My commemorative ticket stubs for Phish’s four-night New Year’s Run at Madison Square Garden. I was inspired by the old saying, “all roads lead to Rome”, or in this case, all roads lead to MSG! Each stub depicts one of the many ways people take to get to the city for the New Year’s run, be it by tunnel, bridge, plane, or on foot. The original artwork used was 8.5×11 watercolor paintings I created. I will have these and other original paintings available at PhanArt NYC on Dec 30th, 1-6pm, at Hill Country BBQ.
Each stub measures 2.75 x 6.5 inches (the same size as PTBM tickets) and is printed on coated 130 lb card stock by Fireball Printing in Philadelphia. The back features a spot to write down your actual seat/section. I will also include a mini art print/postcard with each order, along with other freebies while supplies last. Purchase here: https://joseeen.etsy.com/listing/4411937075
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The music of Phish has been a source of inspiration for my art for over twenty years now! One particular part of Phish’s catalog that I have often gravitated towards would have to be their Gamehendge Saga, a series of songs from Trey Anastasio’s college thesis. Over the years, I have revisited themes from these songs and incorporated them into a lot of my artwork.
“Esther Suite” 2003 linocut series
I first got into Phish in 2000, after which they promptly went on hiatus. Going off to college, I was able to acquire tapes and CDs of shows, met other fans, and set out to learn more about the band, the music, and the culture.
One thing I noticed about the music of Phish was how easy it was to visualize the lyrics into drawings. In 2003 I created a linocut series of block prints inspired by the song “Esther”, a Gamehendge-adjacent song. At the time, I was unaware that there was a whole scene of artists creating work inspired by Phish; I just felt the song worked great as a series of prints!
“Gamehendge Suite” 2013
Once Phish reunited in 2009, I was regularly going to shows but wasn’t really creating too much artwork inspired by them. By 2012 I was making spray-painted canvas panels of antelope crossing signs that I would sell while walking around the lots before shows. In 2013 I decided to begin illustrating Phish songs. Each painting was mixed media on 8.5×11 paper. I had intended to draw the rest of the songs in the same framed design, but never got a chance to finish them.
“The Man Who Stepped into Yesterday” 2014
In 2014 I began working on a lot more Phish-inspired art, which led to several art commissions. One of these was to create a portfolio of illustrations of all the Gamehendge songs. This consisted of the 9 songs from “The Man Who Stepped into Yesterday” and additional songs that are related to the Gamehendge saga. I ended up creating 12+ ink and watercolor paintings for this series. I would end up using these paintings in my illustrated setlists, which I had begun doing that same year.
Tales from the Land of Gamehendge 2014
2015 Summer Tour Setlist Headers
In 2015 I focused mainly on my illustrated setlists, which had gained traction shortly after being introduced the year before. I started doing more of them with physical ink and watercolor, with the previous year’s setlist art being mainly ink drawings that were digitally colored. For that year’s summer tour setlist art, I decided to create the headers as illustrations inspired by Gamehendge songs. They were challenging to create, but a lot of fun figuring out how to approach the songs in a different way than I had done previously.
Thrilling, Chilling, Summer Tour 2018
In 2018 I created a series of show prints inspired by vintage monster movie posters. I ended up creating 17 posters for the summer, fall, and NYE runs, and of course, had to incorporate some Gamehendge characters in a few!
Dürer inspired series 2019
In 2019 I returned to my love of block printing. For the Phish runs that year I created a series of 11×14 block prints inspired by the work of Albrecht Dürer. 15 show prints were created in total, with a few Gamehendge characters tossed in.
2022 Tour Prints
In 2022, concert tickets went digital, which meant that there were no more Phish Tickets by Mail (PTBMs). The beauty of these tickets was that they featured cool art and looked way better in a fan’s ticket stub collection than a boring Ticketmaster ticket stub. A casual mention from my wife resulted in me creating my own ticket stubs modeled after PTBMs! The art for these stubs was inspired by the venue location and Phish songs. Each illustration I created was designed to create a larger image when the stubs were lined up vertically.
Most prints are available in my shop, although some older work may no longer be available. Joseeen.etsy.com
I had stopped creating my setlist art last year to focus on my ticket stubs, but when Phish played Gamehendge for the first time since 1994, I felt I had no choice but to create one for this historic show!
