New York City, NY - Madison Square Garden
May 28th and 29th, 2024
New York City, NY
Madison Square Garden
Preface: Kermit the Frog, Happy Birthday to Tyler’s mom, and the Angel Band?! Madison Square Garden you’ve outdone yourself!
Us hanging out in Times Square
Show Notes: For the FIRST time in Stamp Tramp history: WE HAVE SEEN THE ANGEL BAND!
Starting backwards and going forwards, the night two setlist contain the song we knew we’d eventually see but didn’t know when: Angel Band.
What a gift of a song this is live! You can just feel the band and the rooms energy levels jump through the roof. It’s seriously like being in an old Baptist church as the preacher gives you some spirit!
Lets not forget that night one and night two both contained an unusual guest; Kermit the Frog. That’s right, the green Muppet himself!
While we can’t say this was on our bingo card it was a fun thing to see in person and certainly something we don’t expect to happen often - if ever again.
Night two also saw the addition of Blue Eyes Crying in the Rain to the acoustic set; something we haven’t seen happen since Red Rocks. This song is a lovely addition to any setlist as it slows things down more than some of the other acoustic songs and is very heartfelt when sung by Tyler.
Night two also had ‘Going Home’ on the setlist which had also not been seen by us since Red Rocks. Being transparent this isn’t a song we play often but it is a very good song live so anytime we get to see it live we’re grinning.
Aside from those things night two really didn’t have much of note in the setlist. It was similar to the setlist we’ve seen forming over the past shows and it’s an amazing setlist which doesn’t need much tweaking each night.
Night one on the other hand was much more similar to the same setlist we’ve been seeing save for Space and Time and Happy Birthday being sang to Tyler’s mom.
Kermit was also there on night one singing Lady May and Movin’ Right Along. A wholesome addition to the show each night it was fun to see this happen. We’re quite curious how this even began as a concept and hope to find out some day!
Night one was, in theory, supposed to be night two. The two original dates for the show were May 29th and 30th but since the NY Rangers made the playoffs the May 30th show was moved to the 28th. In the long run this actually helped us out because it gave us an extra day to make the trip to Orlando for our next show; but a lot of people were upset by this.
We try to be mindful that things happen and scheduling conflicts will always be a worry. We try to make the best of any changes that come our way and we hope everyone else involved was able to do the same.
Tyler Childers and the Food Stamps and Kermit the Frog
Venue Notes: Madison Square Garden is all it’s hyped up to be and more! As an avid sports fan Daniel was in disbelief of even being inside the venue.
It’s called the epicenter of sports for a reason and it’s high rise ceiling wide open concept make you feel like you’re way closer to the action than you might actually be.
Night one we were in the back left of the floor seats and night two we were side stage on the right side. Both areas had padded seats which were ultra comfortable and had great leg room.
The garden is designed to hold sporting events but they handle concerts perfectly! The sound and lights were perfect and there was no way to tell this wasn’t a venue designed for concerts.
Outside of the seating areas were plenty of food options and restrooms in the concourse area. The merch booths, along with everything else, were easy to find with ample signage.
Be aware that if you’re going to take the stairs to arrive at the venue it’s quite a lot of stairs. However, since most people opt for the elevators or escalators, this makes for a quick and easy exit!
Parking Notes: It’s NYC and parking is at a premium. We parked at a parking deck and bought our pass online.
We paid $50 and were about a half mile from the venue. We highly suggest checking online for these types of deals because there’s so many hidden gem parking areas in NYC we couldn’t even begin to scratch the surface.
We also use the term “deals” loosely as $50 is not really a deal as much as it’s the best parking price you’re going to find anywhere near Madison Square Garden.
Alas, we will say that you should research this closer to show time because certain events happening cause prices to increase and we couldn’t even rightly begin to tell you how to find the best parking to suit your own budget or style in NYC.
Travel Notes: New York City, Manhattan in particular, has always been a place we love. We always stay over the river in New Jersey and Uber into the city if we’re going to spend the day there. Or in this case we drove into the city because we knew we weren’t going to be able to Uber out quickly or cheaply.
Depending on what your plans are we’d suggest considering an Uber or train into town first and foremost.
In terms of travel notes and things to check out in the city: Be careful driving in downtown New York; it’s a whole different world there and takes a lot of attention to maneuver safely.
We stopped to check out Yankee Stadium which is in the Bronx because Daniel is a huge sports fan and had to cross it off his list. We also traveled down to the Bronx Zoo which is very famous and should be visited by everyone at least once!
Times Square is where we spent most of our time, visiting the famous and well known shops like M and M World and the Hard Rock Cafe. The Hard Rock Cafe isn’t anything amazing food wise but it’s an amazing atmosphere and something you should check out before a show to get your amped up!
Food wise we suggest just walking down the street until you find a local vendor who has something you like! We found a noodle shop less than a half mile from the Garden and had some of the best noodles we’d ever eaten while sitting facing a side street, sliding garage door open, and thousands of people walking past us.
You literally can’t imagine NYC if you’ve never been. Please go if you haven’t gone before!
Photos Night 1 · Poster Night 1
Photos Night 2 · Poster Night 2