Phish - December 31st, 2023
Madison Square Garden · New York · NY
1 Unfinished.
2 Off-stage backing chorus.
3 Jo Lampert on additional vocals. Off-stage backing chorus.
4 Lyrics changed to "I'm squeezing that Charmin. Thank you Mr. Whipple. I'm still squeezing that Charmin. Thank you Mr. Whipple."
5 Off-stage backing chorus. Lyrics changed to "weary body."
6 Annie Golden on additional vocals. Off-stage backing chorus.
Song length in play order. Tap a point for that song. Swipe the chart to see the rest.
Tonight's unique songs by the era Phish first played them.
- '83-'8917
- '90-'946
- '95-'003
- '15-'193
- '20-now1
The studio home of each song, from phish.net. Covers count as one slice.
- A Picture of Nectar3
- The White Tape3
- Billy Breathes2
- Lawn Boy2
- Hoist1
- Covers7
- No studio album12
Shows since each song's previous appearance. A big number is a bustout.
- 3-58
- 6-1511
- 16-505
- 51+ · bustout6
Whose songbook tonight drew from.
- Phish original23
- Trey Anastasio4
- Ghosts of the Forest1
- The Rolling Stones1
- Traditional1
Rarer than most - 6 songs shelved 50+ shows.
Gap = shows since the song was last played, at the moment it was played.
In the shadow of a resurrected rhombus, the "March of The Multibeast" opens an improvisational portal fitting of the historic moment. At once dark and strident, sinister and celebratory, what would be an exceptional excursion under any circumstances becomes transformational in context and relentless in effect. Trey's beastly snarl is finally cooled only by the arrival of the mysterious Tela herself.
Although you may dislike or even hate it, this version involved a chorus and co-lead actor-vocalist Jo Lampert (who also helped narrate the "Gamehendge" performance), to Trey's delight in particular.
Erupting from the song, proper, Trey lays into a series of fist-pump power chords, pushes through some "Woos," and pours it on. Infectious, electric play finds Page pounding his keys as the band plays a perfect take for their punchdrunk fans.
This extra-mustard thrasher of a version serves as a fitting capstone to a legendary night. Seemingly unwilling to let the night end, Trey and Co. blow past the goal posts with unbridled joy, with a series of false peaks giving way to a mountain-top crescendo and fanfare conclusion.
Versions phish.net's jam charts single out as noteworthy.
Tube contained teases of the theme from The Mary Tyler Moore Show. Harpua was unfinished and contained a Vibration of Life tease. During the Harpua narration, Trey talked about some of the Harpuas and Phish shows at Madison Square Garden of the past 40 years, and a bed appeared from beneath the front of the stage with an actor playing Jimmy and a puppet version of Poster Nutbag. Trey then interrupted the song before the "I want a dog" lyric and said Jimmy had lacked a strong female influence over the years and introduced actress Annie Golden as Jimmy's grandmother. While consoling Jimmy, she told him it was time to tell the truth about the owner of Harpua. After telling Jimmy that the old man had given the puppet to Esther and helped Jimmy's cousin Reba make liquid meat, a vinyl record (with a rhombus on the cover) was brought forth and Jimmy's grandmother said "it's time... it's New Year's Eve and I can't let you ring another new year without knowing the real story of Gamehendge!" leading into The Man Who Stepped Into Yesterday and a glowing rhombus rising to frame the entire stage. The band then began the first performance of the Gamehendge saga since July 8, 1994 (1,194 shows), with Golden and Trey providing the narration and performers acting out the parts of Colonel Forbin, Rutherford, the AC/DC Bag, Tela, Errand Wolfe (later billed in post show credits as "The Wolf"), and the Sloth. The Man Who Stepped Into Yesterday, The Lizards, Tela, Wilson, Divided Sky, Colonel Forbin's Ascent, Fly Famous Mockingbird, and Split Open and Melt featured an off-stage backing chorus. The multi-beast and McGrupp were also performed by puppets. Tela performed acrobatics on wires during her song, with Jo Lampert (as the Wolf) providing additional vocals during Wilson. The Sloth's lyrics were changed to "I'm squeezing that Charmin. Thank you Mr. Whipple. I'm still squeezing that Charmin. Thank you Mr. Whipple." Colonel Forbin ascended the rhombus during Colonel Forbin's Ascent (which had lyrics changed to "weary body"), and a large Famous Mockingbird puppet (with a top hat) flew over the crowd during Fly Famous Mockingbird, which also featured Annie Golden on additional vocals. Before Melt, Trey asked Jimmy's grandmother if she knew that the mountain was a volcano, and the Lizards reappeared to dance to the ensuing Melt jam, eventually leaving the stage one by one as the rhombus was lowered again.
Setlist, gaps, jam charts, and notes from phish.net, a project of the non-profit Mockingbird Foundation.