Phish Offer 37-Minute “Ruby Wave,” Dust Off Jimi Hendrix’s “Bold As Love” on Night Two at MSG

Photo Credit: Dean Budnick

On Sunday, Dec. 29, 2024, Phish resumed its run at New York’s Madison Square Garden. The rev-up for the impending New Year holiday marked the Vermont quintet’s 85th concert at the revered Midtown location. The night served specialty moments custom-fit for Phish fanatics, from the first set’s trampoline bounce on “You Enjoy Myself” clear through the evening encore of “Bold as Love,” which ended a 149 concert lapse, last played on Sept. 4, 2021–and the evening’s impetus, an expertly exhibited 37-minute “Ruby Wave.” 

Night two at The Garden commenced with a tight take on “Sample in a Jar.” The concert’s only Hoist pull emerged prior to “AC/DC Bag.” The latter included a spurt of improvisation before Trey Anastasio used his pedal effect to call the number back to form. “The Moma Dance” took the night’s third slot on the setlist. Its extensive intro winked at its “Black Eyed Katy” forerunner, seized by the melodic stylings of bassist Mike Gordon.  Without pause, Phish continued to press into an amalgamation of material, including “Rift” and “Prince Caspian,” which provided time and space for instrumental interplay courtesy of backbeat Jon Fishman and key slappin’ Page McConnell. 

Rather than adding layers to the stratified C.S. Lewis-inspired jam vehicle, Phish moved in a new direction, conjuring the seventh ever “Monsters” ahead of a tenacious display of “Runaway Jim,” due in part to the quick finger work of McConnell. Fans were treated to “You Enjoy Myself,” complete with a classic tramp session [from bipedal players Trey Anastasio and Mike Gordon]  that visually complemented the improvisational nature of the song’s explorative segment, providing a pliable launch pad for the voluntary course of instrumental prowess, before conjuring the funk lean on set ender, “Ghost.”

The night’s second set found its footing on “Bathtub Gin,” which was left unfinished in lieu of an ensuing surprise. During their follow-up, Phish morphed “Ruby Waves” into a 37-minute offering of instrumental storytelling. Last night’s rendition was the band’s most extended MSG-specific jam, outdoing previous record holder 2019’s “Tweezer.” The aforementioned song represented night’s magnum opus, a truly unmatched march of instrumentation that featured a tease of “Frankie Says” in its ascent to funk territory. 

 Phish took a breath before“Waste,” which served as the first of three pieces in an extended jam that birthed “Fuego” and Talking Heads’ “Crosseyed and Painless,” an idyllic choice that noted urban surroundings, not unlike the reality of the band’s positioning. The song included a solo from Anastasio that kept fans raving into the night’s official conclusion. 

Phish stepped back out on the famed New York City stage for the night’s encore and blew the dust off the Jimi Hendrix original “Bold As Love,” effectively ending a 149-concert performance gap. The song was initially introduced to the band’s songbook in the late ‘80s and was played frequently throughout the ‘90s before a nine-year lapse from 2000-2009 and an ensuing slow trickle of plays until the latest 2021 cut-off.

For information on streaming Phish’s remaining NYE concerts, read more.

Scroll down to view last night’s setlist.

Phish 

Madison Square Garden – New York, N.Y.

December 29, 2024 

Set I: Sample in a Jar, AC/DC Bag > The Moma Dance > Rift > Prince Caspian, Monsters, Runaway Jim, You Enjoy Myself -> Ghost

Set II: Bathtub Gin > Ruby Waves, Waste > Fuego > Crosseyed and Painless

Enc.: Bold As Love

Notes:

^ “Bathtub Gin” was unfinished

% “Bold as Love “was performed for the first time since September 4, 2021 (149 shows)

Setlist via phish.net.