Phish Launch Exploratory “Wolfman’s” & Four Song Encore at MSG Night 4 (SHOW REVIEW)

Phish wasted no time last night (August 1st) at Madison Square Garden (MSG), stepping to the venerable stage for the 76th time and launching into a fiery “Ghost” that set the tone for a memorable Tuesday show in New York City.

Continuing their seven-show MSG residency to cap Summer tour 2023, “Ghost” foreshadowed the night’s exploratory feel. Lead guitarist Trey Anastasio dropped into a fluid lead role just a few minutes into the tune stepping up and stepping back through a 17-minute excursion that eventually expanded to spaces where each band member helped push the group into a new musical space. With barely a breath after a jam that felt like a nod of thanks to the crowd for showing up on a noticeably slower weekday in the city, “Reba” followed “Ghost” with a sense of precision. The composed sections were crisp, and the interplay of tension was released in a bright peak at the end.

Thirty minutes into the show Phish had already brought the crowd to a deep place like only they can do. The next trio of songs brought a new wave of energy to the building starting with a high-energy “Funky Bitch” that showcased bassist Mike Gordon singing his heart out in unison with his bandmates firing on all cylinders. The band was clearly tight, energized, and seemed to be fresh after their one-night break. Another great song selection and placement in “Timber” filled the number four slot carrying the energy from “Funky Bitch”, but most notably breaking Type 1 structure and while brief, going to an improvised space where Trey’s flowing guitar brought to a cohesive beat anchored by drummer Jon Fishman. This is a great example of a short, but must-listen piece of music where Phish continuously shows how easily they can drop in and out of nuanced musical spaces so freely when the vibe is right.

A Phish debut, “Broken Into Pieces” acted as the breather for the set. It felt totally in tune with the flow of the first frame last night and speaks to the vibrant plethora of new material Trey has been writing and sharing all summer. The comfortability from the stage was evident Tuesday at MSG, and it showed in spades when “Wolfman’s Brother” was chosen next, culminating in a groove that might be the highlight of the night. Another 17-minute excursion that at some point spotlighted each band member as a leader, a weave of funk, bliss, and darkness collapsed into one of those unique moments where towards the end of the song it almost felt like the end of a show.

Keyboardist Page McConnel hit a stride during the varied tempos and layers explored in “Wolfman’s” before finding his way to lead the opening riffs of the final tune of the set, “I Am the Walrus”. The relative rarity was gritty, dark, and dripping in a psychedelic kaleidoscope by light designer Chris Kuroda. When Phish fans talk about first sets that feel like a second, and create a sense of completeness that is difficult to achieve on a regular basis, that’s exactly what went down last night.

Set two started loosely with the opening notes of “Sample in a Jar” filling the venue air. It was hard to not immediately be transported back to the Baker’s Dozen, especially when the band took a rare turn to Type II territory on the tune and took it for a 17-minute ride. It seemed that was the number last night, and this “Sample” was certainly a magical take on the tune. The move into “Kill Devil Falls” worked and the band quickly moved through the song’s structure and broke once again into improvised territory. It felt as though the group would stay in the exploratory space they had created at this point, where for almost the entirety of the show up until this moment there had been a connectedness that was clearly working. However, a quick call into “Golden Age” left “Kill Devil Falls”, but once again we heard the band move through the song’s structure and effortlessly flow right back into Type II terrain.

After 40+ minutes of engaged playing, “Shade” gave the set its first break before the first hallmark notes of “Sneakin’ Sally Through the Alley” sent the MSG crowd into a funk-fueled frenzy. Phish is so good at feeling out their crowd, and the venue, and moving back & forth between musical energies: it’s something that is hard to translate outside of the experience itself. Going from the quiet, delicate “Shade” into a full-on dance party with “Sally” and making that feel exactly like the right thing at the time is part of the Phish magic.

 A quick “Twist” followed “Sally” before the arguably most appropriate landing spot for the set in “YEM”. Complete with some extra zesty licks and a visual rollercoaster to accompany the ending vocal jam, the song selection and placement here was dare I say perfect. The show felt complete. But why not drop a four-song encore of favorites to make sure we all knew 8/1/23 was indeed what it was at MSG.

“Wilson” kicked off the encore and almost felt as though it could be the lone offering, but a quick look over towards Fish and Mike from Trey produced the beloved “Sanity”. A cool encore in and of itself, a third tune was even more of a surprise. A longtime fan favorite, drummer Jon Fishman signaled “David Bowie” with his cymbals and the band launched into a tune that you just never know where it might go. This one stayed relatively contained, going to a bright bouncy space briefly, and a quiet maybe even confusing place towards the end, before landing with its trademark crescendo. Not quite done yet, “Character Zero” was the one to put the final stamp on show four of Phish’s seven show MSG residency. If last night says anything, the last three at MSG (8/2, 8/3, 8/4) are tuned up to continue the trend, one of a group that continues pushing boundaries and bringing music to new spaces 40 years in the making.