MSG 4 Review

Live Long, Prosper, and Pass the Ice Cream

Tonight marked my 168th time seeing Phish, and somehow, still, they found a way to surprise me.

It also marked a handful of firsts. A first true New Year’s Eve kiss. A first Spock’s Brain chase caught. A first time fully surrendering to a “live long and prosper” mindset as more than a joke, more like a guiding principle. Beam me up, Scotty. Here we go.

First and foremost, a huge shout-out to my loving boyfriend Steve, who braved the rail with me for four nights in a row. That alone deserves its own tour poster. We dressed accordingly, cheap Amazon LED shoes and bow ties that lasted maybe five to ten minutes before surrendering to entropy. Worth it.

Tonight was Steve’s fifth show, and we have developed a dynamic that feels both ridiculous and perfect. We share this band. He is Spock. I am Data. I receive logic. He delivers it. Regularly. With precision. I also frequently get asked, “Do you want the Vulcan answer or the human one?” Reader, there is only one correct choice, and it is always Vulcan.

On night one, I told my best friend Sean that it would be hilarious if they busted out Spock’s Brain. I said it half joking. The universe was listening.

We walked onto the floor around 7:40 PM, fresh and ready, settling into the hearing-accessible section. I cannot overstate how meaningful that space is. People fully grooving by feel alone. Sign language interpreters translating joy. Balloons passing through the crowd so vibrations can be felt. It is a reminder that music is not just heard. It is experienced.

We have had access to upper suites all run, but I kept choosing this space. Roped off. Rail-adjacent. About fourteen security guards deep. Page side. Some of the kindest humans on the planet. Proof that maybe this place is not so bad after all.

We all arrived after dinner at The Little Mermaid, which was excellent, thank you very much. The band burst into Free, that classic Mike funk swagger, followed by Birds of a Feather. All weekend I kept saying this felt like old-school Phish, especially early on, and night one confirmed it.

Bouncing Around the Room landed as a reminder that Tom Marshall once said he knew Phish had made it when the entire Garden sang along. That tradition is alive and well.

Stash came next with crisp clapping, followed by Waste, which I still believe is the truest distillation of Phish’s emotional core. Gentle, earnest, devastatingly sincere. My Friend, My Friend scratched a personal itch, and A Life Beyond the Dream hit hard. That song matters to me. It always has.

Kill Devil Falls, then More. During the Baker’s Dozen, this was the song I came out to. Night three. I remember looking around MSG thinking, “I could scream this to everyone here and no one would care.” Half of what I said was lies. It took courage. But the life that followed? Skyrocketed.

Monsters followed. Then Life Saving Gun. Still no overt theme, but hints were forming. Ice. Cream. Bells somewhere in the distance.

Second set opened with Sand > Fuego > No Men In No Man’s Land. I begged to sit. My legs begged louder. Steve, however, does not bend easily when Pylon is calling. Up to the sky bridge we went, catching the tail end of the madness, saying Happy New Year and “I love you” to friends old and new. Shout-out to Meesh and Benny. Congratulations on conjuring life in the year 2026. Meesh, you glowed.

Back to the rail I went. Steve was easy to spot, deep in his glowstick era.

What’s Going Through Your Mind has been a favorite since Mondegreen. Dance like a fool every time. You Enjoy Myself followed, and yes, we all saw the poor soul misplace Trey’s trampoline mid-song. Trey corrected him live, without missing a note. That man’s origin story now includes public YEM shame. He survived. Barely.

Then came It’s Ice. The bell. The ice cream man. I touched the man. I did not touch the bell. Tragedy is relative.

Milk cartons. Ice cream props. A freezer portal. Harry Hood descended like a blessing, followed by 2001, and suddenly we were all in space looking for Spock. Fish disappeared. A fake Fish emerged with a bomb pop. This is why we keep coming back.

Auld Lang Syne brought my first real New Year’s kiss. I love my Spock. Deeply.

Tweezer > Piper > S.A.N.T.O.S. closed the set with ferocity. Kasvot Växt continues to age like wine and gasoline.

Encore time. Trey grinned. Milkmen appeared. And then it happened. Captain Kirk we have found him!!

Spock’s Brain.

I told Steve that morning that most fans will now love-hate-despise-love him . But when you chase something long enough and it finally lands, the joy is irrational and complete. Funkier than expected. Teased earlier. Fully realized at last.

Tweezer Reprise sealed it. Spock recovered. Order restored. 2026 initiated.

Phish has now played 91 shows at Madison Square Garden. Ice cream felt appropriate.

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Live long. Prosper. And never underestimate the bell.

Couch toured after doing the first 3. I was 100% prepared to miss the best show ever.

