I wasn't going to review any of these shows until the run was over, but this show absolutely blew every last one of my expectations out of the water. The first set was very good - highlights were the funked-out Train, a nice My Friend, and a rollercoaster ride Antelope that served very nicely as a centerpiece Set 1 style jam. But that second set - man, the guys must've packed their spelunking gear, because they went *deep* in the DWD and especially the Carini, the darkness of 2003 tempered by the brilliant multifaceted jamming style of 2012. Number Line was a bit jarring (although a breather after that much gnarliness was probably appreciated by everyone), but they could've played Call Me Maybe after that Carini jam and I wouldn't have cared one jot. Slave made a great set closer (a really good version, as well), and Hood found a glorious and beautiful peak in the encore slot.

Hyperbole be damned - 12/30's a sacred date in Phish's canon, and you can put this bad boy right up there with the rest of 'em. The run's already been made with this show; NYE's got its work cut out. Bring it on!

Really solid Slave. Wow.

Amazing show. Couch toured this and the first two nights, and this was head and shoulders better than the other two. Jim was short, but played very well (This seems to be a 2012 theme at times), Back on the Train was super funky, as it is known to do from time to time. Ocelot bores me, but this one was played pretty damn well. Ya Mar is when I took my smoke break, so I can't comment on that, but Horn, My Friend, and Antelope to end the set gave me hop for a super hot second set. I got turned on to Phish with the Rift album so hearing two Rift songs back to back that aren't Horse > Silent was a treat for me.

Second set. Holy shit. What else can I say? Kind of surprised me with Disease, and I had pretty much pegged this one for the post-Auld Lang Syne spot on NYE. But I'm glad they didn't hold on to it. One of the best versions I've ever heard. In my opinion, it belongs right up there with the best of them. Twenty Years Later has always been a song I liked, just not live. This one, however, was great. And then, Carini. Thank god I wasn't there with a head full of drugs for this one. It got creepy, and nasty, and fucking great. Go listen to this right now if you haven't by now. Number Line was super out of place, but again, played very well. Julius is a killer tune just about everytime it appears, and a great, great Slave to end it.

When they dropped into Hood for the encore, I told my roommate that it could prolly get pretty interesting, and it did. Pretty much right away, too. Show of Life is not one of my favorite songs, but I know alot of people love it, so I'm not even going to comment on it.

One last thought. Some of y'all can't be pleased. Ever. You always want to compare what Phish is doing in 2012 to what they did in 1997, or 94, or whatever. Stop. Appreciate what they're making in the now. What they are creating now is amazing. They're the best live band in the world, and some of you should open your minds and listen to what they're doing on this run. I believe you're seeing the birth of a new Phish. Possibly the birth of the best Phish we've heard yet. That's just my opinion.

Happy New Year's everybody. Stay safe. One love.

This isn’t MSG 2011 pt 2

Having gone on the 28th, and not been able to get tickets on the 29th, it was good to be back to the Garden on the 30th. Up in the 200s again, this time under the Ranger’s 1941-42 championship banner, so tonight I got the lights I didn’t have on the 28th. And those lights are worth mentioning.

In fact, all of Set 1 is worth mentioning. Phish came out with a confidently relaxed pace and attitude, and Kuroda’s lighting added (to me) an unexpected layer of chill. Lots of cool blue, green and white tones. Even when he went to red, it was tempered with purples and yellows. The lights moved slow, searching and elegantly. At points he lit up the crowd behind the band with patterns of white and purple, and the Garden responded. What other band has ever earned cheers for their lighting tech when he does something that augments the music? Even Antelope, slow searching lights in the beginning, then frenetic punctuation as the guys revved the shit out of it.

Anyway, short of Dick’s 1, I can’t think of too many first sets that are as worth a listen as this one. I wouldn’t swap out a single tune, and they were all performed with chill Sunday attitude all over them. The crowd was also completely on board. Where I was, there was a minimal of chatter, just lots of blissed faces. During divided sky, the level of volume during Trey’s pause was the loudest thing all night, followed by almost silence when they went back into the song for a quiet build.

The music was entering uncharted territory, even by Phish standards, for the first almost 40 minutes of the second set. CK5 and the band synced up just the same. Disease starts to get weird and contemplative, followed by 20 Years’ which is just as thinky, and a scary Carini were almost perfectly amped up and mirrored by the lights. As odd as it was to go into Number Line, I think most people needed it. There was an audible exhale, like it was the first time we were all able to take a breath. But then Julius hits and it felt like a crazy encore before the encore. The Slave that followed was also just crazy good. If they had played that Slave after Carini, I dunno. We might’ve been scraping blown heads off the roof of the Garden.

…What a show. I think the only word needed to sum up the mood, the crowd, the band and the show is dynamics. But if you’d like a better review of the music, or perhaps just to see how “Sith” can be used as a Noun-Jective, hop over to Miner’s review. You could also just listen to this beast of a show. Hopefully this review gave you a bit of flavor for what it was like to be in the building. Last night, it was truly the only place I wanted to be.

