This show (to me), is the accumulation of everything phish has been throwing down all of 2018. Top tier song choices, silky sweet segues, a bliss jam in Everything's Right, a groove based power rock jam in Light, and an spaceship landing ambient jam in SOAM. Looking at a larger narrative, this show is the peak of everything that has happened since 2016. In 2016, we were given very blissful and powerful short segments (ex. SPAC CDT, MSG Ghost, Lockin Ghost, Mexico DWD, MGM Birds). In 2017, the jamming became much more cohesive. Multiple movements in jams and much more diversity than 2016 (ex Chimple, Choco Chalkdust, Powder Tube, Jimmy ASIHTOS). Exceptions exist, of course; Vegas Golden Age seemed light years away from most of 2016. The MSG 17 Simple was a groove based masterpiece. During the summer of 2018, the jams that I keep coming back to are like a combination of these years. Camden Light, Gorge Chalkdust, Alpha Ghost all have the dopamine peaks but unlike most of the previous years, are extremely easy to dance to. Yes, we are phish fans and will find a way to dance to anything they play. These recent peaks can make anyone comfortable to shake it to the beat. I was sure that I would be let down after the fall tour that those 5 men gave us in October. Then they doubled down with 3 shows that have a chance to be in "top 5 of 2018". This was like the scene in V for Vendetta, where the inspector goes to the burned down prison (or where ever he was) and can see all the events that had happened as well as everything that was going to happen. All I know is; I can't wait to see what's next in this story.

I worry that casual phans might just look at the jam charts and miss the Scents and Subtle jam here. The Scents jam drops into minor almost immediately and quietly builds. Up until the last 5 minutes, the band is shooting straight and incorporating so so much energy and intensity. I don't believe they know what the peak will be but treys mind has it handled (even if he doesn't know it consciously). They switch to major at the drop of a pen (pin?), page switches to baby grand and trey just spits fire at the feet of the people on the floor at MGM. Page hammers and pounds those keys in the holes where trey sustains. Similar to the vegas 16 Golden Age peak in a way. Mostly the intensity.

I walked out of MSG looking for validation. Maybe the best(my favorite) show I’ve ever seen. I do have a tendency to feel like that after most shows I see. Especially when I’m in the perfect head space to enjoy all the phish has to offer. And I’ve been known to drink the kool aid from time to time. As soon as I got back to my room I started texted friends who weren’t there to get their opinions. It seems as though I was correct. Just a smokin’ show right out of the gate with buried alive. The show seemed like they were just on the gas the whole time. Restraint wasn’t in their vocabulary that night. The second set was really the highlight of the night for me. Just seamless jamming from one tune to the next. it didn’t hurt that it was just one of those nights where I could really feel the whole crowd just burning up along with the boys. One of those shows that I can listen to over and over and feel transported right back there in my mind.

Set one featured some solid material. Page came in a bit early on the WITS, the band laughed it off. Boogie On & jam following got the room bouncing. Gumbo was great as well. Reba followed by the first (and only to this date) Zeppelin Rover. The IDK "Lets go Flyers" chant is one thing many will never forget, piggy backing off an improbable Stanley Cup run for the Flyers in 2010 - coming back in the Eastern Conference Semis to win in 7 after starting 3 down to Boston , but falling in the Cup final to the Blackhawks in 6 (Trey's prediction wasn't far off for 11', but dropped a big 0 burger in the Eastern Conference Semis to Boston). Stilllll waiting for that Cup in Philly. Set 2 opened with the jam vehicle DWD into a band favorite Talking Heads cover, Crosseyed. the Hood>Fluffhead was a real treat, as well as a 18-minute YEMmer to close the set. Night 1 without a doubt set the stage for a funky night 2, which proved to be a standout show... Broad Street Bullies.

First and foremost, we are looking at an extremely underrated show. I was there. Night one was show show of the year at this point. And looking a jam chart versions and seeing how many are from this night, should tell us something. This is a must hear show. Very interesting and intimate. Great playing and the energy inside the building is unreal. Night one was a touch better, but that should take nothing away from night two. This show, IMO is easily a 4.4 or better show. Night one is easily 4.5 or better.

This "It's Ice" flub might be the worst non-Prague eff up I've ever heard. It's so bad, you almost wonder if they're going to abort. That said, the show is fine. I think the Antelope, Squirming Coil, Johnny B Goode trio to end is in the exact wrong order, but what are you gonna do. This is a seriously low rating. If you're looking for pure headz, skip it. If you're plowing through entire tours/entire years while at work, it's a totally serviceable couple of hours.

In hindsight, 2018 was the best year for Phïsh since 1.0. And there are a ton of stand out shows. Vegas. Yemsg. Sf. Chi1. ...do not sleep on this one. Although night one of dicks (8/31/18) was a touch better of a show, this night, 9/2/18, is a massive kickdown. We are spoiled. And that’s ok. This night deserves to be ranked in the 4.5-4.6 area. First set was extremely well played. First 3 songs of the second are Phïsh are their highest playing. Mandatory listening.