Set one had a little bit for everyone despite the jams not going too deep. It was certainly heavier on the ballads toward the end. Still, it was a hearty affair that got the juices flowing and got us primed for the rest to come.

Set two we begin to take off - Sand and Fuego were top notch. YEM was a nice 2nd set treat to get early and then It's ice bled into a fantastic cover of Princes Cream, which they absolutely nailed. Again, nothing immediate showstopping to this point but very solid phish, and no ballads in this set.

Set three begins the full "gag" and takes the cake for the best of the night. 2001 was a great song to ring in the new year, the freezer gag and all the peformers were a great touch and the whole thing truly felt like a NYE party, as it should. Fish going on the rocket was hilarious.

Tweezer was a lock once the freezer gag was unveiled, and it was a version that did the gag justice. it bled into a wild piper that really had me reflecting on how good of a set it was turning out to be, and how much i was having just couch touring it.

Okay so Spock's Brain fuckin rules and when I heard that coming with the milk carton i officially was pissed AF that I couldnt make it.

Tweeprise was as fitting a song to cap off 2025 for Phish as any. It was a solid year to put in the books.

Set One: B-
Set Two: B+
Set Three: A

Score: 4.45

My buddy miracled me a GA ticket last minute. I just gave it a through re-listen today.

All I can say is WOW. This is prob my 10th MSG show and by far the best.

There is nary a misplaced note from 2nd set (Sand) onward. This band has truly entered a higher gear. The boys were SURGICAL. The amount of space that cactus and fish are making right now for trey and page to play on top of is immense and trey and page are playing deliberately - delicate in one moment and tour de force another.

I think this will be one we all look back on, not for its unbridled fire, but for its tightness, restraint, and precision, all wrapped up in a super fun gag. This is what this late-middle era is all about, a fine wine. Ice Cream - Eat your heart out!!!!

“Come waste your time with me,” they sang , hopefully tongue in cheek, because certainly no one left that show feeling like time was wasted tonight!

Prior to the show, our group talked about how traditionally the NYE show’s third set gag was always fun, but usually meant that a set was devoted to shorter and less jam-tastic improv, meaning that a NYE show was more likely to be made in sets 1-2. So of course Phish chooses to flip the script…

First set checked a lot of boxes on fun song choices, but light on the jams and improv. That being said, Myfe is fantastic and they remained on point for songs like Waste, Stash, and BOAF.

Towards the end of the first set, Trey says something to the effect of “we’re going to have a fun night, right?” - he repeated it, almost to reassure us that they know what is up and we wouldn’t have to worry about it.

And then sheer joy and chaos through my brain ensues in sets 2-3 courtesy of my GOAT band.

Set 2
- Sand & Fuego - excellent treatment and cover a lot of ground in the jams
- YEM - just when you think you got this song figured out, they drop a fricking 6th section to this song with a post-vocal jam jam (that’s not a misprint)! So cool, I think this is going to be a formula for future success.
- It’s Ice - Cream was a great ending, and of course the intrigue heightened while listening to C.R.E.A.M. and Ice, Ice, Baby, Peaches and Cream, etc. during set break. My clever wife posits that we will be getting free ice cream before the night is over, although we have no clue how that could be.

Set 3 was just freaking amazing, start to finish. The gag was so brilliantly executed by giving a nod to tradition and Phishtory while allowing for maximal musical experience. I think Harry Hood through Piper was an absolute 5-star jam experience, especially in addition to the wonderful semi-improvisation in sync with the dancers and visuals. The Sloth and the Meatstick dancers had me . And to use classics like Harry Hood & 2001 to bridge us into 2026 was amazing. Immediately starting the year with 50 mins of peak Tweezer and Piper was sublime. That was easily the best set of the run and likely one of my best experienced all-time, just wow.

What a great show and run, this band once again demonstrating the stamina and fortitude to leave us awestruck as they hit their golden age

Ridiculous doozy of a night. The 50 minutes of that tweezer and piper… some of the musical high points for me this year. After already awesome Hood and 2001 segments that had their own musical weight, Tweezer gloriously peaked with the gag and then dove back into the soup for an extended post-gag jam segment that built and built further. The fogged out lights elevated into otherworldly terrain. Piper was a fully formed epic in and of itself. The production otherwise was all around a blast. Spock’s Brain was beyond a treat.. throw in an epic MFMF, YEM, charged up KDF, LSG, Sand, Fuego and a couple first/bustouts for measure… stir in that NYE Garden energy and have another absurdly perfect night to cherish. Feel very blessed to have witnessed this and Tweeprise in the same year.

Driving into Manhattan, I spotted a “TWZR” license plate, an auspicious sign indeed.