Show of the run. Carini was a religious experience

This is a long summary, so the short version is this: 5 stars. So much fun.

Here's the breakdown:

Runaway Jim was short & sweet. A nice way to start right out of the gate and set the tone for a first set front-loaded with tons of pep. They quickly went into Cities, which was well played despite Trey’s voice cracking on some of the high notes early on. Trey’s guitar solo started with some of the “plinko” feel which was great, and I found myself disappointed when they ended the song rather than going into a jam, which is what it felt like they were about to do. Still, well played and solid.

Divided Sky as the 3rd song of the night! That was a surprise. This was a well-executed version, albeit only after a slight rough patch near the beginning where it seemed like the guys were out of sync. I loved the section where Trey & Mike began bouncing in unison.

From there they launched into one of the finest versions of Back on the Train they’ve pulled off all year, and although the jam didn’t break outside the box, it was the first extended jam of the night and was full of energy. I watched this show via webcast and I was out of my seat dancing to this one! The highlight of the 1st set for me.

Then from that into a great version of Ride Captain Ride, which has pleasantly become part of their regular rotation. I hope this song sticks around, because it’s always performed well and acts as a great bridge between any number of songs.

Up next, Ocelot, with Trey’s voice finally sounding smooth and warmed up. No trouble with any high notes here. The jam was nice on this one too, again nothing outside the box yet but a very satisfying jam nonetheless.

This is where things took a pleasingly unexpected turn toward the obscure, with a trio of Ya Mar, Horn, and My Friend, My Friend. The pace of the set slowed down considerably, but for any aficionado these three are probably going to be the highlight of the 1st set. No jams on any of these, just straight-up versions of the songs, but damn! That was fun.

A set-closing Run Like an Antelope was a perfect way to round out this unique 1st set, which brought back the high energy from the early part of the set. I distinctly heard Trey play a segment of the Dead’s “Shakedown Street” during the jam, and I was hoping they would tease in more of it but that didn’t happen.

2nd set opener: Down with Disease – yes! They’ve been nailing this song all year and this version held up to that standard and then some. The jam went into some interesting territory, getting into a kind of space-jam territory morphing into pure beauty. Page moved to his piano and took over for a bit until Trey started making his guitar sing a hauntingly beautiful sound, like the call of a whale in the deep ocean. I loved this part. They got more psychedelic and then started into a sweet rock groove.

Twenty Years later was a nice follow-up to the jam – solidly played.
Carini! Always a favorite, and holy smokes did this one deliver. This was one for all-time, folks. The jam went into utterly satanic territory (in the best of ways), getting more and more psychedelic and evil territory by the minute. Fish was busting out tribal beats on the skins…Mike was using his pedals to great effect…Page summoned demonic sounds on keys and suddenly Trey was making his guitar wail. It was insane and I loved it. And then a segue into the next song…what could it be?

Backwards Down the Number Line? Really? Yep! And wow, it worked. It was like catharsis to the evil that had just been laid down. An unexpected turn of events to say the least – I don’t think there was a single person listening who could have predicted that as a follow up. But it was well played and returned back to the theme of reflecting on the past that started with “Twenty Years Later.”

Then it was into a knee-slapping version of Julius, complete with some insane shredding by Trey at the end of the jam before turning back into the final chorus. Trey was smiling from ear to ear during this song and was clearly pleased with what was transpiring on stage and was happy about it.

A set-closing Slave to the Traffic light was beautifully played and more catharsis after such a scorching version of Carini earlier in the set.

For the encore, Harry Hood! Unreal. A song that represents Phish in a single song to cap off a night

The show finished off with a version of Show of Life, as ever an anticlimactic finish as there could have been afer such a perfect “Hood,” which probably should have been the one and only encore song given its length and how well it was played. But I can forgive this one and only oversight of the show.

Overall, this evening represents what makes a Phish show so great - the unpredictable nature of it all, where you can feel like you're in the deepest depths of purgatory (in Carini), then they pull you out and land you in the midst of bliss and happiness (in pretty much everything played after that.) I’m smiling from ear to ear.

1. Please stop thumbing down @MirthBeatenWorkr. Opinions are opinions. We're all entitled to them.

2. That said, if you're coming in to every Phish show with the bar immediately fixed at "substandard show from 1994", you're already handicapping your experience of your own volition and might as well just go listen to the OJ show again.

3. Am I crazy, or is "stringing a few memorable jams together" a pretty apt description of just about every great Phish set ever played?

First set is how it looks, all well played albeit a few flubs in MFMF, but nothing out of the ordinary.

Down with Disease through Carini is extremely dark Phish. This segment is Must. Hear.

#Line is somewhat out of place, and it certainly jolts you out of the hellish depths of the Carini jam, but it's played well and works in the long run. A raging Julius first appears to be the closer, but is followed by a *good* Slave To The Traffic Light. One of the better versions of 3.0.

A very pretty, patient Hood comes up in the encore slot, followed by a well earned SOL.

Overall, a very solid show, and although no huge Setlist risks were taken, massive risks were taken with the DWD and Carini, and it pays off.