A single, yet powerful set. Needless to say, Phish easily eclipsed the remains of Canned Heat whom they were tapped to open for. It is worthwhile noting that this show did NOT take place on at the Campus Pond. It was originally scheduled to take place on the lawn next to the pond, but due to spring rains and snow melt, that area was deemed too muddy, so the concert took place on a parking lot near the Southwest dormitory area, which created a great vibe of the lot being the concert!

I'm not one to write reviews, but this show absolutely compels me to try. From the opening licks and solos in Alumni, you knew Trey was gonna be pure fire this show (and Page would soon join him in his musical insanity...Fish and Mike also sign up...the magic of all 4 uniting as one...jesus digression). Mike's Groove arrives with a sandwiched surprise, but that's not what make's this one so great. Every freaking note counts!!! The whole thing is so tight and, well, groovy. Then that nice little segue to Crosseyed...fantastic (just listen to the crowd go berserk!). Next comes the beautiful Bliss/Billy interlude which is lovingly, delicately sung/played. No Men kicks us back into the party leading to a Tube sandwich...Weekapaug unfinished will finish? Nope, stays unfinished as a filthy Tube concludes. And who doesn't love More...yup, even people who say they hate it love it. Perfectly balance and well-played set. Set II...if you gave me a setlist before the show I'd be extremely wary. That's what makes this set so outstanding. These songs/jams will not be defied. I've suddenly become a big Amber, Everything, Plasma fan!!! That SOAM set closer though. On first listen I was vaguely apathetic. On second (and many ensuing subsequent) listen I was totally hypnotized by it's dark (evil?) mysteries. Not even gonna compare it to 1.0, but a helluva 3.0 for sure. Encore arrives...a machine gun blast of pure energy and spirit. Last song Wilson...er...last song Rocky...er...final song (and hungry for more) Cavern. No going to bed tonight! I'll sum up this whole show in one word....JOY. Even on (many) relistens my face splits open and smiles. In my opinion, one of the best shows top-to-bottom in awhile, and that's saying something (12/29's no slouch either). My favorite of the run...go listen to it now...and again...and again...

This is probably my favorite show of the summer '92 recordings. It's one of only a few full 2-set shows, and it's so great to hear the band stretching out more than they have been in their 30-45 minute Santana-opening slots. It's not a note-for-note flawless show, but the energy, playfulness, and openness to experimentation is better in this show than any I've heard since spring '92. Also, to add a bit of context, Ninja Custodian opened this show. Ninja Custodian used to live in Burlington and play many, many shows with Phish in the late 80's. They moved to LA though, and so this show with Phish touring the west coast was a special reunion. Musical highlights for me are the extra funky Wilson intro and then a bizarre and eerie jam before the blap boom part. The Bowie jam is very good, playing with dynamics but never loosing intensity. Tweezer is basically a jammed out Tweeprise, Mike's Song features a hilariously long (or annoyingly long, take your pick) wailing note from Trey. Seriously, for the entire first jam of Mike's Song, Trey's solo is ONE NOTE! Then Page grabs the reins and takes the second jam to a short little circusy-sounding thing. Weekapaug opens with Mike exuberantly declaring the Hydrogen lyrics, and then the jam kind of deconstructs and reconstructs. Weekapaug at this point really was one of their best jam vehicles (see 11/8/91, 11/21/91, and 5/7/92, for example). From there, Ninja Mike of Ninja Custodian joins the band on drums for a spirited Terrapin. 'A' Train also has extra flair and teases, including a tease of Somewhere Over the Rainbow, and then following 'A' Train, this incredible face-melting rock band plays a full instrumental Somewhere Over the Rainbow, and it's beautiful, worthy of slow dancing with your spouse in the kitchen. Listen for the Rainbow tease at the start of Cavern, and a fantastic Coil outro from Page to end the night. Well that's enough and probably too much words about music, go listen to it!

Still can't get enough of this Ghost Mike dominated the soundscape with his heavy groove; Easy to pass on this one but if you consider the interview where he said he is more than willing to push the jam if no one else is-- this Ghost is a great example of this philosophy * Gordo goes apeshit; Ghost goes dark

The night before was the best show of all of 3.0 for a non festival or specialty show. Tonight, 12/30, the trend, the ARC continued. These guys unlocked a whole new level. The are breaking into a new era, a new golden age. And it’s not barely, it’s a raging inferno of several well played and well sung and extremely well James PURPOSEFUL playing. I consider myself lucky to have been in Vegas and yemsg. 12/30/18 is one of the greatest shows of the modern era.

