OK, I usually keep thoughts and impressions of shows to myself but upon reading the vast collection of nitpicking that has been going on I have to put in my own two cents.

The Boys have been around, doing what they do, for 27 years. They have done this through major life changes, joy, loss, damage just like any other human beings over such a long time frame and, for 15 of those years, they did it constantly.

Today is my 17th "Phish-iversary" with 40+ (ATTENDED) shows in the bag. I have been blessed by being at many of those, top rated by Phans. Sadly, I have reached a point where it is primarily the technological miracle of "Simulcast" getting me to most shows. Now, for $60, about 1/5 the cost of a single decent Stubhub ticket, I have the opportunity to see not just 1 show, but 4! To top it off, a NO REPEAT New Years Run, with as many friends as I can cram into my living room.

My Review of Last Night? The last two nights? Basically all the shows I've seen? Regardless of personal preferences they are their own entities; one-time-only audio alchemy released to become part of the universe; a very particular brand of alchemy that can only be created by Phish. Still being able to see their magic happen live is a reward I will always be grateful for.

Lastly, to all of you still chasing that particular high: The number of variables (Your Mood, The Band's Mood (Really? God Forbid!), Personal Taste in jamming style/"type", Song Placement, Social Collective, Era - 1.0, 2.0, 3.0, Venue, Audience Energy, Weather, Particular Party Favors - or lack there of...... ETC.) that created it are so astronomical the odds are stacked against you that it will ever happen again...

... So Get A Grip!!

I am rating ph2012/12/29 all 5 stars to help balance an unwarranted injustice.

Peace.........................

Waves ---> (Brickwall)

Enjoyed the show! Still creeped out by the whole new pin culture.

Webcasted. A fun show. A couple nice moments: I really enjoyed the Gin and the Golden Age>Waves, and I'm a sucker for Cavern and 46 Days, even though they weren't amazing.

I was disappointed at two distinct moments: In the first set, I felt as is Reba could've gone somewhere pretty good, but Fishman cut it off way to early, so that was a shame. And in the second set, of course as people have already been saying, the Waves was cut far to early by Trey. I don't mind Prince Caspian as much as many people, but Waves was grooving and the cut off was not necessary.

Overall, I had a great time listening as I always do with Phish, but they set the standard high with the first night. Still thought tonight was a good show, although it could've been a lot better. Still sooo excited for tomorrow's show! Couchtour 2012!

Highlight had to be the Golden Age, and the great decision they made to return to the funky verse music and start jamming instead of launching directly out of the chorus. Helped get the jam into some interesting spaces. Waves was a potent type I version.

Boogie On> Suzy was strong with some nice tomfoolery, and the 46 Days was well placed. I love it in the 2C Role. Set felt fairly disjointed all in all though, or maybe it just never took off all the way.

I am from a small suburb of Northern Chicago, a teenager, and an avid, obsessed fan. This was my first ever Phish show and although it maybe wasn't the greatest show, there was a good energy throughout, and did provide a great atmosphere, especially for a first show. This show explored what Phish is great for; providing many different types of music over the span of one set.

I had been looking forward to this show all year, finally seeing with my favorite band, but also getting to road trip up to New York City and see them at MSG with two of my best friends. We picked the 29th because we did our research, and in years past the 29th has been famously good compared to the other nights.

The road trip, although long and arduous, was a great experience, and when we finally pulled into NYC on the night of the 28th I couldn't have been happier.

Then after a day of traveling the city, doing regular things, we took the subway to MSG and walked in, finding our seats in section 101. People passing us definitely noticed our age and the comparison to the average age of a phan. But being the wonderful atmosphere that a show always is, people sought us out and were always nice to us, asking us questions about how many shows we've seen and how great this show was going to be.

Finally, after a mixture of Johnny Cash and other country greats pre-show music, the lights dimmed and the crowd screamed and yelled for the phab phour who were hitting the stage, prompting the first song.

CROWD CONTROL: although a dinky, poppy little four-chord ditty, the song invited all those in MSG that night in, asking them to "do something or we will," the crowd definitely asking them to be the ones who will.

MOUND: Man, I love this tune. Cactus, IMHO, is an amazing songwriter, and should write more. Starting with the famous seal-like clap and 6/8 blues sequence, it quickly translates into a wonderful lyrical song. Nothing too special about it, I just love the song for what it is.

AC/DC BAG: Good choice in the beginning/middle of the first set. Not too much outlandish jamming here, but provides a great segway into one of my favs.

ROCK AND ROLL: When they play this song it really gets my heart racing, because it is rare, but also such a wonderfully written songs. Definitely one of, if not my favorite, cover they do.

SUGAR SHACK: I didn't recognize the song until I left the show and checked the website, but I love this funky tune. They don't play it much, and it's a Joy track, but still nice to hear.