Best Carini ever. Great second set. Extremely cool encore. Good first set. Couch terr - best alternative to being there. Bring on NYE!

I didn't hear anyone around me talking during Carini. At all. Looking out at the crowd, everyone was so into it! The rest of the show held its own too. Phenomenal show to set the stage for some rage tonight!

First set... Very very well done first set Phish. MFMF the highlight (darklight?) but Ocelot was patiently allowed to roam and Antelope had the garden on Fi-yah (the song I had thought I wanted to hear).

Second set... Everything I thought I could want in a Phish set... And a true bar-raiser. DWD, and Carini especially, will both be analyzed and pored over by us Phish-nerds for years to come. And that's as it should be. Because as the Carini was closing out we were on an elemental tour. From air (DWD proper) -> water (DWD jam) -> hot lumpy lava (Carini). 2003 dark fo sho... And given the proper time to develop the psychic energy in spaceship MSG was enough to actually start tunneling the building into the earth. Our intrepid leaders took us beyond the subway and the detritus of modern industrial culture to the primal depths of Amazonia. Maybe Trey saw more than any pilot could handle... And felt the need to oblige the set list with the jangle release of BDTNL. Because that and Julius were merely breathers to make room for a Slave that soars. I'm a Slave to the Slave... It's my favorite Phish by a comfortable margin... And... Just....

Hood??? After Slave??? Never been done before... But of course. This was all about pushing limits. So it makes perfect sense.

This show manifested itself. It's the stuff that I've been looking for all these years. Love to all who made it happen. Positive vibes to the band, so they can find a way to try to recharge and relift us for what is supposed to be the climax of an MSG-NYE run. A Herculean task... But they proved they had more in em than we could've dreamed so.... There's hope

Cheers to the last of 2012 and a badass 2013 to come!!!!

Couch turred.

First Set:

Solid. Divided sky had a flubbed section, but was extra jammy at the end. Bott was nice and funky. Page and Mike killed their solos in Ya Mar. Horn and My Friend were nailed and Antelope was a rager.

Second Set:

DWD: Covered a lot of ground in 20 minutes. Went into some deep space with Trey using a lot of effects. Really pretty. Started picking up steam again and then faded back out and then out of nowhere Trey and Mike and Page all pick up with a sweet Zeppelin-esque riff for a nice peak. Fades out into...

Twenty Years Later: Pretty normal. I love this song anyways. Goes into...

Carini: Wow. This was DARK. Seriously. The main theme faded out into a creepy effects laden jam that at times resembled the IT Waves. Page really shined here. He took over the role of melody while Trey and Mike and Fish created a dark atmosphere in the background. This eventually faded into...

BDTNL: I know what you're thinking. People love to hate this song, and at first glance the placement seems awful. But I actually...really liked the placement. Really. I think it worked perfectly coming out of the terrifying entity that was Carini. Out of the dark came something light and joyous. As silly as that sounded I really think it was brilliantly placed. It was the perfect counterpoint to the Carini before it. Trey and Page also do some nice work at the end. This goes into...

Julius: This jam seemed to have a little extra energy in it. After the mindfuck of the preceding songs everybody needed a nice rocker. Hit a great peak.

Slave: Double peaker!!! Beautiful build, especially Page. Great peaks.

Encore:

Hood: The intro was funny. Very loose and playful. Trey nailed the Mr Miner riffs. The jam was incredible though! Very pretty build with great interplay and then the peak...I'm not religious, but I'm pretty sure I saw god during this peak.

Show of Life: This is a great song every time it's played. Great Closer.

Definite Shakedown Street tease somewhere in Antelope. Disease and Carini are must hears for sure.

This show revels in what has become a rare vintage in the Phish world: Evilness. Straight up, Set II is the goods. Disease slowly works its away around to glorious, uncharted territory (Page's textural work shines), an the Carini is, perhaps, the finest 2012 jam. It may be much shorter than the Dick's Light or 12/28 Tweezer, but holy smokes, does it go deep! Required listening for any and all 3.0 Phish fans. Period.

On top of that, you have arguably the finest Slave in over a decade (outstanding) going back-to-back with a Hood that is, simply, perfect. Maybe it doesn't go outside the box like 12/28/2010, but this Hood is the real deal!

And one last note: Set I's Ya Mar may very well be the finest type I version I've ever heard. Type I perfection doesn't get much attention on the forums, but if there's a single, definitive version of this song (played by any band) this may well be it. Think of it as an on-the-spot studio rendition. Awesome.

