Live at Madison Square Garden New Year's Eve 1995

by Rob Theakston With their breakup in 2004 and the subsequent releases of recordings from lead frontman Trey Anastasio, Phish and Rhino thought it a good idea to capitalize on the holiday market of 2005 by reaching back deep into the rich and plentiful archive of live recordings amassed over decades of touring, and present to the legions of fanatics what many consider one of their finest live performances. For their traditional New Year's Eve shows the quartet always brought something special to the table for their fans and 1995 was no exception, bringing a quality three-set session of fan favorites, extended jams, and quirky covers -- what are what make them such a distinct entity in the neo-jam band world. Many of the three disc's tracks are laced with songs from Anastasio's fabled "Gamehendge" song cycle and appear only on other live Phish recordings. Here these songs and many others are explored and jammed through in fine form, and the band is definitely at the peak of their creativity and running on all cylinders. The recording is crystal clear and mixed to near perfection, as one element never really jumps out on top of another, as so many live recordings have a proclivity to do. Inarguably one of the finest commercial live recordings issued by the band, and potentially a nice introduction to their catalog for those just getting their feet into the proverbial waters.