(1) Madhuvan - 02/07/2025 vs. (2) Wysteria Lane - 09/30/2025

this madhuvan is almost as bad as FFFRRRIIIIIDAAAY PEEEETEEERR

who is that loser wtf man

in any normal year this wys would be a finalist but who knows with yall

all the love!

3 crowd roars is all i have to say 😤

@subtlejams... I've been trying to figure out what that guy is chanting at the beginning of the Milwaukee Madhuvan since February. It sounds like he keeps saying "Friday... Peter...", but I don't understand why (other than it was actually a Friday).

I don’t even know how this is a question - Madhuvan all the way!! I love a good wysteria like anyone else, but this one just falls flat. Madhuvan goes hard beginning to end!

Man, I seem to be on the wrong side of a lot of these...and this is no different. Wysteria just does it for me while Mad doesn't. Both great and yeah, this has been a fun exercise...so many jams I probably would not have even listened to, and it's such a great primer for 2026! April can't come soon enough!

Really appreciate what @teddeadjed wrote about the tournament and the extra listens we get on things we may have otherwise put in the rear-view too quickly.

Such a classic Goose jam matchup. Elite AF, I'm just happy to be here weighing in. Gave both a few listens today and ultimately pulled the trigger for a Wysteria at the end of the day offered more of the variety I look for in a "complete" jam than this scorching Madhuvan.

I believe MKE Mad is top 5 all time Mad, I just like to see a more variety in a "JOTY" jam vs what MKE Mad is offering.. incredibly awesome to witness, goedde lights helping guide our way through deep forest portals... pure abundant wood dragon frost moon energy, if you believe in that sort of thing! I take it everyone who still misses Ben Atkind on drums prefers the Madhuvan, it just feels like it should be up against Philly Tumble for 2024 JOTY rather than going thru to 2025 Final Four, hopefully against SF Dustin.

Wysteria is likely leaving this tournament tomorrow at noon, but I'm stoked this tournament got a few more listens out of me than my ADHD brain might have done on my own. It simply doesnt just go from dark to bliss, each band member has shining examples of improv, listening and interplay that flows through each movement within the jam. Cotter's listening and tempo mastery is 2nd to Fishman. I made a sticker after Spokane of Cotter riding a whale jumping out of Spokane Falls, with the words MOBY DICK at the bottom. I tossed a few of them on stage 6/19 and after the run, Cotter msged me he got one after I told him to look for it. He's our Moby Dick yall, the white whale Goose was searching for.

I love the dark jam in the middle of Wysteria, and the stuff at the end features some beautiful guitar work. That said, the last six or so minutes of Madhuvan is some of the greatest live rock and roll I've ever heard. Even my brother who has been a punk rocker since the 80s and won't usually listen to anything more than about three minutes long likes this Madhuvan.

Side note/question: Anyone know wtf the guy in the crowd is chanting at the beginning of the MKE Madh? Def not in my top-5 COTY.

Best Madhuvan of 2025. Come at me.

Still reeling from the loss of the GR Madhuvan.... sigh. MKE Madhuvan isn't as good as it, but it sure is better than this Wysteria Lane. The climax is just too slow and plodding for me. Kind of makes me roll my eyes a bit. I still see it's merit as an outstanding jam, but I'll take the Madhuvan over it anyday.

Similar jams. Both dark driven jams.
What separates them for me is the last 6 minutes of each.
Madhuvan drives hard til the end.
Wysteria doesn’t. Goes soft and cheerful.
Can’t have that. Must vote Madhuvan.

I really like everything about this Wysteria but I'm not sure I absolutely love anything about it. It's one that started very high on my playlist after it happened and slowly worked it's way down the list, ultimately settling at #13. A great jam within what is historically a great jam vehicle, but one that has unfortunately fallen mostly out of favor. It has several cool sections, but I don't feel like any of them in isolation are JOTY-worthy. The whole is definitely greater than the sum of the parts, as is this case with most great jams, but not enough to overtake this powerful freight train of a Madhuvan for me.

Such a close matchup here. Wysteria Lane does more quantity, it weaves through multiple sections and provides meaningful improv down to the last second. This Madhuvan has more quality, it’s a full band masterpiece where the band plays one of their strongest and cohesive dark buildups yet. After tough deciding, I’m going against my rankings and picking this Wysteria. I really value its ability to bring meaningful improv through every moment, and it feels a little more unique and efficient than this Madhuvan.

