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.
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