Phish Blazes On In First 4/20 Performance Since 1994 To Open MSG Run [Photos/Videos] (2024)

Some four months after initially intended, Phish took the stage for its 65th performance at “The World’s Most Famous Arena,” Madison Square Garden. The storied NYC venue was meant to host the band’s traditional four-night New Year’s run, but, like many of the best laid December 2021 plans, Omicron forced Phish to postpone the festivities.

The postponement, however, did result in the first Phish performance on 4/20, the holiest of ‘high’ holidays, since 1994. As if Phish fans needed a reason to celebrate 4/20.

The band burst out of the gate with “Carini”, whipping up the energy in the arena before dropping quickly into a long, exploratory jam session that flowed through a dark, tense section before resolving in a bright and hopeful space. If you had asked me to call the MSG run opener, I doubt that I would have predicted a “19+ minute Carini.” And we’re off!

Drummer Jon Fishman drove the band’s energetic segue out of the “Carini” jam and into a bluesy “Possum”, which was replete with melodic solos—first from Page McConnell on the Yamaha, then Trey Anastasio on guitar. The song was played to perfection, albeit traditionally, keeping the energy levels high in the room.

Following a brief discussion, the band broke out another bluesy fan favorite, “The Moma Dance”. This was an extended “Moma” with some exceptional work on the bass from Mike Gordon, which settled into a funky and light extended jam before fading into “Leaves”. The Sigma Oasis ballad was the band’s first reference to 4/20 of the set.

After a rousing “Strange Design” led by Page, Phish continued to tease at the 4/20 holiday with enjoyable, well-played renditions of “Stash” and “Blaze On”. The “Stash” was highlighted by jazzy, melodic guitar work from Trey, clocking in at around 13 minutes. The “Blaze On” was short and sweet, ultimately bringing an end to a shorter-than-usual first set.

Phish returned from set break with “Sigma Oasis”, the title track of its early pandemic album release. The uplifting song hosted some bright guitar playing from Trey, but it was Gordo who broke through and ushered the jam into the funky “Down with Disease”. This was a lengthy, 22-minute version that waded through a floaty section before breaking into a fast-paced rock n’ roller that looped back around to the song’s traditional, not-always-played ending.

As the dust settled on a memorable “Disease”, Trey strummed the opening chords to “The Howling”, a song that debuted during the Sci-Fi Soldier Halloween 2021 show. The funky, wolf-themed number was driven by slick bass-playing and punctuated by melodic exchanges between Trey and Page, resulting in a “Sand”-like musical sprawl.

Trey continued to lead the jam segues as he brought the group into “Twist”. After the composed sections, Phish spent some time jamming on funky and up-tempo themes before ultimately winding into the song’s closing riff. The ballad “Mountains in the Mist” followed, a slower moment before bursting into “Reba”. The composed segments were played well, and the band launched into a dreamy jam segment before concluding the classic tune.

Closing out the set was “Drift While You’re Sleeping” from Trey’s Ghosts of the Forest project. The song left fans with a poignant closing message: “love will carry us through.” After all New York has been through with COVID-19, after these shows were postponed through the Omicron wave, love and dedication to the music brought everyone back to the Garden once again.

The band returned to play two 1.0-era songs for the encore: “Gumbo” and “Slave to the Traffic Light”. Both were performed well, closing night one of the four-night stand with tried and true classics.

Overall, a mellow show with some enjoyable musical moments that serves to set the stage for more good things to come. Phish returns to Madison Square Garden for three more nights of music from April 21st–23rd, including a three-set New Year’s Eve redo on the 22nd. See the full setlist below. Scroll down for a gallery of images from last night’s show courtesy of photographerAndrew Blackstein.

Setlist [via phish.net]: Phish | Madison Square Garden | New York, NY | 4/20/22

Set One: Carini -> Possum, The Moma Dance > Leaves, Strange Design, Stash, Blaze On

Set Two: Down with Disease > The Howling -> Twist > Mountains in the Mist, Reba, Drift While You’re Sleeping

Encore: Gumbo, Slave to the Traffic Light

Phish | Madison Square Garden | New York, NY | 4/20/22 | Photos: Andrew Blackstein

Phish – “Gumbo”, “Slave to the Traffic Light” – 4/20/22

[Video: Trove Mens Provisions Rescue Squad]

Phish – “Strange Design” – 4/20/22

[Video: kembra allen]

Phish – “The Moma Dance” – 4/20/22

Phish – “Down With Disease” – 4/20/22

[Video: Richard Wolf]

Phish – “The Howling” > “Twist” – 4/20/22

[Video: Nitlro.]

