2019/12/30 Phish @ MSG (Night 3)
Words are going to fail. I’ll do my best. But this 12/30 was one for the ages. Historically one of the best nights on the Phish calendar, 2019 delivered a fucking gem. Consistent with the theme of the previous two night’s reviews, Phish is all about the music, top shelf on this night. But sharing it with the people I love transforms my passion into a life affirming fulfillment. So, more good times in Pennsy and on the concourse where Jen Kleinbaum told me a story that I won’t repeat but made me seriously blush, so much so that I took refuge in one of Max’s delicious hugs. The steak sandwich is the real deal, Hollander-approved, 117 for the win. Pro tip: when there are 8 sandwiches sitting in the window, be sure to ask for the 9th that’s still cooking. A perfect medium rare/medium, horseradish sauce, caramelized onions, soft buttered sourdough roll. You know where to find me from 6:30 – 7:30 on NYE. Finally met Mark and Kim, hung with Andy and Baum and Scharf and friends from literally every walk of life that I’ve travelled in my 44 years. Nothing like a Phish party at MSG.
25 years to the day of their first show here, 12/30/1994, when the New York Rangers were Stanley Cup champions and Phish from Vermont (not yet “The” Phish, that’s 20 years ago tonight) had just recently graduated to the world’s most famous arena from playing the Beacon earlier that April. People wondered if Phish could make such a meteoric jump, and all doubt left in a hurry when they took the stage with “Wilson,” a 20,000+ sing along, and no one has ever looked back. But they have been publicly reflecting and perhaps that factored in as the same opening chords were played exactly a quarter century later. It’s Phish’s best opener, IMO, and with 4 opening chords set the tone for what would become a mesmerizing and historically great show. A Kasvot Vaxt cover of “Final Hurrah” preceded “46 Days,” played with set-closing ferocity and white light jams in just the 3-slot. It was lose-my-breath good. “The Ballad of Curtis Loew” broke a three year, 121 show gap since last it was played, before yielding to a stirring version of “Blaze On,” another of my 3.0 faves, and seemingly Trey’s as well. In 2019 I’ve seen this song played with TAB, on Live From Here with Chris Thile and the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra with Wynton Marsalis, solo acoustic at Carnegie Hall, and several times with Phish. This song can present in so many different ways, each of the aforementioned versions was terrific and unique, and this isn’t the place to pick favorites (ok, maybe it is, LFH ftw), but this was a top shelf improvisational nugget. My first goosies of the night as this song ran the gamut: some of my favorite Phish lyrics, fire solos from Trey, funky clav from Page to go with Mike’s chunky bass, and all the while Fish keeping everyone in time with his cymbals. This 17-minute beauty went second set deep, like I don’t think Mike even knew what song it was when it ended deep.
A rare cover of “Corrina” that’s just not my favorite song gave me a breather before “Mike’s” > “Contact” > “Weekapaugh” got my heart rate up again. Contact in the Mike’s – Week sandwich, for just the fourth time ever, beats Hydrogen with a stick, just saying. “About to Run” was delightfully Pink Floydian in nature, late 70s power rock in 2019, with penetrating guitar solos reminiscent of David Gilmour. And the cherry on top of a phenomenal first set, my favorite 3.0 closer, “More,” an A+ feel-good rocker. We’re vibrating with love and light, pulsating with love and light, Phish keeping the spirit of Hannukah alive {we had enough oil for 9 nights this time around, and I’m betting it’ll last for 10!} as we were jumping, dancing, feeling, screaming till you can’t breathe, arms around our mates…Life. Is. Good. There must be something more than this. Or maybe this is as good as it gets and that’s cool, too.
After another fine setbreak with so many friends and so much love, I did some reflecting on the hydration line: Night 1 was great. Night 2 even better, second set in particular. Night 3 had a killer first set, would they shoot the moon right here and now, reducing NYE to a victory lap. Can’t comment on that yet, but, spoiler alert: the set that began with “Tweezer” while I was still at a Freaks X-mas party in the hallway with Neddy and Sasha and Julie and Geoff was LEGENDARY.