Okay. This is an absolutely amazing show. The first set is played beautifully, and is a wonderful build up to the mind-f*** that happens during set 2. I was a bit wary to relisten to this set because I wasn't sure how the experience would live up to the relistening, but man it does...and it does in spades. A lot of attention has been drawn to Carini and it certainly deserves it, but oh my god this Down With Disease. This Disease has to be one of the most fluid, multi-faceted jams Phish has thrown down in their career, at least certainly for 3.0. Truly amazing. Plus you have a Slave that has to be one of the most patient readings in years and years, and a Hood encore that is mining the same beautiful creativity. I also find it hilarious that the band made the good call of tacking Show of Life and the end of the show so that it couldn't ruin any set and it showed how they felt about the show. If Dick's helped the band regain their Type 2 legs, this show brought the creativity and darkness of those revelations to a whole other level. Right up there with the best of 3.0. Actually, this one is a keeper for ANY era of Phish, and no you'll never get me to believe otherwise.

Got to give this one a 5 star, the best show ive seen live. WOW was phish on or what?! it was like a tale of two sounds, Dark and Bliss.

No need to go into a in depth review, so ill just say the hightlights were:

Divided Sky, Back on the train , ocelot, My Friend, My friend

Disease>Twenty years later> Carini

I dont care what anyone else will say but that Backwards Down the Numberline was beautiful.

and one note on the encoe: Hood raged and Show of Life left me wanting soooooo much more for NYC, never been so pumped!

A skanky show, and I say that in the most loving of ways. Loads of energy, loads of fun, Jim got us dancing, Cities felt all so appropriate here in the City of all Cities and Divided Sky felt pretty majestic by the end of it but the real funk and roll started with the old reliable warhorse of a Train and it chugged and percolated down the track in a Bayou sort-of way, very very tasty. Then we hopped off the train and onto that magical ship that the good Captain Page was steering and off we went, to that magical place where only Phish could take us to, to come hide in the herd and float with the flock. Yeah, this Ocelot was for me. And the rest of the set was pretty self-explanatory. Skanky in that good sort of way.

In the same way way that it was ok to get Down With Disease in what was to become the start of another of "those" six song sets that they are getting very good at performing this year. DWD, very long and very skanky, very deep and very dark until it revealed itself, Twenty Years Later. I love this song, it was the highlight of Sunday night Denver to my ears and it threatened to do so tonight. That was until the actual highlight IMHO started and with it, the lump on my head. I've now gotten back-to-back Carini's that have raised the bar for future versions and that is unfair, unfair to think that they could possibly top these last two versions, I couldn't possibly ask any more of them and this one in particular opened up Space and its infinite possibilities, the skank level was on overflow and we resided in its darkness until the light that is the Number Line shined upon us in the spirit of friendship that it was intended to be shared with us, some old friends on stage storytelling to the masses. Who happened to come out on top by luck of the draw. By crossing at the Traffic Light. And picking up Mr Minor and Mr Hood along the way. And feeling good about going. To the Show of Life. Thank you Mr. Minor. And Mr. Hood. And Mr. Trey. And Mr. Page. And Mr. Mike. And the ever-lovable Mr. Fishman. Memories are made of shows like this one. And the promise of another three glorious sets in what has already been a memorable MSG run. Who cares 'bout the gag, it will only be the desert in a four-course meal being delivered by chefs that are the best in their business. Can't wait to see/hear what ingredients they're planning on using in their next musical Gumbo.

Peace,
Alex

Dark, dark, darkity, dark Phish. Love it.

Great show! I finally get, "Twenty Year Later."

Very solid show. Maximum effort was given by Phish on this night.

When this band is playing with passion, their product is second to none. 4 out of 5 stars.

@Jameslarsony - The experience and the music can be reviewed separately. To be critical of an aspect of the music in no way means that it couldn't have been a great show to be at.

In going after people who write anything negative while ignoring everything else they write, as well as the other people who write glowing reviews without having been there, you are nitpicking on the negative reviews. See the irony there?

I was sitting Page side, Section 114 about 15 rows back for this show.

Set I:

Runaway Jim was a nice start to this show given that the past two nights had been pretty fun and raging and opened with "less" energetic songs. This Jim was not anything out of the ordinary but it got the Garden rocking and the band ready to jump into things. I think the Cities > Divided Sky was placed well here and as always, Cities was a nice chill funky groove; pretty standard here. Divided Sky was standard. Back on The Train got the funk going again and got Page rockin the whole place. Ride Captain Ride was a first for me and one that I had been chasing, it didn't really get into any jamming, but was a lot of fun; great song! Ocelot was good and really peaked towards the end. Ya Mar was another first (finally!) for me and was just awesome to see! Page... *cough* Leo... killed it on his solo and the rest of the song just grooved away! Horn, another first!, was great to see and a pretty standard version. MFMF was a surprise and the whole intro was tight to say the least. When the intro dropped into the verse the Garden went nuts. The rest of the song was standard, nothing out of the ordinary, but it really got the crowd raging for the Antelope that followed. I really enjoy a set closing Antelope and this one brought back the energy that the set opened with. The jamming was sick and Trey did tease something that sounded like Shakedown Street in the jam before the lyrics segment. The band was really tight during this and really killed it to end the set!