Before you read ahead, be aware that I don't write reviews with the objective of fluffing everything as a 5-star, best ever show. I like to give my honest opinion and sometimes that means writing things that critique, rather than only praise a performance. If this was the best show you've ever seen, do not in any way let my review affect your opinion. This year's New Years Run capped what I would consider Phish's finest tour since the return in '09. Rather than taking it easy for 4 shows, the band continued to push the envelope with dynamic, unique improv and several complete sets/shows of music. Much like the Vegas run this year, each night leading up to the final show was an improvement. Apologies for speaking in hyperbole, but Vegas #3 and MSG #3 were some of their best top-to-bottom shows in 3.0. That said, the band has seemed to have problems in the last several years with the actual holiday show, as they often don't quite reach the level as the shows surrounding them (from a musical standpoint at least). I don't mean to say the songs weren't well played in sets 1 & 3 of Halloween or 1, 2, and 3 of New Years, but they just lacked that "it" factor that the other nights had. Set 1 contained by-the-books renditions of all 12 songs. By no means a bad set, and certainly got us all up dancing, but nothing to write home about. Set 2 started off with a really improvisational DWD. It seemed like they were steering the jam towards the same territory as the Melt from 12/30 or the Hampton Golden Age but then just as things started to get weird Trey opted for Farmhouse instead. This left most of us at the venue scratching our head, Gordo included. It was really the only ripcord of the run, so they can have it. Seven Below got us back in the swing of things and showed some serious promise for the rest of the set. The jam continued the theme of deep space psychedelia that had prevailed all tour, and just as Mike was laying down some thick funk, Trey opted for the woo's. For real, it's time to retire the woos. I know, the woo-enthusiasts say that since "Trey loves them, I do too!" but they're trite, overdone, and quite honestly ruin the relistenability of the jams they enter. Listen to the Weekapaug from 12/30 that narrowly escaped the woos and tell me that all of these jams wouldn't be better if they had stop-start segments rather than woo segments. Anyway, I digress, but c'mon - don't ruin the Tweezer and Seven Below. OK moving forward -- Twist emerges. It's one of my favorite tunes, but fairly straightforward here. Hood>Passing Through>Hood is a good idea...but again, the crowd wasnt really having the "way-o way-o" which makes for an awkward and non-triumphant return to Hood to finish the set. Set 3 kicks off with one of my favorite new Phish tunes. We all know what happened next and I won't say much on it. I loved the gag. It was simple, colorful, entertaining, and rang in the new year the best way possible: Phish jamming. SANTOS is the first song of 2019 and had the whole garden signing along. Love that tune in that spot. The remainder of the set was kind of bizarre. Bizarre only because this tour was so full of creativity and improv, yet Simple, Saw It Again, LxL, RnR, and Suzy were all about as straightforward as you can get. Good song selection (hell, way better than 2011 when they played Wedge>Alaska>Velvet Sea right after the ball dropped), but it did feel like they were just mailing it in rather than trying to finish it as they had started it. Lizards is lizards, and Character Zero had us all raging like we weren't gonna see another Phish show for another 7 months (except for the lucky folks going to Mehico). All-in-all this was a fantastically average-slightly above average show, especially given that NYE is a show that can be counted amongst the greats if executed properly. Song selection gets a B+/A-, Jamming gets a B/B-, Gag gets a B+. There's nowhere I'd rather be than MSG on 12/31, and the show was definitely a good party.

12/29/18: Wow.. what a night Set 1: Highlights of the set include: everything from buried alive > cities (followed by a nice breather) and the ya mar>Wolfman's>Party Time>Wolfman's. [where's the love for Party TIme guys?] The buried alive was rocking followed by a in-and-out Blaze on (I thought this version was good, fishman pushed the band with good pace to a decent peak and included a a good funk/rhythm section). The Sloth. F**k yes! [NSFW]. I’ve been waiting for this one (played only 5 times since I started seeing phish). The energy in the building was NUTS for this one. Me and my buddy were power rocking and just totally enthralled by the energy this classic tune brang to the Garden. I thought the 46 days was an especially good jam with a slinky segue into the cities. Trey working his magic with the Bm/D switches and the band all together was locked in after 46 Days started to liftoff. Next up, the Ya Mar. I love this goofy song and got a little plinko-ey just before coming to a smooth close. [although we first miscalled it for waves at the time - sorry people next to us, we’re scrubs]. Finally, the only thing that can compete with the 46>Cities is this Wolfman’s>Party time sequence. The wolfman's started strong and found really nice space in a minor key, followed by more exploration. The vocal jam was a “makeup call” IMO from Mansfield ‘16 when the sound cut out (thanks boys) and was really cool INTERWEAVED with Party Time. Just the band again showing us that they’ve been practicing and I thought they were just in tune the whole set - giving room for every band member to thrive in their moment. Also I’ll note that the bands changes were clean and smooth all set (this theme will continue throughout the run). BUT I felt this was on 12/28 after set 1. Are the boys going to be able to keep the energy up for all 4 quarters?... Set 2: Highlights of the set include: The whole dang thang. I have been caught a few times in just moments of this feeling. It’s awe and disbelief and appreciation for what this band can do - even though it is hard to describe, we all know what it is. (jam night, powder night, 12/30/16, 12/29&30/18 are some of mine). That tweezer had me jaw to the floor when it came back (and with a strong extra 7 minutes). The carini finds a nice jam and peaks but is just cut a little short and shadowed by other monsters in this set. Namely, the tweezer is just an amazing jam with good diversity and I think the Kasvot song fits in there perfectly. When they brought it back you could just feel the entire Garden go nuts (similar the way disease came back from melt during the Dozen imo). Then the No quarter was a nice breather. Led Zeppelin felt like a breather, woah. I’ll take that in the ballad slot every night. 2001>First tube is a great ending [dare I say perfect?] to an Phish set, with the 2001 being slightly extended at the beginning and a longer set of peaks (first opinion, haven’t compared times thoroughly though). Let me note here again that the bands segues were really clean as they just slinked from one song to the next all set (and all night). *Note: I liked the woo section here, but I wish it stopped here. I feel like they were asking for it all weekend, lets just get back to stop-start jamming. But I digress... Encore was good-not-great again. I love the “make every song you sing your favorite tune” lyric and it was appropriate for the night. Followed by the “greatest 4 minutes of rock and roll”, and absolutely stunning night of Phish was capped off. Overall, I thought tonight was a barn burner. Everyone was talking about 12/30 being THE night or 3rd night of the run being the best, but, let us not forget that Phish is the band of ultimate regret. And they’ll make you pay for missing a “sleeper night”. I’ll hold off on making any sort of ‘97 comparisons for now. But this show deserves being discussed for a long time.. As will the next..