REBA: Is it just me or did this one seem a little slow? I don't know. Good orchestrated part. Nice tune to hear. Fish cut off jam too soon IMHO, it was going somewhere.

HALLEY'S COMET: Nice doo-wop-y tune, some nice jamming into LxL too.

LIMB BY LIMB: Love this song, one of the more stretched out in this light jamming show.

WADING IN THE VELVET SEA: Always an emotional one, Page's vocals sounding good.

BATHTUB GIN: A pretty good gin. Not rivaling let's say, Riverport or anything, but definitely one of the best jams of the show.

SET 1 HIGHLIGHTS: AC/DC Bag>Rock and Roll, Limb By Limb, Bathtub Gin

GOLDEN AGE: I think this one was the longest song in the show, but it was a rarity and a great jamming section, I loved it.

WAVES: I really love this song, but this was the low point of the show as others are saying, Trey cut this off way too soon, although I do like the whole Waves/Water theme.

PRINCE CASPIAN: Nice song, I mainly look down upon this one because it was the one that was used to cutoff Waves.

BOOGIE ON REGGAE WOMAN: Great song to pick up the mood after the weird Waves saga. Love Mike's sound on this one.

SUZY GREENBERG: Such a crowd pleaser and, I must admit, a surprise to come straight out of Boogie On. Page's clav solos are sounding superb.

BUG: Bringing it down after such a high energy tune, Bug always makes the crowd silent in awe.

CAVERN: Cavern, man I love Cavern. A picture of nectar. That's all there is.

46 DAYS: Man I am such a sucker for 46 Days. Great rock riff and some good straight up jams at the end.

SET TWO HIGHLIGHTS: Golden Age, Boogie On Reggae Woman>Suzy Greenberg, 46 Days

THE SQUIRMING COIL: I love me some Coil! What a pretty song. This song makes me think everytime. One of Trey's most blissful compositions. Page encompasses all of MSG with the end of this one.

GRIND: Really surprised me when they all put down their instruments and went to the four-way mic. Such a cool little a capella tune.

FIRST TUBE: Man how crazy did that crowd go when Fish sat down behind the kit and kicked into the groove. It was an amazing moment. Great way to cap off my first show, even if it wasn't an AMAZING show.

Rock Phish -- most things played very well. This was the closest they came to nailing Sugar Shack (after nailing Mound), but lost it in the last 10 seconds.
I absolutely loved the "on the wind & under water" creepy, creepy ending to Waves. Trey pulled some crazy s&*t during Caspian, which was impressive. Highlight had to to Boogie (Mike -- holy crap) --> Suzy (Page & Fishman during Page's solo was just unbelievable).
When Bug, 46 Days & Caspian are all in the same set, it's gonna be a straightforward rockfest. I know it's a new year's run, but it was still Saturday night! Looking very forward to rounds 3 & 4!

After trying to remain unbiased in my listening to this show, sure, this show is a bit frustrating, at least considering the aura surrounding the "12/29" show date from years past and the magical nature of NYE @ MSG. But in my opinion, this is a solid show-- a solid, ph3.0 type rock and roll, song-driven show.

But they did miss some opportunities for sure. The show starts off rather nicely with Trey hitting some nice licks in Crowd Control, and they get through another solid Mound, and hit some good but restrained Type I jamming in AC/DC Bag. The first spot that would have been nice to open it up a bit was in R and R (aside: how can I escape an ampersand character in a show review?!). Maybe it was the set placement that held them back a little bit? And though I kind of like Sugar Shack, after missing an opportunity to let loose the previous song, Shack kind of keeps the vibe subdued. And then comes the Reba-- it's in the correct spot, i.e. mid-late first set, but halfway through when the crowd goes absolutely nuts while they're in the middle of a melodic passage, they miss another opportunity to kick it up a notch. This missed opportunity theme gets highlighted during Halley's, which has essentially been one missed opportunity after another in 3.0. Don't get me wrong, to this point the playing is tight and it *sounds good*, but I think there was some band-crowd tension with the crowd wanting to GO WILD while the band was keeping a tight focus on the songs. LxL has some nice new-age Trey "Eastern" licks (what do we call those atonal lines he plays?) including an evil Yellow Brick Road tease (not in the tease chart for some reason-- isn't tease addition automated?) but LxL is short and sounds a little disjointed at the end. Wading in the Velvet Sea is just that, and the subdued nature of the first set continues. Gin is nice, but in a 3.0 "solid but not special Gin" sort of way, and we have one frame on the board.

