2012-12-28 New York City, NY

 Onwards to New Years as MSG 2012!!!

Show 1, 12/28/12, has another of those patented "every overplayed song of the summer in one set" setlists.

GROAN!

Stealing Time From the Faulty Plan - Like the Dead opening 2nd sets with Victim Or the Crime, I don't hate the sing, I merely think it's an atrocious opener. Slow and sludgy does not get me going no matter how good it usually is. Thankfully it redeems it's awful set placement! The guys are cookin' and BRING IT from the get go!!! Great version!!

The Moma Dance - Ooh, a slightly groovier than usual vibe on this one. EXTRA FUNKY (if that's even possible - ?!?!?!). Ya know how they played everything in Fall 1997? Yea, this one is like that. Trey keeps his playing pretty damn buttery smooth and relaxed throughout. On the whole, this Moma is chill in the most excellent way. Some might here it as tired, but to me it sounds RELAXED. And there is a BIG difference!! Excellent Moma!!!

Funky B - Trey is still very "absent" from this one like in Moma, but unfortunately, as good as Gordo's bass playing and Page's organ soloing is, you just need some ripping Trey to elevate FB. A fine version but no reason to highlight this one. He does rip it out by the end, but still it's just another fine Funky B. You're never going to seek this one out on purpose, ya dig?

Army of One - Great choice!!! On .NET the reviewers were saying this was bad set placement/poor song choice, but it works great for me!! After a few relative barn burners, it feels perfectly placed, just about. Always great to hear, I consider this an underrated gem that deserves more play time for sure. It's not the greatest version ever played. It's about on level with the Funky B just prior. But it's still great to hear. Not quite list worthy for the rarity alone, but it ALMOST reaches highlight level!

Tube - Awesome little Tube!!! Slightly longer than your usual early 3.0 version (still not long enough....) but the jamming is terrific!!! Type I majesty!!! Trey is just spewing wonderful leads left and right, perfectly placed and timed, perfect note choice.....And Page on the keys of course....AWESOME LITTLE TUBE!!

Stash - For some reason, this one didn't do anything for me. It was performed excellently but like Funky B it felt like a lesser rendition of which we've heard a million better ones. Nothing wrong at all with it and a fine Stash, but not list worthy for me!

Neillie Kane - Is Nellie Kane

Kill Devil Falls - Perfectly timed! Not that the set was dragging, but this was the perfect song choice for this slot! Really wakes us back up! Like recent versions, the jam starts nice and chill, the guys building a foundation from which to build upwards, ya know? This is an awesome KDF. It just SLOWLY builds and builds and friggin' BUILDS!!! It's one where you don't even realize they are slowly increasing the heat every second until you look down and realize you are on fire already!!! FANTASTIC!!!

Free - Aw yea, keep the headbangin' a-comin'!!! Killer little Free!!! Let it rip, Trey!!!

Wolfman's Brother - Incredible version!! Around 5:30 the Type I jamming starts expanding. Trey lets Gordo take front and center and BOY DOES HE EVER!!! Cactus unleashes more distortion on his bass than your typical Scandinavian black metal record!!! Holy hell, ear piercing bass destruction!!! Phil Lesh would kill for this! The crowd roars their glorious approval and cactus lets Trey have it back, letting him take the lead again. Around 8 minutes both Page and Trey sync up and start DESTROYING WORLDS TOGETHER!!!! Just destruction!!!!! You could say we are still in Type I, but this is about as out-there as Type I gets, that's for sure. By 9 minutes Page is doing his wah keys thing and Trey is just patiently grooving along, placing notes as opposed to shredding it up. Everyone is pretty synced up rhythmically. And then at 10 minutes we get a full-band LITTLE DRUMMER BOY JAM! YES! THIS IS AWESOME!!! THIS IS WHY WE PHISH! Oh my goodness, just when you thought this set was nothing but an enjoyable warmup, they come and throw a magical X Factor jam at you. Holy hell.... ONE OF THE JAMS OF THE YEAR!!! THIS WAS ONE OF THE BEST WOLFMAN's EVER!!! ABSOLUTELY MUST-HEAR!!! DO NOT SKIP!!!



All in all, I'll admit that the setlist had me counting out this set before I had heard a note. Shame on me! On the whole this is absolutely not one of the sleeper classics of the year, but neither is it awful either!! This was a highly enjoyable first set, it just wasn't anything SPECIAL for the most part, ya know? You will have a great time listening but in a year you're not gonna be like "Hey, remember 12/28/12's first set?!", does that make any sense? Fast-Food-Warmup-Phish in the BEST way!!!

P.S. - WOLFMAN'S BROTHER IS ONE OF THE JAMS OF THE YEARS. YES, I'M SERIOUS. YOU CAN THROW THE WHOLE SET IN THE TRASH BUT FOR THE LOVE OF GOD DO NOT SKIP OUT ON THIS WOLFMAN!!!!! X FACTOR MAGIC!!!!

 

Set 2

Tweezer - Aw yea, you know it's gonna be a party as MSG with a 2nd set-opening Tweezer. And good golly Miss Molly does this Tweezer ROCK!! Seriously, there is so much OOMPH to this version!!!! At around 6 minutes the proper jamming begins. Page pounding on the piano, Gordo takes the first solo slot, just taking his time and letting it rip slowly. No rush. He eventually cedes control back to Trey.     

