy at Showtime |
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KOA #1 |
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Capacity: 20,789 Donut Flavor: Jam Filled |
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