The second set starts out nicely with a jammed out Golden Age, and @nichobert makes an astute observation that they chose to jam out the verse instead of the chorus, which was a great idea! They didn't take it as far as we all would have liked, but it settles nicely into one of my favorites, Waves. Waves has some confusion by Trey in the beginning but things resolve into some typically beautiful Type I, whole band jamming before fading into Caspian. Caspian is a song that is an enigma for me-- the lyrics don't do much for me, and it seems criminal for Phish to play a 2-chord song, but there are some undeniably awesome versions floating around out there. And there is something thematically fitting about Waves and Caspian being paired together, but Caspian doesn't do much here. Boogie is nice-- gotta love Mike's 3.0 envelope pedal-- and it seems that after such a subdued show to that point they wanted to kick things up a notch. And that trend continued briefly with an energy-filled, more-cowbell-laden Suzy. But just when they could have capitalized on the uptick the crowd was looking for, here comes Bug. Again, it's played well, but what's it doing here? Cavern is fine, but again, sort of a run-of-the-mill version, before, you guessed it, a run-of-the-mill 46 Days. So let's recap to this point: subdued first set with a few spots begging to be blown open but remain in the box; a fine start to the second set that takes a nose dive energetically before a brief burst of energy, only to be brought back down again.

Coil had some rough spots but ends with a typically beautiful Page outro, Grind has lots of numbers in it, and First Tube is a final burst but it's too little, too late. This show is mostly well-played, but many versions of tunes are in-the-box, unexplored, and not covering any new ground. After BGCA, Dick's, and 12/28, we all hoped for more, but don't get it twisted: Phish is good at music and this show in no exception.

TL;DR-- if this is the only Phish show you'll ever hear, you won't be disappointed, but the other three nights are better.

If the first thing you guys have to do once the show ends is say how bad it was then don't go.

I keep listening back to this show....this show rocks...I know alot of people either don't like Caspian or thought it came in too early from waves, but does it really matter when Trey rips it like he does here?

I really liked this show; Crowd Control was a first for me and really enjoyed it...My first Mound, too awesome, rare as ever version, so excited they pulled that out 2nd song... ACDC bag was rippin as usual, an early and fun Rock and Roll that i want to relisten to right now... Sugar Shack, another rare one, another first, I love this song, I feel like this is a really hard song for Mike, even tho he wrote it; some of those vocal notes are hard to hit, especially while playing bass...Reba was awesome, not the best, but they were still warming up; the phan reaction in the middle of the jam was amazing (all smiles everywhere ...Always love Halley's Comet > and Limb by Limb, the interplay between Page and Trey keeps getting stronger and stronger throughout 3.0.... Wading was very strong, Trey ripped it, very beautiful jam...Bathtub Gin was so summer 2012 mixed with Ahhhh Susie Q action (Got crazy, very high energy as was the whole run for that matter) thanks for the first set closer, where Bathtub Gin should go, getting wet before the 2nd set

2nd Set flowed so well i thought; Golden Age came out of the gate strong, probably the best jam of the night with exploratory action from each member....Waves, while short, was still awesome and I like how Trey segued right in to Prince Caspian (I could practically the Prince himself riding to the shore from the Waves and Trey absolutely ripped it...Boogie On, Boogie Mike, take over dog...Liked the placement of Suzy and it was another ripper with a little cowbell...Bug is very sentimental for me, love the jam (Lovin all the beautiful jams Phish is bringing, they are all about making beautiful music nowadays, in my opinion) Cavern and 46 Days combo to end it really caught fire...So excited to see this whole set go from psychadelic dripping water to Hot rippin fire...A little out there, but damn does Phish take us places we never thought we could go

Page thanks for another amazing Coil, loved seeing the band stand there the whole time telling us there's more Thanks for another MSGrind, and First Tube? seriously, thank you Phish... First Tube is always First Tube, so beautifully rippin (I've said beautiful and rippin a few times i'm sure, but that's what this show was to me beautiful and rippin...Even though it had the lowest rating of the run, I think people should relisten to this show, it's so solid
Oh, and CK5, awesome job all year

The ride from MI to NYC was more treacherous than expected. I checked the weather a few days prior to our trip and was convinced that the drive would be cold, but smooth with little to no precipitation. I thought the storm plaguing much of the Midwest at the time would clear up for our journey. How wrong I was...I-80 between northeast OH and through much of PA/NJ contained some of the worst driving conditions I'd ever encountered. Visibility on the west side of PA was nil due to blizzard like conditions (snow with high wind), and the roads had barely been touched by road crews. Whereas, I'd normally tear ass on an overnight drive to make good time in decent conditions (and because I like to go fast), I was reduced to ~40mph at the most. Our 9-10hr drive ended up being closer to 14+. Nevertheless, we arrived safely and our weariness never outshone our optimism and excitement for the weekend's festivities!

