Intro

Three months later, I’ve come back to write a fuller review. My initial thoughts are somewhere on this page already. But this one is something I just want to get out of my brain, maybe it’s only for me.

The Lead-Up

The rumors had been flying for a couple weeks. People one or two steps removed from the band were being told things like, “It’s happening”, “Get to NY, you don’t want to miss this”, and “This is the one.”

I didn’t believe it. I couldn’t believe it because I didn’t want to be disappointed. Without expectations, I love every show. With expectations, things can be rough. And a Gamehendge show was like a grail I’d been seeking since I was 15. I was 42 at this show.

But then by 12/30/23 there had still been no Gamehendge songs played all run. And maybe that’s just the kind of fake-out Phish would set up. And we love them because they might actually do something that sinister.

Set 1

Fun start. I think many people were distracted thinking about what the gag could be. Maybe the band was too. In hindsight, Everything’s Right was a good call. Clever.

Ether Edge actually made me angry. “Why waste NYE time with this song? Do this work for anyone?” That was harsh and I regret thinking it but I still don’t hear much redeeming about that song.

Reba was beautiful. Trey spent a long time playing the solo and staring up at section 220 or 219. That was odd. Maybe a family friend was up there, but I actually think he was staring down someone who threw something on stage a few minutes earlier.

I closed my eyes during the Reba jam and cried a bit. It was that pretty.

The rest of the set was fun. I’d gladly take it any other day and be happy about it.

Set 2

The DwD felt like a great way to start whatever was going to happen next. A fun near-tradition for NYE shows. For a few minutes I forgot what night it was. I forgot until the Disease wrapped up so quickly. And with only a few seconds of break between songs…

Oompapa Oompapa Oompapa Oompapa-aaaah…. Chills then. Chills still now. In 25 years of going to Phish shows I’d never heard a Harpua. And while some are better than others, all are special events.

I highly recommend listening to the AUDs of this, from Harpua at least through The Lizards. We all went absolutely wild when Harpua began.

“Are they going to do it? Is this how it starts, with Harpua?”

I wasn’t sure if this would lead to Gamehendge. In fact, I thought it wouldn’t. But still this was going to be great.

Then a live Jimmy and Poster appeared. Amazing! Then Annie Golden as grandma?! WTF is happening?

Some fun and hilarious narration and dialog followed. You all know.

But it wasn’t until Mike said, “And I also know that years ago this dude, Colonel Forbin, showed up and tried to save this place by getting the Helping Friendly Book back from the evil king who stole it.”

OMG, it might actually happen!

But it wasn’t until Grandma Annie placed the needle on the record that we all really knew.

Hearing the arpeggiated opening of The Man Who Stepped Into Yesterday (complete with record pop effects) literally stunned me. My mouth must have been wide open.

If you listen closely to the AUD recording you can hear someone yell, “Oh my god, they’re gonna do it!” That wasn’t me, but it might as well have been.

“I can’t let you ring in another new year without knowing the real story of Gamehendge.”

The entire band went into TMWSIY and the rhombus arose to screaming and cheering and even crying.

If you’re on this page, you get it. But I know a lot of people who don’t. It’s not just about the music. It’s not just about the story. For many of us it’s about decades of memories, of life experiences. Births, deaths, friendships, romances, adventures… this is the soundtrack of our lives. I didn’t realize quite how much this meant to me until this night.

The music of set 2 was stellar, high energy and perfectly played. The lightning, including the rhombus, was some of the best lighting I’ve ever seen. And the dancers, actors, puppeteers… just amazing.

I quickly heard the extra singers and keyboardist. They really filled out the sound and I feel strongly that having them hidden was the right move. It avoided some distraction. I wonder if that was a tough decision.

The AC/DC jam—now affectionately known as The March of the Multibeast—was dark and full of great textures. It was a perfect soundtrack to the slow entrance of Tela and her ride.

From section 116 I loved watching people slowly turn to see a three-headed monster with glowing eyes walking through the room, ridden by a lady, the jewel of Wilson’s foul domain. As each person turned they jumped, cheered, or got out their phones. I think a few might have freaked out.

The aerial dance during Tela was magical. It was perfect. As elegant and lovely as the song, which I’d never seen before.

Llama was an earthquake. I mean that literally. The song was so fast and determined that the arena bounced harder than I’d ever seen. The rhombus and all the equipment on stage was visibly and rhythmically shaking.

Throughout the first set, even from a distance, I could see how absolutely ecstatic Trey was. I can guess all the reasons why, and I do think there are several reasons. And one of them, I think, is knowing how happy they were making all of us.

Divided Sky ended with a narration. “There’s still a lot more story to come” which may have been the best “stick around” I’ve ever heard.

During the set break I started texting with friends in other parts of MSG.

“Is this happening? Is this a dream!”
“IT’S HAPPENING.”

Set 3

Just like Tela, I’d never seen McGrupp, Forbin’s, or Mockingbird before and of course I’d always wanted to in any context. But to see them strung together with a full stage production really did exceed anything I thought possible at a Phish show.

When the band launched into Forbin’s Ascent I leapt in the air and screamed.

Mockingbird sounds like an extremely difficult song to play on guitar. Maybe that’s why it’s rarely played these days. But Trey flourished.

10,000 people or more sang along as a giant mockingbird flew around and above us. The house lights were partially up and seeing this, and hearing this, I cried a little again.

The beauty of this show, for me, matched the beauty of Big Cypress, like the sunrise Velvet Sea. Very different experiences in so many ways, but both transcendent. Like being in another world for a brief time. It really did not feel like we were in New York City for these few hours. We were over the rainbow.

I loved the addition of SOAM to the Gamehendge canon. I’ll always take a SOAM and I think it fits well with the rest of the story. Again, great playing, fun theatrics, and wonderful lighting design.

When the band kicked off YEM I remember thinking, “The best show just got even better. This is ridiculous.”

YEM, Loving Cup, and Possum were all played wonderfully. I thought this Loving Cup might be the best I’ve ever seen at a show. It had some extra energy and a few extra bars of jamming. And I still think that it (being the only cover of the night along with Auld Lang Syne) is now part of Gamehendge. “I’m the man from the mountain,” sung by Icculus.

Encore

The encore was high-energy and great. Nothing too exceptional, just more smoking rock music. I loved it.

The aftermath

I walked out in a daze. Some people were celebrating, some people were shaking their heads in disbelief, others just stood there in awed silence.

A group of men in their 50s walked with me. One said to me, “I don’t know if I should say this yet, but after over 100 shows, that was the best show I’ve ever seen.”

I think a lot of us felt that way. Did that really happen? Was the music really as good as it sounded like during the show? Did they really do Gamehendge? With actors? And puppets? And back-up musicians?

Well, they did and it was.

On my flight back home to Oregon I watched the entire show on my laptop. And I cried like a baby for a lot of it. I wonder what people in my row thought about a man crying while watching a rock concert with puppets.

Now months later, this show holds up for me. This was a magical event for me and for a lot of people. It is really is on the level of Big Cypress for me. A musical, communal experience that took me somewhere I’d never been before.

So thank you, Phish. And thank you crew, and actors, and musicians, and writers.

My guess is that this NYE gag took more money, time, and effort than most others. Phish didn’t have to do this. They could have done one of a dozen simpler, easier, cheaper things. I’m aware that Phish is a business, but this felt like a gift to us. And I cherish it.