Reason #16: MSG Night 3

Nothing special about this night! No certainly not, it was only the first time in Phish history that the boys treated us to a New Years Day show.... boy, was it something else. The buzz around the whole run was that this night would be the best, and surely, while it's "best of three" is debatable, they blew the roof off this round room. The crowd seemed a little worn out, to be honest. The vibe wasn't the same, the energy wasn't as high, the feeling wasn't as fresh. It was still thrilling and the happiness was infectious, but as I felt with Halloween, and I will probably feel on the third night of the Bethel run (!!!!!!!), people get tired and worn out. The boys get tired too, but they're so revved up that their sleepiness never shows through. With a lot of phans, I find this to be the case, but with most, and the general feeling I got of the crowd, was a calmer sensation, ready to really appreciate what Phish would serve up on this very special occasion.
They opened with a rowdy version of My Soul, which ignited the fire the burned through the night. Cruising into Runaway Jim, you could hear the jam building and the fire growing. Red was getting all excited and jumping about for the beginning of Jim and even as they transitioned into the weirdness of Foam, the energy was vibrant and uplifting. The set was taking off.
Guelah Papyrus was straight and to the point, and what a brilliant point it was. I love this song for it's story like qualities but also because it can be paired with pretty much any song and will take on some of the previous songs qualities. This would have been a regular ol' Guelah, if it wasn't for the Foam.
The Divided Sky became the set highlight for me. I always underestimate the power of this composition and what it stands for. And in this particularly well-played Divided Sky kind of made me tremble inside. It was just so spot on and each note felt intentional and motivated, you couldn't help but stay rooted to the ground with wonderment.
They followed this epic tune with Round Room, the first since July 13, 2003, in honor of Madison Square Garden, I'd like to think. It was great because I had been listening to the album and kind of itching to hear the title song played live. It's not such a winner for me that I would have made a sign, but it's nice to hear. Then, the short-awaited Walk Away, we were all wondering when they were gonna bust it out and they pretty much blew out of the water, like they normally do. The boys took it into a wild and fun Gotta Jibboo, then a fairly average, but still great, Reba, followed by a semi-rare Walls of the Cave. It's quirky and poignant begining was one I had never heard live, though I always kind of thought I would. As the first set closer for the last night of the run, I felt it was a particularly special rendition.
The opener for the second set set the whole tone for the next hour and a half. A great Crosseyed and Painless shed light on just how warmed up they were, and a Twisteca, tribute to the epic night before (see my next post YEMteca), followed by a personal favorite, Simple, jump started the last set of the run and kicked it into high gear (pardon the unintentional Antelope reference). Sneakin' Sally brought the house down, but the Makisupa Policeman was easily the set highlight for me. I'm very lyrically and energetically driven if you haven't noticed. Of course I pay attention to and appreciate the music and the jams, but what really gets me is the performance the boys put on, together and individually. Anyway, in this Makisupa, Trey changed the lyrics to "I went home late last night, after doing the New Years stunt. Laid back on my couch and rolled myself a blunt." How could you say no to that? The only disappointing part was Fish's kick drum solo, in which he didn't really do anything. The set closed with a really well played, focused, driven, high energy David Bowie, and I don't think we could have asked for anything more from the last set of the run.
In a classic move, the boys chose Fee and Frankenstein to close our the whole run. Page was on keytar for Frank and they really killed it, like the last nail in the last board of a cozy little house you've been building. Throughout winter, I've been sitting in my little house, waiting, and waiting, for the Summer 2011 Tour Announcement which came like a blessing just the other day....

Reason #15: MSG Night 2

The second night of the New Years Run was, as you know, the night of the stunt, so expectations and energy was high. Costumes were crazier than usual, glowsticks were rampant, and the band was ready to melt our faces. I don;t have too much to sya on it, since it was so long ago now and I've already touched on the core spects of New Years Eve, but let's go over the set never the less.
A Punch You in the Eye opener set the upbeat and tight tone of the first set right off the bat. AC/DC Bag>Moma Dance (particularly funky)> Scent of a Mule kept that energy alive and supported, but the set came to a BDtNL- halt when the boys debuted "Burn That Bridge." It was a decent song in itself, but I didn't think it was time for a debut or a song like that. We werent familiar with it, and unfortunately it became the bathroom break of set 1. Hopefully you made it back for an incredible, and my first, Weigh>Ocelot, Beauty of my Dreams which felt more right in the moment that Burn That Bridge, Gone, and a classic Rock 'n' Roll closer.
The pretty-spot-on Wilson that opened the second set was sort of canceled out by the most unfortunate choice of 46 Days. While it was played fairly well, I was simply not in the mood for the selection, nor was the rest of the crowd. Sand, NICU> Down with Disease is when the set really got going; people were feeling the intensity rise, we knew something wonderful was on the horizon. That's when they dropped a thick and heavy dose of Ghost on us all. As we soaked up the goodness and intricate waves of song through the jam, a YEM buzz started. People knew it was coming. We didn't want Ghost to end, but we couldn't wait for YEM to begin. When it finally did, the room ignited, lighting a fire of excitment and passion for the band's classic composition. In what seemed like moments, YEM became YEMteca, and I finally got what I was always looking for: a Manteca. Crab in my shoemouth!! Crab in my crab in my... okay sorry, just getting excited. Not only me, but the whole phan bansed seemed to be waiting for this moment, especially the kids who brought the sheet sign to every show. And before we know it, we were back in YEM, just hearing the trickling, fading teases of a song that hadn't been played since 1998. Hope it doesn't have time to collect that kind of dust again...
Then the Midnight set began with the longest Meatstick ever and the crazy stunt that they pulled (for a complete review of the stunt, see two posts ago). At the turn of the year, in classic Phish style, they serenaded us with Aug Lang Syne, and after midnight they played After Midnight. I was becoming more and more complete as the show went on, hearing critical song after critical song. The show took a BDtNL plummet here when they actually played BDtNL and what served as the second bathroom break from the boys. I should thank them really, but I'd rather just not go to the bathroom frankly (which means not playing BDtNL in case you didn't get it). Piper>Free was great, but fairly standard in length and exploration in the jams. Waste> Slave to the Traffic Light, and Grind as the closing trio was not a bad selection, but it could have been better.... although Grind was another highlight for me.
The amazing First Tube encore took me back to Fall '09 at MSG, one of my first Phish shows, and the first time I heard First Tube. The floors were boudning, the walls were shaking, the dome felt like it might collapse- and I wasn't even on drugs! Literally the creepy-crawly, bass thumping hotness of that sound turned the floor into waves. It was an incredible night, without a doubt, and the New Years Eve show was more than I expected it to be. More tomorrow on what I think the night of the run was- 1.11.11.