12/31/18: A fitting cap to the run & Fall 18 Set 1: Highlights of the set include: Steam>Chalkdust and the Antelope. Honorable mention for the vocally harmonized section of Ass handed (lol classy, guys). First half of the set was good, very start the night off funky. Lawn boy comes up and might I mention what a nice shirt Page had on. The steam was good not great but had good direction then into chalkdust the crowd just went wild. I felt this one was especially energetic (behind stage looking out at the band/floor for this one) and they even tossed in a little second jam after finishing the CDT (is this becoming a trend? I like it). What's the Use silences the building (in a good way) and then trey sings us to sleep with waste (see Coco monkey meme). Did I mention that I really like the Kasvot songs? (See previous reviews) both stray dog and Play by Play I had a lot of fun with, and I think they fit great in the sets. Cap it off with a well executed antelope, no problem. Set 2: Here is where the meat of the show really lies. Highlights of the set include: DwD, a confused look from Mike during Farmhouse, Seven Below and the Hood. All are worth a relisten, and even the twist was good but there was no time for more. I was utterly surprised with the Farmhouse call after a great disease (with good direction, which you can't say for all of em). But after that -7 the band tells me to shut up and keep quiet as they get really creative and deep on this track. The Hood I thought was really good (almost going to plinko land) then went into Passing Through. I’m torn on this, I like the tune (and the attempt to segue in and out) but I think it might've been better if they played them separately. They did end up coming back with a good finish to the Hood, but I’m not super sold on this one. Hard to say, either way, the band was flexing their muscles with this one. Shiny gem of the set is definitely the -7 IMO with the DwD at a close second. Set 3: Highlights of the set include: Mercury & SANTOS. Some really sweet licks from trey and Mike throughout the Mercury and it was just awesome to see the guys having so much fun with SANTOS. I think I was smiling this whole set. I loved the gag, the lights were great, streamers everywhere. Just super fun (and honestly that mercury jam will hold up). Watching mike and Trey fly through the air just having a blast. Watching mike air walk, the goofy balloon dancers. Space smells pretty damn good. The simple got ripcorded but one of my friends wisely said “SIA demands it” and it's pretty much on par for the course. It’ll take a lot more than that to make me salty right now. SIA>LxL>R&R>Suzy were all great fun choices. The only two bad ripcords we really got all weekend was the farmhouse the and SIA, so count your wins! Also we got to witness another couple accounts of the fabled Bob Weaver! After you play me Lizards, you can play whatever you want. Cliche or not, that was a rocking Zero. I’ll keep this one brief because I wrote some lengthy ones prior, but all in all I just thought this was a great cap to 2018. And what a strong run. Fall tour has been so fun and energetic after the cancellation (thank you all for being amazing). Even the “bad” shows were still awesome and have songs that have “replay value”. Eternal joy and never ending splendor. Keep adding more chapters to the book, pham.

