‘Undermine’ Revisits Epic Phish New Year’s Eve 1995 Concert
Hear Tom Marshall, Benjy Eisen and Drew Hitz discuss one of the greatest Phish shows of all-time on the latest episode of the Osiris Media podcast.
By Scott Bernstein Oct 26, 2022 • 8:03 am PDT
Phish podcast Undermine from JamBase partner Osiris Media continues “The Road To Fall ’97” with an episode looking back at the band’s New Year’s Eve 1995 concert at Madison Square Garden. Hosts journalist Benjy Eisen and Phish lyricist Tom Marshall were joined by guest Drew Hitz for a discussion of a show in the conversation for the best in Phish history.
The latest installment of Undermine’s fourth season continues to revisit 25 essential Phish shows played leading up to the quartet’s historic 1997 Fall Tour. Undermine will then examine each and every concert from Fall ’97.
Drew Hitz is not only a longtime Phish fan but also a professional musician as an accomplished tuba player. The hosts and their guests spent about 40 minutes discussing the four-piece’s December 31, 1995 performance at MSG in New York City. Official audio of the outstanding three-set concert was released in 2005 as Phish: New Year’s Eve 1995 – Live at Madison Square Garden. The night marked the group’s first NYE show at “The World’s Most Famous Arena.”
All three participants in today’s Undermine were in the house at MSG for the show examined. Hitz recalled his memories of the evening and pointed out its many highlights. “At this point, this band, so many of their jams sounded like completely planned written out and rehearsed for months, and yet at the same time spontaneous,” Drew said. “They were finishing each other’s sentences at a level that I had never seen before.”
Talk turned to the Phishy moment when drummer Jon Fishman got a haircut on stage during setbreak. Hitz called the “Weekapaug Groove” that followed the “Gamehendge Time Factory” gag “the jam I’ve listened to the most of any Phish jam played.” He noted the “incredible” improv developed out of “Weekapaug” was “driving, festive” and “melodic” with lots of “rhythmic interplay.” Drew also had kind words for the evening’s “You Enjoy Myself” as part of a “remarkable night that holds up in every possible way on tape.”
The trio went on to speak about what made the show so special and how hard it is to pull off a great performance on New Year’s Eve. Watch the New Year’s Eve 1995 episode of Undermine below:
Loading tour dates
Advertisement
Set 1: Punch You in the Eye, The Sloth > Reba [1], The Squirming Coil > Maze, Colonel Forbin's Ascent > Fly Famous Mockingbird [2] > Shine [3] > Fly Famous Mockingbird > Sparkle > Chalk Dust Torture
Set 2: Drowned -> The Lizards, Axilla (Part II) > Runaway Jim, Strange Design, Hello My Baby, Mike's Song -> Digital Delay Loop Jam
Set 3: Auld Lang Syne > Weekapaug Groove [4] > Sea and Sand, You Enjoy Myself, Sanity, Frankenstein
Encore: Johnny B. Goode
Reba did not have the whistling ending. The narration in Mockingbird discussed how Phish makes time in the Gamehendge Time Laboratory, which set up the New Yearâs Eve stunt. The Phish debut of Shine featured Tom Marshall on vocals. Trey later teased Shine in Runaway Jim. Mike’s Song contained a Dave’s Energy Guide tease from Page. The second set ended with a Digital Delay Loop Jam out of Mikeâs, and the third set opened with the Phish Time Factory machine. All four band members dressed as scientists playing with synths while lights flashed and Van de Graaff generators zapped. Fish was lifted up in a bed as Father Time and was reborn as the Baby New Year. Weekapaug featured Auld Lang Syne, Dreaming (Blondie), and Spooky teases and was unfinished. Mike and Trey teased Can’t You Hear Me Knocking in Runaway Jim. This was the first performance of Sanity since June 24, 1994 (148 shows). This show was officially released as New Year’s Eve 1995 – Live at Madison Square Garden.
