my first phish show

I feel that this show gets overshadowed a bit by the terrapin station at virginia beach the next night, but this show is one of my favorites from '98. it has great flow, the playing is amazing, and this show has no shortage of rarities and treats.

the wedge is a really nice summer time/chill opener. it is well played here and the nicu afterwards works well too. then they go into a really nice first set sneaking sally. it is not the most jammed out version you will hear, but it's still a winner. the guyute that follows smokes. they really nail this one. as they bring back home, trey sounds particularly evil. fikus and farmhouse provide everyone with a quick breather but a rocking possum and a bonus sweet jane send everyone into set break all smiles.

i really like cavern as the opener. you don't see that one every day. also, it works really well before this very exploratory 2001. this one is a nice long funk exploration. page is really good in here. i would say this is a contneder for top 3 of the year. it doesn't hold a candle to 12/29, but hey, what does? they sneak in a surprise tela before slipping into a very strong piper. this one is a barn burner. in fact, at this point in time, i would say it's the best they'd played this song. trey is smoking. sexual healing and all that is pretty funny, before a very sharp hood closes down the set. then there is the encore. who saw this coming? phish nails sabotage to the wild excitement of the crowd. good call!

i just love the way this show flows. it is a great road trip play. if you don't have this one, get it! both sets are awesome.

highlights:

set 1:
the wedge, sneaking sally>guyute, sweet jane

set 2:
2001>tela>piper>sexual healing, sabotage

[Posted to rec.music.phish shortly after the show]

The traffic: Got up at 5 AM, took a dip in Jake's (of Steam Dream tape covers and stage banter fame) pool instead of a shower, and hit the road around 6.

The Garden State and NJ Turnpike had their moments of stop and go traffic, as always. Damn tolls! Amazingly enough, I got to see Bill (Fonefono) and Marie Marconi on the road. At first, I noticed someone trying to wave at me out of the corner of my eye. I looked away, not wanting to be begged for a miracle for the second time hours away from the venue. As we sped away from the car, I looked back and noticed it was Bill. I told Doug to slow down and Bill and I exchanged waves and I assumed that we would meet up at the show later, so we just drove at our own pace, and Bill at his. Unfortunately, I didn't find them at the show, but I know this isn't the last concert for either of us, so Bill, we'll meet again, I promise. Jake's roommate lives in MD about 25 minutes away from the venue, and we showed up there first, so getting to the show was no problem. We had to park across the street, but we took a cooler to the main lot and enjoyed the pre-show festivities.

The scene: Not that bad, IMO. I'm sure the trash the next day was terrible, but I didn't meet up with that part of the scene. We had a surplus of cheap beer (did anyone else notice that maryland has a terrible beer selection?) and sold it at discount rates. We got into the show kind of late and set up camp near the back of the lawn. I saw Jen Marshall and her boyfriend pre-show and also Devon and Scott, all of whom I had met at Providence.

I was hoping to meet more RMPers, but that will have to wait for the 'wheel. (And for those of you who are keeping score, I WILL be at the rmp gathering. Doug, Ann and I convinced Jake to bag work on Friday, so we'll be in Limestone bright and early).

The show:

SET I The drumbeat from THE WEDGE started it off a little bit after 8. It was very similar to the version at the Went. This song is a fun way to start off a show, but this version really wasn't anything special. Just the fact that it was my first live Phish since April was enough to make me love it. NICU came up next, again not venturing into new ground, but very tight. SNEAKING SALLY THROUGH THE ALLEY is definitely one of my my favorite cover songs, because they aren't content to just play it and leave it alone. While the jam wasn't as awe- inspiring as the one at MSG last December, it was the first display of the funk for the evening, and a damn good one at that. The jam slowed into some spacey noodling that led to the opening notes of GYUTE. This was one of the more tight versions of Gyute, with the only noticeable flubs coming from Page, and not Trey. Very dark for the first half of the final verse, as usual, and the triumphant second half of said verse makes for one of my favorite Phish moments. FICUS ("Waterfalls and yellow snakes") followed, and after hearing it for the second time after the webcast, I'll reiterate my belief that this song will be a cool one to hear on the new album. The vocal harmonies are intriguing, and there is a Swept Away style pre-echo of some of the lyrics. This version wasn't considerably different from what I heard on the webcast, except for a lot less static. This song is a short transitional song for the time being, with little room for improvisation. FARMHOUSE was a surprising choice after Ficus, as I expected that it was maybe time for a song with more jamming potential. Farmhouse is a fun song, but with a guitar solo similar in feel to the one in Sample, it doesn't move me too much. I do like the lyrics, however. "Each betrayal begins with trust." Indeed. POSSUM was a welcome choice after Ficus/ Farmhouse. The jam was nowhere near legendary, but rather a fairly typical Possum. This isn't to say I wasn't loving every minute of it and dancing, but I wasn't awestruck. After Possum a very familar guitar riff started up, and I recognized it as the Velvet Underground's SWEET JANE about ten seconds in. This I happily announced to my companions and everyone else in earshot as I enjoyed the vocal stylings of MC Neon Cellgap (Page, for those who don't do anagrams). This is a cover that I would LOVE to become a permanent part of their repitiore (sp?) and a great set closer. I was reminded of the great post a few months ago talking about VU's influence on Phish. Maybe they DO get some ideas from the net. The total time of an hour left me wanting more, but I figured they would make up for it in the second set...

SET II CAVERN started the second set off, this version being about the same as always, without the screaming guitar at the end of some of the lyrics. 2001 was much more to my liking, but it was certainly not an epic 2001 by any means. There was some great funk in there, but it didn't come close to the great jams of the past (MSG for example). TELA followed, and as my first Tela, I was very excited to hear it. Phish doesn't play enough of the old-school ballads anymore IMHO, like FEFY and Tela. I must confess, though, that I've always liked the original version with the fast "Tela was born in a vulgar crooked hut..." section better than the straight-up ballad, but as a new song to me, I was happy. The end of Tela devolved into near silence, from which the opening to PIPER appeared. I have to say, until this show, I've been unimpressed with Piper. The tension and relaese of it just seems so contrived, not natural like in Hood. It's almost as if Trey said, "I'm going to write a song that's ALL tension and release, just to blow the stoner's minds." But THIS Piper was different. Sure, the buildup to the lyrics was fairly typical (and very enjoyable, if I let go of the feeling that my emotions were being toyed with by the band). But AFTER the lyrics, that is where the fun began. This was the only Type II jamming I've heard from a Piper, and the melody that was improvised was truly moving. The hose was spraying left and right, let me tell you, and if they do this with all Pipers from now on, consider me a convert. SEXUAL HEALING brought us all down from the musical high of Piper, and it marked a welcome return of Bob Weaver (or whatever Trey called Fishman). It had people laughing out loud. Watching Fishman's dance on this song was definitely one of the highlights of the show. His easy sway lulls you into a sense of true calm that makes you feel like you just had some Sexual Healing of your own. HARRY HOOD, which I hadn't really gotten into as of late (due to the spectacle of the glowsticks) got to me again and gave me IT. I looked on Ann's face and I could tell she got IT too, and it was a great moment even though neither of us said anything; we didn't have to.

Encore Listen all y'all it's a SABOTAGE! One of my favorite songs to get all riled up to, and there was Phish playing it! In true frat boy style, high tens were traded between Jake, Doug, and I. (Note for frat bashers: I am not in a frat. Note for frat boys: I don't have a problem with frats either.) I was amazed at what Trey did to his voice for this song. I just hope he didn't injure it permanently! An amazing high note to leave the show on, and it was definitely the talk of the crowd as we left.

Springer's Final Thought: A bit short overall, the new covers were GREAT, Piper was amazing, I loved Hood, Ficus is going to make a great album cut, lots of standard songs that didn't do too much for me. On the Scott Jordan Concert Review Scale, where 5.0 is a typically great Phish show, I give this show a 4. I know it's low, and I'd appreciate arguments to the contrary.

[15 year anniversary edit: I have no idea why I gave this a 4. This show was really great and fun, had two awesome debuts and it was definitely above average. I'm keeping the original score there but if I were to re-rate it it would be a 6 at least!]

My clearest memory from this show has nothing to do with what Phish played.

