[We would like to thank Max Alter (@SplitOpenAndMalt) aka @MaltsandShakes for recapping last night's show. -Ed.]

​​Talk about a year, huh?

41 years into their history, this band continues to surprise by pushing their limits. To me, it certainly feels like their 35+ minute jams in consecutive nights in Mexico fell further than one year ago. Add in Phish’s debut at the state-of-the-art Sphere in April, multiple 40+ minute jams across their Summer Tour, their first successful festival since Magnaball, their illustrious return to MVP Arena in Albany, and that the boys covered quite some ground in this year of touring. Of course, the only proper way to top it off was (and is) cumulating the accrued energy into their annual New Years’ Eve run at the World’s Most Famous Arena, Madison Square Garden. After a night of mixed reviews, I think we can confidently say that the band stepped up to the plate.

After missing the first night of the run, this reviewer was chomping at the bit to return to MSG for my first show since the shortened one-set show at Mondegreen. Serving as my longest gap between shows since 2022, it’s safe to say that I would’ve been satisfied with a complete dud, so long as I was able to see the band play and push their own boundaries. I returned to Manhattan early in the morning of 12/29, flying into John F. Kennedy Airport prior to 9am from South Florida upon return from vacation and instantly shifted my mindset to the show tonight. I spent the flight listening to 12/28’s outing and concurred with most of the at-large assessments of the previous night: the band demonstrated moments of high-level execution while also witnessing moments of lackluster vocals or instances where the band wasn’t quite as locked in as we’ve come to expect out of post-pandemic (4.0?) Phish.

Nonetheless, I digress. In execution of my review from the prior year’s counterpart to 12/29, I prepared for tonight’s review by sitting in the only place I knew to be ample for the full Phish experience: the Chase Bridge. Subsequent to a two-fold pregame at both The Celtic Rail and Juniper, myself, my girlfriend, and two of our closest buddies settled into our seats in Section 325 at 7:40pm. (Reviewer’s Note: it never fails to shock me how much Phans take over the area surrounding the Garden on show nights—seemingly every bar or restaurant in the most recognizable American city is playing old shows or popular studio work by the band to draw in our fanbase, indicative of our influence wherever the band plays). As per our experience last year, the seating arrangements were impeccable; we were slightly closer to the center of the crowd, providing us a direct overhead view of all four instruments, those in general admission, and Kuroda’s lighting rig. We obtained our Hopcelots in our souvenir cups (my personal favorites over the last four years) and settled in until the lights dimmed.

The lights dimmed across the arena at 8:01pm, slightly earlier than the previous night, prompting the crowd to rise from their seating arrangements and anticipate the night ahead. The band opened the set with “Sample in a Jar”, marking its first opening slot appearance at the Garden since the illustrious Jam-Filled night of the Baker’s Dozen. Sure, this version offered the standard fare of “Sample”, but it was worth calling out a handful of elements through the context of the previous night: first and foremost, Trey’s rig pretty instantly continued to impress. Without question, the Garden offers the audience some of the best sounding Phish on the planet pretty consistently, but both tonight and the previous night, it felt like the intentions of the band came through to the audience abidingly clear with each note. Secondarily, it was pretty evident that Trey’s vocal struggles (which appeared increasingly so in 12/28’s Set II) had been essentially dissolved; Trey executed difficult key changes and higher notes throughout the night, and the challenge of a sing-song selection like “Sample” provided him the opportunity to do so immediately off the bat. And with that, we were off (Reviewer’s Unofficial Timing: 5:05).