Overall, this show was an 'OK' introduction for us to the venue and the concept of the Phish "holiday run" -- it provided a decent jolt of energy. It served as a huge reminder that we had made it and for the next few days, we would be seeing Phish in the greatest city in the world during its most festive occasion. We'd heard about the struggles people had to enter the GA floor area the night before. The lines were slow and security was a bit more tenacious than usual, so a Crowd Control opener was apropos. And considering our snowy, slippery drive to the city, Mound proved to be yet another indicator that we were right where we belonged! AC/DC Bag brought its usual punch and everyone appreciated the NY nod in Rock and Roll. Sugar Shack was a little rough around the edges but it was good to hear something I hadn't heard in a couple of years.

Things moved along at a medium pace and our excitement for the weekend was building with every note played. By the time Reba came along, it seems no one could contain themselves. I've never heard a crowd erupt so spontaneously and with such passion. We were just feeling IT as IT was reaching out to feel (tease) us, galvanizing our senses in the relaxed, reflective tones that naturally stem from Reba. Just like us, the band may have had difficulty holding on to the reins of a moment so fiercely energetic especially during such a delicate passage, so I'm sure it didn't translate well to tape/webcast. Some say the outburst was caused by a handful of glowsticks thrown into the crowd. *shrug. Maybe the band came to the same conclusion and thought we wanted to participate a little more, so they provided some glowstick/sing-along action with the Halley's Comet that followed, I dunno.

The bouncy, well-played Limb by Limb included a yellow brick road tease...it made much more sense to me on 12/31 as I watched little people join the band onstage for the NYE gag. Velvet Sea was cool – another one I hadn't seen in a few years. The set closing Gin felt a little rushed but had a nice blazing ending and a Susie Q quote from Fishman. Is it just coincidence that the song Susie Q featured guitar work by James Burton, who also worked with Ricky Nelson? Were the Little Drummer Boy teases from the previous night another hint (Ricky Nelson played drums in his early teens and made his television rock and roll debut on April 10, 1957 lip-synching "I'm Walkin'" in the Ozzie and Harriet episode, "Ricky, the Drummer")? Hmmmmmm?? Anyway…

The second set opener Golden Age had some great intensity and affirmed that many more people have caught on to the clapping part, haha. The Waves that followed was messy and disjointed. A little extended vamping led them to Prince Caspian. Boogie On allowed us to shake the building once more and included some extra time in the spotlight for Mike and Page as they battled back and forth goaded by Trey. A fiery Suzy Greenburg, accentuated by some serious cowbell action from Fishman and quotes by Trey (more cowbell), was next in line. That Ricky Nelson guy displayed a penchant for the cowbell, too, btw…just sayin’.

Aside: Right in front of us stood a few younger dudes and I believe they were experiencing their first show. They were cool, a little talkative at times, a little too high-five-y (I feel like I high-fived w/ them every 30 seconds or so during Bug > Cavern). One of my favorite parts of our interaction was teaching them to scream "BUG!" at the right time.

Cavern > 46 days was strong, raucous and a bit cowbell-y. I thought the Squirming Coil was flubby and as usual, the crowd was too overzealous during Page’s solo. I was surprised when they gathered together for the capella tune Grind (70,602), but in hindsight, it was just another nod to the passage of time. First Tube closed out our first night and of course, left us amped and ready for more.

This was the only show I actually attended...watched 3 and 4 on the webcast...no one wanted to give up their new years plans (that wasn't there) to watch it with me...it's all good...what some people call an obsession I call 'dedication.'

I loved the entire run...not to be a 'fanboy.' But...this show was awesome...I loved it. I love the show opening sequences in 3.0...and crowd control gave me a chuckle...reminiscent of darker days...I think it's funny when they open with a song like that...that A. The newest of noobs never heard of...or B. Phishmasters that have heard it...and hate it (No offense boys).

In my formative Phish years i would be enraged when people would do the stupid clapping in Reba five minutes late after the chorus when the masses seem to think that the song is over during the beautiful lydian outro. I literally could not hear Trey's guitar during the deafening roar and clapping of the crowd. I think there was this point where Trey just stared dumbfounded at the crowd...but it was alllriight...I got kind of weepy that 20,000 people were screaming at the top of their lungs at IMHO the greatest band of all time about to embark on their 30th year.

When you listen to the soundboard, any time you hear cheering from the crowd multiply that by a thousand in the garden. It was an absolute throwdown...and the crowd was wild and woolly.

Yeah they didn't re-enact all of my favorite musical Phish expriences but the show was absolutely hot...and I think the band's objective was just to entertain a room full of 20,000 people...and they definitely succeeded. One phenomenon that seems to be growing in intensity is the crowd singing every single lyric to almost every song...can't say I've ever seen any band ever where that was occuring...it must be cool to play at MSG when you hear a deafening murmur of the words you are singing to whatever song you pull out of your hat, and there are a lot of them.

