Image via Phish Facebook

On May 7, 1994 at the Bomb Factory in Dallas, Phish performed a “Tweezer” for the ages. That evening the band started its second set with “Loving Cup,” then “Sparkle,” after which the remainder of the evening was a “Tweezerfest,” with the band going in and out of various songs while returning to “Tweezer.” Nearly 19 years later, Mike Gordon identified it as a memorable evening and selected it for Live Phish 18.

As a result of that memorable performance in Dallas, after which Phish began to open up “Tweezer” more regularly, a number of fans anticipated that the group’s 94^th performance at Madison Square Garden, would nod to 1994 with a similar extended “Tweezer” of some stripe. This proved to be true but before reaching that point in the second set, the group also revisited that year in the opening frame. The show opened with “Back in the U.S.S.R.,” from The Beatles’ White Album, a fitting selection because the record was Phish’s first-ever musical costume at Glens Falls Civic Center on 10/31/94. As on that night, prior to beginning the set, a recorded introduction from the Beatles appearance on the Ed Sullivan Show preceded the performance. The quartet had last played “Back in the U.S.S.R.,” when it returned to Glens Falls on 10/23/13. A 20-minute “Simple” came next, followed by “Rift” and “Punch You in the Eye” before technical difficulties led the band to pull up short during “Wolfman’s Brother.”

Saturday’s second set began with AC/DC’s “Highway to Hell,” which the band had performed steadily in 1994 (typically as an encore) and most recently on 8/6/09 (prior to Saturday one of only two post-1990s takes on the song.) Then the group moved into “Down With Disease,” which debuted on opening night of Phish’s 1994 spring tour, along with a few other songs from Hoist, which had been released the prior week. “Down With Disease” then led into “Tweezer” and the game was afoot as the band weaved other songs in and out of the tune, including three Hoist selections: “Sample in a Jar,” “Lifeboy,” and “Julius.”  This sequence which extended over 75 minutes, included “Catapult,” which the band last played on 9/5/21, before the music land on a set-closing “The Squirming Coil,”

The encore began with Jon Fishman at the front of the stage, with his vacuum, singing Prince’s “Purple Rain.” This was another tune in steady rotation back in 1994, although the group had played it on 7/4/12. Trey Anastasio started out behind the drum kit but also later added a guitar solo to the tune. The evening then finished, as one might well expect, with “Tweezer Reprise.”

Phish returns to MSG this evening for show 95.

Setlist via Phish.net:

PHISH, Saturday 7/25/2026

Madison Square Garden, New York, NY

SET 1: Back in the U.S.S.R., Simple, Rift, Punch You in the Eye > Wolfman’s Brother[1]

SET 2: Highway to Hell, Down with Disease -> Tweezer -> Down with Disease > Tweezer > Sample in a Jar > Tweezer -> Lifeboy, Julius > Tweezer -> Catapult -> Tweezer > Cavern -> Tweezer > The Squirming Coil

ENCORE: Purple Rain[2], Tweezer Reprise

[1] Ended mid-song due to FOH outage. [2] Trey on drums and guitar

This show was Phish’s 94th performance at Madison Square Garden and featured a setlist composed of songs from the band’s 1994 era, Trey wearing a Pepe Le Pew T-shirt (a common occurrence in 1994), and multiple bustouts: Back in the U.S.S.R. (last played October 23, 2013, or 485 shows), Highway to Hell (last played August 16, 2009, or 659 shows), Catapult (last played September 5, 2021, or 223 shows), and Purple Rain (last played July 4, 2012, or 535 shows). Back in the U.S.S.R. was preceded by a recorded introduction from The Ed Sullivan Show (this was also done October 31, 1994). Trey teased Dave’s Energy Guide in Simple. The first set ended early due to a FOH outage. Mike teased part of the Won’t Get Fooled Again bass line in the first Down with Disease. Trey teased Mind Left Body Jam in the second Tweezer. Trey wore a sequined guitar strap for the encore which included him playing both drums and guitar on Purple Rain. Tweezer Reprise included Purple Rain vocals from Fish.