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[ATTENDED: December 31, 2023] Phish

I have seen many Phish shows (not nearly as many as most Phish fans, but more Phish than any other band).  The one show I wanted to go to that I hadn’t yet was New Year’s Eve at Madison Square Garden.

I wasn’t ever going to pay crazy prices for the show, so I always tried to get them in the lottery or through Ticketmaster.  And this year I actually did.  The key was also that I needed to get 4 tickets so my whole family could go–I wouldn’t spend New Year’s Eve without them.  I wasn’t sure how keen the kids would be about seeing a band they didn’t know, but they were all pretty excited about the idea of being in New York, at a concert, as the New Year dawned.

So I was happy to kick back and enjoy the show, with my biggest concern being that the kids weren’t too bored during the long solos.  But I promised them that there would be some kind of New Year’s gag to entertain them.

Little did I know that the gag was probably tame for them compared to what I’d described, but it was incredible for me and meaningful in a way I never imagined.

I had noticed that they hadn’t played “Possum” at MSG on this run.  It’s their second most played song (and one I hadn’t seen them play in 16 shows) so I thought I’d have a good chance of seeing it.  And maybe one or two others on my list.

Little did I know that I would be in for THE FIRST TIME THEY PLAYED THE GAMEHENDGE STORY IN NEARLY 30 YEARS (which includes Possum).

The show started with a lengthy version of “Everything’s Right.”  This is a newer song that I have heard five times already.  Trey must just sense my presence.  They followed it with “Tube.”  It’s a weird song with a jerky rhythm that I really like.  This version featured a lengthy jam that quoted the Mary Tyler Moore theme song.

Up next was a brand new song (debuted this summer) that I hadn’t heard before.  “Ether Edge” shows that Trey is still writing songs, and most of them are uplifting and positive.

It was a lovely song but I was super psyched when the band did a sidestep to play a song from Lawn Boy.  I’ve seen “Reba” (a big favorite for me) twice, but this is the first time they played the whole thing (including the whistling ending, which they seem to have been leaving out as of late).

I have a lengthy list of songs I’ve never seen live and which I would like to see.  And every once in a while they play a song that I have never seen that I didn’t realize I wanted to see, like “Taste,” a classic rock sounding song from Billy Breathes.

I have never really listened to the Ghosts in the Forest record which is kind of a shame since I’ve heard so much of it live.  “Ruby Waves” gets better with each listen.  It was followed by one of Trey’s newer, sweeter songs, “A Life Beyond the Dream.”  The set ended (rather early I thought) with a rocking and fun “Character Zero.”

I had seen in previous years that the act break was pretty long between the two main parts of the set.  We stayed put as everyone had gotten up and we were rewarded because they started set two much earlier than I thought they would.

I was pretty excited that they opened Set two with “Down with Disease,” a fun rocker–I wanted my kids to be into the rockers before the meandering jams started.

And then they started playing “Harpua.”  There was ONE song I wanted to hear at this show, and I hoped I’d get “Possum” but instead I got Harpua!  It was so rare in my mind, that it wasn’t even on my list.  And then Trey started talking.  And he mentioned Gamehendge.  And soon enough, my mind was blown.

I don’t even know if I have the words.

I’m not a first-gen Phish fan, I got into them around 1998.  But they were super easy to get really into because they released a lot of live albums. And you could quickly get sucked into the mythology and realize that you missed out on all the secret languages that they band developed with their fans.  Including Gamehendge.  Sure, they played Harpua from time to time, but, as was quickly pointed out once the show started Phish never played Gamehendge.   Live for Live Music gives some stats:

Prior to 12/31/23, the band had played Gamehendge—referring to the collective group of songs and their complete, accompanying narration—in concert only four times (that we know of): 3/12/88 at Nectar’s3/22/93 in Sacramento, CA, 6/26/94 in West Virginia (which also a near-complete performance of Phish’s Hoist album), and 7/8/94 in Mansfield, MA. There was also the 10/13/91 show in Olympia, WA that featured most but not all of the Gamehendge saga/narration, so that one gets an asterisk on most peoples’ list. Phish-nerds gonna Phish-nerd.

Over the nearly three decades since the last Gamehendge show in 1994, Phish seemed content to leave the land of Lizards in the past. The individual songs themselves have never disappeared from the repertoire, but until New Year’s Eve, chasing Gamehendge at a live show amounted to a pipe dream for generations of Phish fans: “What do you want to hear tonight? Gamehendge? Right, cool. Wouldn’t we all. Not gonna happen.”

So even if I’ve only been into Phish for 25 years, it was still an incredible moment.   I may not have been to 100 shows (this was my 17th), and I feel incredibly lucky to have been there in person, I still feel like I earned it (unlike my kids who were like, “what’s happening”).

