Phish Perform “Gamehendge” for the First Time Since 1994 at MSG

Photo by Rene Huemer © Phish

Last night, Phish celebrated New Year’s Eve at New York’s Madison Square Garden by performing their beloved “Gamehendge” suite in its entirety for the first time since July 8, 1994. Originally composed and recorded as “The Man Who Stepped into Yesterday” for Trey Anastasio’s thesis at Goddard College, Phish dropped the epic story cycle five times between 1988-1994, albeit often with a slightly different mix of songs, and Gamehendge has been one of the most sought after requests at Phish shows ever since.

The surprise performance took place during Phish’s second set, as they closed their 40th anniversary celebration. Following the Hoist classic “Down with Disease,” which debuted 30 years earlier on New Year’s Eve 1993-94, Phish dropped into their narrative epic “Harpua” for the first time since October 31, 2021 to set up “Gamehendge.” Taking advantage of Anastasio’s Broadway connections, an actor playing the “Harpua” character Jimmy appeared in a bed onstage, alongside a puppet that was used for his cat Poster Nutbag. Anastasio touched on some of the past “Harpua” stories during his narration, before discussing the need for Jimmy to have a powerful female influence. The band then invited out actress Annie Golden–who is known for her work in the band The Shirts, the Broadway musical Hair and television shows like Orange Is the New Black–to play Jimmy’s grandmother and takeover the narration as Phish launched into “The Man Who Stepped Into Yesterday,” the opening music for Anastasio’s rock opera.

A mix of entertainers dressed the parts of Colonel Forbin, Errand Wolfe, Tela, Rutherford, AC/DC Bag, The Sloth and other characters from the story; the stage setup also referenced the Rhombus, the Princeton, NJ, structure where Anastasio and Phish songwriter Tom Marshall hung and workshopped ideas as teenagers and which plays a role in the Gamehendge epic. The actress playing Tela provided the most spectacle, riding in on a Multibeast puppet–as referenced in “Tela,” “McGrupp and the Watchful Hosemasters” and “Punch You in the Eye”–and performing acrobatics above the stage.

The second set ended with “Divided Sky” partway through the story. Then, Phish returned for a third set that continued with “McGrupp,” “Colonel Forbin’s Ascent” and “Fly Famous Mockingbird.” Then they moved into the traditional “Auld Lang Syne” and “Split Open and Melt.”

Earlier in the night, the band’s opening set highlighted their more recent work, including the kick off “Everything’s Right,” the new original “Ether Edge”–first tested out by the Trey Anastasio Trio in May–the jam-vehicle “Ruby Waves” and “A Life Beyond The Dream.” In between, they also offered older favorites like “Tube,” “Reba,” “Taste” and the rocking “Character Zero” set closer. The last time Phish played Gamehendge in 199 they paired it with a complete performance of their then current LP, Hoist.