Not So Stupendous: Phish Postpone MSG run, Citing Omicron Concerns

Less than a week before they were slated to take the stage at Madison Square Garden, Phish announced today that due to the concerns over the wave of COVID-10 Omicron variant that is sweeping through New York City and elsewhere, the MSG shows will postpone to April, rather than being outright cancelled.

Phish MSG

Phish will honor all tickets for the December 29-January 1 shows at MSG on the rescheduled dates of April 20-23, marking the first time Phish has played New York City in April since 1994 at the Beacon Theatre. Get the Webcast here.

The band said in a statement:

With the Omicron variant of Covid-19 surging in New York City, we have made the very difficult decision to reschedule next week’s run of shows at Madison Square Garden.

The health and safety of Phish fans, our crew, and venue staff is paramount in our minds. While Phish has played shows this year as the pandemic has continued, this variant’s ability for rapid transmission is unprecedented.

We are also mindful that a significant number of people travel for these shows and then return to their communities, and we want to avoid accelerating transmission of the virus.

Finally, even with the strictest of tour Covid protocols, the prolonged exposure of a four-night indoor run (plus the days of preparation and travel) to critical crew and staff considerably increases the possibility of having to shut the shows down once they’ve started.

We’re fortunate to have found a four-night window in The Garden’s schedule, and the shows will now take place April 20-23, 2022, including a three-set show (as originally planned for New Year’s Eve) on April 22.

Ticket holders can request a refund anytime over the next 30 days, beginning today, if they cannot commit to the rescheduled show date. If a refund is not requested during the allotted time, tickets will be valid for the new show date. Please note: If you purchased from an authorized ticket sales channel (Ticketmaster, Phish Tickets, CID or venue website) these ticketing partners will be contacting all buyers shortly with further instructions.

Thank you all for your understanding. Stay healthy and safe, take care of each other out there and please get vaccinated and boosted if you haven’t already.

No word yet if Phish will stream archival shows in place of the anticipated New Years run at Madison Square Garden.

The April shows would mark the second ever ‘Island Run’ of shows, although unofficially so.

The rescheduled shows also mean that Phish will start the rescheduled dates on 4/20/22. Phish has not played on April 20 since 1994, so there’s that.

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