We saw the Jedi.

I thought the setlist was thoughtfully composed, and they just knock song after song out of the park. Yeah so it wasn't my favorite Gin, or Halley's of all time, but they were rocking and on fire...if you want to hear your favorite of any older song...I refer you to 1.0. It's there I promise you.

Besides...who goes to a show and is pissed about a triple encore with coil, grind, and first tube? And I think someone said this before...but when the band went back to their instruments after grind...that cheering you hear on the soundboard...in real life, made this a very memorable show. Can't wait for summer tour! Peace.

Although this show is certainly weaker than the other MSG shows in the run by a significant margin, perhaps this show has become a bit underrated in the process. I think it's good that the band is being judged on a higher standard than they were in the earlier days of 3.0, but is this show really a 3.6, but last years' 12.29 is a 4? That doesn't seem right to me, as this show had many more highlights and was overall imo a better show than that one. I think the abundance of above average shows in the past year has definitely helped our previously way-too-hyperbolic rating system when it comes to strong shows, but it seems the weaker ones suffer in the process. Fans tend to feel personally hurt when the band aborts a jam or makes an odd setlist call. I'll admit as well that I succumbed to that initially, but upon relisten there is a lot to love to be sure. Gin Golden Age Boogie Suzy and 46 days provide solid highlights to be sure. I won't talk about the weaknesses of this show as it has been discussed adequately enough. While I am certainly not saying this was a great show by any means due to the odd flow of the night, I think perhaps it is a bit underrated. If this is a "weak" or "below average" show by today's standards, as Phish fans we're in pretty damn good shape, because the bottom line is that if this show was played in 2010, people would be singing it's praises. Just a little perspective.

I would take this show over any from the 2011-2012 NYE run. I defended that run, very passionately. But as I stood in the audience at Dick's....I realized that I may have been right to defend the shows because I had enjoyed them....but that these guys were, frankly, to good for what we got during that run. I enjoyed those NYE run shows because - in the moment - absorbed in the atmosphere - what those shows had lacked in jamming, they made up for in house-shredding, good ole' fashioned rock & roll.

This show did that better.

This show, set II particularly, took the good ole' fashioned rock to higher levels of energy. Not only did they do that better, but they did it using some of the same songs. -- My personal highlights from 2011 NYE run were the 12/28 Bathtub and the 12/31 set II 46 Days > Suzy.-- those were the songs...the songs that got the Garden shaking. The people sweating. Footloose. But I've now listened to them back to back - those faves from 2011 NYE Run v. their 12/29/12 counterparts....comparing....with the lights out....just me and the music...distraction free....and its not even close...there is in fact no comparison.... Close your eyes and let yourself go in that Boogie on Reggae Woman > Suzy -- it was a hard rock throwdown -- and 46 Days made my jaw drop to the ground on the first listen, the second listen, the third listen and even now, as I write this review....I was dripping sweat. dancing dancing dancing and my feet were literally numb. Bathtub too. On my couch listening to it later - my head and feet could not be stopped.

Now I love jams - thats how I fell in love with this band....and I love bust outs...and I love the creativity musically that really only Phish is capable of - but there are sometimes - like this night - 12/29/12 - in the heart of Manhattan --- on a Saturday night -- NYE weeked -- that you realize that Big Red, Cactus, The Chairman and Henrietta just want to fr*ck*n party and that the people around them want to party and the mood just says party and party they did and party I did.

Now, my review would be remiss if it didn't address some shortcomings. AC/DC Bag, Rock and Roll and Limb by Limb - I just didn't feel that energy that one would expect when reading the setlist on paper. Those three songs can easily make for the main event of a summer tour second set and blow us all way (heck, throw in Halley's, Reba and Wading and that might be an entire second set)....but instead they all felt more like a generic first set songs to me. They lacked something. Some energy. Thats not to say I didn't enjoy the first set. Sugar Shack is always welcome in my book and the Bathtub Gin was fun while it lasted. My feeling on Waves echos many of the other reviews so far. But the main shortcoming of the show, IMHO, was that the 2nd set was barely an hour.

Perhaps they went backstage and said "wow...we only played 60 minutes."...the intensity they played with can easily make that happen. I was glad to hear Squirming....but I was even happier when they all came back out. I've never seen them walk off stage during Page's solo and then come back out for another song after. But then I was even HAPPIER when they all went back to their instruments and whipped out First Tube for a fitting in to a solid show. The trifecta encore made the short second set a distant memory.

Solid show. Worth a listen.

I won't go so far as to call last night's Phish show disappointing. I got a face value ticket the day of and I danced till my knees were sore, but I could tell before the show was over that this was going to be a completely forgettable show. A fun rock concert for sure, but nothing that I'll come back to again and again on tape.