The band strategically placed “AC/DC Bag” in the second slot. This song has without question underwent a major resurgence over the past few years, providing numerous notable outings, including 9/2/23, 8/11/24, and, of course, last year’s outing as a part of the Gamehendge gag. Given the recent track record of the song, one can assume that the song choice was clearly intentional—ramping up audience energy, and, reaffirming the band’s willingness to take risks. While not the behemoth jams we’ve experienced in the aforementioned versions, this selection certainly came with some juice. Subsequent to the initial peak as part of the song proper, Trey worked hand-in-hand with Fishman to provide a semblance of pulling away from the standard tone. By 4:50 into the jam, a darker tone overtakes the song, almost exclusively driven by Mike’s bassline. A clear recurring theme tonight was Mike’s presence: both in the mix and in terms of jam development. As a Page Side frequenter, I’m usually submerged into the ivory selections offered by McConnell more significantly than any other instrument in the mix, but Mike’s effort tonight could not be drowned out. Here, Mike’s continuous effort to retain his original bass line lead to a pleasant, almost soul-like riffing effort by Trey, which culminates in the song’s final peak around 8:50 into the jam. A nice effort here for the second slot of the show (Reviewer’s Unofficial Timing: 9:52).

“The Moma Dance” followed, marking its second consecutive New Years’ Run appearing on 12/29. Yet again, while not a behemoth version comparable to the one we experienced with Billy Strings during this summer, there were certainly some elements that set this version apart from others. For the first time tonight (and arguably this run), Trey’s patience was on full display. Extended intros for songs we see commonly throughout Phish’s repertoire are not too easy to come by these days, and this selection certainly satisfied. Once more, Mike really shined here— providing the lead solo work in the introduction to influence a jazz-based sound we recognize throughout this iteration. Here, Trey really commits to providing each element of the complex “Moma Dance” their individual opportunity to shine. I’ve noted that since 2021, the band often performs their best throughout the night when they provide their compositions the opportunity to really breathe, and this effort successfully foreshadowed the remainder of the night. Phish ultimately culminates this energy into a multifaceted peaking section, one uncharacteristic of modern “Moma Dance” efforts and providing a solid selection of microjamming executed correctly. (Reviewer’s Unofficial Timing: 9:28)

“Rift” has been a challenging selection in the modern era of Phish. Certainly, this is one of the band’s more complicated compositions, but the formerly immaculate executions we are oft used to for this song in the late 1990s are long beyond us. I would argue that tonight’s iteration served as a pleasant exception to this rule. Sure, the version did not deviate from the norm, but the band’s performance seemingly replicated that which the audience demands of such a prominent setlist staple. The ‘faults’ present in this version seemed malicious rather than err-driven and blended directly into the pace and rhythm provided by Fishman, continuing the band’s hot streak early in the first quarter of this show. (Reviewer’s Unofficial Timing: 6:05).

“Prince Caspian” ensued and resulted in the band’s first real improvisation display of the night. Full disclosure: I find “Caspian” to be a song that perpetually receives undeserved criticism—particularly since 2021. All four band members continue to make a conceited effort to challenge themselves through the lens of listening and responding, akin to many of their ‘Include Your Own Hey’ practice sessions detailed in numerous Phish Almanac editions of the past. Tonight’s effort in the Garden mimicked those of the recent years. In conjunction with his earlier efforts of the set, Mike’s sound really stands out here as the instigator to further exploration. Eventually, Fishman takes over the driving role of this jam as Trey and Page change the tone of the jam to drive the sound into a deeper and almost heavy element. This element serves as the meat of the jam, before the band almost transitions back to the softer tone of “Caspian” proper around 10:00 in. Trey embraces the pathos of the executed jam, pushes the band to a higher octave, and provides us an icy transition to the peaking section of the jam before returning to the jam proper. Yet another stellar version of the song—I implore the fanbase to reconsider utilizing “Caspian” as your bathroom break. (Reviewer’s Unofficial Timing: 12:16).