We're on (Whats that road, 32?) sitting in traffic, with the woods to our right. We suddenly hear the first notes of Wolfman's Brother chiming through the woods. We- in all our 17 year old glory- look at each other, whip the Jeep to the side and pull up on the very tip of a grassy median seperating north & southbound lanes. With ass and nose of the jeep just hanging off into the little one foot mini-shoulder on either side.

We run into the woods and the music becomes murkier, our friend Julie says she hears Horn but we're pretty sure it's still Wolfmans. We come out into the parking lot and.. There's a Ryder truck with a big speaker system. Playing Hoist. Julie looks at us and goes "Huh. I told you guys I heard horns!"

This is a really good show, but I'm pretty sure both sets are under an hour long. Sally->Guyute and Piper>Tela are the only parts to really write home about. And Sweet Jane, Sexual Healing and Sabotage were all a nice treat. The Hood was breathtaking at 17 years old but doesn't feel like a very above average version now. I like Fikus a whole lot. Always wished they would let it emerge from some creepy jam.

I've always wondered if the 100 minute first set at MPP 2000 (And if you want to hear a Guyute that gets REAL evil at the end..check that one out..I think it ends up being like 13-14 minutes with all the weird effects) was in some way a makeup for how short this show was.

Those helicopters were nuts. I was 10 feet from a horse cop that got hit by a bottle. Smart move, hippie. You singlehandedly ensured that this venue wouldn't be a fun time again until 2011. When they inexplicably relaxed big time. Cavity search? Hell, they didn't even check my ticket in 2011!

Maybe not too inexplicably though. Furthur was in Brooklyn and I didn't see a single dreadlock. How far we've come since my first trip to this strange venue that almost always generated cool ass shows.

18 years ago today, I saw my first Phish show at MPP - the "Sabotage show" as many refer to it now. What a time!

THE TRAFFIC: I don't ever remember more brutal traffic driving into Colombia. Not sure what it was all about but, man, it took forever to get those last few miles to the venue.

THE SHOW: Just listen to it. Awesome stuff. Solid Wedge opener. Nasty Sally. Excellent Piper. Sweet Jane (really wish they would play it more often). Fishman singing Sexual Healing. And, of course, the energy bomb, Sabotage -- still never seen that much energy at a show since, Phish or otherwise. What a way to end a show. Everyone was FIRED UP exiting the venue (screaming and high fives everywhere). No one expected that kind of finish.

THE SECURITY: Pretty sure you had to be a bald redneck with a goattee to work this show. They were brutal, angry, and ready to kick some concert goer ass. Really sad. We watched a poor kid who had passed out get carried out by two mongrels...one carrying his feet, the other his head. Kid comes to as they are carrying him out of the gig...starts squirming...then these pricks drop him on his head (on concrete no less). I can still hear his head hitting the ground. Lots of people were screaming at these security guards afterwards. Just brutal.

The back of the lawn has a little wooden fence that you can sit on (not sure if it's still there, I haven't been back). If you hop the fence, you hit a steep hill that goes down to a sidewalk that traverses the rear of the venue (you can't see the stage at all if you are walking on this sidewalk). My buddy had a medical issue mid-set, so we parked on this hill while our friend sough help. Our view as we sat on the hill was directly toward the hurricane fence marking the rear of the venue. The bald, goatted security guards were patrolling this fence like robot sentinels. As the two guards made their way closer to the sides of the venue (away from us on the hill, near the middle of the sidewalk), a group of 8 or so wooks come running out of the forrest, jump onto the hurricane fence (must've been 10 feet high), scale it, run up the hill we are on, and then disappear into the crowd. Hysterical. The redneck guards didn't have the speed or strength to follow suit. I don't like gate crashers or endorse that conduct; however, the cheers from the fans at they watched the angry guard's helpless efforts to catch the gate crashers was great.

OVERRALL: Super fun show albeit really short (just over two hours). Lots of fun covers and originals -all well executed. This show changed it all for me. Highly recommend giving this one a listen. Still shines 18 years later! Listen all of y'all....!

-John

(Posted 18 years later on 8/8/2016)

So listen up cuz you can't say nothin!!!

Show Rocked!

(Published in the second edition of The Phish Companion...)