It was pretty amazing to be there on site as it happened.  Even if we were behind the stage and couldn’t really see the performance, the place was electric.  And yes, I was moved to tears at being there, watching that giant rhimbus take over the stage was something else.

In my experience, I would have typically been at the show the night before (like when we went to see Pearl Jam in Philly on the night BEFORE they played Ten front to back).  The fact that I was there was pretty amazing.

And now Phish has released the entire Gamehendge saga on 4K stream on YouTube (you can’t see us behind the stage).

I also never realized that so many of the songs that were on my “gotta hear” list were from this saga.  I got “The Lizards” and “Punch You in the Eye.”

And of course I knew that “Fly Famous Mockingbird” was part of the saga but to hear it live WITH a massive drone bird flying around was incredible.

And it ended just as they sang Auld Lang Syne (my kids point out that he did the count down about a minute and a half before it actually turned midnight (and that the the song itself ended at exactly midnight), but who needs exactitude, right?

How do you top that?  Can you even top it?

Well, how about with a really jamming Split Open and Melt.  And then with a nearly 25 minute You Enjoy Myself (making this a true YEMSG).

And surely that would be the end.  But no, how about a ripping cover of The Rolling Stone’s  “Loving Cup.”  One which the whole crowd could sing along to.

I assumed there would be an encore (but really, after all that?)  And actually I assumed it would be a Tweezer Reprise because they had played Tweezer but did not play the Reprise.

But they couldn’t let us leave before 1AM.  And so, there was a super fun Cavern a fantastic First Tube (one of my faves) and then a night-ending Tweezer Reprise.

It was an incredible night.

We got some street cart food on the way home (and happened to stop on a street where there was a massive accident and police chase and then a massive line up for the bus.  But they threw on an extra bus driver for us and we wound up getting home some time around 4:30 AM

A pretty unforgettable New Year’s Eve.

I’m honestly not sure if I ever need to see Phish again after that.  But I feel like I need  to go to more shows to show my appreciation.

