And that’s a wrap!
It’s hard to believe that seven nights of Phish went by so quickly – seven shows of incredible playing from all four members of the band, a wide range of notable moments from covers to antics and jams, and just a damn good time for everyone. I am so grateful to have had the opportunity to attend all of them.
Now let’s talk about last night.
There was a LOT of speculation going into the final show, with everything from a possible gag to a third set, as rumours from MSG ushers of a later curfew circulated the community. Phish did nothing of the sort, naturally, and delivered an amazing show that brought their summer residency and tour proper to an excellent conclusion.
The show began with “Loving Cup,” an appropriately rocking song to get the crowd going for the show – though very little amping up was needed due to the high level of energy inside the packed arena already. Guitarist Trey Anastasio laid into the solo nicely before calling for “Maze” next. Keyboardist Page McConnell destroyed his Hammond B3 organ ahead of Anastasio’s typically-dissonant solo.
“Martian Monster” only boasts its usual 6-ish minute runtime, but the band approached this version with ferocity, McConnell and Anastasio especially laying into synth effects and swirling textures on top of drummer Jon Fishman’s funk groove. Bassist Mike Gordon carpet-bombed the song with deep synths of his own as the crowd danced their asses off. Not your average 6-minute song and well worth a listen!
The band went old-school with the next pick, moving through the intricate composition of “Divided Sky” with ease. It’s always a treat to see this song live, and it was especially cool to watch Anastasio move around in front of his amplifier to find the right positioning for the long sustain at the song’s end – which he eventually did.
“Prince Caspian” might seem like an odd mid-first set call, but Phish struck into this rendition with purpose, opening up a 16-minute Type II masterpiece that immediately stands up with the greatest versions of all time. While many jams throughout the run had followed a largely major-key direction, “Caspian” immediately transitioned into a funkier vibe with some “Tweezer”-adjacent riffing from Anastasio and McConnell. The vibe grew darker and more menacing as the band members activated various synthesizers and space textures. A brief major-key foray went back into the darkness thanks to Anastasio’s ring modulator, the dial-tone effect that had been missing for a majority of the run. The band found their way from there into a rocking motif and strong peak to close out the jam. Fish moaned into the microphone as they came down from the peak, offering a brief segment of further ring modulator dissonance before Anastasio initiated a smooth segue into “NICU.”
“Steam” featured an above-average guitar solo from Anastasio, stretching the song longer than it has in many recent versions before “Drift While You’re Sleeping” closed out the first set. While a bathroom exodus was evident at the beginning of the Ghosts of the Forest track, by the ending section, most of the packed crowd had their hands in the air and belting the lyrics along with a happy Anastasio.
At setbreak, most of the discussion centred around the inevitable “Tweezer” that was to come – and it did in a BIG way, but not before an appetizer of “Set Your Soul Free.” Letting the band get settled in for the set to come, “SYSF” had a nice – yet short – jam with a rocky return to the song…but all that was forgotten as Anastasio ripped into the “Tweezer” riff.
There are few moments with higher energy than this song, and especially during a run like this when everybody pretty much knew it was coming…the anticipation was sky-high. Multiple times throughout the song proper, it seemed as though the crowd could drown out the band with the volume of cheers and excitement as huge volumes of glow sticks were tossed around.
Barely two minutes into the jam, Fish and Anastasio dropped some “Guy Forget” over the groove (I’m of the opinion that these should be considered quotes within the larger “Tweezer” jam), the first such instance since 12/28/19. Fish then proceeded to kick the improv into double-time ahead of a beautiful major-key shift. McConnell laid down a thick foundation of Rhodes under Anastasio’s melodic soloing as they found the first stop in the behemoth jam. Fish continued to push the tempo as the quartet found their way into a more minor-key space and McConnell moved up to his Prophet synthesizer. Gordon and Anastasio locked in on a melody together, always a really cool sound.