Tube contained teases of the theme to The Mary Tyler Moore Show. Harpua was unfinished. During the Harpua narration, Trey talked about some of the Harpuas and Phish shows at Madison Square Garden of the past 40 years, a bed appeared from beneath the front of the stage, with an actor playing Jimmy and a puppet version of Poster Nutbag. Trey interrupted the song before the “I want a dog” lyric. Trey said Jimmy had lacked a strong female influence over the years, and introduced actress Annie Golden as Jimmy’s grandmother. While consoling Jimmy, she told him it was time to tell the truth about the owner of Harpua. After telling Jimmy that the old man had given the puppet to Esther and helped Reba make liquid meat, a book was brought, and a glowing rhombus rose to frame the entire stage. The band then began the first performance of the Gamehendge saga since July 8, 1994, with Golden and Trey providing the narration and performers acting out the parts of Colonel Forbin, Rutherford, the AC/DC Bag, Tela, Errand Wolfe (later billed in post-show credits as “The Wolf”), and the Sloth. The Man Who Stepped Into Yesterday, The Lizards, Tela, Wilson, Divided Sky, Colonel Forbin’s Ascent, and Fly Famous Mockingbird featured an off-stage backing chorus. The multi-beast and McGrupp were also performed by puppets. Tela performed acrobatics on wires during her song, with Jo Lampert (as the Wolf) providing additional vocals during Wilson. The Sloth’s lyrics were changed to “I’m squeezing that Charmin. Thank you, Mr. Whipple. I’m still squeezing that Charmin. Thank you, Mr. Whipple.” Colonel Forbin ascended the rhombus during Colonel Forbin’s Ascent (which had lyrics changed to “weary body”), and a large Famous Mockingbird puppet (with a top hat) flew over the crowd during Fly Famous Mockingbird, which also featured Annie Golden on additional vocals. Before Melt, Trey asked Jimmy’s grandmother if she knew that the mountain was a volcano, and the Lizards reappeared to dance to the ensuing Melt jam, eventually leaving the stage one by one as the rhombus was lowered again.
PhanArt YEMSG takes place this Saturday at Hill Country Barbeque! I will be there with over 20 other artists selling music-inspired art, clothing, collectibles, and more. The show is free and takes place from 1pm-6pm and takes place only blocks from MSG.
I wanted to share what I will have available at PhanArt since I will only have certain items available. I will also have a set of mini-prints that will only be available at the show!
PhanArt Exclusive!
These prints are 6×9, signed and numbered, limited to an edition of 15 each.
Stickers!
I’ll have a bunch of stickers, including some new designs. I’ll also have discounts on multiples!
Ticket Stubs!
I’ll have stubs for the MSG run and fall, summer, and spring tour tickets. I’ll also have 2022 ticket stubs with me!
Read the book!
Want to see what I have available? Ask to read the (look) book! I’ve created a book that allows you to see all of the stubs I’ve created and will have available. Check out a digital version here: https://imgur.com/a/dG0qLig
Purchase your stubs with minimal interaction!
If you plan to order a large amount of stubs, I’ve got you covered! Ask for a checklist so you can mark the shows you want and just hand it to us to order! You can also download your own checklist and fill it out beforehand. We also offer discounts when ordering large quantities.
I’ll also have some postcards for a dollar, or free when you spend $20 or more!
Old habits die hard! Creating ticket stubs has taken up most of my time this year, forcing me to set aside the setlist art this year. While I still create them via commissions, I couldn’t help but create the MSG NYE Run setlists! These will be a smaller edition (only 25!) but are also available as digital downloads.
Fluffhead was unfinished. Trey teased Dave’s Energy Guide in Bathtub Gin. This show featured the Phish debut of hey stranger. Trey teased Heartbreaker in Ruby Waves.
