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Me and Gloria at Secaucus train station on the way to MSG
I love it when Phish sets up a theme, even when it is something as simple as starting each show of their New Year's Run with an a capella barbershop tune. Night two started with "Sweet Adeline", the first performance of the song in five years, and only the second in this millennium (not to mention my first ever!)
Two more bust-outs near the top of the show made it instantly memorable - the first "Peaches en Regalia" in four years and the total shocker of "Secret Smile", in only its ninth performance since its 2003 debut (though I would have preferred the original arrangement), sandwiched between "Mike's Song" and "Weekapaug Groove", both of which were solid, along with the rest of the set, from oldies like "Poor Heart" to the always welcome "Roses Are Free" to the fantastic Page McConnell tune "Beauty of a Broken Heart". "46 Days" rocked, "Brian and Robert" chilled, and "Theme From the Bottom" was standard, if not a bit of too much of the slow stuff.
The big fun of the show for me, though, was being on the Chase Bridge at MSG for the first time. I was reluctant to get tickets for that section because it is high up and I figured the sound would suffer. But not only did the sound end up being very good, the view was excellent and the seating arrangement - just a few rows in each section - made for a comfortable experience with no crowding and tons of dancing room. I would sit there again, for sure.
The view from the Chase Bridge
Not only that, but my girlfriend Gloria, rapidly becoming a bona fide Phish phan ever since our summer shows together, was there to enjoy the night, as well. We had a blast dancing to "Down With Disease" to open Set II. Yet another in a two year streak of awesome "What's the Use" segues knocked my figurative socks off, and after the bliss of "WTU", the fun machine kicked into gear with "Fuego" and "Meatstick" (kids, please learn the dance!).
Things got dark and strange when "Kung" showed up in the coda of "Twenty Years Later", a song that still struggles to achieve flight, but the percussion jam in "Makisupa Policeman", with all four members of the band crowded around Fishman's kit, brought another unexpected highlight. Add to that the kind of "Harry Hood" climax that brings chills and smiles all around (check out that video that went viral of the kid in the crowd, broadcast on the webcast cameras), and it is safe to say that we had a damn good show there. The "Julius" encores are not what they used to be, when every "Julius" was the best "Julius" ever, but it was a nice exclamation point for a great show.
"Makisupa" percussion jam
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