First set highlight was MFMF. They definitely clicked on that song. I would say that there was a lot of expectation in the crowd and it felt like going through the motions until they landed on YEM. It had the mini 2nd jam which probably wasn’t a nod to the NYE 95 show, but I like to think they thought of it. It’s Ice was a first time heard. I just need to cheek Tela off my Gamehenge bingo card!

This was my wife’s first show since NYE 2010 and it was fitting the celebration referenced that Meatstick multinational fun time. This NYE one of my favorite NYE gags they have done. I’ll never look at a carton of milk the same.

The 3rd set was a solid, jammy one and not a throwaway set in the least. The lights in Piper were nutso. Encore brought me full circle as I saw Spock’s Brain at my first show, not knowing what it was. Longest MSG Phish show ever and was handed a Ben and Jerry’s Phish Food pint and commemorative wooden spoon. Onward to Mexico and the Sphere. Happy New Year!

HOLY FUCKING SHIT. Three months later as I write this review (on 3/6/2026, the 17th anniversary of Phish returning after they said they'd never perform again), I'm still trying to comprehend what I saw on 12/31/2025 at MSG. Maybe one of the most incredible shows, spectacles, and combination of performance, presentation, and talent I've ever seen. Simply magical....

Our Portland, OR IRL non-Phish crew explored more of the city, catching drinks, top-tier food, and more initially in Brooklyn (Brooklyn Bridge, Dumbo, and the Transit Museum) and then moved more towards Chinatown (again, couldn't stay away) and then right before showtime had a drink at a speakeasy bullshit thing that after tip and tax, was $33 for my espresso martini. Lmao.

Got there early for 12/31, as who wouldn't. Soaked it in and took a bunch of photos of the venue. I particularly enjoyed the 1994 Stanley Cup Finals section where the Rangers finally got over the hump in dramatic fashion over Vancouver. I couldn't help but think that this is what Phish is doing in their own way, but year after year.

What a fucking show. Each set.. incredible. Not to step on the punchline here, but this is the best 12/31 show this side of the millennium. Usually, things get put on the backburner because of the shorter sets or because of the gag, but they figured out the formula here, even more so than last year (which was also mind-blowing). This is an unbelievable show. This was still such an incredible rush thinking about it now... they're playing so well, and it's a dream to see NYE in MSG... Special times are to await.

Free opener, always love it. I like when they do Free first because it's a nod to the fact that there is a Free opening song on the YouTube stream. BOAF next is standard, and I love Bouncing Around The Room, always welcome to me. It was the first Phish song I ever heard and what got me into the band. I feel like during this show they wanted to make sure they played all of the songs that they wanted to play (you can interpret that however you like). Stash came next, and it was pretty good, and then Waste is always a nice tune. I was thinking, slowdown this early? But then my questions were answered immediately because it was to prepare for this must-hear, incredible My Friend, My Friend. This is an otherworldly version. Nice A Life Beyond the Dream next, I like that song. KDF was cool and I love More, that is a great energy building tune with a good message, it was fun to sing along at full blast to that one. Always happy to get Monsters, one of my favorite Trey ballads and he ripped a great vocal performance and solo. Great Life Saving Gun to close. I really appreciated the way this set sort of went from old school to new school in an arc.

There hadn't been any hints or even red herrings of the NYE gag during the run, at least from what I can remember, so I was beside myself with enthusiasm as what was to come. Sometimes it is part of Set 3, sometimes it is part of Set 2. We will see, I suppose. Set 2 was another example of great cohesive play with the Sand > Fuego, which brought the place down, I fucking love a nice indoor Fuego. Great stuff. NMINML was quickly replaced by WGTYM - which I love that song so much, definitely one of the songs of the year and it just had to make an appearance here. YEM next was a hell of a surprise - mid set, I was intrigued. This was an incredible experience. I do not remember the Stayin Alive tease live, but that is so cool that it happened. I do remember so much energy in the arena and an extended jam. Looking back, it seems to be that they kind of performed a "full set" in the first three quarters of set 2 (ending with YEM) and then saved room for what would come next.

At this time, looking from Section 208 (so stage left, from the right hand view) there was a guy who started ringing a bell after YEM. Everyone was on edge because this was unusual and definitely signaled the start of something. The lighting was heavily blue and they began It's Ice. My mind initially went to panic mode as to why they would want to start the gag with It's Ice while the extended ICE situation with the fascist police is happening in the country outside of the venue. But we took a step back and embraced the moment and waited to see what would happen. It wasn't a huge surprise that It's Ice came after the milkman dude was walking around. Nice version, my second ever. I haven't watched the video of the set so my memory may be a bit foggy on the exact nature of the gag, but it was mind-blowing. Next up was some funk with the milkman hitting the bell and some recognizable licks from Trey. Cue me screaming my head off once I realized what song it was (Cream). One of my all time favorite Prince songs and something that has been ingrained in my head for at least a decade. This was simply unbelievable - I've always wanted Phish to play new songs, to play Prince songs, to play more new covers, and then.. I get to be there at the debut of Cream. Holy shit. This was a lot of fun and I hope they play this again! I was belting out the lyrics and it was just an amazing time. Someone pointed out the Ice > Cream bit and it finally made sense. Incredible set and there was still another one to go! Ice > Cream... is Cameron Winter going to show up?