Trey teased Super Bad in Weekapaug. The second setbreak music was comprised of songs referencing past Phish New Year’s Eve gags. Before the third set began, a barbershop quartet appeared with a singing telegram for Phish. The telegram said that at the stroke of midnight, it would be 40 years for Phish and to make a wish. Trey wished he had a time machine so they could do it all again. A cube descended from overhead and a time machine was revealed near Mike. The quartet activated the time machine and the cube played audio and video from past years of Phish. Dancers from various past new year’s gags appeared on stage as well as a wombat (from October 31, 2013). The wombat broke the time machine and Ghost began with dancers and characters (like Father Time from December 31, 1999, and the Famous Mockingbird from December 31, 1992) continuing to appear from the band’s past performances. Ghost featured Meatstick lyrics sung by the band as well as by dancers in different languages in a nod to December 31, 2010. The first Bohemian Rhapsody since December 31, 1996 (850 shows) featured the Late Show Gospel Choir singing on risers behind the band and Ghost quotes from Page and the choir with subsequent lyrics changed to reference Ghost. The first Jungle Boogie since December 31, 2003 (544 shows) featured the BD Entertainment Marching Band along with the choir. The marching band and choir were also featured in Wilson where a platform above Trey that had appeared for the entire New Year’s run descended and the clone that had been lying on the platform rose and was revealed to be a Tom Hanks actor from Castaway. Inflated Wilson volleyballs were then tossed into the crowd. During Auld Lang Syne, Phish briefly stopped playing and ate cake in front of the stage while the marching band and choir continued to perform. Carini featured several dancers in “naked dude” costumes emerging from a birthday cake in front of the stage and dancing and running around with security trying to catch them. The Theme from New York, New York was performed for the first time since December 31, 1997 (772 shows) and featured the naked dude dancers performing a kickline in front of the stage while adding vocals and Trey changing the lyrics to “if I could be naked there.” Piper contained Crosseyed quotes. During Tweezer Reprise, the wombat ran and danced across the stage. The post-show music was Goodbye Yellow Brick Road, which was a nod to Phish playing their 72nd show at Madison Square Garden, tying Elton John.
My final block print of 2019, created for Phish’s NYE run. The 14th in my yearlong series inspired by the work of Albrecht Dürer. This print was inspired by part of “The Tapestry of Michelfeld” (date ND) and includes several birds found in Phish songs, as well as Trey’s dog Marley. As I researched the image, I found it interesting that it was actually based off a tapestry made about a 100 years prior, this being a recreation of it. Prints are currently available in my shop.
It’s been quite a year working on all these block prints! I didn’t expect that it would take nearly all my free time, but it was a fun experience. For those asking, yes there will be a Dick’s Run linocut, hopefully before the end of the month. I had opted to not make one at the time, mainly since I was back at school teaching, and had too many other things on my plate.
As for what 2020 brings, I’m still not sure. A new year will bring a new theme and possible medium for my Phish prints, although I see myself going back to printmaking for some song illustrations or Grateful Dead inspired work.
Albrecht Dürer -“The Tapestry of Michelfeld” (date ND)
This show was webcast via Live Phish and featured the debut of Evening Song and the Phish debut of 20-20 Vision. Trey teased Shade in Ghost. Dog Faced Boy was performed for the first time since October 24, 2016 (114 shows). Say It To Me S.A.N.T.O.S. contained Martian Monster quotes. Set Your Soul Free included an On Broadway jam. Trey teased and quoted Set Your Soul Free in Gotta Jibboo. Trey and Fish quoted Guy Forget at the end of Drowned. Chalk Dust Torture Reprise was played with Ass Handed lyrics and contained Guy Forget quotes. In Character Zero, Fish changed the “waste the day” lyric to “Guy Forget.”
This show was webcast via Live Phish. Beauty of a Broken Heart was played for the first time since December 29, 2016 (103 shows). My Friend My My Friend didn’t contain the “Myfe” ending. While My Guitar Gently Weeps was played for the first time since October 23, 2013 (234 shows). Trey teased No Men In No Man’s Land in Back on the Train. Trey teased If I Only Had a Brain in Bathtub Gin.
This show was webcast via LivePhish. The Ballad of Curtis Loew was played for the first time since October 16, 2016 (121 shows). The first Tweezer ended with a Let’s Go Blue jam and was followed by banter in which Trey talked about being repeatedly hit in the head with a pan and screaming on December 30, 1994 (the night of Phish’s first show at Madison Square Garden. This story was accompanied by sound effects by Fish and Page.
Axilla featured the Axilla II ending and was followed by banter from all four band members continuing the pan story from the previous night’s show and ending with a mention of pan flute extraordinaire Zamfir. Richard Glasgow (a.k.a. Dickie Scotland) then came onstage appearing as Zamfir, holding both a pan flute and a pan. The third set opened with the Phish debut of Send in the Clowns, sung a cappella and with lyrics changed to Send in the Clones. For First Tube through Tweezer Reprise, each band member performed on separate moving platforms hoisted above the stage as dancers dressed as their clones performed onstage and provided additional vocals throughout the set and encore. Trey’s platform became stuck for the majority of the set and he had to be rescued after Tweezer Reprise. Given that the band (Trey) could not leave the stage after You Enjoy Myself, there was no encore break and Tweezer Reprise was announced as the start of the encore. Rescue Squad was performed Trey solo (singing and playing Fish’s drum set) while he was waiting to return to the stage.