Subsequent to a brief interlude in the set to provide time for instrument tuning, the band lands on “Monsters”, one of Phish’s more impressive originals over the past few years. Only making its seventh appearance in a setlist, this song continues to do more with less. This song’s tone is innately chilling and provides quite the opportunity for Trey to decide whether or not to drive the band into a deeper jam with each performance. Herein, Trey doesn’t completely mandate his peers into a significant Type II jam, but his affinity for the tune comes through clearly as he provides a nice and dark peak subsequent to the composed portion of the song. In addition, Trey’s vocals here are entirely superior to any of his efforts from Night One, effortlessly adapting to the elevated octave without coming across as the infamous “Broadway Trey”. Ultimately, we receive a high-energy, authentic, and enjoyable version, on par with a majority of “Monsters”’ predecessors. (Reviewer’s Unofficial Timing: 6:56).

The band follows up with “Runaway Jim”. Somewhat similar to “Rift”, this song often serves a different function in the current setlists than was we’ve seen from a while back. No longer are the days of the 30-minute “Jim” iterations of the past; rather, we’re used to seeing “Runaway Jim” as more of a bridge song between two high-intensity selections. Tonight, however, we were proven incorrect. Atypical to the standard fare, this version quickly delves into unforeseen territory, at least as of recent. Trey provides Mike a section between the first two verses to drop some bass bombs, much to the enjoyment of the MSG crowd. More notably, however, is the intensely heavy section we recognized subsequent to the composed portion of the song. The ensuing jam quickly approaches Type II territory and provides us a deep and convoluted effort reminiscent substantially moreso of a “Carini” or a “Split Open and Melt” than a 4.0 “Runaway Jim” before returning to the song proper around 8:50. As always, length isn’t always the end-all be-all for a successful jam, and for those listeners seeking a differentiator between their favorites, tonight’s “Jim” should be rewarded with a spot on your LivePhish playlist. (Reviewer’s Unofficial Timing: 10:16).

The execution of the middle portion of this set made “You Enjoy Myself” an exceptional setlist choice here. As reiterated numerous times in the preceding paragraphs, we’ve yet to have that true ‘Wow Factor’ jam in the set at this point. However, this was undoubtedly outweighed by the band’s willingness to take risks (as seen in “Runaway Jim” and “Prince Caspian” combined with the band’s patience and ability to listen to each other (as demonstrated in “AC/DC Bag” and “The Moma Dance”). Given these two factors, Trey approached tonight’s “YEM” with poise. Each element through the ‘Wash Uffizi’ section was performed with presence and a clear dedication to execution, providing an enjoyable listening experience throughout. In my opinion, this song presented each of the four members’ best outing of the first set throughout the night, providing isolatable and satisfying tracks of each member within the arena. And, as per usual, the trampoline portion elicited the normal crowd enthusiasm we’ve come to expect at MSG. Mike continues to shine subsequent to this portion and maintains the driving tone for quite a number of measures after the composition proper, providing a sound almost similar to the earlier effort in “The Moma Dance”. As such, the crowd began to wonder in line with most 4.0 “YEMs”—will we see a post-vocal jam jam? (Reviewer’s Unofficial Timing: 18:17)

That question never got a proper answer, as subsequent to a brief vocal portion, Trey provided a smooth -> transition into “Ghost” to close the set. This selection nearly reprises the characteristics that made tonight’s first set a particularly strong one, even without a keystone jam amidst it. The jam blends into the finishing touches of “YEM” quite cohesively, and the final peak could trick most listeners into believing the band was returning to “AC/DC Bag”. Ultimately, this “Ghost” provides the capstone to a set in which the band exhibited cohesiveness, patience, and risk-taking, which is essentially all we can ask for as the band pushes 60. A strong first set comes to a close at 9:28pm, and my show group concurs that the elements that made tonight’s first set successful sets the stage for a potentially solid second set. (Reviewer’s Unofficial Timing: 9:28).

Me and my buddies headed down to the 100s level to catch up with a number of our friends sitting across the venue. It always feels like the Garden serves as the home arena for this band, and everyone you might see shows with across America shows up for at least one night of the run. This serves as a great way to catch up with old friends or meet new ones, just one of the plethora of advantages of seeing a show at the Garden. The 100s level also provides a good variety of selection for food and drink, a perk that my girlfriend took full advantage of, returning to the seat with a couple slices of pizza. We all reminisced on our varying levels of satisfaction from the first set, most notably agreeing upon the notion that the flow of the setlist above all else provided a quality listening experience.