12/30/18: Yee with little faith, the boys come back strong Set 1: This set just felt like the show from last night hadn’t stopped. The band came out with the energy to kill it and top yesterdays. The crowd went absolutely wild for Alumni/Jimmy Page. I didn’t even hear the hot dog day ref because everyone was belting the lyrics. Show #35 and still checking off some heavyweight boxes. That was a cool first for me. With Bliss and Billy Breathes, im 1 song away from seeing the entire album. Other highlights of the set include: The weekapaug->X&P and the No man's>”WeekaTube” sequence. Mike’s kept the crowd movin and I think it’s got some good segments in there. Glide II was interesting to see (only time played) but definitely cooled the mood of a very exciting crowd. If I didn’t talk enough about clean segues in my last review, this weekapaug>X&P is sweet af and totals for 20 mins of focused jamming. More clean segues and teases to come out of the no mans > tube. Then they start jamming the tube (f*n right!). then holy shit are that weekapaug coming back from forever ago? Welcome to mashup weekend i guess! Set 1 is the new Set 2? PS - Thank for for the bathroom break in More guys, I can’t stress enough how much that was needed. Back just in time for the numberline solo. Set 2: Highlights of the set include: Cool Amber all the way thru Light, and the Melt. The CAAM got a good 3 min (ish) extension and I thought it jammed really well. Everything's Right, a little down tempo but I also thought that song got into a good groove and goes for a solid 15. >Plasma >Light. Trey really roars during this light, I thought for sure this was going to be the set highlight with Everythings Right at a close second, but yee with little faith - there is more to come. After an appropriately placed Velvet Sea, Mike starts up the Melt bassline. Cue the crowd eruption. This jam might be the best of the run (This, tweez, & -7 for me), it was just simply inappropriate with no regard for well-being. It got nicely blissed out before during dissonant and dark with CK5 putting on a dang ‘ole clinic with those lights. This encore might be the best I’ve ever seen live. The entire arena was just went of control with the band popping off 4 awesome closers (which I think could have any of them could have stood alone in that slot just fine). I went to grab my flannel like twice (thinking surely it's over) after the funky bitch and wilson. But yee with little faith. Wow the energy in MSG for these songs was something special to be a part of. Then rocky top comes on and somehow it seems like people are raging even harder. *No reaching for my flannel this time - fuck my coat* Cavern starts up and here we go, one last dance (also I giggled at the faceplant into rock quote). Another perfect ending to an absolutely amazing show. Dang ole Phish putting on a dang óle clinic man. The last 2 nights might be the strongest 1-2 punch in a very long time (so I'm not counting Powder-Jam or Magna, although, those are interesting conversations). Peak Phish ladies and gentlemen, everyone wins. I’ll hold off on making any sort of ‘97 comparisons for now. But this show like the last deserves being discussed for a long time.

12/28/18: Fun, well executed. But something is off... Set 1: The boys come out feeling the energy the crowd immediately showed and they go to Outlive our Brains, and the crowd erupts (this would just be the first of many energetic responses to the bands song choice through the weekend). The tune was mostly in form, but got extended a few minutes (would turn out to be the longest extension to Kasvot songs played twice). Followed by martian monster and axilla just showed the excitement those 4 had to come out to play tonight. >Free felt like a breather, damn (perfect placement) and the song had a nice peak to it as well. I love If I could so I’ll check that box and take that in set 1 any day. Highlights thru the rest of the set include the meat (got real saucy at the end), Ghost (avg for song, but continued that dark fun theme from Meat). Personal opinion on the Maze and Walls: I thought they had great tension throughout and the peaks were nice, but I thought it was a little clunky coming out of the tension for that signature arms-to-the-sky feeling we all love [I’ll get back to this later, see possum!]. Walls to me sounded a little rushed for the beginning composition and I feel like the band members (namely Trey) struggled a bit with the timing. BUT once he got his feet under him in the second half of the song MAN did he soar. An excellent peak out to end a first set, and overall, I thought the set really flowed together well. Set 2: Set 2 was good not great. I think the gems in here (namely the Soul Free, Fuego (peka), Gin & Possum) are good versions and the house was really rocking. As a person who doesn't necessarily love Soul Free, I though the band had really good direction. I love billy Breathes so I did enjoy grabbing Swept>Steep, but in the 2 slot? After that jam? I felt conflicted haha. The energy picked back up with the kasvot tun “Final hurrah” (which I am having a blast with these songs, they fit great with Phish’s setlists & flow) and Fuego. I think this song is a little not my taste, but the jams are rocking! This peak especially I remember raging really hard for. Then.. a shade. I actually like this tune, but keep the energy flowing boys, felt like we just got going again. The Gin is beautiful, lots of layers and followed by a well executed peak. & then the follow possum was roaring! [and the crowd goes nuts]. I think possum is becoming the new maze (or maybe just the better executed tune). The way they held the tension before roaring that release was really well done (also look at dicks possum from 17 and BD). The bouncing it seemed to me like Trey had a hard time with. Bouncing & Slave was a good encore tho, the slave build especially was really well done I thought. I’d take those 2 to end a show on most nights, but the best of the encores for the run is yet to come…. Overall I think my biggest complaint about this one is the flow, but as I mentioned before, the gems in here will hold up and I will definitely relisten to a good amount of this show. Just a hair short of 4.0 for me, rating is a little low imo (currently 3.56, mine 3.7). I had a blast at this show (they're all super fun, right?), but it just wasn’t the hose. *Note - Me being extremely tired during this show could have affected my opinion. Long day of travel > 3 hours of dancing definitely wore me out

This was my first show. My best friend had been urging me to see Phish for more than a year. I had 2nd generation tapes of the two available albums at that time, Junta and Lawn Boy. I thought they were interesting. I liked Esther the most. So, anyway... I got a call from my sisters boyfriend that Phish was playing his college and I should attend. I drove my Subaru GL up from Shrewsbury, MA. We partied a little too hard before hand and then walked the incredibly long distance (probably I could have rolled it was very close) from the dorms to the Bates gymnasium. I remember it being well attended but in those days you could walk right up to the stage and we did. It was a fairly high stage per my memory, and I was able to put my whole arms out on the stage. The band or school had giant fans on both sides of the stage, which were utilized in spite of it being winter. It was a good show, or enough to inspire me to see them again at Smith a week later. Being a big deadhead at the time I wasn’t recruited yet, but after Smith I was sold. For the 20 plus years since I have remembered them closing with Contact, so either that’s false memory or that got clipped from the tape. Anyway, this show isn’t essential listening. The playing is average to below average for 91. But still very listenable and enjoyable. I will always treasure it and I am grateful I got to see 6 shows that year. Thank you Phish!!!

