Show Review - Phish 8/4/23 New York, NY
We returned to the scene of the crime last night for the penultimate show of this summer’s Madison Square Garden residency and watched as Phish absolutely torched the venue – breaking gag rumours, dropping huge jams, and having an absolute blast.
The night began with “Buried Alive,” generally a sure sign of a hot show. “The Moma Dance” offered a liquid funk groove at an insistent tempo thanks to drummer Jon Fishman as the band let the improv flow for a little bit longer than your average version. Guitarist Trey Anastasio dispelled the long-held rumours that the band would be performing their 2003 album Round Room in its entirety to close out the run with “46 Days,” marking the first track from the release to make an appearance this week.
Clocking in around 12 minutes, the “46 Days” jam took on a dreamlike quality as the band moved into a major-key space. Anastasio held a single note beautifully for around a minute as keyboardist Page McConnell’s twinkling piano added to the incredibly joyous energy of the improv.
“Back in the Bubble,” a new Mike Gordon composition, offered the classic funky groove of many of his songs – yet was the lone low point of the night.
“Bouncing Around the Room” led to a frenetic “Birds of a Feather,” packing some dense Type II exploration into its nine-minute runtime, much like “Timber” from Tuesday night. The aggressive vibe gave way to an extended “Halley’s Comet,” which saw a purposeful jam begin with Anastasio on his synth effects. McConnell twinkled on a thick layer of Rhodes and then Prophet synthesizer as Fish drove the beat, eventually prompting Anastasio to find his way into the opening chords of “Roggae” – the first of multiple amazing segues last night.
“Run Like an Antelope” was tapped as the set closer and saw some absolutely mind-blowing guitar work from Anastasio through the intensely shreddy peak. The crowd erupted with energy both at the beginning of the jam and during the peak, giving me happy chills as I relished the feeling of being at a Phish show.
As the first notes of “Mike’s Song” rang out across the arena to begin the second set, one thing was on many people’s minds – the possibility of a second jam. Eight years ago last night, Phish revived it in Nashville for the first time since 1.0 (thank you Drew Hitz!) – and it had not been seen since 8/2/17 at the Baker’s Dozen.
Before getting there however, Phish took their time with the first jam – McConnell shining first on clavinet and then organ as Anastasio sprinkled riffs across the deep groove. An above-average peak with more patience than they typically exhibit crashed mightily in the closing chords as I (and others) held my breath in anticipation. A missed cue led to an extra round through the closing but the band eventually found the moment and smashed down a half-step to F, beginning the second jam in earnest.
The longest “Mike’s Song” in Phish history continued atop a speedy beat from Fish as McConnell hit the Rhodes and Anastasio set up some dissonant loops of synth effects. The guitarist seemed to play around with “Tweezer” for a little while, but was intent on continuing the improv and brought the band into a rocking peak motif. Fish refused to let a drop of energy escape throughout the 23-minute jam and hammered even further into the fast pace as Anastasio whipped the crowd into a frenzy with the explosion of notes and CK5 blasted the white lights multiple times. A perfect return back to the ending of “Mike’s” closed out an impressive set opener and the first song to cross 20 minutes since “Fuego” last Saturday.
Wasting no time, Anastasio called for “Sand,” marking the first time that song has been paired with “Mike’s.” While a shorter length at 12 minutes, this jam is well worth a listen – the guitarist’s restraint in the early part (not to mention the brief ’99-style siren loop) allowed for McConnell to lead more on clavinet and then Wurlitzer. Another well-crafted major-key peak segued perfectly into “Crosseyed and Painless.”
Excited by the beginning of the song, Fish pushed the tempo to a high speed as the crowd’s energy exploded numerous times again. Shrugging off a brief lyrical flub, the “Crosseyed” jam took on a feel akin to a “Piper” – absolutely blistering in speed and intensity as McConnell attacked his clavinet with great force and Anastasio melted every face in sight. The band once again hinted at a darker shift but wound up in a brighter space, McConnell contributing some excellent textures atop Gordon’s spectacular riffing and Anastasio’s insistent playing.
Upon the conclusion of “Crosseyed,” Anastasio opted for “A Life Beyond the Dream” as the set’s breather. Power ballad, indeed – the guitar solo in this tune boasted multiple white-light peaks and continues to work very well in this slot, haters be damned.
Experiencing “The Lizards” live for the first time was an incredible experience – one of my most sought-after songs because of its incredible composition and importance in Phish history. I lost myself in the ethereal middle section with a huge smile on my face, just absolutely overflowing with gratitude for my presence in that moment.
Of all the songs I expected to hear this run, “While My Guitar Gently Weeps” was not high on the list at all – but I was damn excited about it being played. Anastasio’s impassioned solo seemed to reach for the heavens as the Beatles classic was executed with perfection to close out the excellent second set.
The expected “Weekapaug Groove” encore seemed almost an afterthought as it was brought to a close with a short five-minute runtime – but the band wasn’t done and picked “Fluffhead” as the final song of the night. Once again, arms were raised in the air as the final peak soared for longer than normal, smiles on the faces of band and audience alike – connecting in a moment for everyone to share their intense joy.
One night remains in the residency – while there is still a possibility of some kind of gag or unique aspect to tonight’s show, I just expect that Phish will deliver a closer worthy of this run, seven shows filled with eternal joy and never-ending splendor.
Tweezer looms…