Traffic can sometimes be okay. If you're travelling on the high of a great show the night before, and expectations are high, you won't even notice the clock ticking away. I must add though, once the clock starts reading 7:35 p.m. and you are still sitting on the highway not knowing how much further you have to go once you get off at your exit, it can be quite unpleasant. Such was the case on this very hot evening in the state of Maryland.
My last Phish show in Maryland (in December of ‘97) was, to put it bluntly, a personal disaster. I will not go into it here, but I wanted to redeem myself and enjoy this show. Plus, hearing about the venue itself, and some past Dead shows here, I was filled with anticipation bordering on extreme impatience. After sitting on the highway not moving for close to ninety minutes, my car began to move closer to the exit, and I was eventually off and directed to…nowhere! I figured out I was to find my own parking space, so after a few minutes, I made my way to a Sears parking lot and followed the herd. "The herd" is definitely what I felt like, as the crowds had to walk slowly through woods, up hills, down hills, through more woods, and eventually to a roped area that would be the entrance.
My first thought upon entering the venue was of a summer camp. There were trees all over the place, and behind the lawn you could hang out on the hill amid trees and people. There was a barn at the top of the lawn, at the sight of which I immediately called the first set “Farmhouse”.
“The Wedge” opened the show maybe ten minutes after I found an area on the lawn from which I could see the stage. This is the quintessential Phish opener to me, perhaps because of the perfect placement at the Great Went the previous summer. “NICU” followed, and as usual got the crowd smiling, always a pleasure to see this early in a first set. The first funk of the evening came next in the shape of “Sneakin' Sally Through the Alley”. This version, although not the longest, is worth hearing as there is some serious, thick funk being laid down. Very similar to the one on Long Island in the spring, except this one eventually made its way to “Guyute”. The “Sally” ended with Trey playing the muted counting he normally plays to kick off “Guyute”, except he had some heavy delay on his guitar and played it for a bit longer than normal. Rocking as usual. I was unfamiliar with the next song, and learned it was “Ficus” at set break. Although not my favorite song, it was a fine addition to the many personal debuts I got in ‘98. My predicted “Farmhouse” was next, and I enjoyed it amidst the trees and hot weather. This song is great in the summer for me for some reason. “Possum” followed and was rocking as usual. I thought the set would end, when the band started playing another unfamiliar song to me. As soon as Page started singing I realized it was “Sweet Jane”. Perhaps a Halloween tease? Whatever it was, I was happy with it as a set closer.
Setbreak seemed longer than normal, which gave me time to explore and try to find my friend, who I was supposed to meet at Will Call at 6 p.m.. This proved a bad idea amongst the thousands of fans, so I settled on the hill behind the lawn. A guy plopped down on his back directly in front of me, and proceeded to "pull a Jimi Hendrix" (vomit while lying on your back). This was my cue to get back on the lawn.
“Cavern” opened the second set in a similar fashion to the version on the Island Tour in the spring, with Trey starting it. I love this song but enjoy it better at the end of a set. “Also Sprach Zarathustra” followed (another prediction of mine, because of the venue) and was, as usual, funky, visually amazing, and all-around fun. Not as great on tape as some versions, but always welcome in my opinion. A beautiful “Tela” was next. After seeing “Forbin”->”Mockingbird” the night prior, this was another great addition to my summer.
Before this show, I still was not sold on “Piper”; it just seemed very loud and cacophonous to me. I will also admit I was not paying much attention during the composed part this particular evening. What eventually happened in the jam, though, blew me away. Pure jamming, my first "big jam" of the summer so far actually. Immediately following the composed section they start building and building until a bomb goes off, and some rocking Type I jamming. Eventually they lock down a heavy groove thing for a few minutes with Trey busting out some funky licks with his effect made famous in ‘97 (see jam before Great Went “Gin”). Fishman keeps it interesting on the ride cymbal as Trey starts playing some great melodies that Page picks up immediately. This fades out as Fishman comes out from behind his drum set for my first “Sexual Healing”. This is the perfect song for him, and to hear the band sing the backups is hilarious.
What better way to close a solid show than with “Harry Hood”? Call me crazy, but I was never that big a fan of this song, but I always enjoy it when I'm there, and it always seems to end a great show. It's just not my favorite, kill me. I think I enjoy the band/audience bliss during this song more than the actual song.
A glowstick war started, and as usual, seemed useless after the one that took place at the Great Went the summer before. I had no idea what the encore would be, and given the, quite frankly, bizarre covers debuted this summer, I was ready for anything. I was not ready for “Sabotage” by the Beastie Boys, though. I was very surprised, and even saw some people leaving! It was pretty funny to hear Trey screaming like a little kid. I'm a fan of the Beastie Boys, and I'm not sure what they would think of this, but it was definitely another surprise on what was a great Summer Tour.
Aside from the traffic and parking issues, this show had good song selection, a lot of covers, and a good vibe all around. Phish should make this a two-night Summer Tour venue.

