NEW YORK (CelebrityAccess) — Jam band legends Phish just concluded a 13-night run at New York City's Madison Square Garden, with the final show marking the band's 52nd performance at the historic venue.
The band's MSG run, which began on July 21st and ran through August 6th, included what was described as 13 one-of-a-kind shows and included 26 unique sets featuring a grand total of 237 songs with no repeats during the three-week run, an impressive feat by any account that required the band to dig deep in their repertoire.
"What I saw," wrote The New York Times' Ben Ratliff about the concert series, "was a purposeful band in energetic form, better than I've seen and heard recently, more willing to let songs assume their own proportions, and going far into its own catalog."
All told, Phish and MSG sold a total of 227,000 tickets over the course of the run.
The New York City Mayor's Office marked the conclusion of the shows by issuing a proclamation announcing August 6th as "Phish Day." In recognition of the run, Madison Square Garden presented the band with a commemorative, permanent banner that was hoisted into the rafters at the end of the run's final show.
As well, ice cream maker Ben & Jerry's produced a limited edition flavor of their frozen treat – "Freezer Reprise" – available only at two events in New York City and Burlington, VT, both in association with Phish's philanthropic initiative, The WaterWheel Foundation.