Thanks guys.

~~~~

A Phish.net site lists every song that Phish has every played and when the last time it was played.  So I decided to make my own personal ultimate list of Phish songs I’d like to see.

According to that site, there are about 200 songs I’m likely to hear live [not including one offs and gags and such].  The completist in me would love to hear all of those songs, (some they haven’t played in years, so that’s unlikely).  But given that enormous list, I have selected the 25 or so songs that I want to hear live (the ones on the bottom are the rest of the Kasvot Voxt album and it would be cool to get the whole thing, but not essential).  These are in order of frequency of play (as of 12/31/23 their most frequently played song is “You Enjoy Myself” 634 times).

  1. Golgi Apparatus (11th of the list) [475] J
  2. Foam (20th) [352] J
  3. Maze (23nd) [338] [Split Open and Melt has been played 344 times and I have seen it 6 times)
  4. Sample in a Jar (32nd) [305] [saw it TREY SOLO]
  5. Fee (35th) [286]  J  (Slave to the Traffic Light has been played 272 time and I have seen it 4 times)
  6. It’s Ice (40th) [254]
  7. Silent in the Morning (61st) [185]
  8. Prince Caspian (65th) [175]
  9. Twist (66th) [175]
  10. Scent of a Mule (79th)[146]
  11. Big Black Furry Creatures from Mars (81st)  [142] (They have covered Loving Cup 146 times and I have seen it 3 times)
  12. Guyute [133]
  13. Heavy Things [98] [TAB played it]
  14. Farmhouse [85] [TREY played it]
  15. Stealing Time from the Faulty Plan [80]
  16. Joy [55]
  17. A Song I Heard the Ocean Sing [46]   (Everything’s Right has been played 53 times and I have seen it 5 times)
  18. Weigh [45]
  19. Kung [39]
  20. Pebbles and Marbles [28]
  21. Fuck Your Face [20]
  22. Ass Handed [19]
  23. Mexican Cousin [15]
  24. *We Are Come to Outlive Our Brains [Kasvot Växt] [10]
  25. *Stray Dog [Kasvot Växt] [4]
  26. *Everything is Hollow [Kasvot Växt] [4]
  27. *Play By Play [Kasvot Växt] [3]

And these are the songs I’ve seen the most:

The six, five and four timers club [bold songs were played at this last show]

  1. Mike’s Song [6]
  2. Weekapaug Groove [6]
  3. Split Open and Melt [6]
  4. You Enjoy Myself [6]
  5. Wilson [6]
  6. Suzy Greenberg [5]
  7. 46 Days [5]
  8. Everything’s Right [5]
  9. Down with Disease [4]
  10. Roggae [4]
  11. Slave to the Traffic Light [4]
  12. More [4]
  13. Carini [4]
  14. I am Hydrogen [4]
  15. Back on the Train [4]
  16. Blaze On [4]
  17. Walls of the Cave [4]
  18. No Men in No Man’s Land [4]
  19. Chalk Dust Torture [4]
  20. Ruby Waves [4]
  21. Tube [4]
  22. Tweezer Reprise [4]

 

December 31, 2023 [Madison Square Garden night 4 of 4] July 25, 2023 [Mann Center night 1 of 2]
SET ONE SET ONE
Everything’s Right (11:38) [Trey song] (5) Strawberry Letter 23 [Shuggie Otis] 4:20
Tube (8:09) [4] Bathtub Gin 14:35 (2)
Ether Edge (4:26) [Trey song] Back on the Train 8:28 [4]
Reba [with whistle] (12:10) [3] The Squirming Coil 7:19 [2]
Taste (7:23) Axilla (Part II) 5:41 [2]
Ruby Waves (9:20) [Ghosts of the Forest] [4] Ya Mar 7:10 [2]
A Life Beyond the Dream (7:26) [2] Blaze On 10:16 [4]
Character Zero (5:16) [3] Waste 5:42 [3]
SET TWO Walls of the Cave 10:16 [4]
Down with Disease 8:26 [4]  46 Days 6:08 [5]
Harpua (9:01) SET TWO
Gamehendge Down with Disease 16:48 [3] 
The Man Who Stepped Into Yesterday (2:38) The Well 20:38 [Eighth longest song I’ve seen]
The Lizards (9:50) No Men in No Man’s Land 6:10 [4]
Punch You in the Eye (6:24) ~ Beneath a Sea of Starts (Part 1) [Ghosts of the Forest] 9:07 [3]
AC/DC Bag (18:57) [2]  Piper 9:10 [3]
Tela (7:38) [2] Crosseyed and Painless 6:53 [Talking Heads] [2]
Llama [fast version] (4:26) [2] ~ Chalk Dust Torture  8:04 [4]
Wilson  (4:34) [6] ENCORE
The Sloth (5:20) [2] Wading in the Velvet Sea 5:05 [2]
Divided Sky (13:42) [2] ~ Fire [Jimi Hendrix] 4:43 [2] 
SET THREE
McGrupp And The Watchful Hosemasters (8:57) ~
Colonel Forbin’s Ascent (5:52) 
Fly Famous Mockingbird (7:47) 
Auld Lang Syne (1:25)
Split Open and Melt (14:26) [6]
You Enjoy Myself (23:46) [6]
Loving Cup (8:04) [3] (Rolling Stones)
Possum (11:02) 
ENCORE
Cavern (4:42) [2]
First Tube (7:46) [3]
Tweezer Reprise (3:41) [4]

 

August 7, 2022 [Atlantic City night 3 of 3] August 7, 2022 [Atlantic City night 1 of 3]
SET ONE SET ONE
