There were more than a ton of shows to go to on New Year’s Eve, so we can’t blame you if you weren’t one of the more than 20,000 people packed into Madison Square Garden with our own Ted Maider. And while Phish was offering pay-per-view presentations of the show, YouTube has graced us with a little audio-visual bundle of joy to give us the taste of Phish we just happened to miss.
Pulling off what Maider described as “something that will be described in Phish-lore for years to come,” the nearly 30-year-old Vermont-based jam band rang in 2011 by reviving their infamous “Meatstick” routine. The unreleased song – which comes with a special, choreographed dance – kicked off the band’s third set and found Trey Anastasio & Co. throwing commemorative foam hot dogs from a giant hot dog floating above the audience. Said giant hot dog then dropped inflatable hotdogs on the crowd before the band made it back onstage just in time to play “Auld Lang Syne” and JJ Cale’s “After Midnight” as the clock struck twelve.
The whole thing unfolded as dancers depicting different cultures from around the world Meatsticked onstage, and if it all sounds like a vision from some kind of tripping-balls fantasy, then the band probably accomplished what they set out to do. Check out Maider’s full report on the show here and two videos from the set below.
UPDATE: Jambase has posted official rehearsal footage for “Meatstick”, which is available here.
Phish riding a giant hot dog at Madison Square Garden – 12/12/2010
Phish playing “Meatstick”, “Auld Lang Syne”, and “After Midnight” – Madison Square Garden, 12/12/2010