Hints of “Manteca” came through in the next segment as Fish brought back the “Tweezer” drumbeat. Anastasio moved into some effects on his Whammy pedal and toyed with the riff briefly before embarking back out into improv land. McConnell’s aggressive wurli playing complemented Anastasio’s melodies well and gave the jam a muddy vibe in the best possible way.
The ring modulator came back in – this time over a major-key theme – and led to another great bliss section. At this point in the jam, I became so filled with joy and gratitude for this band that I cried a little bit at the peak…not ashamed to admit it.
A return to the main “Tweezer” riff was not the end for last night’s tentpole jam, however, as Phish delivered a few minutes of funky minor-key jamming before disintegrating into space. Whereas in earlier shows, Anastasio would take this opportunity to segue into a new song, the quartet probed the depths of the universe, unleashing soundscapes of twinkling stars and impenetrable black holes. Gordon’s drill rang out among more ring modulator and synths from McConnell before the absolute PERFECT landing pad in “What’s The Use?”.
When we talk about perfect placement and song selection, this is it right here. There was not a better song to emerge from the darkness at that point and was the ideal palette cleanser after a monstrous half-hour of “Tweezer.”
“Scents and Subtle Sounds” began to rack the energy back up before Anastasio pulled some fun left turns into “Tweezer” and then “Everything’s Right.” Guitar was in charge of the “ER” jam and the band hit on both “Manteca” quotes and a descending theme reminiscent of “Mind Left Body Jam.” Another foray into “Tweezer” led to a wildly energetic “Backwards Down the Number Line” – at this point, the band was just having the time of their lives playing songs they loved.
At the conclusion of “Number Line,” Anastasio addressed the crowd with his profound thanks for an incredible MSG run and noted that the band are bigger fans of the crowd than we are of them – not so sure about that one ;)
“Tweezer Reprise,” expected for the encore, was tapped as the second-set closer instead as a slight break from tradition that allowed for everyone to let off an insane amount of energy during the best three minutes in rock and roll music. I’ve truly never felt the energy at a concert at a level like this and raged it with an ear-to-ear grin – much like Anastasio, who bounced around the stage like the happiest guy on the planet (honestly…he may have been).
We all knew what was coming for the encore at this point as Phish laid into “Harry Hood” with intense purpose from the first notes. The intro featured some spacey interplay between Anastasio and Gordon, who met at centre stage for a few bars.
Now let’s talk about this jam.
Easily the best “Hood” in a number of years, the improv began as usual, with a floaty major-key space. McConnell’s Wurlitzer sounded almost like his Rhodes at times throughout this section as Gordon’s high-register melodies added to the serene quality of the music.
Textures layered upon each other as Fish increased the intensity ever so slightly, each band member swirling around each other in an intricate dance. Anastasio began to weave a melodic tapestry, seamlessly leading into a minor key. Existing in the vast vacuum of space, Gordon layered in synth textures almost akin to the intro of “Ghosts of the Forest.”
Anastasio laid into reverse delay as the intensity gradually continued to grow, subtly growing and pushing the boundaries of the music ever so slightly with each passing moment. Some sustained guitar once again layered with the keyboard and bass textures.
Like a dark cloud on the horizon, all traces of serenity vanished as Anastasio worked waves of tension from his Whammy pedal, shredding into a minor key as McConnell continued to work the Wurlitzer and then piano.
In a blink-and-you’ll-miss-it transition, we suddenly found ourselves back in “Hood” proper, arms raised to the ceiling as we celebrated a spectacular and joyous peak to close out the show and run. I had to take a minute to catch my breath as the band took their bows, trying to process the sheer majesty of the closing jam.
Seven nights. No repeats. All Phish.
This is a band in their 40th year who approached this seven-night residency with a youthful exuberance we haven’t seen from them in years. From faster tempos to antics aplenty, this felt like a celebration of what makes Phish so incredible – a celebration that happens every single time they take the stage.
Thank you…and see you at Dick’s!