Please livephish.com release this soon. . .this and a few others like Cypress obvious but i think u guys are waiting on the band or 1 member to die or something cuz of how epic that 1 was. . .so give us 1998 every show above 4.0 from 97 8 or 99 i love 99 better than some fans it was dark and the jams very weird . . .like a mix of the funk of 97 with the crazy spastic energy of 93 . . .makes for 99 glory!
So you can just release all shows from 97 to 2000 and id buy every single one of them. This show takes the cake in many ways. It is my favorite MPP show and that is a big statement. . .w 9-17-2000 The Mango and the Theme are off the charts cool and a WITH to follow a FLUFF w lots of PILLS!!! Good man charlie Brown
8-15-09 is the only MPP show that is just bad period. Str8 terrible! And of course i had to attend. The show before was so good that is was expected to have rare bustouts but not to be . . .TTE is just a bad song and to end a terribly played set made it even worse. . .listen to that FOAM! It is like Coventry it is played w zero focus and that is a hard song to play i get that so ok then dont play it play the easy cord songs if u guys are off . . .but they made me so sad that night. . .OH SWEET Garbage! It was nuthin alright and the only fun was the new Party Time. . .the crowd had more energy than the band. . .the hands moving back and forth like we already knew the song. . .it was wierd how the audience picked it up like it was an oldie but goodie . . .only highlight was that and a hardcore rockin 46 days w no coal. 8-16-15 reminded me of 8-15-09 in that it had an amazing night prior and kept expectations HIGH really HIGH and then a big letdown show the 8-16 was a great show overall but compared to the previous it was not even in the same ballpark and of course i had ticket to 16 instead of 15 picked the wrong night AGAIN LOL and they played Slave mid set one of my top ten BIGGEST PET PEAVES about the placement and circulation is that choice. It belongs set 2 closer and that is it period. Or set 1 closer never mid and never opener . . .and the only other acceptable slot. . .encore final encore not first encore of multiples. . .Like S Coil it must be the final song before band exits stage left
6-26 and 27-2010 i saw both and of course 27 is the show to be at. . .the Aeroplane cover was a great soft song cover i loved that and love when i dont know a song. . .i thought it was a new phish tune at the time. So pretty. . .
FEFU is one of my favs so that and the Stash was nice and RnRoll was great jam
But the 27 was up there w this one . . .it was epic! Walfredo. . .the Saw it Again running theme the theme of Fear and Loathing I mean come on. . .finally my favorite Rolling Stone song. . .i like E Rescue and I like Shine a Light but JJFlash is THE song for Acid heads like me . . .the Brian and Robert tease in Antelope was so wierd and cool . . .a slow song guitar cords in a fast song like Antelope the juxtaposition is great
The guitar solo in Mellow Mood is one of my all time favorites and up there w the IT version Tela YEM and Fire I mean WOW what a show, , ,it almost beats this one . . .almost
6-11 and 12-11 are good ones to skip over. . neither is worth a 2nd listen. I went to night 2 so i got a Steam and a Boogie On and i love those songs but they did not make up for mediocre. . .Even a Sanity 1st Tube encore which is a great energetic encore was not enough to make up for mediocre show
7-13-13 Nice strange setlist and very well played but not worth going into much
Best 2 nights TOTAL though cuz combined w 14 it is a stellar MPP sandwhich maybe the best of all MPP shows . . debatable at least. . .of course I missed both in rehab at the time . . .Simple and HHood were the clear winners N1 and night 2 the whole show was amazing but highlights for me . . .amazing set 1 and that is rarer than should be. . .it had as much energy as set 2 and the Its Ice was so good!! The Mule into It was the songs of the night for me Twist was too short but the whole 2nd set from Light to Loving Cup was out of this world. . .
