50. “Auld Lang Syne” > Balloon Bombardment > “DWD”

Midnight on New Year’s Eve is fast approaching, and somewhere deep in a jam we are brought back down to earth with a familiar countdown. “10...9...8...7...6...5...4...3...2...1...Happy New Year!” The familiar notes of Robert Burns’ timeless “Auld Lang Syne” (“ALS”) ring out from Trey’s guitar, and everyone in the venue turns to their neighbors to share hugs, high fives, cheers, and, for some, a midnight kiss.

Thousands of balloons of every size and color descend from overhead, and moments of intertwined joy, reflection, and musical anticipation ensue. A low rumble begins to emanate from Mike’s bass guitar, and that can only mean one thing. We are kicking off the New Year with another raucous rendition of “Down with Disease” (“DWD”).

The band buried alive after it rained cats and dogs on NYE 2016. (Jason Gershuny)

One experience every Phish fan should have during his or her lifetime is the pure joy of celebrating the first seconds of the New Year on the floor when thousands of balloons rain down, while the anthemic “DWD” guitar riff shreds your consciousness. Seeing an “ALS” > “DWD” New Year’s Eve celebration is a Phish rite of passage that should not be missed.

This pairing is never guaranteed, but ever since “DWD” was debuted in jam form on December 31, 1993, Phish has used this combination to ring in a New Year five times—1993, 1996, 1999, 2009, and 2011. In comparison, during those same 17 total New Year’s Eve shows, no other song was played directly after “Auld Lang Syne” more than once.

Trey often spends much of “DWD” as designated balloon popper, and he seems to relish that role. Tapers, on the other hand, are often seen scrambling to protect their gear from the tremendous, rubberized flying projectiles.

New Year’s Eve with Phish…. A sight to behold! (Stephen Olker)

This clearly is one of Phish’s favorite ways to ring in the New Year. A particularly notable version is 1999 Big Cypress, where instead of the typical indoor balloon drop we had a tremendous fireworks spectacular for the ages.

A couple of other New Year’s Eve “Down with Disease” performances worth noting are a fiery original debut of the “DWD” jam in 1993 at Worcester Centrum Center, and the all-time (see chapter 41) largest balloon drop attempt at the Boston Garden in 1996 (see chapter 63).

So if you ever have the opportunity to see Phish on NYE, make sure you find your way to the floor and prepare yourself for an epic latex bass bombardment like none other.