#2 v #6 overall for me. I listened to them today and I felt good about those ranks.

Def understand why so many like Wysteria. I do think that so many Wysterias, as the Formula Creator said, that were ripcorded might be fluffing up votes though. Couple that with Madhuvan fatigue and it will be a close race, even if it shouldn't.

On Wisconsin

Wysteria for me. It's been one of my faves since it was played and one of best versions in a long time.

It has all elements to be JOTY - love the peak.

Madhuvan is excellent. I think it's a toss-up, but i'm not voting for a jam to win that's an inferior version of
the same jam that lost yesterday

Apologies to everyone for acting out and using this platform as a way to make nebulous political points and subtweets that have nothing to do with JOTY, and that very few care about or are even aware of.

If i'm going to make the case that we need to be moral actors at shows, it's kind of a self-own that I conduct myself this way. Disrespectful to AAT as well.

This was written solely by me. Goose Inc had no role ;)

Matt.

I feel like the underdogs have been getting more of the later votes. This one could be a photo finish!

I struggled today, after ranking Madh at 2 and Wys at 5 in my 1-64. On relisten, they both definitely deserve to be in my top 5 and the tournament’s top 8. I’d like to see both in the F4, but, alas, here we are.

At some point (probably around the E8), we reach the "objectively" great stage, and the differences end up being stylistic and subjective. And that's where I struggled today. This Madh does what the best ones do: It takes you on a darker odyssey that, even with its formulaic mid-song breakdown, stays cohesive and engaging ultimately resolving into an impressive peak. And this Wys takes you on a more open-ended two-phase trip, landing into a gorgeously satisfying bliss section. Not quite the shivers-down-the-spine stuff of Portland or Fiddlers 24, but good stuff — especially in a year that saw so many Wyses neutered through unfortunate ripcords.

Ultimately, I went with Madh. It just felt more compelling in the end. And, at some point, as vague as that may be, you just need some way to make a decision.

PREDICTION: Neither of these wins the championship.

These are both great jams. I went Mad but mostly just want to appreciate captain 's shout out of the MKE Red Bird

I like things about this Madhuvan more than the one from Grand Rapids, and I like things about the one from Grand Rapids more than this one. In all honesty… they're similar and fantastic. FRIDAY… PETER!

That said, I had this Wysteria ranked as number three in my picks, so it's getting my vote here. Listen for the little nod to “In Memory of Elizabeth Reed” (right around the 5:00 mark) before they take things to that place where the nightmares and terror sweats reside.

as if the absurdity hasnt already taken over - we likely get to see the joty wysteria fade out to another trainwreck jam

Preach Los Feliz Ghost!

Madhuvan all the way, although this matchup feels like a proper elite 8 matchup, as both of these jams are elite. This Wysteria doesn't quit and is one of Goose's best "dark-to-light" jams. But this Madhuvan is like borderline Mt. Rushmore for Goose. The last 5 minutes or so might be the most raw power they've ever channeled in a jam. Viking metal stuff.

This is an easy madhuvan for me. It took me a little bit to fully appreciate this wysteria, but I finally did last round. Still, this madhuvan wins for me here. It was my number 1 for most of the year and ended as my #2. As I stated in a previous round, it makes me feel like I can bash my head through a brick wall every time I listen to it. Could be the true JOTY!!

I had a beer thrown on me from the balcony during the peak of this Madhuvan. Makes you think, no?

Wow what a tough matchup, one one side we have the MKE Madhuvan which takes a minute to get going but once Trevor leads the band out of the eerie space into this metal driving groove then the explosion peak at the end has an intensity that makes you want to run through a wall.

The Wysteria is incredibly efficient, it dives into a psychedelic evil space immediately and explores that space well before doing a hard pivot into the bliss territory and concludes with a very excellent bliss jam.

Madhuvan was my #2 jam of the year and Wysteria was my #8 jam. This Wysteria has grown on me the more I listen to it and I am strongly considering voting for it.

Since 2/15 Madhuvan lost (this one might be better, I had it slightly above the 2/15 in my rankings but it flips) but I'm angry and not only is my attendance bias flaring, but so is my birthday show bias. Fully sending these Wysteria now.

Down with madhuvan!

Will pile on Seekers_pt_Duece’s post below, I was also in attendance in Milwaukee (yes attendance bias, and frankly Madhuvan bias as my handle suggests. No fatigue here)and agree with all the superlatives noted already. Incredible, cohesive and so POWERFUL live, although the nugs board does capture the progressions and crowd energy well. The dark, rhythmic build (hat tip to handini drone) perfectly explodes into the relentless multiple peak tempo to the finish. Cotter is insane setting pace here.

