Phish Embrace Focused and Energetic Improvisation on Night Three at Madison Square Garden

Phish, photo by Dean Budnick

Phish returned to the stage last night for their third consecutive sold-out show at Madison Square Garden. Given the high bar set by performances on Sunday and Monday, the packed house’s palpable anticipation and the legendary jamband’s propensity for channelling atmosphere and momentum into every note, night three at the World’s Most Famous Arena was bound to be a night to remember. In their landmark 90th MSG staging, the Vermont quartet did not disappoint.

Phish stepped into the spotlight on Tuesday with the frantic, bawdy A Picture of Nectar classic “Chalk Dust Torture,” slotted in as a show-opener for the first time since 2022. This crowd-pleasing singalong followed sharp riffs from Trey Anastasio to dance along the outskirts of its composed form, picking up speed over eight minutes before merging into the slinking rhythm of “The Moma Dance.” After bookending their introductory sequence with one last “Chalk Dust Torture” hook, the band set into the joyful locomotion of “Back on the Train,” no doubt evoking Anastasio’s MTA crossover and the New Year’s Eve series’ subway-themed merch for some keen-eyed attendees.

Set one slipped into a thrashing catharsis with “Axilla (Part II),” in which drummer Jon Fishman underscored the evening’s purposeful energy with pummeling fills. This breakdown gave way to a fluttering, ascendant centerpiece with “Divided Sky,” and after the group soaked in The Garden’s unparalleled ambiance in a minute-long mid-song pause, they raced through the remainder of the frame with tight, high-energy takes on “Blaze On,” “Tube” – driven by some undeniably funky bassline from Mike Gordon – and “Reba.” “Split Open and Melt” emerged as the closing cut and, with just under 14 minutes of pioneering interplay, a definitive highlight of the show.

Phish tapped in again after the intermission with “Ghost,” which steadily unfurled from a sparing bounce to navigate stark, looming passages and radiant, blissful peaks. At nearly 17 minutes, the set-opener was the show’s longest single track and a key example of night three’s defining character: with nothing to prove and all their pre-series rust shaken off, the quartet packed impressive, dynamic renditions of longtime favorites into compact runtimes. While his attentive accompaniment through the first set brought much-needed structure to some raw improvising, keyboardist Page McConnell truly thrived on the ensuing “Ruby Waves” and “Light,” easing the first segue by manifesting the song’s transcendent emotion, then steering the band into operatic rock territory with grand scales.

“Crosseyed and Painless” is a fan-favorite for good reason, and its appearance on night three gave the room an earth-shaking dance break with angular chords from Anastasio, a rubbery, frenetic low-end from Gordon and commanding vocals from Fishman. Following a seamless segue into a “Twist” cooldown, the band took a quick trip through “Cavern” and wrapped the second set with a high-speed “First Tube.” For the closing note in the penultimate show of their 2025 year-end run, Phish embraced the wistful, spacious and heartwarming tones of “Drift While You’re Sleeping.”

Phish’s 18th-annual Madison Square Garden residency will culminate in a grand finale tonight. Find tickets and more information at phish.com, and stream the NYE series via livephish.com or nugs.net.