I actually think the band performed admirably given the very out-of-touch crowd response. At least twice during the show (during Reba, and I think Waves), the crowd started screaming for no apparent reason, and I think this really threw off the band. It's like the audience wanted the boys to ejaculate prematurely, and sure enough they did, time and again, spilling into big rock peaks in nearly every song. Problem was, each peak sounded the same as the last and only lasted for 45 seconds at a time.

To top it all off, the crowd was almost completely silent when Phish took the stage for their second set. I mean really, talk about showing enthusiasm in the right v.s. wrong places... I may be over-analyzing this all, but it really feels like the crowd didn't want or expect anything deep and thus were repaid with a very surface level show. I was feeling some of the same vibe on the 28th, but Phish played through it, giving us a broader range of musical offerings.

All that being said, the Golden Age > Waves deserves at least one listen. The Caspian had some decent trilling. Reba had a nice composed section, but a rather standard jam. Only 11:45 minutes before the whistling section. The encore was really solid. There was a nice spotlight on Page and people went nuts when the band picked up their instruments again after Grind.

A high energy show for sure, but lacking considerably in substance. Definitely listen to 12/28 though.

So, apparently, they weren't able to sustain the manic level of energy displayed on opening night. All good. I, too, thought that there were a number of missed opportunities throughout the evening but it's still all good, they decided to treat it as a marathon as opposed to last night's sprint out of the starting gate.

Highlights IMHO: Last three songs of both sets (especially the sets ending Gin and 46 Days>wow! Nice placement. Lowlights IMHO: Rock and Roll didn't seem to explode like the summer versions, Sugar Shack felt like it sucked the energy out of MSG a bit, Golden Age definitely paled to any version of the summer, Caspian did seem to cut off Waves unnecessarily, Boggie On and Suzy were fun but felt like they really didn't do a heck of a lot, musically wise.

The Squirming Coil was absolutely beautiful, Grind had me lol and First Tube was a nice way to end a nice show but it didn't feel to my ears like it was any more than that: a nice 2nd show that felt like a breather from the 1st show and held out the promise of the full fireworks to resume tonight. I still had a great time with my beloved peeps, it's hard not to have a great time at a Phish show. It is still very much all good. Tonight only proved to me that they're still human...:-wink/smile.

Peace,
Alex

As much as I would have loved to seen that Waves go all night long, it was what it was, and thats the beautiful nature of a show. Its been a completely pleasure being in the Garden for this run. Night 2 got weird and I couldnt ask for more!

No mention of the Christopher Walken cowbell references. Fallon, Ferrell, and Walken are gonna hear about it especially cause Jimmy is a phishhead

The second set was a wasted opportunity to build upon the night before (and, consequently, the band that played in Colorado on Labor Day weekend), in the form of ripcord Trey at it again - commence strange trips back to the 2011 run. Golden Age was gooey, and well deserving of praise. Waves, a revered jamming vehicle and a notably infrequent tune these days was primed for something special. Aside from the fact that this version may be the poorest performed version compositionally, it could be overlooked with some exploration on the song's blissful and seductively glacial release...and for a moment, they seemed destined to chart those waters. Then, inexplicably, Trey fuckerpants'd millions across the nation...no excuse other than that Trey didn't want to play the song anymore...but this is fucking New Years. There are only four shows to be played...why the Hell not roll the dice and lose yourself in some type two? You have no place to be for four days...and you came out justly on night one and played a brilliant show. Where was that band tonight?

First set was solid and really enjoyable. Waves > Caspian deflated the second frame and really, the remainder of the show. Two stars. C'mon Trey, you're better than this

Average show. First set looks good on paper, and it is, but suffers from flubs and missed chances (see: Reba). Second set, like many "3.0" sets, starts of strong but fizzles too soon.

If nothing else, hear the ultra-funky Golden Age to start the second set. Mike is definitely the MVP here, and if you are a fan of his laserfart bombs, this is the jam for you. Waves is also quite good. Even after a rocky start, the 1st jam (before the final verse) contains some excellent work by Trey. Not a note is wasted, and it almost seems like it was prewritten. Easily Trey's best work of the night, in my opinion.

Highlights
-----------
Golden Age > Waves

There's almost always a "merely average-great" show in any given Phish New Year's Run, and in 2012 this is it, in my opinion. The setlist is pretty happenin', especially in the first set. AC/DC Bag has some "extra mustard," Bathtub Gin is fiery--although not an all-time version--and everything is played as if the band had been practicing sufficiently to pull off some of the more-challenging tunes in their repertoire. Golden Age opening the second set is about 15 minutes long, but the jam feels kind of truncated, and doesn't really spread out from the song structure, and from there that's it for songs breaking the 10-minute length barrier in this show. That's quite an encore to be sure, but if you wan'na get the gist of this run you might do better to visit 12/28, 12/30, or even 12/31.