There's obviously lots to break down... so I'll highlight just one aspect that deserves some recognition; [u]This show's Down with Disease![/u] I'm very much down with the Down that went down. Frankly, I think it's downright one of the better jams I've heard. From a musical standpoint, this is the kind of face-melter that showcases Phish's uncanny ability to evolve and push for new heights while giving us what we want. I would expect anyone with ears to enjoy, if not marvel at, the shredding that ensues - unless they're just a downer.

Madison Square Garden will always be a special place to see Phish for me. My first ever Phish show was at the Garden on the last night of their 2015 NYE run (after getting a fake ticket to their show at the Mann that summer). I remember not knowing a lot of the songs at the time (though looking back at the setlist, I was extremely lucky) but I do know I was gifted an insane Tweezer (plus Reprise!) and a Lizards in the encore spot. I didn't manage to see them again until the 2016 NYE proper show (Petrichor) and then caught 6 of the BD shows + the 12/28 + 31 2017 shows. The NYE show was my first time on the floor & my mind was completely blown. I told myself then that I would never do NYE anywhere else but on the floor of MSG. So, when they announced the shows this year, I instantly hopped on floor seats (resell unfortunately, damn scalpers!) for NYE as well as 100 level seats for the 30th. I managed to secure a spot near the side rail, Page side, about 30 feet back from the stage. There was ample room to move and sooo many fun people that I met. I actually went by myself this year and don't regret it at all. The show had my undivided attention the whole time. The first set was great fun, especially once they broke into CDT. That is one of my absolute favorite songs from any band & I don't think I've ever gotten down harder in my life. Not a crazy version, but boy does it whip the floor into a frenzy. WTU was incredible, as always, Play By Play was super groovy (didn't recognize it until they hit the chorus) and waste was incredibly emotional (especially after seeing the helping, friendly book that Bella gifted Trey. Stuff like that is why I adore this band.) That's not even mentioning my first 'Lope (somehow after ~12 shows I never got it until now). The second set started off with a Disease that predictably went deep. Tons of great improve here, and while the ripcord into Farmhouse was abrupt, they played it perfectly. Seven Below is another one of my favorite Phish tunes and this was also a really, really good version. Everyone around me was so into the groove. Twist surprised me by not going deep, but who can complain when they cut it short for Hood. Great Hood too, some Type II improve. The transition into Passing Through wasn't perfect, but it is also one of my favorite Kasvot songs. Mikes solo in the middle part is just perfect. Then back into the Hood peak to end the last set of 2018! Just great stuff. I've been waiting on the Mercury gag since 2015. The song has always had so much potential, and when they kicked into it, I was smiling ear to ear. On a side note, my buddy hates Mercury, somehow, and commented the night prior that he was praying that wasn't the gag. I couldn't help but laugh at how different our reactions at that moment must have been. I'm not even going to comment on the midnight spectacle, just go watch the video. The whole floor was going insane during SANTOS and it's moments like that that initially drew me into this band. Where else can you see the band having possibly more fun than the fans. Just absolutely wonderful. The rest of the set was pretty standard (a.k.a fun) stuff. Everyone was calling a YEM encore as they had about 20 minutes left and while they might not of played it, who can complain about getting Lizards? It was especially great to me, as it was also the encore to my very first show in the same building. The groove during the chorus is just one of the happiest and most fun in their catalog. Zero gave them one more chance to light the building up, and Trey almost never disappoints on things song. Fantastic cap to a fantastic show. Phish's NYE shows are just unparalleled (though I will say I've seen the Biscuits NYE shows a few times and they do a pretty damn good job as well). Musically, was this the most adventurist night of the run? No. That's not what the NYE shows are about though. It's about celebrating another year with people & a band we all love. If you were there and didn't have a great time, I honestly think there's no helping you. We did get great versions of DWD and -7 as well. Everyone else is saying it, but for a band to be as old as Phish is and to still be pushing limits is something we can all be thankful for.

12/30 was the show for me. Obviously the 1st set was special no doubt that i don't think needs further explanation, but that 2nd set is just so much my style phish. Felt like a trip back to the oxy years. Trey throwing those sonic overtones out were just melting my brain. I'm sure it helped that i was 20 rows back on the floor watching those lights dance and reassemble right in front of my face, but that was special. I'm sure most fans prefer the tastes of Saturday set II, which was also awesome, but those jams in Everything's Right, Light and Melt were perfect. Reminds me of "soundcheck" or "4th set at a festival" jamming.

