The Verdict:
The second MSG show is oddly similar to the first in terms of structure (and, arguably, quality).
The first set, again, stays pretty removed from improv, but there's a lot to like in terms of song selection. I for one really enjoy the strong takes on "Mike's" and "Groove" sandwiching a rare "Secret Smile." It's great to hear "Peaches," "Roses," "Brian and Robert," and "Beauty of a Broken Heart." And they're all played well, too! If you absolutely need a jam to enjoy a first set, "SOAM" has you covered, as it goes dark and abstract (even more than usual) before wrapping things up satisfyingly.
Set two is mostly focused again on one big tentpole jam, and in this case, it's "Disease." This particular take on the jam vehicle sees more or less two distinct sections, sewn pretty seamlessly together: a "Jumpin' Jack Flash"-style jam reminiscent of early '16 jams like the BGCA "Sally," and a more abstract, quieter, slower section that allows the band's improvisational chops to shine before seguing nicely into a mellow take on "What's the Use?"
Like N1, most of the rest of this set strays into predictable, jukebox-y territory with the exception of a weird song sandwich late in the frame. In this case, it's not Martian Tweeprise, but the even stranger sequence of "Twenty Years Later" -> "Kung" -> "Twenty Years Later."
From there, "Makisupa" gets a percussion jam, but for my money it's one of the less memorable instrument-switching moments from '16, and things wrap up with a typically beautiful "Hood."
If I was forced, in some weird hypothetical scenario, to decide if I liked N1 or N2 better, I'd choose N1 simply because the "Golden Age" jam was a bit less predictable and Got There in a more interesting fashion and Martian Tweeprise hit me a bit harder than Twenty Kungs Later did. But hey, they're both great shows, and with this we're at at least a run of six can't-miss shows in a row, which is starting to put the back half of 2016 in some pretty epic company.
The Live Review:
12/29/16: Second night opens with an a cappella too. Sweet Adeline.
12/29/16: Peaches next. Bustout city so far tonight!
12/29/16: Mike's is third. A more pedestrian choice, but the band slides into the jam with aplomb.
12/29/16: Extra mustard on that Mike's leads into...Secret Smile?
12/29/16: I know that there are a lot of Secret Smile haters out there, but I think it's one of the prettier ballads the band has written.
12/29/16: It might be cheesy, but if I could write a song that good myself just once, I'd feel pretty accomplished.
12/29/16: Besides, every time I hear it, I remember them playing it at sunset at the Gorge in '13.
12/29/16: One of my favorite Phish moments, and I was totally baffled why everyone was groaning and heading for the bathrooms.
12/29/16: Aren't those kinds of moments what you see this band for?
12/29/16: I guess a lot of people go to see Phish for the same reason they see any band: to jerk off their limbic systems for a few hours.
12/29/16: Anyway, that was a great Secret Smile. > Groove.
12/29/16: Slow but strong Groove. Roses next. Crowd loving it.
12/29/16: Poor Heart! Page going nuts on the piano.
12/29/16: First set 46 Days!
12/29/16: So far, this set has had a serious old-school rock vibe. Loving it.
12/29/16: Page and Trey teaching this 46 Days a lesson.
12/29/16: Brian and Robert! This set is awesome.
12/29/16: Beauty of a Broken Heart next. This is how you put bustouts into a set for more than just novelty value.
12/29/16: Nice little outro jam led by Trey.
12/29/16: They've been really fond of second-quarter Themes lately. Not sure how I feel about it, but I'm getting used to it.
12/29/16: Definitely better than the fourth-quarter ones of the previous year.
12/29/16: Extra peaky outro jam on Theme. Nice!
12/29/16: Theme ends with a bunch of echo-y chords and distorted notes. > Split.
12/29/16: This seems like the perfect closer to this old schools et.
12/29/16: *set
12/29/16: Satisfyingly drone-y and ominous version developing here.
12/29/16: I feel like they've definitely been getting more and more abstract (again) with this tune in the last year or two.
12/29/16: I remember thinking that about the Dick's '15 version, and most versions since.
12/29/16: Set 2 opens with Disease.
12/29/16: Normal Type I lead-in to the jam leads to a more upbeat rock section
12/29/16: Another big Jumpin' Jack Flash-style jam emerging now.
12/29/16: Under Pressure riffing leads into a slower, more spacey jam section.
12/29/16: Great breakdown now. Loving this jam.
12/29/16: It's amazing to me how many Disease jams there can be with most of them still being unique and engaging.
12/29/16: WTU? teasing from Trey now.
12/29/16: -> WTU?
12/29/16: I kinda enjoy how frequent the Disease -> WTU? pairing is these days.
12/29/16: This is the recent, mellower mode of WTU?
12/29/16: WTU fades nicely into Fuego.
12/29/16: A little WTU? teasing in the Fuego jam. Otherwise, very echo-heavy.
12/29/16: Remember that weirdly-placed Meatstick at MGM? Well, it's back.
12/29/16: Though if I'm being honest, I'm not sure there's a non-weird place to put Meatstick in a set.
12/29/16: Except as a segue after a twenty-plus-minute Rock and Roll that deconstructs space and time, I guess.
12/29/16: Twenty Years Later follows. Weird.
12/29/16: I am glad to hear this song getting heavier rotation again. It's one of my favorites from Joy.
12/29/16: Even if the outro is generally turgid and uninteresting live.
12/29/16: Hah! And during said turgid and uninteresting outro, Trey just started the lyrics to Kung.
12/29/16: Twenty Years Later music continuing under the lyrics.
12/29/16: Makisupa Policeman after that Kung.
12/29/16: Trey made the story at the beginning interesting by asking everyone else what they did this morning.
12/29/16: Now we're in Fish's House. Is there such a thing as a 'gag bustout'?
12/29/16: How many shows since the 'house' gimmick?
12/29/16: Building marimba/bass jam in Makisupa.
12/29/16: Full-on Makisupa percussion jam now.
12/29/16: Return to Makisupa after a long drum jam. Reggae feel leads right into Hood. Will likely close the set.
12/29/16: Huge roar from the crowd at the first glowstick beat.
12/29/16: I imagine that glowsticks at MSG are pretty great. I think I'll always prefer Gorge or Dick's though :)
12/29/16: Great, straightforward take on Hood. Julius is going to encore.
12/29/16: Second night of MSG run keeps up the momentum of the first. Still missing a monster S2 a la MGM/Dick's, though.
12/29/16: First set was great, wall-to-wall old school rock Phish.
12/29/16: Second set started out strong with a great Disease jam. After that, though, things got pretty weird.
12/29/16: That said, if your tolerance for antics are high, you will love the Meatstick, Twenty Years Later -> Kung -> Makisupa sequence.
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