I would take this show over any from the 2011-2012 NYE run. I defended that run, very passionately. But as I stood in the audience at Dick's....I realized that I may have been right to defend the shows because I had enjoyed them....but that these guys were, frankly, to good for what we got during that run. I enjoyed those NYE run shows because - in the moment - absorbed in the atmosphere - what those shows had lacked in jamming, they made up for in house-shredding, good ole' fashioned rock & roll.

This show did that better.

This show, set II particularly, took the good ole' fashioned rock to higher levels of energy. Not only did they do that better, but they did it using some of the same songs. -- My personal highlights from 2011 NYE run were the 12/28 Bathtub and the 12/31 set II 46 Days > Suzy.-- those were the songs...the songs that got the Garden shaking. The people sweating. Footloose. But I've now listened to them back to back - those faves from 2011 NYE Run v. their 12/29/12 counterparts....comparing....with the lights out....just me and the music...distraction free....and its not even close...there is in fact no comparison.... Close your eyes and let yourself go in that Boogie on Reggae Woman > Suzy -- it was a hard rock throwdown -- and 46 Days made my jaw drop to the ground on the first listen, the second listen, the third listen and even now, as I write this review....I was dripping sweat. dancing dancing dancing and my feet were literally numb. Bathtub too. On my couch listening to it later - my head and feet could not be stopped.

Now I love jams - thats how I fell in love with this band....and I love bust outs...and I love the creativity musically that really only Phish is capable of - but there are sometimes - like this night - 12/29/12 - in the heart of Manhattan --- on a Saturday night -- NYE weeked -- that you realize that Big Red, Cactus, The Chairman and Henrietta just want to fr*ck*n party and that the people around them want to party and the mood just says party and party they did and party I did.

Now, my review would be remiss if it didn't address some shortcomings. AC/DC Bag, Rock and Roll and Limb by Limb - I just didn't feel that energy that one would expect when reading the setlist on paper. Those three songs can easily make for the main event of a summer tour second set and blow us all way (heck, throw in Halley's, Reba and Wading and that might be an entire second set)....but instead they all felt more like a generic first set songs to me. They lacked something. Some energy. Thats not to say I didn't enjoy the first set. Sugar Shack is always welcome in my book and the Bathtub Gin was fun while it lasted. My feeling on Waves echos many of the other reviews so far. But the main shortcoming of the show, IMHO, was that the 2nd set was barely an hour.

Perhaps they went backstage and said "wow...we only played 60 minutes."...the intensity they played with can easily make that happen. I was glad to hear Squirming....but I was even happier when they all came back out. I've never seen them walk off stage during Page's solo and then come back out for another song after. But then I was even HAPPIER when they all went back to their instruments and whipped out First Tube for a fitting in to a solid show. The trifecta encore made the short second set a distant memory.

Solid show. Worth a listen.