Set II:

Holy shit did they bring the heat!! I turned to the kid next to me (his 1st show) and jokingly said DWD opener, well the kid lost it and couldn't believe it once the bass wobbling had ended and he realized what song it was. Once the jam got started things immediately took off and there was some fast interplay between everybody. Things then slowed down and I remember Trey locking on to page and jamming chords along with Page. The tempo still remained slow for a bit and then things started to get dark and weird!! So much interplay between all of the band members here! Things then slowed back down again, but remained dark. After a little while, Cactus threw down some thunderous bass and the tempo picked back up for some stellar jamming. I actually really liked the segue into Twenty Years Later, it was a very nice fit IMO. It was standard, but it cooled things down for a minute before Carini blew the roof off! Man, Carini is such an amazing song and really gets things raging, this one is no exception folks. This song gives Mike a chance to use his envelope and meatball filters and really shake things up; what am I saying haha Page, Fish and Trey also KILL it in this. The jam segment is similar to DWD in that it starts out raging and then steps back and slows down. This slow part is when things start getting even darker yet! The end of Carini just unleashes the beast and the boys slay it a must listen! BDTNL takes that darkness and shattered it with light and happy notes. I really enjoy this song even though the lyrics at times are strange to me, the jamming always leaves me impressed; again, this one was no exception. Julius is always a crowd pleaser and this one kept the energy super high from the previous songs. Each chorus section got progressively more energetic and intense than the last and the jam at the end was great! Enter Slave, I knew this would be the last song of the set and this was the perfect way to end it. They really had this slave dialed in. I thought I was making stuff up in my head about hearing the LDB tease from Page until I looked it up on here haha. Simply an incredible set!

Encore:

I was pleasantly surprised hearing Fish hammer those opening notes to HOOD! Hood as an encore is a huge treat and this one did not disappoint! I thought that Show of Life was a good choice to cap off this raging night of music and set the stage for the next night!

Highlights:

Ya Mar, DWD, Carini (must listen), Julius > Slave

I caught this show and the NYE Runaway Golf Cart Marathon the next night. A noticeable trend was that just about every jam segment was begun with a lot of patience, so there was jam potential all over the place. DWD and Carini got the full treatment, and created some great landscapes. As a fan of dark Phish, Carini was right up my alley.

Number Line is a true set killer and does its thing here. The tremendous amount of mood and momentum built by the Carini jam never comes full swing after that turd hits the punchbowl, and the Julius>Slave is far from a fitting end to a set that began with such wonderful jamming.

The first set is solid. I loved the Divided Sky. Ride Captain Ride was a tasty snack and Ya Mar through MFMF is pretty meaty. Antelope, like Julius and Slave needed some more gasoline in its fire.

wow. great show from start to finish, and the jam highlights were absolutely wonderful. Sometimes, I want to hear everything get jammed out & get disappointed when they don't (no guitar solo in ya Mar, & no shredding in My Friend); and sometimes, it's appropriate. If those 2 songs were extended, there may have been no time for Horn, which was simply perfect and gorgeous. I don't remember the last time they played it so on point. So some things in Set 1 could have been jammed out more -- however, I think their decisions led to smooth sailing and wonderful music. I'd rather there be no jam than Trey noodleing while the other three, bored, wait for him to call the ending!

Set II & the encore have been covered -- Carini had a tribal head. Awesome stuff!

DWD -->20 Years>Carini ranks with the best Phish all year. The rest of the show is entertaing and well played, of course, but window dressing. As some have said I don't even mind Number Line, a much maligned song, at the end of that madness. It actually kind of fits. Happy New Year to all and long live couch tour!

"Those disappointed in Saturday's straight-playing shouldn't have much to complain about now. When the four members of Phish took the stage tonight, they had a mission: Start excavating some jams so in this banner year for your band, you'll be ready to attempt to make 2012 surpass '95 as the ultimate NYE MSG show."

Read full review here: http://drypaintsigns.blogspot.com/2012/12/phish-1230-review-digging-up-demons.html

I couch toured this show and i saw most of it but i lost connection during BDTNL and didn't regain it until the hood so my review won't be full.

Set I:

Runaway Jim: as an opener i didn't expect it to be an epic of Dick's proportions but it was a great rocker as always.

Cities: As most people have said, rather straightforward version of a usually jammed song. eh.

Divided sky: among my favorite of phish tunes, this one didn't disappoint and built to a great peak for a 3.0 version

BOTT: Always a fun groover and this one built up really nicely. lotta fun

Ride captain ride: Love this one. happy and fun

Ocelot: one of my favorites off of Joy, this version was super solid and like the Divided sky and BOTT, built to a fantastic peak

Ya Mar: Always love this song. Such fantastic solos from Mike and Page, but trey pulled the ole' ripcord on it. Still fun as always

Horn: Beautiful as always. impeccably performed

My Friend, My Friend: A few flubs in the intro but rocking as always. Could've been a little crazier but hey, when trey drops down the opening licks to Antelope, i could care less

Antelope: Raging. Nuff said.

Overall set 1 was well played and exciting. no big jams to be seen, but great for a 3.0 set one. Filled with energy.