Wolfman’s Brother 11:37 Chalk Dust Torture  7:39 [3]
Tube 12:07 [3] Wilson  4:18 [5]
Mountains in the Mist 6:57 Sand 11:19  [saw TAB play it too]
Ocelot 11:10 Plasma  8:25 [2]
Fluffhead 14:28 [2] Theme from the Bottom 8:10 [3]
Mercury 7:09 [2] Back on the Train 7:50 [3]
Gumbo 4:49 [2] Sigma Oasis 21:29 [Sixth longest song I’ve seen]
Carini 9:53 [4] Cities 4:43 [Talking Heads] [2]
SET TWO More 6:00 [4]
Mike’s Song 7:19 [6] SET TWO
I am Hydrogen 7:01 [4] Axilla (Part II) 5:54
Weekapaug Groove 8:13 [6] Soul Planet 14:52 [Trey song] [2]
A Wave of Hope 19:23  Down with Disease 20:51 [2] [Seventh longest song I’ve seen]
You Enjoy Myself 23:46 [5] [Fifth longest song I’ve seen] Ruby Waves 14:39 [Ghosts of the Forest] [3]
Suzy Greenberg 7:21 [5] Down with Disease 0:50 [2]
ENCORE Ghost 12:17 [2 plus 1 slow version]
Wading in the Velvet Sea 5:43 [2] Harry Hood 14:54 [2]
First Tube 7:21 [2] ENCORE
Sleeping Monkey 4:13
Free 10:35 [2]

 

July 20, 2022 [Mann Center night 2 of 2] July 19, 2022 [Mann Center night 1 of 2]
SET ONE SET ONE
Steam (8:27) [3] Space Oddity [David Bowie] (5:27) (a cappella) (first time since 2017)
Runaway Jim (11:50) [2] Martian Monster (5:50) [2]
Tela (6:46) Halley’s Comet (17:03) [2] (Richard Wright cover)
Kill Devil Falls (10:59) [2] Stash (11:57)
Theme from the Bottom (7:51) [2] The Moma Dance (7:22) [3]
Birds of a Feather (6:16) [3] Gotta Jibboo (8:09) [2]
I Didn’t Know (4:36) [with vacuum solo] (Richard Wright) Shade (4:27) [saw Trey perform at Newport]
Funky Bitch (6:48) [3] (Son Seals) Old Home Place (3:27) (The Dillards)
Split Open and Melt (14:58) [5] Walls of the Cave (11:49) (3)
SET TWO SET TWO
AC/DC Bag (10:01) More (5:37) [3]
Soul Planet (9:51) [Trey song] Tweezer (15:54) [3]
Simple (14:50) [3] Cities (5:03) [Talking Heads]
Light (9:28) [3] Tweezer (4:53) [3]
Party Time (7:34) Passing Through [Kasvot Växt] (4:34)
Lonely Trip (7:34) [Trey song] Izabella (4:01) [2] (Jimi Hendrix)
David Bowie (13:10) [2] Tweezer (4:40) [3]
ENCORE Mercury (7:30) 
Waste (5:29) [2] Piper (13:59) [2]
Loving Cup (7:41) [2] (Rolling Stones) Tweezer (1:11) [3]
Also Sprach Zarathustra / 2001 (7:48) [2] (Richard Strauss cover)
Character Zero (7:26) [2]
ENCORE
Drift While You’re Sleeping [Ghosts of the Forest] (11:45)
Tweezer Reprise (3:37) [3]

 

August 15, 2021 [Atlantic City night 3 of 3] August 14, 2021 [Atlantic City night 2 of 3]
SET ONE SET ONE
The Landlady (6:08) Llama [slow version] (8:03)
Scents and Subtle Sounds (pt. 1) (1:59) Tube (7:56) [2]
The Moma Dance [slow] (14:06) Destiny Unbound (7:24)
The Final Hurrah [Kasvot Växt] (8:25) [2] Ya Mar (6:36)
Mike’s Song (9:30) [5] 46 Days (7:57) [4]
I am Hydrogen (2:56) [3] Reba [no whistle] (12:03) [2]
Weekapaug Groove (8:09) [5] Soul Shakedown Party (6:02)
The Sloth (4:32) Split Open and Melt (15:36) [4]
Roggae (8:18) [4] The Squirming Coil (9:57)
Back on the Train (5:23) [2]
You Enjoy Myself (20:02) [4]
SET TWO SET TWO
Carini (15:44) [3] I Never Needed You Like This Before (5:21)
Set Your Soul Free (10:49) [Trey Song] [2] Drowned (15:54)
Beneath a Sea of Starts (Part 1) [Ghosts of the Forest] (8:20) [2] Ghost [slow version] (11:47) [1 first slow version]
Piper (11:57) [a bit more Carini] Scents and Subtle Sounds (pt 2 only) (4:56)
Waves (6:33) Chalk Dust Torture (8:30) [2]
Simple (6:42) [2] No Quarter (8:06)
About to Run [Ghosts of the Forest song] (6:47) [2] Slave to the Traffic Light (10:15) [4]
First Tube (8:21) Suzy Greenberg (7:48) [4]
ENCORE
ENCORE A Life Beyond the Dream (7:46)
Fluffhead (15:01) Tweezer Reprise (3:38) [2]
Backwards Down the Number Line (8:45) [2]

 

December 30, 2019 Madison Square Garden [night 3 of 4] December 29, 2019 Madison Square Garden [night 2 of 4]
SET ONE
Wilson (4:49) (4) Turtle in the Clouds (7:51) [Kasvot Växt]
The Final Hurrah (7:37) [Kasvot Växt] The Moma Dance (7:54) (2)
46 Days (8:40)  (3) Kill Devil Falls (8:40)
The Ballad of Curtis Loew (5:02) [Lynyrd Skynyrd cover]  Yarmouth Road (7:12) [Mike song]
Blaze On (17:17) (3) The Wedge (7:41)
Corinna (5:32) [Taj Mahal cover] Beauty of a Broken Heart (5:28) [Page song]
Mike’s Song (6:24) (4) Fuego (9:16) (2)
Contact (6:13) My Friend, My Friend (5:25) (no Myfe ending)
Weekapaug Groove (4:59) (4) Birds of a Feather (5:42) (2)
About to Run (7:47) [Ghosts of the Forest song] While My Guitar Gently Weeps (7:12) [The Beatles cover] (first time since 2013)