Before the Set 2 "Waiting" theme jumped off, Trey threw in a "Tired of Waiting for You" by the Kinks tease into his "Gin" solo. I heard it whilst couch streaming the show and upon further listening today, I confirm this tease. Surprised nobody else caught or failed to mention this. You heard it hear first. Pun intended. Happy New Year, Phish Heads!

OMG Maybe MrStevie should stay home and listen to his ‘94 tapes Lololo. Why put in the effort to listen to shit?????? I get it. The band has evolved but my grandad never did. Party on Garth lol. I’m no spring chicken and understand the band has changed. If that’s what I’m looking for I’d still be listening to Molly Hatchett haha good one. Sorry brother it’s not working for you. BTW I didn’t know there was any other kind of LSD than liquid......frickn hilarious

It’s rare that I decide to review a show online, but this show deserves to be talked about for years. I had a lot of enthusiasm goin into the venue because I thought the night before was just ok and they’d bring the heat tonight. I was not wrong. This show is my favorite that I’ve ever seen since 1994. And here is why... Buried Alive opened was nice and clean. Good indication that the band was in sync and ready to roll. Blaze on was solid. I thought the first set Blaze Ons have been a lot better in 2018 and have had solid endings that ripped. This version was no exception. The 3 min close to this had me smirking. Turtle in the Clouds confirmed my suspicion that it was gonna be one of those nights. You could tell with the theatrics that they had something in store for us and they’re having a blast. Sloth was a surprise. Always cool to hear. And a solid quick version. 46 Days is where the set turned a corner though. Crisp open to the song that segued into a really cool jam that plinko’d into Cities. Very cool transition. Jam in Cities was a dance party for sure. Corrina was a cool drop. Silky tone and was a perfect smile break. I couldn’t remember how long it had been since I heard Ya Mar. was a nice upbeat insert to the set. Wolfmans was definitely the the stand out of the set. Maybe better if it was called Wolf Party. The funk section ripped into Party Time lyrics and screamed into another 10 min jam dropping in and out of Wolfman and Party Time lyrics. Fantastic close to the set. Big bow from the boys and the crowd was eating it up. Raging close to the set!!!! Thought Tweezer was gonna open the set but they come back on with Carini. All versions as of late have been amazing so I was pumped. Clean chorus section and short jam. The jam rolls heavily into Tweezer almost as they though they couldn’t wait anymore to show us this Tweezer. Clean open and throws down with amazing stalls in the jam. The crowd throws down some Woos in the middle, which I’m usually not a fan of, but these seemed fitting for the situation. This Tweezer is multi layed with several epic sections connected beautifully. My Fav KV song opening notes sneak into the jam and they drop into a Swampy DDHVL. Suspicions confirmed, this song has endless potential. This Phish is my favorite. I was freaking out. They drop back into Tweezer and not just for a sniff. They go back for another 9 mins and rip through. I’m in awe. Literally shocked by what was going down. The Tweezer jam slows into a sultry version in No quarter. I can’t name a show when they played No quarter that didn’t rock. It was comical the way they were pulling heater after heater. 2001 just added to the lunacy that was this set!!! Fantastic version, little extended jam and once again, we shook that place like no one was looking. First Tube was smoking! Trey got to play rock star and hopped all over. He sure had a blast and really let us know this during FT. Last shot of Adrenalin beige the set close. Place explodes with applause. Extended bows and again, well deserved. Encore was Shine a Light which was solid version, and nice cool off before The TwPrise. Place went nuts. Nobody left early, and a lot of people stayed late just to sit and gather their jaws and thoughts!!! Bravo boys!! This Show is the reason that I continue to spend ridiculous amounts of time following this band around the country.

The most misunderstood show in Phish history = 7/12/96. Long considered one of their worst gigs ever, this is actually an elaborate prank in which every song in the second set is left unfinished (even the ones not noted on the setlist are missing lyrics) and all the jams devolve into quiet atonal playing (Bowie does it more than once). As a teen I didn't understand this gig and bought the hype on how bad it was, how the band was on mushrooms or particularly potent hash (hey I too have forgotten to play any notes while tripping and jamming) but listening back now I'm noticing all sorts of subtle in-jokes and whispering and stuff. This was Phish's first show in Amsterdam and they are fucking with the audience on a deep and disturbing level. There are some hints of what's to come in the first set (Melt > Ya Mar > Funky Bitch and Tweezer > Llama) but most of weirdness comes in set two. Just listen to it yourself with fresh ears if you've ever written it off before. Right before they take the break you can imagine Trey smirking to himself when he says "we're just getting warmed up". He knew what he was about to do to these drug addled freaks. Apparently after Suzy Greenberg, the rest of the band left Fishman up on stage to play a "slow hypnotic beat" very quietly by himself (as per the Phish Companion review). You can definitely hear Fish starting the "slow hypnotic beat" at the end of Suzy and I'm pretty sure you can hear it continuing at the start of "Set 3". My thesis here is that Phish [b]never truly took another set break[/b] and that at least one member was on stage during the whole of Sets 2 and 3. I wonder if anyone has a recording of the "dead air" and can confirm this. Wow. We as a fan base are so easily deluded. Was Phish covering John Cage on our ass? This is real commitment to your craft here. I'm honestly shocked I've never realized how utterly unique this mindfuck of a show is. Everyone always said Trey was too stoned at this gig but he had these trustafarian noobs in the palm of his hands. Still does. Trey whispering "rock and roll, man" while intentionally fading out the Gin jam and then blasting into Johnny B. Goode to end the show pretty much says it all... Best band ever.