The other clear contender for sandwich MPPs ever is 2014. 26 was amazing in its own right then 27. . .27 is best show ever behind 8-8 and 6-27-2010 8-12-18 and 8-15-2015 the other top 5
I mean Steam Mango Light Roggae, Carini, Ghost, Harry Hood Suzy Wombat Wolfmans those are all great songs just on their own. . .in 1 show that is such a good setlist. Only The Line buzz kill for me. . .i love the buildup at the end of that song but that is about it. . .like Friday, only the end of the song is tolerable.
Then the tornado that was N2 . . .watch this WEBCAST the guys I been around dancing around following each other on stage like a silly game of tag. . .you can tell these guys had fun in MD that night! Feeling the Jennifer Dances lol what a shitty song love it
2015 it was all N1! I of course had the N2 ticket which had a Slave and a YEM a cool Bowie and a too quick Sally but the Slave like i said wrong order and bad encore choice unless they play Backwards for 20 min i dont dig as an encore . . .just an ok night. . .Sleeping Monkey. . either play it or dont. . .Tease it like that is just mean and not fun . . its torture for someone who has yet to hear it FOR REAL live yet. . .Golgi didnt even make up for it
but backwards down the number line lets review 15 instead
Simple is a great opener always!!!!Mcgrupp love that Gamehendge semi rarity I actually come to think of it LOVE every song in the 1st set. Blaze on my least favorite and even that one has wings most nights Roggae was on fire as was the LbL and BBFCFM . . .only critique really would be Martian Monster woulda made more sense to preceed BBFCFM a MARS sandwich but either is fun so idc really
Horn is one of my top ten songs of all time MFMF Hood YEM Lizards Maze Timber Horn oh yes
I dont like Halleys unless a long version so that was my only complaint for the show i have heard it too many times too poppy and so it gets old like Heavy Things or Bouncing AtRoom . .. when u hear it seemingly every show
46 Days, Steam, What's the Use?, Steam, Piper wow what a cool set 2. . .Sleeping Monkey I agree w Page way way underrated as middle of the road song. . .as is that song lol called middle of the road
ok winding down to 2018 11 was a skip over show. . .seemed like a good show on paper minus the Joy B and Burning and Home Set 2 and encore look great on paper but did not translate well and they didnt jam well night 1
They saved their energy for night 2 The most recent show thanks to Rain. . .is top 6 of all MPP shows and it will hold up well. . .Gin Torture and the Piper . . .nice nice Piper i love Piper when they jam it well. . .really psychedelic and glow stick worthy
So now to the only ones better than 8-12 8-15 6-27 7-14 9-17 are the 5 contenders but they all lost the boxing match to 1998 . . .hard year to beat
FUNK is hard to top
Sally was played at the show i went to 8-16, but she really didnt Sneak on 16. She snuck and cheated her ass off on 8-8!! Guyute played to perfection. The Wedge very nice opener up there w Simple or Free as great openers
Farmhouse such a great pop song!!! so well played
Sweet Jane. The Velvet U I love u guys so much. . . I Found a Reason is one of my top 40 songs of all time Jane not far behind
2001 Piper and Hood were played to masterful jam perfection. . .Hood especially for me . . .slow crashendo is so purrty. . .maybe one of the only Sexual Healing " fishman tune" we will ever hear for he likes to change it to new ones over the yrs and never return to a previous often . . except love u or terrapin lol those are his go to's
And what better to end a show with if a cover than Fire by Hendrix a After Midnight if Clapton a While my guitar if the Beatles or Blackbird and if Beastie Boys . . .maybe only Intergallactic or Root Down would top it. . .all 3 are stellar