More (8:18) (2) Walls of the Cave (11:07) (2)
SET TWO SET TWO
Tweezer (36:08) (2) [LONGEST SONG I’VE SEEN] Carini (13:52) (2)
Pan Story (3:25) Back on the Train (6:22)
Ruby Waves (13:23) [Ghosts of the Forest] (2) Bathtub Gin (15:44)
Steam (with Tweezer reprise and Ruby Waves reprise) (11:53) (2) Golden Age [TV on the Radio] (11:06) (2)
Slave to the Traffic Light (9:28) (3) Also Sprach Zarathustra / 2001 (8:16) [Richard Strauss cover]
ENCORE Sneakin’ Sally Through the Alley (5:12) [Lee Dorsey cover]
Rock & Roll (7:19) [Velvet Underground cover] Chalk Dust Torture (5:19)
Harry Hood (18:53)
ENCORE
Show of Life (5:35) [Trey song] (2)
Run Like an Antelope (9:08)

 

Camden, June 29, 2019
December 30, 2018 Madison Square Garden [night 3 of 4]
SET ONE SET ONE
Mike’s Song (9:12) (3) Alumni Blues (5:14)
I Am Hydrogen (3:02) (2) Letter to Jimmy Page > Alumni Blues (1:53)
Weekapaug Groove (8:01) (3) Mike’s Song (9:14) (2)
Divided Sky (15:48) Glide II (4:03) (first since 1995)
Everything’s Right (9:50) [Trey song] (4) Weekapaug Groove (12:38) (2)
Guelah Papyrus (5:22) Crosseyed and Painless (8:50)
Sparkle (3:51) (3) Bliss (1:39)
Roggae (7:59) (3) Billy Breathes (5:35) (2)
46 Days (10:31) (2) No Men in No Man’s Land (7:50) (3)
SET TWO Tube > Weekapaug Groove > Tube (10:02)
Blaze On (9:23) (2) More (6:23)
NICU (4:57)  SET TWO
Golden Age (8:27) [TV on the Radio] Cool Amber and Mercury (9:35) [Kasvot Växt]
Ruby Waves (13:38)[Ghosts of the Forest] Everything’s Right (15:30) [Trey song] (3)
Death Don’t Hurt Very Long (2:57) [Kasvot Växt] Plasma (9:09)
Rift (6:11) (3) Light (20:01) (2)
Beneath a Sea of Stars Part 1 (8:10) [Ghosts of the Forest] [debut] Wading in the Velvet Sea (5:25)
Waiting All Night (4:59) Split Open and Melt (18:26) (3)
Ghost (8:17) ENCORE
Say It to Me S.A.N.T.O.S (6:42) [Kasvot Växt] Funky Bitch (5:33) (2) (Son Seals)
ENCORE Wilson (4:10) (3)
You Enjoy Myself (19:50) (3) Rocky Top (2:40)
Grind (1:51) (a capella) Cavern (4:45)

 

Camden August 8, 2018
Camden, August 7, 2018
SET ONE SET ONE
The Moma Dance (9:34) Crowd Control (5:20)
Free (8:03)  No Men in No Man’s Land (7:34) (2)
Undermind (8:27) Blaze On (11:22)
Theme From the Bottom (8:23) Lawn Boy (4:16)
My Sweet One (2:09) Infinite (9:26)
Steam (8:38) Wilson (4:08) (2)
Train Song (3:09) Roggae (9:29) (2)
Halley’s Comet (6:29) Rift (6:08) (2)
Everything’s Right [Trey song] (16:41) (2) 46 Days (9:41) [with Theme from S.W.A.T. tease]
SET TWO Sparkle (3:34) (2)
Julius (8:06) David Bowie (11:27)
Carini (11:49) SET TWO
Set Your Soul Free (10:52) [Trey song] Down with Disease (24:28) [3rd LONGEST SONG I’VE SEEN]
Wingsuit (9:05) Backwards Down the Number Line (8:28)
Scents and Subtle Sounds (12:04) I Always Wanted It That Way (8:45)
Waste (6:20) Miss You (6:25)
Split Open and Melt (11:59) (2) Light (16:30)
Character Zero (8:47) Mike’s Song (7:32)
ENCORE I Am Hydrogen (3:08)
Suzy Greenberg (6:33) (3) Weekapaug Groove (8:46)
ENCORE
Show of Life (Trey song) (6:02)

 

2017 Bakers Dozen Night 13 [Glazed]
2017 Bakers Dozen Night 1 [Coconut]
SET ONE SET ONE
Dogs Stole Things (4:57) Shake Your Coconuts (3:37) [Junior Senior cover]
Rift (6:25) Martian Monster (6:02)
Ha Ha Ha (1:36) Timber ho! (8:29) [Josh White cover] (2)
Camel Walk (6:20) 555 (7:30)
Crazy Sometimes (7:38) [Mike song] Pigtail (8:00) [Trey song]
Saw It Again (6:08) Halfway to the Moon (8:44)
Sanity (5:32) Reba (12:53) (no whistling end)
Bouncing Around the Room (4:01) Moonage Daydream (6:07) [David Bowie cover]
Most Events Aren’t Planned (11:38) [Vida Blue song] Walls of the Cave (11:45)
Bug (7:05) SET TWO
I Been Around (3:55) Tweezer (16:12)
Izabella (6:42) [Jimi Hendrix song] Seven Below (13:10)
SET TWO Billy Breathes (5:27)
Simple (25:58) [2nd LONGEST SONG I’VE SEEN] Sparkle (4:08)
Rise/Come Together (7:28) [Trey song] Everything’s Right (11:42) [Trey song]
Starman (5:27) [David Bowie song] Slave to the Traffic Light (9:23) (2)
You Enjoy Myself (24:01) (2) [4th LONGEST SONG I’VE SEEN] Suzy Greenberg (8:09) (2)
Loving Cup (7:48) [The Rolling Stones song] Coconut (3:18) (a capella) [Harry Nilsson cover]
ENCORE ENCORE
On the Road Again (2:32) [Willie Nelson cover] The Mango Song (7:42)
Lawn Boy Reprise (1:28) Good Times, Bad Times (5:44) [Led Zeppelin cover]
Bass Solo (0:30)
Tweezer Reprise (3:56)

 

2016 Mann Center