Once we figured out the setbreak music was ice cream themed, that was just another fun layer of the gag. It remained to be seen if they would continue it, or if there would be something else for Set 3... Wild times. The molly that I was taking finally started to kick in and I was simply Enjoying Life. Harry Hood to start the set confirmed that things would be Hood/Ice Cream Themed and that was a really great version. Fantastic peak. This whole set is a must-hear. While this incredible diverse array of dancers and freezers and rockets occur, they did a ferocious hour-plus of melt-your-face music, nobody else like the boys from Vermont. Happy 2026 everyone! TWEEZER > PIPER. TWEEZER > PIPER. 50+ minutes of audio pornography. This cements this set as one of the great Phish 12/31 sets and continues to raise the bar on what they can pull off. Unbelievable. I will never forget just dancing and yelling throughout. S.A.N.T.O.S a great cap. I remember sitting down going what the fuck just happened. That is why you go to shows, of course.

I guessed they would continue the theme in the encore and they definitely did - loved the costumes. I did not recognize the acapella tune (who would?) but was nice to catch a debut with Sincere and the reference to Ice Cream there. The carton returned and I got my first Spock's Brain! Hell yeah! Of course Tweeprise to close and that was special. What a fucking show!! It took me a while to get out to the concourse because I was soaking it all in - maybe one of the best shows I've ever been to.

Phish's statement during this NYE gag was showing a reality where diversity is to be celebrated. They brought us all into the freezer together and showed off multi-cultural talents - the Spanish version of Tweezer and other dances was perhaps the most deliberate, especially while the current Republican administration targets Hispanics and other immigrants, Phish displayed a communal atmosphere where we build off one another, combining our talents to create an incredible fusion as a result. There was even a not-so-oblique moment where an individual wearing a red baseball hat emerged from the "freezer" from below the stage and was shouted down/made to retreat back down. If that wasn't a statement, I don't know what is. Sure, Phish may not be explicit in their stances (looking at the Wasserman connection) but they do manage to at least say something. I really enjoyed the message they put out here, and I don't think it was a coincidence for it to come when it did.

We can also talk about how impressive of a show this is. Three months on, with time to reflect, I feel like this is really unbelievable stuff. These guys are pushing 60+ and going balls to the wall, playing their longest MSG show ever, jamming for 50+ minutes in Set 3, and the production - they push themselves further every year. They had a message and they were on a mission. Gamehendge 12/31/2023 was an incredible show because they did Gamehendge. 12/31/2025 manages to hit similar highs with just pure jamming. I feel lucky to have been there and I feel lucky to live in the same world, timeline, and reality as Phish. They continue to thrill me so much - nothing else has for such a period of time. They are also playing so well right now. I have the luxury of writing this review after another Mexico blowout, a place that used to be a literal sandbox for material and the occasional bustout, now having turned into another place that they decide to burn down even on their so-called "off nights". Summer 2026 seems to bode well - I will be going to Dicks so I hope there are some amazing shows between now and then. But what a way to kick off 2026 - 4.0 Phish is another beast. 2021 was an amazing year, plus the catharsis of the return, but 2024 and 2025 may have even eclipsed those peaks, and certainly have reached a higher consistent plateau. It's an amazing time to be a Phish fan and I am going to attend as many shows as I can afford!

The party didn't stop for me. I went home, had a great time with friends, and then we stood out in the 25 degree cold for a good 3-4 hours just to see Zohran's inauguration. What a moment that was, for completely different reasons. Some highlights of the next few days of the NYC trip while I cooled down the jets were the Poster House museum, the KGB bar, meeting my twin sister who lives in Manhattan, having a wonderful shared dinner with strangers in Chinatown, a Fashion and Psychoanalysis exhibit at the Museum of Fashion, and finally a flight back on 1/3. What a fucking trip and what a fucking run. These guys.. They made it all worth it.

Anyways. A must hear show, at least the MF MF, LSG, Set 2, Set 3. This is what dreams are made of, seeing a 12/31 show like this. Worth flying across the country for. They're cooking inside the venues, but my hope is that 2026 and beyond bring a better world outside of the Phish realm. To many more!