Set II:

DWD: Hose. I could not stop smiling throughout this entire jam. When i saw that weird headless bass mike brought out, i knew this was going places. I need to listen to this again. I would try to provide an in depth, real time review a la Charlie Dirksen but I need to listen to this many more times before i can do that. Anyway, absolutely beautiful. I tend to prefer weird jams like the 94 and 95 tweezers and stuff, but these kind of jams make me realize how much the band has matured since then and although it was the almost "immature" crazy jams that made me fall in love with this band in the first place, its jams like these that really show the amazing talent and musicality of those four guys up on stage. Must must must hear

Twenty Years Later: Standard, nice.

Carini: Oh Carini. Besides Light, i think Carini is perhaps the song that has gained the most jamming steam of any song since 2011. Carini has gone in so many different directions these past few tours. on 9/14/11 it was a beautiful, uplifting happy jam. On 6/7/12, effects laden and otherworldly. On 8/31/12, rocking and transcendental. Tonight it was dark. And when i say dark, i mean 03 swirling and brooding. This was akin to the IT 46 days. Very different from the blissful jams that defined the past summer tour. This is a must hear

BDTNL: opening was fine until i lost my internet connection.

Harry Hood: my connection came back during what i assumed was the peak. sadly that was true. so not much to say but i hear it was good.

Show of life: well earned indeed. Not a fan but not actually a bad song.

The first 3 songs of the set were absolute must hears, well, maybe not Twenty Years but the other two are must must must hears.

Sorry for the incomplete second set and encore but im sure you'll all hear about those from all the other reviews here. anyway, amazing show. loved every minute of it that i got to watch.

Webcasted again. Let's go through it all.

Set I: Starts off with Jim, which is one of my favorite songs. I had pretty high expectations as Jim was kinda coming back over the summer, but the version was short. It didn't disappoint me at all, I just wished it was longer. Oh well, great way to start the show anyway. Next is Cities, which I always love. The jam was really nice and could've maybe gone somewhere, but, in my opinion a slight ripcord from Trey cut if off. No matter, because he started up Divided Sky! I love this song so very much. It has a special place in my heart as it was the very first Phish song I ever listened to, and what caused me to listen to more. In my opinion a very well played version. Although there were maybe some flubs at the beginning, the climactic part was really well played. Also, this had a really good peak at the end which is always nice in a Divided. Next is Back on the Train, which was a really ripping version. Ride Captain Ride is also very good, of course dominated by Page. Ocelot starts, and I get really excited. I love this song very much. And it didn't disappoint. The groove they got onto was fantastic. Cue the opening chords to Ya Mar, and I get super, duper excited. I love this song even more than Ocelot. The Page solo is ripping, the Mike solo is ripping, the Trey solo... eh. Wasn't really a ballsy solo at all and could've been much better. Overall well played, but I wish it was longer. Horn is a song that I don't listen to very much but when I do, I always like it. Very well performed. My Friend, My Friend was good, but it certainly could've been better. They ditched the end and let Trey start up Antelope, which is always fantastic. I was really hoping that this Antelope would go so crazy (see LivePhish 2 version), but it wasn't up to that level. Still, Antelope is always a raging song, and I loved it, especially closing set 1.

Overall, a good set. Had a lot of songs that I really, really love, but they weren't jammed as much as I would've liked. Still, the set was thoroughly enjoyable and had some great moments. 3.5/5

Set II: My friend and I were guessing what the opener would be. I jokingly guessed YEM, knowing that would never happen. He guessed Down with Disease, and sure enough, the rumbled (coming from that weird new bass!) began. A well played composed part, as always. I really love that written Trey solo. Enter the jam. Oh. My. God. I was listening, and I almost couldn't believe my ears. It was happening, it really was! THE HOSE!!!!! This DWD is a must hear. I'm not sure which was better, this DWD or the 28th's Tweezer. Obviously very different songs, and I can't decide. Both are must hears. I was overjoyed listening to this. After last night's lack of serious jamming, it was just so great to hear that the band wasn't letting the absence of jamming become a pattern. Anyway, Twenty Years Later brings us back to Earth. A well played version, but nothing special. But the next song certainly was. Just as 20YL brought us back to Earth, Carini took us back into the land of the jam. Very dark and ambient and very wonderful. Listening to this second set was just making me so happy! Backwards Down the Number Line again brings us down to Earth, but its a very great earth. Trey delivers a really nice solo in this song. Maybe slightly out of place as has been said, but still good. Julius begins. I love this song as well. A super-fun version, extremely raging. This leads us to Slave to the Traffic Light, another favorite of mine (I know, I have a lot of favorites). The jam is fantastic, at least for me. Very beautiful as they mostly are, with some really nice Little Drummer Boy teases from Page. A great closer to a great set.