Phish Blazes On In First 4/20 Performance Since 1994 To Open MSG Run [Photos/Videos] (2024)

FAQs

When was the first time Phish played Madison Square Garden? ›

The Garden commemorated "The Bakers' Dozen" by adding a Phish themed banner to the rafters. With their first MSG show taking place on December 30, 1994, Phish has regularly played annual multi night runs, typically around New Year's Eve. As of January 2024, Phish has performed 83 times at MSG.

What was the first Phish show? ›

The new group performed their first concert at Harris Millis Cafeteria at the University of Vermont on December 2, 1983, where they played a set of classic rock covers, including two songs by the Grateful Dead.

What year was Phish popular? ›

Phish, at the peak of their popularity in the mid- to late 1990s, consistently ranked as one of the highest-grossing concert tours in the world. Known for its improvisational style, rarely playing a song the same way twice, the band also never played the same set list twice in three decades and more than 1,700 shows.

Why is phish called phish? ›

The band was formed in 1983 in Vermont, while the members of the band were attending college. They created the name Phish as a play on drummer Fishman's last name.

Why did Phish break up the first time? ›

The Phish “machine” had grown too big and too hectic to remain manageable, drug dependency had become a debilitating issue for Trey, and as the subsequent mental and physical fatigue set in, the band's playing began to decline.

Where has Phish played the most? ›

New York (283 shows; 97 venues) and Vermont (259 shows; 68 venues) are the clear winners and collectively home to 542% of all Phish shows. California (119 shows; 55 venues), Colorado (114 shows; 83 venues), and Massachusetts (105 shows; 43 venues) are also no stranger to a Phish show.

What are Phish fans called? ›

Fans of the band are sometimes called Phish Heads (also Glides or "aphishianados"), they congregate on (or in) the Phish.Net, tickets (abbreviated "tix" online) are thus pronounced like "fish sticks", and their jam progressions have been called (and their complex surface might be called) Phish scales, shows are Phish ...

What is the longest Phish show ever? ›

It was also the longest Phish concert ever, culminating in a seven-and-a-half hour second set from midnight on New Year's Eve to sunrise New Year's Day. Phish was the only band at the event, performing five sets of music (nearly sixteen hours) over two nights. It was the sixth festival hosted by the rock band Phish.

Who are the famous Phish fans? ›

You never know who's going to turn up at a Phish show—the eclectic rock band's eclectic Rolodex of famous fans and friends includes everyone from Jay-Z to Kenny Rogers to Bruce Springsteen to Danny Devito to Tom Hanks.

What is the most played Phish song? ›

Another Phish classic from the group's 1989 debut, “You Enjoy Myself” has been played the most of any track by the band, having been played 33% of the time during their first 1,800 shows.

What is the longest song Phish ever played? ›

Runaway Jim. 11/29/97 at the Centrum. Clocked in at 58 minutes or so.

What is the most Phish shows attended? ›

The Phish festival drew a record-setting attendance of 80,000 people. The band ended up jamming the night away, playing a seven-hour set until the sun came up on New Year's Day.

How much does Phish charge per show? ›

The final Phish booking price is contingent on many variables and the booking fee we may show is based on a range derived from our past experience with what will Phish charge for an event. An example fee to book Phish is in the starting range of $999,999-$1,499,000.

Who was Phish inspired by? ›

Phish were part of a movement of improvisational rock groups, inspired by the Grateful Dead and colloquially known as “jam bands”, which gained considerable popularity as touring concert acts in the 1990s.

Why is Phish spelled with a ph? ›

The people who perpetrated phreaking were called “Phreaks,” and since phreaks and hackers were closely linked, the “ph” spelling was used to denote the phishing scams involving these underground groups.

Who played the most concerts at Madison Square Garden? ›

After 150 shows over at New York City's Madison Square Garden—the most performances of any artist to ever play there—Billy Joel is taking his final bow at the arena for his unprecedented decade-long residency. David Muir looks back at his historic run. https://trib.

How many times has Phish played 1999? ›

1999 as performed by Phish

It was last played August 13, 2022, which was 69 shows ago. There have been 767 shows since the live debut. “1999” has been played approximately once every 502.3 shows. Since its debut, “1999” has been played, on average, once every 191.8 shows.

When was the first time the Grateful Dead played Madison Square Garden? ›

The Grateful Dead Play Madison Square Garden For The First Time, On This Day In 1979 [Audio] The Grateful Dead and their legion of fans known as the Deadheads took over Madison Square Garden for the first show of a two-night run at the New York City venue, on this day in 1979.

How many shows did Phish play in 1993? ›

Following the release of Phish's fourth studio album, Rift, in February, the band commenced a seventy-two show tour that lasted until May and took them through twenty seven states, the District of Columbia and three Canadian provinces.

References

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