Phish Begins 2019 New Year’s Run: Setlist, Recap & The Skinny
By Andy Kahn Dec 28, 2019 • 9:27 pm PST
Phish began their four-show 2019 New Yearâs Run on Saturday night with a concert at Madison Square Garden in New York City. Just days shy of the 25th anniversary of Phishâs first show at MSG — where a banner honoring the band now hangs from the rafters, the group has now held over 60 concerts and the arena is seemingly just as much a home venue for them as it is for the hometown Knicks and Rangers.
Opening with the debut of the new original âEvening Song,â the addition to the bandâs repertoire sung by guitarist Trey Anastasio was also the 258th different song played by Phish in 2019 — a new record for a calendar year. It also marked the second straight show-opening debut following the fall tour finale in Charleston earlier in the month. âNo Men In No Manâs Landâ came in the second slot, charging ahead with an early jolt of energy that set a tone for the entire night. Bassist Mike Gordon then triggered the low-end swampiness that kicks off âDown With Disease.â The unexpectedly placed mid-first set âDWDâ opened up some for Trey to stretch out for a few minutes during the lively and concise jam. Next, Gordon led the Phish debut of â20-20 Vision,â a country-tinged cover written by Joe Allison and Milton Estes recorded first by Gene Autry.
âGhostâ got the call after and shed the laid-back funk that often accompanies the jam vehicle in favor of more upbeat and expressive improvisation steered by drummer Jon Fishmanâs propelling foundation and Treyâs blistering playing. Keyboardist Page McConnell‘s chunky and funky Clavinet blended with Treyâs wah-wah riffing inside the fun âGumboâ that followed. A tightly delivered âRiftâ was met with an enthusiastic response from the audience. A pretty funky âWeigh,â the first of 2019, was also well-received. Following with another rarity, âDog Faced Boyâ — the first since 2016 (114 show gap) — brought a hush over MSG while Trey led the tender ballad.
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The band got back rocking with âTwenty Years Laterâ and continued the energetic and funky feel of the set with a tight âTube.â âSay It To Me S.A.N.T.O.S.â (which did not feature Mike and Trey harnessed above the audience like they were the last time the Kasvot Vaxt song was played at MSG to ring in 2019) brought a proper fiery end to the opening set of this yearâs run.
Phish came back from setbreak and opened the second half with âEverythingâs Right.â A fierce, rocking jam quickly developed that morphed into a spacey, swirlingly atmospheric groove. Mike introduced a synthy bassline that matched the synthed-out sounds coming from Page while Fish locked into a steadying pattern. The foursome then found their way into âBeneath A Sea Of Stars Part 1,â which was the fourth appearance in a Phish setlist for the Ghosts Of The Forest song. âSet Your Soul Freeâ got cooking behind Pageâs inspired organ playing and he followed Treyâs lead as they spent awhile toying with an âOn Broadwayâ jam.
The jam segued into âGotta Jibbooâ and Trey sent looping sirens around MSG while settling into the ensuing improv. Elements of âSet Your Soul Freeâ crept into the âJibbooâ jam which progressed for several minutes before giving way to âFree.â Fish and Mikeâs breakdown in âFreeâ led to a punchy return to the songâs climactic ending. Soon after, Trey was firing up âPiperâ for a sail around the arena that kept the energy in the room rising as the thrust toward a soaring peak. Mike then stepped up to led the bandâs first cover of The Whoâs âDrownedâ since August 2018.
Drowned Via LazyLightning55a
The Quadrophina classic thatâs gone scarce of late gave way to a jam that turned sinister while Page employed a wild variety of orbiting synth sounds. The otherworldly sequence was brought back to earth by Fish starting a tease of âGuy Forget,â a song played once in 2000 and just one other time in 2011. Fish then sang his short ditty âAss Handedâ which led to an âAss Handed Reprise,â which was essentially âChalk Dust Torture Repriseâ but sung with the âAss Handedâ lyrics — and a few âChalkdustâ and âGuy Forgetâ lines thrown in and the usual band intros as well. The silliness was trailed by a visibly amused Anastasio kicking into âCharacter Zeroâ where it found its common calling as rocking set closer.
The encore consisted of the Ghosts Of The Forest confessional âA Life Beyond The Dreamâ and the bluegrass classic “Rocky Top,” the latter making its first setlist of the year. Phish’s New Year’s Run 2019 continues on Sunday at MSG. A live stream is available via LivePhish.com
The Skinny
The Setlist |
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Set 1: Evening Song [1], No Men In No Man's Land, Down with Disease, 20-20 Vision [2], Ghost, Gumbo > Rift, Weigh > Dog Faced Boy, Twenty Years Later > Tube > Say It To Me S.A.N.T.O.S. Set 2: Everything's Right > Beneath a Sea of Stars Part 1 > Set Your Soul Free -> Gotta Jibboo > Free > Piper, Drowned > Ass Handed > Chalk Dust Torture Reprise [3] > Character Zero [4] Encore: A Life Beyond The Dream, Rocky Top
This show featured the debut of Evening Song and the Phish debut of 20-20 Vision. Trey teased Shade in Ghost. Dog Faced Boy was performed for the first time since October 24, 2016 (114 shows). Say It To Me S.A.N.T.O.S. contained Martian Monster quotes. Set Your Soul Free included an On Broadway jam. Trey teased and quoted Set Your Soul Free in Gotta Jibboo. Trey and Fish quoted Guy Forget at the end of Drowned. Chalk Dust Torture Reprise was played with Ass Handed lyrics and contained Guy Forget quotes. In Character Zero, Fish changed the "waste the day" lyric to "Guy Forget." |
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The Venue |
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Madison Square Garden [See upcoming shows] |
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20,789 |
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60 shows |
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The Music |
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12 songs / 8:13 pm to 9:35 pm (82 minutes) |
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12 songs / 10:11 pm to 11:50 pm (99 minutes) |
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24 songs |
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2003 |
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16.23 [Gap chart] |
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Evening Song, 20-20 Vision (Gene Autry) |
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ALL |
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Dog Faced Boy LTP 10/26/2016 (114 Show Gap) |
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Everything’s Right 13:57 |
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Ass Handed 0:54 |
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Rift - 2, Hoist - 2, Billy Breathes - 2, The Story of the Ghost - 1, Farmhouse - 2, Joy - 1, Big Boat - 1, Misc. - 10, Covers - 2 |
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The Rest |
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46°F and Clear at Showtime |
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Koa 2 / Languedoc G2 #4 |
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