Pro-Shot Video: Phish Extends ‘It’s Ice’ At Madison Square Garden
By Scott Bernstein Jul 25, 2017 • 6:12 am PDT
One of the improvisational highlights of the first weekend of Phish‘s Baker’s Dozen residency at Madison Square Garden in New York City came in an unexpected place. Phish extended the Rift rocker “It’s Ice” beyond the 15-minute mark as part of Sunday’s first set. The band recently unveiled pro-shot video of the top-tier “Ice” from Sunday’s red and velvet-filled concert.
Ever since Phish debuted “It’s Ice” at The Colonial Theatre in Keene, New Hampshire on September 25, 1991 the song has been screaming to be jammed out. “It’s Ice” has an open-ended section towards the end that the quartet has tended to keep rather brief and just when it seems they are about to go for the gold, Phish returns to the end of the tune. Sunday’s version saw the foursome vamp on the jam’s main progression for nearly ten glorious minutes, which is just as long as most entire versions of “It’s Ice.” The MSG “Ice” was quite a treat and the kind of first set jam for which fans had hoped.
Watch “It’s Ice” from Phish’s Sunday night show at Madison Square Garden:
Set 1: Sunday Morning [1], Axilla, Your Pet Cat > Back on the Train, How Many People Are You, Glide, Theme From the Bottom > It's Ice > More
Set 2: AC/DC Bag > Wolfman's Brother [2] > Twist > Waves > Miss You, Boogie On Reggae Woman, Wading in the Velvet Sea
Encore: Sweet Jane
This show was night three of Phish’s Baker’s Dozen run at Madison Square Garden and consisted of a red velvet donut theme. Red velvet donuts with cream cheese frosting were given to fans arriving at the venue and the show featured the Phish debut of Sunday Morning with Trey on drums and Fish on vocals. Fish came out on stage for Sunday Morning wearing a stole and mitre. He also lifted a censer with burning incense at one point and even sprinkled “holy water” on the crowd. The venue was draped in red lights for the “velvet” themed songs: Sunday Morning and Sweet Jane (both Velvet Underground covers) and Wading in the Velvet Sea. Trey teased Streets of Cairo in Back on the Train and Super Bad in It’s Ice. Wolfman’s Brother was unfinished. Sweet Jane was played for the first time since June 29, 2012 (193 shows).
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