I'd like to point out that this is the only show with 3 satan references in a row (46 days, cavern, squirming coil)... Coincidental? Maybe so, maybe not... This was a great show nonetheless, completely solid second set. But if you're here already, check out the disease> 20yl > carini from the next night.

There were aspects I LOVED and others I was a bit disappointed with in this show. Crowd Control was an excellent opener choice and was played flawlessly. An extended Golden Age made for the best rendition I've yet heard, and getting my first Boogie/Squirming Coil was pretty much a religious experience for me. Also, this Suzy Greenberg was absolute fire and forever changed my opinion of it. Suzy was full of fun, never-before-heard gimmicks like "Suzy Q" and Trey yelling "MORE COWBELL!"

Now, I had always wanted to hear a Reba live, and I finally got it. So, thank you Phish for that. Unfortunately, it was probably the most flubbed song of the night (followed by Sugar Shack) but I am still grateful to have gotten Reba at all. I was able to bring my Dad to his first Phish show here which made it all the more meaningful.

Overall, a great show and signs of some amazing Phish to come in year 30 (which has already been proven thus far in the summer tour!)

A lot of people are gonna complain and critique this show heavily. Just like every NYE run theres going to be complaints about some of the nights. Well in this specific NYE run, a well practiced, well executed and awesome overall experience run, this show has gotten heavy criticism.

If you dont enjoy this show, you have no soul.

I:Mound, LXL, and Sugar Shack were first set treats that I know many fans were lookin to hear. Come on nobody knows how the fishman does the drums for LXL its sooo good. If you were in attendance, the crowd roar on Reba was fantastic. The garden's roof almost popped off. Gin was a good closer, good parts but cut short, oh well still grooved to it.

II:The Boogie greenberg is phenomenal. I dont care if boogie was cut short, suzy was fuckin awesome. Golden Age jam came together just fine. 46 Days was made to rock the garden. The encore, squirming coil, a beautiful one at that was fantastic. Great grind and First tube, played well into the entire run. No complaints. Waves was realll interesting and layered nicely as well.

Must Listens: Mound, Limb By Limb, Boogie>Greenberg, Coil

OK here is my review for the 29th – Section 111.
I like a crowd Control opener – I never saw the song live. Love Mound – oddly enough saw Mound and LxL at my last show at Chaifetz. (is that odd?) Anyway AC, RnR, SS were ok. I really liked Reba, got bored of Halleys, thought LxL was ok but St. Louis version kills this one – I mean destroys it! Fun Gin closer – I’m a sucker for a Susie Q tease!
Golden Age – saw it first time at Jones this summer coming out of Sand – that was a Monster. This was good – not Monster. I did however like that it went into Waves – thought we were gonna get that No Quarter again – I guess I think that all the time when Page goes to that sound.
Caspian – I could never hear this song again and die happy.
Not a bad set – but why the 29th won’t get high ratings is it didn’t flow like the 28th/30th IMO.
Boogie was appreciated – as always.
Ripchord or fun transition to Suzy – who knows! Another Phish staple I could also die happy never hearing again. That being said – fun times – Page was killing it on the bones, and I liked the interplay with Trey.
That’s the thing about this show – these cats were yucking it up the whole time – so even if it’s a 3.5, shit like more cowbell makes me laugh – and that’s one of the main reasons I like Phish – they make me laugh.
I love BUG! Ever since MSG last year.
Cavern – what can be said – always a classic.
46 days – same as above.
Encore was fun – never saw Grind before.
I think it’s a perfect 3.5 show. I was at 12/28 and 12/30 and they were better.
Did I have fun – yes.

Great show. Probably the best limb by limb I've ever heard, Fishman and Mike were on fire tonight. The groove in Boogie On was one of the best I've ever heard from them and the best I've ever seen live of the 15 versions I've seen, although very different from the tempo shifting trippy groove monster from 12/29/03 that I also like so much. The golden age was awesome and ranks as one of my favorite versions. Waves was beautiful and so many east coast phans had been waiting for it all year. The rock n roll placement was great, rather than put it in its predictable set 2 song 1-3 spot and tryin to make it a centerpiece yet again, they played it early and met wild enthusiasm from the crowd that took it as a shot of adrenaline. Shame it was followed by sugar shack, the Reba probably would have been a little better had it followed RnR but Reba was still good, just not out of this world. Bathtub gin tried its best to crush as it was great but not really my kind of version. Still beautiful though as were Bug and Squirming Coil, just beautiful. 46 days rocked!!! Not the best first tube. Overall a great show and definite improvement on the first night.

this show was a smoker. phenomenal from start to finish, i don't know i guess i love Sugar Shack, my first Reba (even though i couch toured, still sorta counts). First night was better, however. ; P

"The best parts were when they kept with a style between songs to build momentum, from a supremely meaty "Boogie on Reggae Woman" to a Page tour de force on "Suzy Greenberg." To go to "Bug" after such a high proved less of a relief than a step backwards."