Corinna was played for the first time since December 28, 2016 (68 shows). Party Time was performed in an atypical manner with the chorus being sung multiple times over the Wolfman’s Brother jam. Tweezer Reprise contained a Death Don’t Hurt Very Long quote.
Alumni Blues had changed lyrics referencing National Bacon Day. Glide II was last played on May 16, 1995 (872 shows). Trey teased Birthday in the first Weekepaug. This show featured the Phish debut of Bliss with Trey on acoustic guitar. Trey teased Crosseyed and Painless in No Men In No Man’s Land. Weekapaug Groove was unfinished. Cool Amber and Mercury and Cavern contained The Final Hurrah quotes.
Trey teased Auld Lang Syne In Antelope. Trey and Mike came out to start the third set dressed in metallic silver spacesuits. As Mercury progressed, acrobats appeared on stage in front of the band and were lifted up and down, each in their own (unbreakable) net. The midnight balloon drop consisted predominantly of silver balloons and streamers hung from the roof. During Say It To Me S.A.N.T.O.S., Trey and Mike were lifted up in the air (similar to the acrobats) while they performed the song and dancers appeared on stage with giant inflatable objects. DWD and Mercury were unfinished.
This show was webcast via Live Phish. Brother was last played June 17, 2012 (216 shows). Down With Disease was unfinished. Trey teased No Woman, No Cry in Farmhouse.
This show was webcast via Live Phish and featured the Phish debut of Soul Planet. During Soul Planet, the stage was transformed into a massive pirate ship with sails blown by fans, cannons blowing confetti, and a Phish ‘Jolly Roger’ flag. Fans were given bracelets that illuminated different colors depending on where seated during pirate ship sequence. All of the songs after Auld Lang Syne centered around a water theme. A Song I Heard the Ocean Sing contained Shipwreck quotes. Moma included an Auld Lang Syne tease.
What a run! I was lucky enough to attend 12/28, a last minute decision (like every MSG show I’ve attended), courtesy of my wife! Although we were in section 304, the view and sound were amazing!
This show was webcast via Live Phish. Lonesome Cowboy Bill was played for the first time since July 1, 2012 (177 shows). Corinna was played for the first time since August 8, 2012 (170 shows). Page teased The Little Drummer Boy in Golden Age. Trey teased The Line in Simple. The Tweezer Reprise Jam’s lyrics were changed to “Your trip is short.” Trey teased Tweezer Reprise at the end of the return to Martian Monster.
This show was webcast via Live Phish. Sweet Adeline was last played on Septembet 2, 2011 (200 shows). Peaches en Regalia was last played on August 28, 2012 (164 shows). Secret Smile was last played on July 26, 2013 (141 shows). Trey teased It’s Your Thing in 46 Days and Dave’s Energy Guide in Theme. DWD was unfinished. Trey teased WTU? in Fuego. Kung was last played on December 31, 2012 (156 shows), was performed over Twenty Years Later in the background, and was quoted in the return to Twenty Years Later.
This show was webcast via Live Phish. Carolina was last played on March 1, 2003 (378 shows). My Friend did not contain the “Myfe” ending. Sparks was last played on September 2, 2011 (201 shows). Mike teased Seven Below in Ghost. Party Time was played in unison with the jam out of Light and contained a Stash tease from Trey. Tweezer Reprise contained Martian Monster and Kung quotes.
This show was webcast via LivePhish. Don’t Bogart That Joint was last played on October 31, 2010 (238 shows). Twist contained Low Rider tease. Piper fetaured Trey on Marimba Lumina and Mike on keys. The third set and encore featured James Casey on saxophone, Natalie Cressman on trombone, Jennifer Hartswick on trumpet, Jeff Tanski on keys, and Andres Forero on percussion with Natalie and Jennifer adding vocals to Petrichor and No Men In No Man’s Land. Petrichor through Suzy featured dancers on stage. During Petrichor the dancers had umbrellas and water marbles fell from above. Auld Lang Syne was accompanied by recorded cat and dog noises as cat and dog balloons and raindrop-shaped stress ball fell from the ceiling.
Grab all four setlists at a discounted price! Or grab a mini-poster set of the run. I know wall space can be limited, so I’m offering mini posters (8.5×11) of the NYE Run. Even though they are half the size, there is no loss in detail, and this allows all the posters to be framed together, or displayed in document sized frames that will use up the space size of 2 regular posters!
Not just reading the book, 