Phish - New Year's Eve: Madison Square Garden 12.31.95

Phish wants you to party like it’s 1995 and to assist you they have released this three-CD set in celebration of the 10th anniversary of their concert that Rolling Stone dubbed one of the 10 best of the ‘90s and is also considered one of the best Phish shows of all-time in a number of fan polls.

Phish followed the Grateful Dead business model for musicians and had great success with it. They were road warriors who toured extensively and developed a huge following because of it. They were more interested in the live performance rather than creating albums. They aren’t the best singers or the best musicians, but they were sincere and earnest in their commitment to putting on a good show and having a good time. A spirit shared by all in attendance and even those who couldn’t get a miracle ticket.

Phish understood the importance of the fans and interacted with them. They created fun events like the Halloween shows where they created musical costumes by covering entire albums, such as The Beatles and The Talking Heads' Remain in Light and festivals like the Great Went, IT and Big Cypress. They allowed concerts to be taped and traded, drove through the campground at 3 am playing on the back of a flatbed truck during The Clifford Ball and played chess with the audience. As of this night in '95, the band surrendered after losing their Queen; the score at the end of the year was Band 1, Audience 1.

But Phish aren’t Dead clones. Their sound was different, more jazz improv than folk tradition. They had a willingness to dabble in other genres and have a lot more fun with music. One of my favorite tunes is the calypso-tinged “The Lizards”. It’s a perfect song for dancing while holding an umbrella-garnished tropical drink.

When the Dead covered a song, they made it their own. When Phish covered a song, they took the song’s approach as can be heard on the faithfully raucous “Frankenstein” by Edgar Winter. It was one the best songs of the concert and made me wish they had rocked a little harder over the course of the night. They also sing a perfect barbershop version of "Hello My Baby."