Overall, for me, this set was just sublime. Honestly, if you haven't, go listen to the DWD immediately, and while you're at it, listen to the Carine. While you're at that, listen to the entire set! This set, especially under the circumstances with the lack of jamming last night, was so refreshing, and hopefully proves that last night was just a minor (again, albeit fun) speed bump. 5/5

Encore: I really wasn't expecting the Hood. I was so happy when I heard it. Well played composed section, not the best though. In my opinion, a very nice jam. Very pretty. Next comes Show of Life. Well, this had to come at some point. Not a huge fan of this song, but I guess it's a fitting end, although I would've been satisfied with just the Hood. 3.5/5

Final Remarks: A good first set, with a few very good moments. Nothing outta this world though. For me, a fantastic second set. Again, the DWD is a MUST MUST MUST hear, especially for 2012, and the Carini is absolutely magnificent as well. Those are just the high points. The whole set was really great and extremely jammy. So happy to see that back! See you tomorrow for the last night of the Couchtour!

This show was solid all the way through. Tight, rocking jams--nothing seemed rushed or out of sync. Carini was one of the better versions
I've heard. They were plugged in and having a great time. This was a great comeback from last night, and personally, I loved the set list.

YEAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Sitting at home enjoying tonight's show. Runaway Jim was short and sweet seemed to move the crowd before Cities began which is a nice cover that I have always missed. The Divided Sky was good, I felt it was a bit rushed and that caused some of Trey's minor mistakes but hell, it is a difficult song to perform and they did so without hacking it to death so success. Back on the Train was awesome, I use to think this song was a good time to hit the bathroom during the 90's when it came to light but they seemed to extended this number for sometime and loved how improvisational they stretch this song these days. Ride Captain Ride, a rare but wonderful cover, it is all Page in this one. Ocelot had a good groove going, Mike seemed to hold this one down for the duration. Ya Mar is another rare treat that Mike and Page seemed to duel out for the long haul, Horn is a good miss off Rift, one of the simple tracks that is always loved by a majority of the fans and a solid version was performed this evening as well. My Friend My Friend is another Rift tune which gets the solid A+, they didn't keep the traditional ending but it segwayed perfrectly out into the open which allowed Trey to begin ANTELOPE! I love Antelope in the First Set because it closes the set rather than the show, as a Set 2 closer.
SET 1- 3/5

Down with Disease in Set 2 got things going quickly, a beyond amazing version in my opinion, lots of improvisational jamming and unique playing with some ties of Ambient circa 1998 style noodling from Trey and the boys. A unique version and one of the best in 2012. Twenty years later, eh. Carini started strong and then again faded into a improvisational Dark ambient goo which was awesome! One of my favorite versions performed by Phish. Backwards down the Numberline had a good Trey Solo in it which seemed to keep things upbeat and not just a filler between the setlist. Julius was sick, a great version of the song, Trey again shredding the hell out of the version and fading into Slave. Slave was a good closer for the Show. I was thinking Guyute or Show of Life for the Encore.
Encore- Hood, this Hood was above average. This is my favorite Phish song so I am a firm Hood lover and expect a decent if not stellar version when i hear those drums and reggae beat being laid down. It was, a solid Hood with some moments of the past mixed into Type 2 playing (a majority of the show this evening) Show of life to cap things off. I knew it was coming one of these nights, I like this song it's like Heavy Things back in 1999, not my favorite but I do not dislike it either, Trey seemed to put his heart into this one and enjoys playing it.

Overall I liked the show this evening. I am hoping to catch the NYE stream tomorrow night or at least some of it, NYE is always a crazy time of the year and best wishes to all who are at the MSG tomorrow or those watching from home. Have a great NYE and be safe.

Highlights: SET 1- Ride Capt Ride, Antelope
SET 2- DWD, Carini, *encore Hood.

The first set might be summed up favorably as "average-great" or less generously as "perfunctory." I totally appreciate that the band sounds cohesive and practised in this set, though. Ride Captain Ride is also a really nice treat of a rarity. The second set, however, is phenomenal! Down with Disease moves through several distinct segments, including a pretty-and-spacey/ambient jam as well as a peaking hard-rock jam towards the conclusion of the version. I'm also happy that Twenty Years Later--sadly absent most of the time more recently in Phishtory--got a prominent chance to shine in the second-song-of-the-second-set slot. Carini is also a tremendous version that I think tends to retread some of the territory explored in the 6/22 Twist from this same year, and it was probably the phan favorite Carini of 3.0 until 10/18/13 happened (which is a must-hear Carini!) Harry Hood encores are pretty rare, too, and Trey likes to play Show of Life to close shows (or did, for the first few years of post-breakup Phish) so if it makes him happy it can't be that bad.

Had a ton of fun at this show. I went with my dad and flew in from Washington. We had some wonderful seats, in the slightly inclined area behind the floor. Carini and DWD are particularly glorious here.

Had a ton of fun at this show. I went with my dad and flew in from Washington. We had some wonderful seats, in the slightly inclined area behind the floor. Carini and DWD are particularly glorious here.

Fantastic show.

Train was a highlight of the first set, Ride Captain Ride was also great as this old guy sitting next to me was loving it because he knew all the lyrics. I hear some Shakedown sounding stuff in Antelope as well, but I doubt it was purposeful...just kinda sounds like a jam to me.