Great show, a solid 4.5/5 for me!!! Decent set 1 with some nice surprises to behold. Well worth the listen! Very very fun set 2, Carini was a blast but cut early and a bit roughly IMHO. Real nice blissy peaks and funk dance party modes in the Tweezer, this ones a smoker! The > DDHVL transition was a bit jarring for my taste, and even though the funkier of the Kasvot songs, just didnt do it for me in its second outing and in its placement. However, once Tweezer started back up, the fire playing resumed with the rest of the set being straight Phishy butter! You could tell they were having a blast up on the stage and with each other. So fun to witness! That being said, however, I still don't understand how this is rated the #2 all time Phish show currently! I can count several other shows at MSG alone that far surpass this show in adventure, tightness, and transition execution in my opinion in the 1.0, 2.0, and even 3.0 eras!!! I was not there, but did couch tour it. After listening back to the entire show again today a few days after the buzz, it still holds up as a super fun show, one of my favorites and def top 5 shows of 2018 for my taste! Kuddos boys!!!! This is how you keep us coming back for more!

I have been seeing phish since 1995. I have seen many of the 'great' shows. This one was way up there for me. I brought my dad to NYC with me (he's a suit in his 60s). He was so blown away by, not only the community, but the quality of human beings that interact at shows. My phriends asked me to keep bringing him to shows hahaha. There were four of us in our group who were 100+ show vets, and we are anywhere between 8.0 and 9.5....I'm more near the 9's. I thought this show was pretty perfect from start to finish. That Tweezer is the best one I have seen in 2.0 or 3.0. I think the entire run was quality. They are having fun. I was surprised to see this ranked #2 of all time, but I think it's definitely top five. Hope you all had fun! Happy New Year!

After last night's heater, I was sure we were in for a slower show before New Years Eve. This was my 30th show and I was taking my sister to her first so I was hoping this wouldn't be the case. We got into New York later than I usually do as my sister missed 2 buses before finally getting one into Port Authority and I was picking her up (they didn't even refund her). But as is the case with most Phish shows, those annoying times that get your down just make up a part of your first Phish show story and the boys more than laid it down tonight to make that memory even more special. We had sick tickets behind the stage, ten rows back, dead center for this night. I won't do a play by play but so many rare songs that I never thought I'd hear/never knew existed (Glide II). I also wanted to point out that the transitions have been on point this run more than usual. Last night's 46 days -> Cities and Death Don't Hurt Very Long-> Tweezer were something but I don't think anything tops this Tube sandwich. I was losing it during that along with the rest of MSG. Super cool moment. The transition into Crosseyed isn't too shabby either. As they walked off the stage my sister had the biggest smile on her face and I had to point out that this was supposed to be the warm up set. Didn't feel like it to me! Second set was just as good if not better. Great song selection flow. Even Wading felt right before having to regain our brains after that effects laden SOAM. Watching the boys bring Everything's Right to a beautiful peak without Trey shredding was just another reminder about how skilled this band is. Everyone was really communicating and it was special to hear. Highlight of the second set was by far Light. Wide ranging jam and definitely the best I've seen. Four song encore, bring it! Absolutely crazy show. Yesterday might have been better but this show hooked my sister and her friends in. Can't wait to see more shows with them.

@ITCH_TO_THE_NAG summed it up perfectly. I can't say any more. If this isn't the Phish you crave for, then you're missing out. Absolute fire Set II. I turned around and saw a lot of hands over mouths before the encore. Just simply stunning display of funk jams which rolled continually. I enjoy every show I'm lucky enough to be in attendance for, but I share @ITCH_TO_THE_NAG's sentiments in saying this is definitely the type of show I'm looking for.

This is fucking bullshit. This band doesn't know what type 1 or type 2 jamming is. They don't care what 2.0 or 3.0 is. They played zero classics during this run. No bowie, no foam, no reba, no divided sky, no fee, no dinner and a movie, no gp, no rift, no mound, no it's ice, no col forbin, no tela, no harpua, no ffm, no glide, no ctb, no gumbo, no nothing. Just the usual shit. This band used to ooze fusion chops, emulate Zappa and yes and Santana and all the greats, but this last 20 years have been crap. My sister in law did liquid acid with the band in their limo at great woods in 2000, with trey' s friend Hammond, from school. They were full of shit then, and now. Trey can't figure out one fucking melodic lick compared to the old days. This band exists to pity his existence. Tom Marshall should find a better composer to write for.