SET ONE
Wilson (5:09)
Funky Bitch (6:14) [Son Seals cover]
No Men in No Man’s Land (8:16)
Roggae (9:46)
Nellie Kane (2:59) [Hot Rize cover]
Gumbo (6:21)
Birds of a Feather (7:35)
Sleep Again (6:05) [Trey song]
Things People Do (2:49)
Limb By Limb (7:19)
Split Open and Melt (10:18)
The Oh Kee Pa Ceremony (1:43)
Suzy Greenberg (6:40)
SET TWO
Fuego (16:04)
Runaway Jim (7:52)
Gotta Jibboo (8:51)
Breath and Burning (9:34)
Timber ho! (5:36) [Josh White cover]
Slave to the Traffic Light (9:36)
You Enjoy Myself (18:43)
ENCORE
Quinn the Eskimo (4:49) [Bob Dylan cover]

Junta:
Lawn Boy: complete
Picture of Nectar:  Eliza*; Poor Heart; Manteca*; Faht*; Catapult*; Glide (have seen glide II)
Rift: Fast Enough for You; Lengthwise*; Maze; Horn; Weigh*; All Things Reconsidered*; Mound; It’s Ice; The Horse*; Silent in the Morning
Hoist: If I Could; Riker’s Mailbox*; Lifeboy; Scent of a Mule; Dog Faced Boy; Demand ; Yerushalayim Shel Zahav
Billy Breathes: Cars Trucks Buses; Talk; Swept Away, Steep; Prince Caspian
The Story of the Ghost: Meat; Guyute; Fikus;
Farmhouse: Twist; Heavy Things; Dirt; Sleep; The Inlaw Josie Wales
Round Room: Pebbles and Marbles; Anything But Me; Round Room; Mexican Cousin; Friday; All of These Dreams; Thunderhead;
Undermind: The Connection; A Song a I Heard The Ocean Sing; Army of One; Maggie’s Revenge; Nothing; Two Versions of Me; Access me; Tomorrow’s Song; Secret Smile
Joy: Stealing Time from the Faulty Plan; Joy; Sugar Shack; Time Turns Elastic; Twenty Years Later
Fuego: The Line; Devotion to a Dream; Winterqueen; Sing Monica; Wombat
Big Boat
Sigma Oasis

TREY ANASTASIO BAND SETLISTS FOR ADDITION

 

TREY ANASTASIO BAND Fillmore 2016
TREY ANASTASIO solo Newport Folk Fest 2019
SET ONE Sample in a Jar [PHISH] 
Sand (11:18) [PHISH] Blaze On [PHISH]
Sometime After Sunset (5:39) Brian and Robert [PHISH]
Mozambique (3:43) The Inlaw Josie Wales [PHISH]
Magilla (2:59) [PHISH] Set Your Soul Free
Gotta Jibboo (10:25) Back on the Train [PHISH]
Pigtail (6:29) Farmhouse [PHISH]
Curlew’s Call (9:38) Rise/Come Together [TAB]
Cayman Review (7:30) Shade [PHISH]
Ocelot (9:12) [PHISH] Summer of ’89 [PHISH]
Valentine (6:06) Sand [PHISH]
Tuesday (5:50) Snowflakes in the Sand [TAB]
SET TWO Steam [PHISH]
Drifting (7:39) More [PHISH]
Night Speaks to a Woman (10:21)
Delta Lady (4:29) [Leon Russel]
Simple Twist Up Dave (9:30)
The Song (5:06)
Feel It Still (3:11) [Portugal, The Man]
49 Bye-Byes (4:42) [Crosby, Stills & Nash]
Last Tube (10:40)
Architect (7:18)
Clint Eastwood (7:43) [Gorillaz]
Black Dog (8:35) [Led Zeppelin]
ENCORE
The Parting Glass (3:02) [traditional]
Heavy Things (5:08) [PHISH]
Push On ‘Til The Day (10:23)

 

 

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[DID NOT ATTEND: December 28-30, 2023] Phish

I have been to the Phish New Year’s Eve run a few times.  I went on Night 3 in 2018 and nights 2 and 3 in 2019.  But I’ve never been to New Year’s Eve.

I have reached the point where Madison Square Garden is too much of a hassle for me, so I wasn’t even planning on trying to get tickets for these shows.  But I figured I’d give New Year’s Eve a shot and I actually got some!

So I had no desire to go to these shows.

It’s possible that New Year’s Eve will be my last Phish show (that will make 17 shows).  I don’t really feel the need to go for 20, but they do keep drawing me back in.

I’m not going to The Sphere, though, as cool as that sounds.

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[DID NOT ATTEND: September 21, 2023] Måneskin

At the end of last year, my wife and daughter went with me to see Måneskin in Philly.  It was a great show.  Super fun, with a great classic rock n roll swagger that you don’t see much these days (for better and worse).

The songs were catchy, the band was fun and it was a great time.

They announced a new tour although this time they weren’t hitting Philly (which is weird since they sold out two nights in Philly last time), but they were playing Madison Square Garden (the big time).

It’s unlikely that we’d all be going to Madison Square Garden, especially on a school night.  But when the tickets were announced they were so damned expensive that I just said no.  And the other two didn’t mind.

It looks like they have either sold out or there’s only a few random seats left.  So good for them.

