Wow, what an incredible 4-day run and what a week in NYC. This is what dreams are made of.

I had never actually intended to go to a second straight MSG run to end the year. Well, at least maybe subconsciously I did. But I had already just flown crosscountry to Hampton and enjoyed that legendary run there. It was going to be tight to swing this again. But, given that my sister was still living in NYC, I could possibly find a way to do this on the "cheap" that only really included flights, tickets, and party supplies. So I put in for the lottery, and wouldn't you know it. A 4-day pass with a good view. Phish, Inc. wants me to go broke. I even convinced a few IRL friends to go with to NYC, they wouldn't be going to the shows with me, but we got to do so much cool stuff during the days. More on that later.

We flew into Newark just after the snow had fallen (luckily no delays). After some initial chaos, we took a bus into the city, then the subway, all the way down to Brooklyn, where I would be residing during the run. NYC gorgeous as ever in the snow. We absorbed the wonderful Park Slope scenery with a few inches on the ground, grabbing some great falafel and dancing in the street. I split up with my non-Phish crew and headed to MSG around 6:00, arriving well early to really take in the vibe. I met up with several members of the Phishcord crew as I had in previous jaunts (Dicks 2024, MSG 2024, Seattle through SF, Hampton, and now this. What a generational run!). I lucked out and had great seats, 209 Row 1. I brought a sign that said CDT REPRISE on it each of the four nights, it's my favorite song and I never thought they would ever play it again, until the fateful 12/8/2019 Charleston tour ender and then sporadically since. They played Meat after a sign for it in Hampton, why not Chalk Dust Torture Reprise?

12/28/2025 was a great show. I have been on a crazy run of heaters since Dicks 2024, all of them except one show rated above 4.0 currently, and that was 12/28/2024. I didn't expect anything going in here, it was N1. Got to know my row-mates and had a great time dancing all four nights, the energy was high. As far as the first set went, they started off hot and set the tone for four really solid shows in a row.

Buried Alive - a classic opener, always welcome. My second one after SF N1 2025, also an opener. The AC/DC Bag next has a nice little jam and was the first extended jam of the run - almost similar to the way it was the first surprise of last year's MSG run. Roggae was splendid afterward, that song always bats a thousand but it felt like they had something special prepared within and it was a really good version. Rift was a perfect choice to keep the energy up and it had everyone dancing. I feel like the setlist construction has just gotten better and better in 4.0 - it's a special time to be a fan for sure! Wolfman's Brother is a fantastic jam. The first "must-hear" of the run for me. Full band at full power. And then next into the extended Punch that they've been doing lately - I mean this is just pure audio pornography. The funk, the dancing, it was off the charts and I was having so much fun. Sigma next to cool off - I always enjoy that song. I don't recall much of this taste, but I do clearly recall Trey going acoustic afterward, perfect timing for that too, and I was able to guess Sleep after the first few lines (it was one of the songs that I had relistened to on the flight over trying to catch up on Phish rarities, LOL). My first one ever and the first in 4.0, what a treat. The Antelope to close was fucking incredible. Words cannot describe the peak there. They have really been playing Antelope well lately, we are in a Renaissance of this song. Really good first set and it had me jazzed for the rest of the run, and they did not disappoint that feeling!

Second set was also quite good. Oblivion to start, one of my favorite newer tunes, it always goes so hard. DWD on Night 1 was a bit of a surprise for me, but it was very good. Despite "just" being 14 minutes long, the back half of this has some superb improv. Another "must-hear" in my opinion. The clean segue into Simple got the MSG crowd lit the FUCK up, that was a magical moment. Great stuff there and then another segue into Jibboo, which meant that after 20+ shows of no Jibboo I got it twice in the last three shows I've seen. Love it. The jamming centerpiece of the show is next - Theme, which along with others like MF MF have really gotten a second life here, goes for nearly 25 minutes smack dab in the middle of the 4th quarter. Wild stuff, and this is NIGHT ONE! The third must-hear jam of the 12/28 show. The return back into Simple was yet again magical, and then I love this choice to close the show - Everything's Right. While Everything was Not Right outside of this arena and in this country, it was a wonderful bliss moment for us, and we were "in the now". I sang along as loud as I could, this song has saved my life. A standard ST3L in the encore slot was a really good selection as it allowed for a typically nice peak and left us all clamoring for more.

Fantastic opener to this run. Three must-hear jams in Wolfman's, DWD, and Theme - what more can you look for on the first night of four? Made it home safe to our apartment, where we were dog-sitting in order to stay for free. Enjoyed some bodega slop. Crashed. Let's get ready for Night Two.