A seemingly short setbreak ended after exactly 30 minutes. The band returned at 9:58pm with “Bathtub Gin”, drawing its first second set opener placement in MSG after fifteen appearances. Once again, a lot of standard fare here before the band veered away from the tone at around 4:45—this iteration didn’t quite ever depart from Type I but Fishman stepped up quite quickly in the set, urging on Trey and Page for activity. Unlike the heavier, rock-influenced jam portions of the previously noted songs in the first set, this improv portion provided a lighter tone. (Reviewer’s Unofficial Timing: 8:24)

Now, last 12/29, the boys provided us with a downright diabolical version of “Chalk Dust Torture” to open the second set, which ultimately provided a hard, evil tone that was continuous throughout the remainder of that show. Subsequent to a rather shorter outing for “Gin” and after no jam eclipsed 15 minutes on the previous night, fans had to wonder whether or not the band would still be willing to go the distance that we’ve accustomed ourselves to in 2024 (see: Mexico Chalkdust, Alpine Simple, Chaifetz Tweezer, etc.). The band put that to rest quite quickly. “Ruby Waves” has proven to be a reliable jam vehicle since its debut, and tonight added another unbelievably stellar version to the vault. Pretty immediately after the composed portion of the song, Trey drives the other three members far, far away from the tone of the song. This jam undoubtedly approaches Type II territory quicker than any other song played thus far during the 2024 NYE Run. Initially, this provides us with a psychedelic inspired sound, similar to its 7/14/2023 cousin, played in Alpharetta. Yet, rather than embracing this as the theme of the jam, Fishman urges the rest of the band to pursue one goal: go deeper.

By 7:30 into this jam, Page is obliterating the organs. Trey never gives up the directional leadership of this jam, but Fishman and Mike both embrace the softer tone inspired by Page to build to an organic peak. This peak differentiates itself from the previous peaks of tonight by being outwardly patient. No motion indicative of transitioning to a separate tune or returning to “Ruby Waves” proper was observable in the first 10 minutes whatsoever, leading to a beautiful culmination of potential energy right around 11:50. Of course, where the band might return to transition out of the song, the rhythm section of the band begs a question once again: can we go deeper?

Turns out that Phish has not lost its spark. By 13:00, the band has yet again shifted away from its peak to a second and entirely isolated portion of the jam. Once again, we see the band approach an airy sound, showcasing a distinct element change from the previous portion of the jam. This portion sounds something along the lines of what we might’ve expected in a Mystery Jam Monday—showcasing quite clearly what I consider to be the band’s biggest strength: the awe-inspiring slow build. Fishman once more softens his blow to the drum kit and lengthens the space between hits, forcing the band to find complementing sounds without offering the ability to transition out. Trey finds his groove and a secondary build ensues, likely offering the most danceable portion of the show tonight. A darker effect from Trey is flipped on and Page transitions to some synth work to manufacture yet another distinct build-up. For a second here, the listener could confuse portions of this jam with “The Moma Dance” once more. Ultimately, this section offers some pristine Phish: a part-funk, part-jazz, part-rock exploration across the plane of the stage, fully immersing the audience into a sonic soundscape.

