Show Review - Phish 7/29/23 New York, NY
The second night of Phish’s 2023 Madison Square Garden residency was an exercise in pure energy. The crowd was absolutely electric throughout the show as the band dazzled with the longest jam of the summer (so far) among continued excellent playing from all members.
My seat last night was in section 107, giving me an excellent view of all four members from Mike side, as well as an angled view of Chris Kuroda’s light show that allowed me to see the colours and textures wash over the crowd.
Starting slightly later than Friday’s show, guitarist Trey Anastasio quickly choogled into “Back on the Train,” the first song to get its third play of summer tour. An energetic (as always) guitar solo section had the crowd’s spirits high as bassist Mike Gordon rumbled into the familiar intro to “Down with Disease.”
While many recent first-set versions of “Disease” have resulted in a 10-12 minute Type I version, last night continued the run’s trend of big jams in the two-hole (see 7/28 Wave of Hope). Staying in a major key throughout, Phish really leaned into the bliss as they have done so well this tour. Not using a major modulation as an “easy way out” or crutch as some might describe it – but utilizing the upbeat themes in a purposeful and deep avenue to create HAPPINESS. And happy we were…ear-to-ear smiles stretched across faces throughout MSG (mine especially) as the band hit a beautiful peak. The jam headed for spacier territory then, giving us some depth and a short infusion of darkness before Anastasio abruptly called for “The Dogs.”
The hard-rocking Chilling, Thrilling Sounds of the Haunted House cut led to “Bug,” a song Anastasio gleefully dedicated to young Jovi, a girl who sang the song on stage with him at a solo acoustic gig last year. “Sugar Shack” and “Evolve” kept the upbeat song selection going before the first “Horn” of the year filled a great late-set spot. Having been soundchecked numerous times at previous shows, the composition was executed well as Phish moved into “Foam.” Again demonstrating his commitment to practice that has been bearing so much fruit in 2023, Anastasio deftly moved through the complex melodies of the song as he and keyboardist Page McConnell tenderly soloed in their respective sections.
“Moonage Daydream” has been an incredible addition to Phish’s catalogue since its debut as part of the Ziggy Stardust musical costume in 2016, and it fits Anastasio’s vocal range perfectly, letting him stretch on the lyrics without sounding forced or off-key as has happened occasionally. The incendiary guitar solo had the capacity crowd ROARING with approval as CK5 blasted the white lights and brought the set to a strong close.
While Friday’s first set may have flowed better, last night’s was still full of memorable moments and saw the band setting up an exemplary second frame.
“The Wedge” was tapped as the opener, holding this placement for the first time since 12/31/15 as the band warmed back up after setbreak. Anastasio was ready to rock as he smoothly worked a “Stash” tease into his solo before cueing the opening to “Fuego.”
I jokingly (and hopefully) tweeted “Ok 30 min Fuego here we go” as the song began and was incredibly happy to see the band deliver exactly that – 30:04 to be exact by LivePhish timing.
I’ve always found that the jam section to “Fuego” is a more difficult theme to break out of into Type II territory, as the song’s riff is incredibly catchy and easy to work in to whatever theme you’re playing on. Luckily for us, Phish quickly began to depart the song proper atop McConnell’s layers of Rhodes and Yamaha CS60 synthesizer. Anastasio led the way into a minor-key just after the eight-minute mark and the Jon Fishman show began in earnest.
30 minutes of improvisation can sometimes feel tedious or take a lot of effort to get through, but this tentpole jam seemed to fly by as the music unfolded on the back of Fish’s absolutely incredible drumming. This summer has felt like the Summer of Fish in that he has been pushing tempos and playing so dynamically, inspiring the rest of the band to step up during jams as well as acting in the support role that a drummer fills in the band.
As I mentioned when talking about the first set’s “Disease,” Phish’s execution of major-key jams this year as been nothing short of exceptional, and the various segments of this monster “Fuego” followed that trend, toggling smoothly between rhythmically dense funk and major-key bliss. A combination of the two themes developed around 12 minutes in, and I found that I just could not take my eyes off of Fish. Somehow keeping the jam together so cohesively yet playing one long and constant fill, he danced across toms and cymbals alike in a captivating and aggressive fashion.
Finding themselves in a deep funk groove, Fish hinted back at “The Wedge” (though not specifically enough to be a tease) as bassist Mike Gordon burned into the groove with exceptional fills. Phish seamlessly transitioned into an airy space that carried over to the jam’s final peak, Anastasio playing arpeggios that seemed more a part of the larger sound than his leading guitar usually does. Much like in “Disease,” smiles abounded through the blissful motif as the song finally melted away with a perfect return to the song’s melody.
“Oblivion,” one of the summer’s new favourite songs, acted as a great continuation of the adventurous “Fuego” energy and the 14-minute rendition found itself back in incredible major-key waters.
An often-maligned song, “Wingsuit” really hits nicely as a second-set landing pad in my opinion, giving Anastasio an opportunity to work out his Whammy pedal through the rock ‘n roll vibe. The lone breather of the set expanded patiently as Kuroda painted the inside of the Garden in dark colours.
It was time to DANCE as Fish kicked off the signature drumbeat to “2001.” Another exemplary performance by CK5 began with this song (as per usual) as Phish vibed into the first chorus relatively quickly. Upon the drop into the second jam section, the entire arena ERUPTED into cheers, every phan feeling the energy and excitement of the show and energy.
The band seemed to take inspiration from this and delved deep into an atypical jam – lots of synth effects took shape as Anastasio and Gordon threw riffs back and forth across the stage at each other. One of the best renditions of the song in recent memory, the band briefly hinted at a Type II modulation but instead stumbled upon the opening riff to “Hold Your Head Up.”
Based on the preparedness of the “Cracklin’ Rosie” cymbals on stage, Fish was no doubt intended to take centre stage to begin last night’s encore – but a “fuck it” shrug from Anastasio kicked off the shtick early in mid-set two.
The first performance of “Cracklin’ Rosie” since 7/6/12 was a hilarious affair as “Henrietta” belted out the lyrics and pranced around the stage while crashing the song’s signature cymbals together.
“If you’re at your first Phish concert tonight, that’s pretty much it!” exclaimed a gleeful Anastasio before he proceeded to DESTROY the guitar solo to “Say It To Me S.A.N.T.O.S in the set-closing spot.” A double encore of the tender “Farmhouse” and explosive “First Tube” brought the second night of seven to a close.
Tonight is a Sunday show followed by a day off tomorrow, which no doubt means the band will have something special in store – but when does Phish lack something special? The two nights we have seen already have set a high bar for the rest of the run as the unique song selection and big jams will no doubt continue.
I, for one, hope for that “Golgi Apparatus”…