Greg McLoughlin - Review - Phish 12/30/97 Madison Square Garden

Almost every year since they started touring, Phish has played a four-night run leading up to New Years Eve. In 1997, the run consisted of one night in Landover, Maryland, and three nights at Madison Square Garden. I attended the three shows at the Garden, and night number two is what I consider to be one of the best nights of live music I have ever experienced.

It was one of those magical nights when there was such relentless energy in the room that I couldn't believe what I was witnessing. The spontaneity was unparalleled on the 29th or the 31st, though those were good shows too.

Rather than going into detail on every song, I am going to speak about one song which represents for me the entire vibe of the evening.

Isabella, the Jimi Hendrix cover played during the second set, was one of the craziest things I have ever witnessed. I love jams in all forms, whether they are ambient, funky, or soulful. But more than anything, I like when they rock, when they are spontaneous, and when it is clear that the musicians are on the same exact wavelength as the audience. That's when it comes full circle.

When Phish played Isabella that night, Trey's solo started to wind down several times, and each time, Fishman would start screaming from the drumset, "Go! Go!". Trey would then look over, saying in his head "OK", and rip it up more and more. This is one of hundreds of moments I have witnessed like this, but for some reason, it is my most memorable. I am sure musically it was not Phish's tightest moment on stage, but the raw energy and incredible vibe which they displayed that night defines the power of music for me. There is nothing more real.

The entire show was filled with moments like I described above, and I would recommend getting a CD copy of this show to anyone who loves Phish or live music at all.

	Greg's Concert Memory of the Month, December 2003
	Phish - Madison Square Garden, NYC 12/30/97
	Almost every year since they started touring, Phish has played a four-night run leading up to New Years Eve. In 1997, the run consisted of one night in Landover, Maryland, and three nights at Madison Square Garden. I attended the three shows at the Garden, and night number two is what I consider to be one of the best nights of live music I have ever experienced. It was one of those magical nights when there was such relentless energy in the room that I couldn't believe what I was witnessing. The spontaneity was unparalleled on the 29th or the 31st, though those were good shows too. Rather than going into detail on every song, I am going to speak about one song which represents for me the entire vibe of the evening. Isabella, the Jimi Hendrix cover played during the second set, was one of the craziest things I have ever witnessed. I love jams in all forms, whether they are ambient, funky, or soulful. But more than anything, I like when they rock, when they are spontaneous, and when it is clear that the musicians are on the same exact wavelength as the audience. That's when it comes full circle. When Phish played Isabella that night, Trey's solo started to wind down several times, and each time, Fishman would start screaming from the drumset, "Go! Go!". Trey would then look over, saying in his head "OK", and rip it up more and more. This is one of hundreds of moments I have witnessed like this, but for some reason, it is my most memorable. I am sure musically it was not Phish's tightest moment on stage, but the raw energy and incredible vibe which they displayed that night defines the power of music for me. There is nothing more real. The entire show was filled with moments like I described above, and I would recommend getting a CD copy of this show to anyone who loves Phish or live music at all.