For ease of searching, I include: Maneskin

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[DID NOT ATTEND: August 16, 2023] Sigur Rós

Few bands are as amazing live as Sigur Rós.  I never thought I would deliberately not get tickets to a Sigur Rósshow.

When they announced a limited tour of Sigur Rós with Wordless Music Orchestra (a 41 piece orchestra), I wanted to go immediately.  I saw the closest show was New York, which is a pain in the butt.  But it would be worth it.  Then I saw how expensive the tickets were and I couldn’t bring myself to buy them.  I realize that they are paying a 41 piece orchestra, but I just couldn’t do it.

It will either be the most transcendent thing in the universe or it may be too much–Sigur Rós is able to do some amazing things as a three piece after all.

Perhaps they’ll release a video of it.

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[DID NOT ATTEND: June 15, 2023] Pierce the Veil / The Used / Don Broco / Death By Romy

My son has been into Pierce the Veil for a while.  When they announced a show last year we were going to go, but they weren’t the headliners, and it seemed like a lot for just 45 minutes of music.

So here they were, possibly headlining (certainly co-headlining) this Creative Control tour with The Used.

There were literally FIVE shows that we could have gotten to for this tour.

This was the fifth and final show in this local run.  I actually thought we might like to go to this show most of all because it was kind of close.  But it was his graduation night!

The first and fourth shows were at the Rooftop at Pier 17, a venue I love but hate to get to.

The second one was at the Skyline Stage at the Mann Center.  Not a great venue to drag to on a Friday night (we would’ve certainly missed at least one band).  But I already had tickets to see Pixies.  I would have given those up for this show, but was happy I didn’t have to.

The third show was at the Stone Pony and that’s what we got tickets for. (more…)

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[DID NOT ATTEND: June 13, 2023] Pierce the Veil / The Used / Don Broco / Death By Romy

My son has been into Pierce the Veil for a while.  When they announced a show last year we were going to go, but they weren’t the headliners, and it seemed like a lot for just 45 minutes of music.

So here they were, possibly headlining (certainly co-headlining) this Creative Control tour with The Used.

There were literally FIVE shows that we could have gotten to for this tour.

Now that we’ve seen the show, I can with certainty say that I’m glad we didn’t go to this show at the Rooftop.  Even though I do think it was cool that they had these two shows over a week apart in the same venue.  That’s a neat twist on the many days in a row at the same place deal

Tonight’s was the fourth show in this run..  And the least likely for us to attend.  A Tuesday night show on the Rooftop at Pier 17–did that for Pup, don’t want to do it again.

The second one was at the Skyline Stage at the Mann Center.  Not a great venue to drag to on a Friday night (we would’ve certainly missed at least one band).  But I already had tickets to see Pixies.  I would have given those up for this show, but was happy I didn’t have to.

The third show was at the Stone Pony and that’s what we got tickets for. (more…)

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[DID NOT ATTEND: June 5, 2023] Pierce the Veil / The Used / Don Broco / DeathbyRomy

My son has been into Pierce the Veil for a while.  When they announced a show last year we were going to go, but they weren’t the headliners, and it seemed like a lot for just 45 minutes of music.

So here they were, possibly headlining (certainly co-headlining) this Creative Control tour with The Used.

There were literally FIVE shows that we could have gotten to for this tour.

This was the first one.  And the least likely for us to attend.  A Monday night show on the Rooftop at Pier 17, thank you, but no.

The second one was at the Skyline Stage at the Mann Center.  Not a great venue to drag to on a Friday night (we would’ve certainly missed at least one band).  But I already had tickets to see Pixies.  I would have given those up for this show, but was happy I didn’t have to.

The third show was at the Stone Pony and that’s what we got tickets for. (more…)

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[ATTENDED: May 23, 2023] Beach Bunny 

When this mini tour was announced I was pretty psyched.  My son and I have seen PUP and loved them.  My daughter and I have seen Beach Bunny (twice) and loved them.  The only problem was that it was at Rooftop Pier 17–a massive pain in the butt to get to.

But I grabbed tickets anyway and surprised them earlier this month.

When PUP ended the place cleared out some.  There were definitely fans of both bands there (in fact, they had toured together five years ago), but a lot of the more hardcore PUP fans took off, which was nice.

I used the intermission time (since our space wasn’t that great anyway) to look at merch and use the bathroom.  When I came back up, my daughter had moved further back (she says she can see better from the back, which is kind of true, but there is the huge problem of drunken hangers on hanging on and talking back there).  My son, on the other hand, pressed forward and wound up just five people from the stage. (more…)

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[ATTENDED: May 23, 2023] PUP

When this mini tour was announced I was pretty psyched.  My son and I have seen PUP and loved them.  My daughter and I have seen Beach Bunny (twice) and loved them.  The only problem was that it was at Rooftop Pier 17–a massive pain in the butt to get to.

But I grabbed tickets anyway and surprised them earlier this month.

I assumed that PUP would go on last as they are the louder band.  But, in fact, they went on second. And that may have been wise as many of PUP’s more bro fanbase left after their set.

But as they were setting up, the sun hadn’t set yet and PUP came out to the orchestral version of their album (they just released some kid of answering machine version of their album from during the pandemic, which I’m pretty curious to hear).  They had a cool evening sky and marveled at being on a rooftop in New York City (it is a very cool venue).

And then they were off.  They opened with the two songs they closed the show with last time.  This being a shorter set, it was more of a greatest hits and less of a celebration of the last album.

There’s only one rule at a PUP show.  Look at your neighbors around you, have fun and look out for each other’s safety.  Then the moshing began in earnest. (more…)

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[ATTENDED: May 23, 2023] Pool Kids

I think I heard of Pool Kids about a week before this show was announced.  I really liked their mix of punky alt rock and really cool guitar shredding (so much finger tapping).

I was thrilled that they were opening this show.

The Rooftop at Pier 17 is a great venue but it is a huge pain in the ass to get to.  Last time, we drove in and looked for parking for about 20 minutes.  This time we drove to Hoboken and took the PATH train to World Trade Center.  It was about a ten minute walk but we stopped or food.

We had left the house at 4 and wound up being late for Pool Kids who went on at 6:30.  So I don’t imagine going to too many more shows there.

We saw about three Pool Kids songs and they were great.  The band has great on stage presence and clearly were cool with a large crowd.  Vocalist/guitarist Christine Goodwyne was fun with a powerful voice that held high notes and also screamed with rage.  She and second guitarist Andy Anaya played some great harmony solos together too.

Bassist Nicolette Alvarez took lead vocals on one song, but mostly held down the low end.  And drummer Caden Clinton somehow made a lot of noise on a drumset that was off to the side (and was much smaller) than Pup’s massive kit behind them.

I think we came in during “Arm’s Length.”  But I was really excited that they saved “Conscious Uncoupling” late in their set.  It’s the first song on their album and is a perfect statement about the band.  Great vocals, a cool riff and tons of energy.

I’m really excited they’re doing a headline tour later this year so I can catch a full set.

  1. Swallow
  2. That’s Physics, Baby
  3. $5 Subtweet
  4. Arm’s Length
  5. I Hope You’re Right
  6. Conscious Uncoupling
  7. Talk Too Much
⊗ Music to Practice Safe Sex To (2018)
¶ Pool Kids (2022)

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