Weekend Nuggets: December 30th
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I have always maintained that the best nights happen on the 30th. New Year’s Eve is too fleeting, once it’s over, it’s over. 12.29 could make a strong argument for best musical night ever given its history, but there is something about the 30th– the night before New Year’s. Often reserved for darker shows, leaving the happy stuff for the 31st, Phish loved this date. As we head into the end of the year, let’s listen to some great 12.30’s.! (’92 and ’93 are already on the site! Use the Search Bar)
12.30.94 MSG, NYC < LINK
The band’s first visit to Madison Square Garden came on the 30th. Following a torrential year of touring, the band soared into their New Year’s Run only three weeks after finishing fall tour. Big versions of YEM, “Tweezer” and “Harry Hood” carry the second set of a show that had a tough act to follow in 12.29.94’s Providence show.
I: Wilson > Rift, AC/DC Bag, Sparkle, Simple, Stash, Fee> Scent of a Mule, Cavern
II: Sample in a Jar, Poor Heart > Tweezer, I’m Blue I’m Lonesome*, You Enjoy Myself, Purple Rain > HYHU, Harry Hood, Tweezer Reprise
E: Frankenstein
*Acoustic.
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12.30.95 MSG, NYC < LINK
For the second year in a row, Phish found themselves at MSG for the 30th; this time for a two-night stand into 1996. This year’s version of 12.30 was a stellar show with two sets of chock-full Phish. An early show “2001 > Suzy > David Bowie” got things spinning fast, while “It’s Ice > Kung > It’s Ice” continued the dark path. The second set was a keeper, with in my opinion, the most magnificent “Harry Hood” ever holding it down.
I: Prince Caspian > Also Sprach Zarathustra > Suzy Greenberg > David Bowie, Simple, It’s Ice > Kung > It’s Ice, TMWSIY > Avenu Malkenu > TMWSIY, The Divided Sky, Sample in a Jar
II: Ya Mar*, Free, Harry Hood > AC/DC Bag, Lifeboy, Scent of a Mule, Cavern, Run Like An Antelope
E: A Day in the Life
*With “Auld Lang Syne” tease.
***
12.30.96 Fleet Center, Boston MA < LINK
Another great 12.30 effort, featuring two full sets of great Phish. A quality “Reba” and “Theme” in set one made way for a “Timber Ho” opener is set two and the then rare “Guyute” moving right into a big “Tweezer.” A Slave put a cap on another great 30th.
I: Ya Mar, The Sloth, Llama, Gumbo, Reba, Talk*, Funky Bitch**, Theme From the Bottom, Good Times Bad Times
II: Timber (Jerry), Uncle Pen, AC/DC Bag, Guyute, Tweezer > Lifeboy, Scent of a Mule#, Slave to the Traffic Light
E: Possum
*With Trey on acoustic guitar. **The PA cuts out. The band continues playing for a few minutes while it is reconnected and end up miming playing. #Comedian Steven Wright came out and rang a bell twice.
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VIDEO OF THE WEEKEND:
“Tweezer” 12.30.94 MSG Pt.1
“Tweezer” Pt.2
“Tweezer” Pt.3
Tags: New Years, Weekend Nuggets
The 30th in 1997 was the best show I ever saw.
“The 30th in 1997 was the best show I ever saw.”
agreed
12.30.95 changed my life forever.
I just downloaded and watched the Live Phish video of the 12.30.97 ACDC Bag – still my favourite jam ever and probably the best show I ever saw too.
12.30 is indeed a special day… it happens to be my wife’s birthday (although I didn’t even know her at the time).
And thanks for giving 12.30.96 some support – I think this one, like the rest of the run, is often overlooked in favour of the preceding or following year. But those shows were great fun – 12.30 had a really nice vibe to it, a varied set-list, and solid playing throughout.
Love these shows very much, thanks so much for posting them. 12-30-97 floored me as I was lucky enough to have floor seats for that one. I remember walking out of that show thinking, “How can they top this?” I don’t know if they ever did, at least when I was in attendance….
Regarding magnificent Hoods, I have two that I must put forth that easily rival, if not surpass, the 12-30-95 version. For perfect technical proficiency, the 11-4-90 version is hard to match, but my all time favorite one, the one that mad me see God, was 11-16-96. If you are not familiar with this one, try it one for size. Resplendent, if I do say so myself…..
Thanks for sharing these shows, keep on keeping on in 2009, phriends…..
i wanted ti see the acoustic bluegreass session at the end of that tweezer guess i will have to download it to hear it
all of the new years run are exciting
bigg ups again minor
that ac/dc/ bag from 12-30-97 is what phish is all about
that jam gives me the tour jones………
12-30-2003 — “fish with a P…thats funky to me y’all…..skeet skeet skeet skeet skeet” –george clinton
Thanks for 12/30/96…loved it.
How about Chula Vista 1999? 9/18/99…amazing Boogie on… I was 5th row center for that special night.
Mr. Miner,
I couldn’t agree more about 12/30/95. The second set was an all time music moment for me. For about 5 years, I had a crappy cassette recording of the 2nd set and would listen through fuzz and warbles to that Hood and literally cry. Thank for you posting a good sounding version. There are moments in that Harry where I feel Phish was as tight and and as creative as they ever have been. The post “Thanks you Mr. Miner” jamming is heavenly, particulalry when Mike and Trey are alternating melodic lines starting at the 5:45 mark. I can remember the feeling I had at the moment each time I listen to it. The purest and rawest beauty you could imagine, almost makes you nauseus. I remember saying to my friend at that moment, “if they don’t stop, I am going to throw up (in a good way!)” Never felt anything like it in my life! As spiritual a moment as I’ve had.
Oh, and Trey’s refusal to leave that space for the next 10 minutes didn’t suck either.
Thank you, Mr. Miner.
12.30.95 changed my life forever too! It was my first Phish show, the first of a long and uplifting Tour “career”. It spawned most of the happiest times of my life.