Read full review here:
http://drypaintsigns.blogspot.com/2012/12/phish-1229-review-getting-phunky.html

It occurred to me last night that my first Phish show was 17 years ago. It was the first concert that I had ever attended (Knick Arena, Albany) and it was just a mind blowing experience. Any Phish show is sensory overload so just imagine what it was like for a green 16-year old.

17 years later, that magic is still there. A lot of people have had a lot of negative things to say about the song selection and order of songs but I won't dwell on that. I don't take the Phish experience for granted. As Page was playing out the final few minutes of Squirming Coil it occurred to me that these guys won't be around forever and I'm grateful to be able to enjoy their music (and have for two thirds of my life). It was a fun night with great friends.

Highlights:
- Bathtub Gin, hadn't heard live since Clifford Ball
- 46 days
- Mike's bass solo in Boogie
- Grind was fun

Lowlights:
- Sugar Shack and Waves were a bit snoozy

I think that I must have been at a different show than what is reflected here by the reviews. After listening to the SBD I stand by my review.

We sat smack dab in the middle of Section 208 and though the acoustics were not that great early on, they improved quickly.

Seriously I cannot believe this show is getting lower reviews than ATL 8-25-12. I was at that show, and the crowd was terrible. The scene was weird and the music was so-so.

Highlights: Crowd Control, Rock and Roll, Reba, Gin, Golden Age -> Waves, Boogie, Suzy, 46 Days, Grind

Low Points: Wading, Sugar Shack, Bug, Tube

BTW: No one mentioned the Rhapsody in Blue Tease during Bathtub Gin that Page pulled out. Pretty sick.

Suzy was long and Trey was calling for more cowbell

the golden age will def get listened to numerous times ,highlight of the show for me,had a great time as i always do at a show,sucks not everybody did,still wish i was catching the last 2 could only do 1st 2 with a new born baby boy,im lucky to have caught them and grateful the phish are still playin

the golden age will def get listened to numerous times ,highlight of the show for me,had a great time as i always do at a show,sucks not everybody did,still wish i was catching the last 2 could only do 1st 2 with a new born baby boy,im lucky to have caught them and grateful the phish are still playin

1st set- fishman cutoff reba way too soon, the jam was going great up until he cut it off. Still no jam out of halley's, but the transition into LXL was primo. I'm not the biggest wading fan, but i am much happier to hear it placed earlier that later in a show, and it brought down the energy briefly before my favorite point in the show Bathtub GIN was incredible! I was driving, listening to the webcast..completely lost my shit during that.

Not the biggest Golden Age fan, but the jam on here was great stuff..for sure need to listen to this again. I was so happy to hear waves, love the song. This wasn't as bad as the golden age rip chord out of the light jam last year, but damn was it close...waves is a jam vehicle, the band looked very frustrated when trey started off caspian. Boogie on, as usual kicked some serious ass as did the cowbell Suzy. These two were the highlight of the set for me. 46 days closed the set in high energy. Fucking good stuff.

Encore was pretty solid, wasn't expecting them to do more than coil, which was not the best but grind's fun, pretty solid 1stTube. All in all a good show, looked like a hell of a party.

Was there a "More Cowbell" tease during Suzy and another tune? Am I crazy?

i have to agree with @TwiceBitten, i thought the crowd was the worst part of the show, and that it had an effect on the band. During Boogie on Phish was doing some cool stuff (start stop, bass solos etc.) but the crowd would drown out anything that was going on on the stage.The music however i thought was solid enough to keep me focused through the weird vibes. 1st set was better than the 2nd IMO though there were missed opportunities a plenty. They were building some serious momentum and while the Velvet Sea was a pretty come down, but at that moment i didnt want to. The Bathtub that followed took me completely by surprise and it amazed me how quickly they turned the energy back up with what was my favorite song of the night. 2nd set is where the vibe really started to feel weird (could all be in my head, but this is what i felt). A huge Golden age and a pretty solid rest of the show, but it didnt touch any where near last night. CK5 dominated tonight and so did page. have to give this show a 3 because i dont think it ever really took off the way i know it could have/ should have.

favorites: Bathtub, Golden Age, Waves, 46 days.

Webcasted the show.... had a blast. No lines at my fridge or my bathroom. Not the greatest show ever but some stuff rocked ass..... especially the 46 days. Mound was killer as well.

Nigel Tufnel is a jaded MFer. Dont listen to him. If this is what a Saturday night rocker is from here on out, I can deal with that shit. Dont worry be happy. Everything from Gin forward was golden fire.