So I hauled ass back to my seat, 10:08 when the Tweezer started, 10:09 when I got there, and embarked on what was to be a 35-minute epic journey, the fourth longest Tweezer of all time, the first 20+ minute jam since the summer, and one for the record books for sure. It got a little dark around the ten-minute mark, Page reined it in moments later, and the remaining 25 minutes were a master class in improvisational jamming. I think if they wanted to, Phish could probably pull two or three (or four or five) complete “new songs” from the structures they happened upon during this jam, “Tweezer” in name only. Funk, blues, prog and rock, highly danceable stuff, all of it. And then, who woulda thunk it, in the World’s Most Famous Arena, maybe even the very same corner of the ice where Dennis Potvin laid the dirtiest ankle-breaking hit on Ulf Nielssen in 1979, the hit that kept 1940 alive and the league’s best team from winning the cup, “Let’s Go Band” rose from the “Tweezer” and the 20,789 picked up Trey’s cues and yelled “POTVIN SUCKS!” Maybe some people said other things at that moment, I’m not here to debate that (phuck them if they did), but these are my memories and screaming “POTVIN SUCKS” to end a 35-minute Tweezer for the ages was pure poetry and the very best collision of all my worlds.
Trey then embarked on a bizarre Pan Story, though it sounded like pen at the time, complete with sound effects from Page, Mike and Fish, that was potentially the lead-in to tonight’s gag. Or not. It was bizarre. And fun. And indicative of a band that is doing whatever feels good and right. And that’s what I want. I am firmly in the Play Whatever the Fuck You Want camp of Phishdom. I don’t play God with my livemusic, that’s what the livemusicgods are for, and I think they have a special division for setlisting. I don’t pretend to know what’s best. Sure I know what songs I like but otherwise who can pretend to know when Ruby Waves is going to become RUBYfuckingWAVES. I sure don’t. So I let it play out, and I engage, and I enjoy it all. I can’t believe anyone could have predicted / would have asked for “Tweezer,” “Ruby Waves” > “Steam” > “Tweezer” > “Ruby Waves” > “Slave” as the entire second set. It was pure bliss. I was actually hoping against hope that there wouldn’t be another song (it would’ve muddied the waters), as there was time on the clock, if they wanted it.
And the “Rock and Roll” encore: perfection. Even without the Tweeprise they left for NYE. I didn’t want another song. My cup runneth over. 12/30/19 was one for the history books.
2:45. 19,039 steps, 4,136 of them during Tweezer. YAAASSSSS!
And then Loony happened. I’ve been wanting to meet her so badly — what can I say, I’m addicted to Loony Logs and good karma. I tried to get to PhanArt but getting out of my house that early was not practical for my family, so I sent her a note and left it to chance. Mind you, we’ve seen each other on the socials, but I don’t know her know her. But when someone walked up the stairs in my direction, looked me in the eyes and yelled, “POTVIN SUCKS,” I knew. It could only be Rachel Loonin Steinerman. Bashert. This is a good person. That chance encounter on the stairs, both of us still aglow in the bliss of special night, will live alongside my memory of this show forever. Thanks for being you, Loony. And Steiny, my pleasure to meet you, too.
Setlist: Phish | Madison Square Garden | New York, NY | 12/30/19
Set 1: Wilson, The Final Hurrah, 46 Days, The Ballad of Curtis Loew, Blaze On, Corinna, Mike’s Song > Contact > Weekapaug Groove, About to Run, More
Set 2: Tweezer, Ruby Waves > Steam > Tweezer > Ruby Waves > Slave to the Traffic Light
Encore: Rock and Roll
This show was webcast via LivePhish. The Ballad of Curtis Loew was played for the first time since October 16, 2016 (121 shows). The first Tweezer ended with a Let’s Go Blue jam and was followed by banter in which Trey talked about being repeatedly hit in the head with a pan and screaming on December 30, 1994 (the night of Phish’s first show at Madison Square Garden. This story was accompanied by sound effects by Fish and Page.