Disease through Carini was thrilling, sent chills down my spine. When Trey started playing Number Line and the lights became bright again, I looked around to see if anyone was as astonished as I was at what we just witnessed. My buddy swears he saw Kuroda make a Japanese flag on the audience behind the stage during Trey's Woman from Tokyo teases...

And who doesn't love Hood? No one.

Energy was kept high for the whole show. The boys nailed this one.
Great times, great vibes, great people, great Phish.

Just like to add a little before the 5:00 mark in carini there is a tweezer tease.

Just a few minor tidbits
Ya MAr-had a nice touch of some GordeauX bombs
DWD was very nice-spacey a nice version
Carini-dark, dank, mean, scary very nice version
Slave had its moments
Hood was a nice treat

first set was really well played..

second set was awesome!

I forgot Woman of Tokyo tease! Man that was amazing!

My review for 12.30 – Section 227 I think?
Runaway opener – last time I saw this was Chaifetz. Always like this tune early Wow that crowd went nuts at 258 in – it was like the Garden exploded! Gordo wearing a Denim Vest – I mean how can this show be bad.
Cities – as far as I’m concerned NYC Theme song dare I say didn’t rival 12/30/10 but the evening started giving me a 1/1/11 vibe so I knew this was going to be a fun evening.
Divided Sky – I haven’t heard one I liked better since 11/18/10
Can’t say I ever mind Train – love the beat, love the sound of Trey’s growl
Ride Captain Ride – what can I say classic! I saw another band do this the week prior, kind of amazing I saw 2 bands do Little Drummer Boy and Ride in the same 10 days. Sure it may have sounded like the encore to a “bring out yer dead rockstars” concert – But I didn’t care. I love the tune. Give me sing-along phish!
Ocelot – Wow – nicely played, nice to see these cats grind it out on this one. Blue Collar – Jean Vest JAM!
I’ve never met a YaMar I didn’t like.
Horn – sure it was Horn.
Nice drop in to MFMF – well played
Lope – nice finish – fun set
2 – it’s been said – fucking amazing@!

Very good show. Nothing really that moving until the exceptionally good version of Ocelot. A fun solid back on the train but nothin that would make any jaws drop. Great Ocelot, good Antelope, doing the animal thing there, although not a super Antelope. So the first set left a lot to be desired although my friend my friend was a great vibe and creates such atmosphere and Horn was a very smooth version, I loved horn pre-96 but haven't heard them able to pull it off with the same effortless lyrical soft beauty in 15 years or so, so I went from being a horn fan to praying they don't play horn, that said, last night they pulled it off.
Second set had a phenomenal DWD. Really great stuff. Wasnt happy they threw 20 years later in to curb the second set jam momentum. Carini was pretty good. Sweet slave. I thought the # line was one of the weakest versions I've ever heard and thought good was wry average too. Good show but not great except for the amazing Down With Disease and fun Carini antelope and back on the train. My first ride captain ride, fun during the song part but really empty sounding during the jam part, I'm not sorry I haven't seen more of them.

This was my first night at MSG this year since I couldn't get tickets to the first two (damn you, mail order! Why must you forsake me?!) Between this show and NYE, I'd have to say that this was the better show - although they were both super-enjoyable, really fun shows.

I thought that the first set was outstanding - even though they played Ocelot, which is typically my bathroom song. Cities > Divided Sky made my night right from the start, followed by Ya Mar and MFMF and Antelope...SO GOOD. Nothing is perfect, but it doesn't need to be. The second set was pretty darn excellent, but I probably could've lived without 20 years. Meh, awesome nonetheless.

The guys had so much energy for these shows; I love to see Phish any time, but especially when it's obvious that they're having fun. The crowd's energy was reflected on the bands - the room felt like it could push through the ceiling, that's how good it was. I feel bad for anyone on couch tour for this run because holy enola did it feel good to be in that room.

People who watch the webcast should not be able to review shows in the comments section, because you have no idea what the energy inside the building is like, and it seems that all webcaster's reviews have so much nit picking to say about something you didn't REALLY EXPERIENCE IN PERSON....so shut up and enjoy Phish, its not 1994...Phish is better now than they have ever been.

first set: epic.

second set: more epic

if you are pissed because there was a flub here or a missed cue there, fuck YOUR face then...because chances are you can't even enjoy Phish because you were too busy getting loaded in the 90s and frying your brain...

-3.0 phan

I was in the SCOURING it for so many jans!!!! trey you want to see me in my office for abuse? ya sick shoW I am aware

thankuyo Japanese shithole

Good show. I gave it 3 out of 5. But I pretty much give any 3.0 Phish show 3 at best (with the exception being the fuck your face show). Last night's high point was DWD, though don't kid your selves kiddos. It wasn't even close to classic DWDs like Went.

Runaway Jim was highly forgettable, as was Divided Sky and Antelope. Yes, the DWD>TYL>Carini stretch was excellent stuff, but we've kind of reached a point with Phish where we break out the confetti and streamers when they string together a few memorable jams.

I don't mean to be a negative nellie. Last night was fun. But it wasn't a classic.