Watch Phish Hit Target With Stellar ‘Life Saving Gun’ At Madison Square Garden

While Phish‘s December 30, 2023 concert at Madison Square Garden may not have reached the heights of past 12/30 performances, the penultimate night of the band’s New Year’s Eve run certainly had its moments. Phish posted official video of one of the evening’s highlights, the “Life Saving Gun” that ended the first set.

Written by Phish guitarist Trey Anastasio and keyboardist Page McConnell, “Life Saving Gun” was originally released last March on the pair’s January album. The song is the lone cut from the eight-track album to be performed live so far. “Life Saving Gun” was premiered by Phish at Madison Square Garden on July 30, 2023. Anastasio, McConnell, drummer Jon Fishman and bassist Mike Gordon followed with a second version at Nashville's Bridgestone Arena on October 7.

JamBase contributor Ryan Storm wrote the following about “Life Saving Gun” in his recap of Phish's December 30th show:

“’Life Saving Gun’ crashed in as the first-set closer — and it was AMAZING. Ever since the debut on July 30th of this year, it has shown excellent potential due to its aggressive groove and high energy – Fish’s fills throughout the song proper were on point. McConnell attacked his Clavinet as the jam began to take off, then switching to Moog as Fishman broke into a tighter funk vibe. Continuing the space-age sounds from the earlier ‘Fuego’ through the charging jam, every band member locked in and flew through a series of massive peaks akin to a ‘First Tube’ closer. ‘Life Saving Gun’ was performed three times in 2023 and has only begun to show its potential — look for massive versions in 2024!”

See pro-shot video of Phish performing “Life Saving Gun” in New York City on December 30: