Phish Kicks Off 2018 New Year’s Run: Setlist & Recap

Phish returned to the stage on Friday night for the first of four New Year’s Run concerts at Madison Square Garden in New York City. The show was the band’s 57th at the historic venue since they made their MSG debut on December 30, 1994. While the performance was light on deep improvisation, Phish delivered a night filled with high-energy arena rock.

One of the big questions coming into opening night was whether Phish would incorporate songs from their Kasvot Växt Halloween set into the run. The quartet answered that question with a resounding yes right away by kicking off the concert with “We Are Come To Outlive Our Brains.” Phish extended the tune with a short but sweet jam featuring a mix of blissful and dark melodies. While last night’s version was only two minutes longer than the debut in Vegas, “We Are Come To Outlive Our Brains” showed real potential as a jam vehicle and wouldn’t be the only Kasvot Växt tune to make the setlist on Friday at MSG. Next up was a trip back to the band’s 2014 Halloween musical costume with a particularly perky “Martian Monster.” The high-energy start to the concert continued with straight-forward takes on staples “Axilla I,” “Free” and “The Wedge.”

The highlight of Friday’s first set came next as Phish paired “Meat” and “Ghost” from 1998’s The Story Of The Ghost. “Meat” featured one funky breakdown after another and exquisite interplay between band members as they patiently and expertly worked through each section of the song. Meanwhile, “Ghost” saw Phish move from a dark jam space to a beautiful chord progression. Keyboardist Page McConnell led a build to a crowd-pleasing peak, while guitarist Trey Anastasio was content to focus on rhythms. The four-piece followed the blissful jam by laying the groundwork for a spot-on transition into “Sparkle.” A focus on material from the mid-90s continued with the first-ever “If I Could” at MSG and a typically intense “Maze.” Phish closed out the frame with a romp through “Walls Of The Cave.”

Phish came out of the gates for the second set with one of their newest songs, “Set Your Soul Free.” The exploratory 17-minute version featured the egalitarian style of jamming displayed so often this past summer and fall. No one member led the improvisation for an extended period of time as instead the band volleyed ideas at each other and masterfully created the first must-hear moment of the run. Just as in “Ghost,” the jam was dark at first before the quartet modulated keys to blissful territory. Eventually, Anastasio started the first “Swept Away” > “Steep” since the “Baker’s Dozen” residency in 2017. Phish played the run of songs from 1996’s Billy Breathes fairly straight unlike the standout version from the “Baker’s Dozen” residency.

Trey was a ball of energy throughout the night and had a goofy grin plastered on his face as Phish made their way through the evening’s second and final Kasvot Växt tune, “The Final Hurrah.” He seemed so excited to sing the “Faceplant into rock” line he barely got the words out of his mouth. Drummer Jon Fishman and bassist Mike Gordon provided a deep pocket during the slightly extended jam as Anastasio and McConnell exchanged potent leads. While Phish did show some rust at their first show since November 3, they nailed the “Fuego” that followed “The Final Hurrah.” Anastasio led a build to one of the more intense climaxes of the evening before beginning the ballad “Shade.” Phish picked the energy back up to end the set with a euphoric “Bathtub Gin” and rocking “Possum.”

Phish returned to the stage to begin the encore with “Bouncing Around The Room” before bringing the night to a close with a typically gorgeous version of “Slave To The Traffic Light.” The band continues the run on Saturday night at MSG. A webcast is available via LivePhish.com.

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