Phish Plays Madison Square Garden On New Year’s Eve

New Year’s Eve is one of the most overrated nights of the year. The pressure to have fun is so severe and the expectations to party like a rock star are so high that the evening is usually a huge let down.

You either have to spend a lot of money, or drink a lot of alcohol, to make your celebration memorable; I would go so far as to say tolerable. I generally like to skip the parties, soirees, and shindigs, have an early dinner, and then watch Dick Clark on television before calling it a year.

If you ask me, the New Year is nothing more than a fancy reminder to hang a new calendar. As for those pesky New Year’s Resolutions, if you really want to change your life why wait for Jan. 1? Make your changes right now!

However, there is one quasi-New Year Eve tradition that you should resolve to do. Unlike losing weight, writing the great American novel, or cleaning out the attic, this resolution must wait until Dec. 31.

That’s because on New Year’s Eve Phish culminates a four-night stand at Madison Square Garden. Can you say “Phish New York tickets stocking stuffers?” The band’s run at the “World’s Most Famous Arena” begins Dec. 28.

Phish also ushered in the years 1994, 2002, and 2011 at Madison Square Garden.

When the group is all done with their four MSG shows they will have played that venue 23 times.

You’ll see that total in nearly every article about the upcoming Phish concerts. Apparently, it’s impressive. While it’s definitely an achievement (it’s 23 more times than my band played Madison Square Garden) it seems like they would have performed at that venue a lot more. Phish has been around for more than a quarter of a century and all they do is tour. Don’t you think that number would be in the 40’s not the 20’s?

Fans had been speculating for a while on where Phish was going to perform on New Year’s Eve. Gotham was one of the places in the running along with Atlantic City, the Boston-Area, and Miami. Phish played in Southern Florida on New Year’s Eve in 2009. Some pundits (this one included) thought the band would take the night off; Phish has already announced that they will be on hiatus throughout much of 2012 in order to attend to family obligations.

Prior to their four-night engagement at MSG, fans can catch Phish bassist Mike Gordon at the Portsmouth Music Hal in Portsmouth, New Hampshire on Nov. 12; the Lebanon Opera House in Lebanon, New Hampshire on Nov. 13; The Met Café in Pawtucket, Rhode Island on Dec. 9; the Calvin Theatre in Northampton, Massachusetts on Dec. 10; and The Egg in Albany, New York on Dec. 11.