As an aside, the gentleman in the nugs recording shouting at Peter to start the set please stand up

While this mad is amazing and has some solid peaks, this wyst feels so magical to me, it really takes you down Wysteria lane. The band traveled to so many different places here while still keeping it cohesive.

CBus Wysteria is my #5 and I've been saying since before the voting started that I would be perfectly happy with any of my top 5 being crowned JOTY. The gap in quality between them all is fairly marginal.

But MKE Madh is a perfectly conducted stunner with what might just be the strongest and most outrageous sustained peak of the year. It is my #3 and 3 deserves to move on over 5. It is simple math.

Shout out the amazing attached MKE Red Bird. Gone but not forgotten.

February Supremacy continues!

This should literally be the championship and somehow these two gotten the same region. Gotta vote Wysteria for my bliss JOTY

In a blind taste test, 10/10 dentists agree this madhuvan is JOTY of the year

Cmon now…

This Wysteria is amazing. And I’ve appreciated it the more I’ve listened. It’s got all the elements and the special sauce. Best Wys… well, in a long time! But, sorry, this Madhuvan is a mythical beast that rose up and absolutely incinerated Milwaukee. It’s been my #1 all year and ultimately this is an easy call. But that Wys is still fantastic!

I was waiting for the Madhuvan v. Madhuvan final which would've made me come to a conclusion to a question that I have asked myself since last February- Which Madhuvan do I like more? With GR being eliminated, my soul will have no closure as I will never have to decide.
I love this Madhuvan. I don't even think I like this Wysteria.

I did a re-listen to the field of 16 and this Madhuvan really stood out. The WL is tremendous but the Madh gets my vote. The only remaining entry I might prefer over this is the SF Hoffman.

I expected this JOTY bracket to be the most unpredictable yet. It took a while, but the Sweet 16 forward has been delightfully dramatic. I'm keeping it going by voting Wysteria here. This is a rare case where I'm going against my own rankings, and it's because of repeated listens to the Wysteria. This was my favorite Madhuvan all year long and that remains true, but there's something about this Wysteria that leaves me concluding that it simply maximizes what it gets out of its 20 minutes better than even this epic Madhuvan gets out of its 21 minutes and change. I won't be surprised if the fanbase rejects the idea of a Madhuvan-free final four, but that's where I landed. Go Wysteria!

Momeja said it perfectly below - gave both of these another fresh listen on the commute today and I honestly forgot how good the 2/7 Madhuvan - was lucky enough to see it live and gave it a backseat for a while in the rotation queue. Easy vote for Madhuvan and look forward to it squaring off in the final matchup to decide the 2025 JOTY against the 2/8 EMG!

Wysteria is also great here too, but the crescendo / peak of this Madhuvan is a power surge of crowd energy that I've never seen live at any rock show before.

Wysteria is very good, amazing even, but this Madhuvan is one of the greatest and most thrilling goose adventures I’ve ever had, it goes everywhere but stays cohesive, and the crazy triple peaks at the end that just had everyone present almost falling over speaks louder and more clearly than I ever could, out of what is left, for me this Madhuvan remains the best of 2025 and therefore…ready to have my heart broken again

Wysteria is a monster jam and should take down this Madhuvan which isn’t even the best version of 2025.

The finest Madhu in all the land.

I'm worried that Madhuvan fatigue will cause people to vote against this truly outstanding jam. This Madhuvan has it all - darkness, movement, chills, intensity, peak, and all over great jamming from start to finish. I'm not usually a fan of dark jams but I never tire of replaying this one.

Went back & forth here…. Close, but Wysteria edges out for me.

I think I’m still crushed from one of the Madhuvans last year that didn’t advance. I don’t wanna get hurt again.

WYSTERIA (and it shouldn't be close tbh) no im not biased at all...

It took me about 5 listens over the course of the last couple months but I’ve gotten religion on this Wysteria. It’s fucking awesome. I legit had this Mad as my JOTY and now… I’m not sure what I’m gonna vote. Game time decision.

MKE Madhuvan is truly an incredible, top 5 of all time Madhuvan, but I rate it a bit lower than GR Mad and I’m suffering some Madhuvan fatigue… this Wysteria on the other hand checks most boxes for me for what I’m voting for this year’s JOTY and gets better with every listen