     By 7:30 Page is just keeping it going on the piano and it's fantastic. Building a bed for Trey to slowly solo on top of, placing awesome legato leads here and there. Again, they are taking their time! This is how I like my jams!!! They are doing the KDF thing again where they are increasing the heat so slowly that you don't even realize it until you look down and see flames!!! 

    Awesome moment around 9 minutes where Page starts playing major key and the entire mood of the jam shifts on a dime!! Suddenly we are in Blissville, USA!!! How the hell did they change it so quick and smoothly like that?!?!??!??! Everyone lays back and lets Trey just coax whale-moans out of his axe. Sustained notes galore like 1999 again. But Fishman is keeping it uptempo and we are moving forward - no drifting into ambience yet! 

     By 11 minutes we are firmly entrenched in this gloriously aquatic soundscape. This is A+ Phish right here. Just spectacularly good jamming. By 12 minutes we are still riding the Bliss Train, but things are slowly changing yet again. Fishman starts slowly removing the drums and we drop down to a whisper of a rhythm. All cymbals, if you know what I mean. Page is on the piano playing along with Trey, both just picking out nice little melodic leads. Nobody is "soloing", this is full-band jamming! This is great - they are taking their damn time, making the most of each mood and "section" of the jam, instead of just constantly shifting.  

    By 15 minutes the mood is shifting yet again. Things are still major key but slowly growing more and more "angsty". Fishman is slowly re-building the momentum, adding in tons of drum fills and the crowd begins to cheer as they notice them starting to ascend once more. Trey is doing lots of chord-soloing, just vamping really as part of the ensemble. Around 16:30 he starts a rhythm and holds it steady, allowing Page to solo on the piano and Fishman to regain a solid tempo/pattern. It definitely sounds like the beginning of "returning to Tweezer", so to speak. 

    By 17 minutes the guys all lock back into a standard "Type I Rock Motif" and Trey starts soloing proper. The crowd roars their approval yet again!!! Wow, this Tweezer is a friggin' JOURNEY!!!!! By 18 minutes Trey is doing his patented "Divided Sky sustained note" stuff, Page has added in organ along with the piano and we are clearly heading towards a hosey rock and roll peak! Tweeprize is basically begging to pop up any second now! And by 19:30 the hose begins!!! 

    LET THE SPRAYING BEGIN!!! The guys just go nuts like they are going to all explode (except they ARE exploding!!!). The guys are ROCKING THE F OUT! But then at 20:45 Fishman reintroduces the Tweezer beat and the song......fades out..... HUH?! No return to the main theme yet?!?!?! BOO!!!!! THAT ENDING SUCKED!! BUT THE WHOLE JAM WAS INCREDIBLE!!!! But it's ok because the cymbal-ridden ending is the PERFECT seamless launch pad for us to go right into....

>Maze - Talk about a great segue!!!!!!! This Maze kicks all kinds of tail, but good lord this is all about Page!!! WELCOME TO PAGE'S HOUSE MOTHER EFFERS!!!! But of course after slowly dipping his toes into the Maze water, Trey eventually reaches the mangled guitar destruction mess of a peak we all know and expect out of a Maze. Basically, first half is all Page, second half is all Trey. And it's absolutely friggin' glorious. Maze is always killer but this was next-level for this period, imo. Really, a TRULY great Maze, imo.

>LITTLE DRUMMER BOY INTERLUDE

>Twist - Hell yes! Cactus switches back on his distortion and leads us directly into the most perfectly placed Twist ever!!! Trey even keeps the Little Drummer Boy fun going at the start, making this a damn party from the get-go!!! It's impossible to not have a smile on your face listening to this. Grade-A fun. This Twist is 10/10 absolutely OUTSTANDING, Grade-A Type I magic!!!! Just a complete RAGER party of the best kind!!!! Holy hell this Twist is INCENDIARY! And to cap it off, Trey gives us a minor-key Little Drummer Boy From Hell at the end!!!

Holy mother freaking crap, that Twist DESTROYED

Theme From the Bottom - Oo wee, finally a breather!!! Really great Type I Theme tonight. On the whole it's really nothing that special, but it's still GOSH DARN EXCELLENT on the whole!!! It's Theme, it does exactly what you expect it to, and it does it terrifically!

>Fluffhead - Well, damn if nobody saw THAT segue coming!!!! And of course the crowd roars their approval! And holy hell they friggin NAIL this Fluffhead! Throw every other 2012 version in the trash, this one is FLAWLESS. Seriously, they did their damn practice with this one. A+++++

David Bowie - A slightly jumbled start, but on the whole a terrific Bowie. See Fluffhead.

Bouncing Around the Room - Is BATR

Good Time Bad Times - Is GTBT. Kills.



All in all...WHAT THE HELL WERE THEY SMOKIN TONIGHT?! GIMME SOME OF THAT! Set one is enjoyable but throwaway aside from the MUST HEAR Wolfman, and then set 2 is pure X Factor Magic from start to finish. Genuinely, this second set was as good or better than the sets at Dick's. I mean, this second set+Wolf is on par, at least, with the famed Dick's 2012 shows. Do NOT skip this show. Absolutely must-hear second set - one of the top 10 of the year, it's that incredible.