The jam closes with portions almost cow-funk like; Fishman’s cymbal work and Trey’s strum pattern cohesively work to provide us a perfect, seemingly orchestrated final peak before the band returns to the song to wrap up this night’s pinnacle jam. As previously mentioned, this jam is incredibly impressive. Forget the timestamp, the isolated elements each independently building into a peak that’s anything but forced provide this jam with immense relistening value. Plan to throw this one on at work or while you’re studying—I can already assure that you can find something new with each listen through. This jam will be tough to top the next two nights. (Reviewer’s Unofficial Timing: 36:29)

We knew the band was due for a cooldown after the prior behemoth. My show buddy and I debated—“What’s the Use?” or “Shade?”. Much to my delight, we got a “Waste” instead. This is the song that initially got my girlfriend into Phish and has kept her coming back. We chase it every time we’re together—while it might not be the most impressive improv piece, it makes me feel like I felt on Day One of our relationship. This was our first time seeing “Waste” together since New Years’ Eve of 2022 and I’m really, really grateful we got this. Of course, Page and Trey performed their composed sections with prowess and did not miss a note, but, for me, this was bigger than the song selection. And I’m always grateful that Phish continues to generate these moments for me after years of seeing the band. (Reviewer’s Unofficial Timing: 5:43)

Sometimes, subsequent to a huge jam, the band opts out of concluding its set on a strong note. The one-two punch of “Fuego” (Reviewer’s Unofficial Timing: 10:02) and The Talking Heads’ “Crosseyed and Painless” (Reviewer’s Unofficial Timing: 8:09) did anything but that. Across the two songs, a fast and efficient sound arises. Trey’s intonation is once more pitch perfect, providing us yet another outstanding peak in “Fuego” before providing a little brother to the “Crosseyed” from the 2023 MSG7. When the band is playing as locked in as they were throughout the second set, even the most basic execution of long-stretched compositions like “Fuego” provide audial joy.

Sure, this second set didn’t have a constant thematic element like we saw evilly with 12/29/23, but you might argue that this set provided some of the most well-executed Phish in the last year or so. The band didn’t call it quits after its top-shelf jam when it easily could have and rather commanded the room for the entirety of the set. While shorter than the first set (as the band exited the stage at 11:05), this set covered immensely more territory, bumping this show from an above-average showing to a truly terrific night of Phish.

Capitalizing off the enormous “Round Room” bustout from the previous night, we got sent home with a one-song encore that provided us our first “Bold as Love” by the Jimi Hendrix Experience in 149 shows. Receiving only its second play at Madison Square Garden in the 35-year history of Phish performing the song, it provided us with our one last final punch to wrap up a high-energy night. This was my first “Bold as Love”—I always feel that Trey does Hendrix songs justice more than nearly any other artist that they cover and this was no exception. Page’s vocal work brought us home and the show ended promptly at 11:18pm. (Reviewer’s Unofficial Timing: 6:08).

We headed out of the arena and ran into quite the traffic jam in the staircase—one of the very limited negatives of being on the Chase bridge is that most everyone funnels out before we can head down a tier. Me and my girlfriend hopped on the ‘C’ train, only to find out that the ‘L’ train which we needed to take to get home had been cancelled. Whatever—we hopped on a bus and picked up a Chicken Caesar Wrap from a Bodega before I settled in to write this review. Similar to last year, trying to describe the way that music makes me feel is a task that is almost impossible to do—I don’t believe words can accurately convey emotions, something that music emulates and generates better than anything else on the planet.

But, ultimately, the band delivered. I feel lucky to say that both this 12/29 and the previous year’s generated a strong footing and provided us with tasty second sets. The “Ruby Waves” is all but certain to be a ‘Jam of the Year’ contender and will draw fierce competition should any jam throughout the rest of the run be looking to challenge it. This night provided a perfect representation of what was so great about Phish in 2024 and I think that this one should land in my rotation at large to remind myself for years to come what the band succeeded in this year: taking risks and execution. On the Rating Scale I utilized in the prior year, I’d go so far to provide this show a rating around the A2 range. This tops the 12/29 show from last year, pretty much exclusively driven by “Ruby Waves” landing more successfully than the beloved “Chalk Dust Torture” in 2023.

We can be sure that the band won’t provide us another “Gamehendge” in a few nights, but I beg the question—does that really matter? So long as the band continues to provide us masterful jamming and patience, I’m feeling pretty sure that we’ll have another two great nights. Enjoy your Hopcelots, friends, and thanks for a great 2024.

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