Much love from MD my home state. I live in OH now and cant wait till Phish comes back to Cleveland or Pittsburgh (cant say enuf about that Caspian yes better than Magnaball Tweezer Prince to me) Shoulda gone to Nutter and it but the Pittsburgh has held me over thus far . . .Marissa Mike play that again i love that Gordon tune play it w Phish i mean though
MPP is a cool crab venue . . .nice rock outcrops of trees and beer stands it is a fun time. . .Blossom is even nicer though and made entirely out of wood for greater acoustics than most any venue . . .cuz it was designed for the Cleveland Philharmonic Orchestra

Just some very quick notes:

Awesome rare wedge opener.
Sally gets super funky quick courtesy of Page & Mike.
Cool guitar strumming segue into Guyute.
Solid Possum.
Best Sweet Jane ever? Amazing vocals and playing.

Nice segue into 2001
Piper has an almost generic spacey groove but is still solid.
Top shelf fantastic Hood.

Epic single song encore.

Fantastic show. Love 1998 Phish.

August 8th, 1998 was the first night of a little Phish run I did with my good friend Jason. We had driven down from Ottawa in his 1993 Volkswagen Jetta, the back seat loaded to the roof with guitars, coolers, and camping gear. I remember the make and year of his car because at the time I had the exact same car in the exact same colour (black). Back then Jason and I lived across the street from each other and one morning I got in his car by mistake and almost drove it to work. That’s when we discovered that my key worked for his car and vice-versa, which came in very handy on this trip when Jason’s keys got locked in the car (twice).

Anyway, this show was in Baltimore (basically). It was my first (and to date only) time seeing a show at the rather impressive Merriweather Post Pavilion and I remember it well. The show had a lot of great jamming and a bunch of fun covers, like Sweet Jane and Sexual Healing. But the moment of the show for me, the very first thing I think of when I hear the word “Merriweather” (which admittedly isn’t too often) was the first nanosecond of the encore.

After closing the second set with Harry Hood (a personal fave) Phish came out for the encore all innocent and acting like they weren’t about to cover the best Beastie Boys song ever for the first time. Waving meekly at the crowd Trey strapped on his guitar and kicked into Sabotage and I swear to all that is holy, I was two feet off the ground before the second note was played.

And here’s the funny thing: I had never heard the song before.

All I knew was that I was hearing the greatest intro of all time and my body reacted with the speed and energy of a grasshopper on high alert. Then the scream came and I melted.

By this time the rest of the crowd had caught up with me and the band and we were all going completely ballistic. The place was raging above and beyond the energy of even the most oomphy Phish encore…heck, comparing it to any Phish encore I had seen before (or since, frankly) feels silly; this was a flat-out balls-to-the-wall musical force akin to Coltrane’s (or The Dead’s) wall of sound and it was astounding.

Best. Encore. Ever.

After the show Jason and I followed our map a long way down a country side road only to find that the State Park we were hoping to camp in had closed down. It was late and we were so far off the beaten path we decided to bunk down right there in the driveway of the shuttered park.

I suppose it was about 6am when the police knocked on the window. Without hardly a hello they got us up and out of the car and had Jason and I stand in the field across the road about a hundred feet from each other.

Can you believe they didn’t even bring us coffees?

Oh they searched and searched. Then they waited and waited while the K9 unit showed up, which took a while what with us being so far off down a country road. They finally showed up and the dog went through the car sniffing the prodigious amount of aromatic gear we had piled up in the back. He (or she – it was hard to tell) went around the whole car and checked everywhere except inside the trunk, which saved us a significant amount of time. I thought that was odd; I mean the guys (and their dog) were thorough. Eventually, almost reluctantly. the officers called us back over to our car.

Turns out the only thing the dog found was a bag of President’s Choice Decadent chocolate chip cookies, which he (she?) devoured. Apologizing about the cookies, the officers told us we were free to leave (they didn’t mention anything about us being free to go back to sleep) so we hopped into the car and attempted to speed off, only to instantly hear metallic banging and crashing behind the car.

I thought the trunk had fallen off or something, but in fact the cops had left our tin camping plates on the roof and they had fallen to the pavement as we pulled away. Jason jumped out to grab them (I was driving) and in doing so caught the top of his foot on a metal bracket under the dash that had formerly held a stereo EQ, cutting his foot quite badly.

Like a trouper he grabbed the plates and with a wave to the cops he hopped back in the car, put a napkin on his gushing wound and suggested I get us out of there. I did, we stopped at a 7-11 for coffees and Band-Aids and did the best we could do to stem the flow of Jason’s blood in the land of not-free health care. He certainly needed stitches, and he most certainly didn’t get them.

The Band-Aids worked about as well as the thin, tepid coffee did, but at least we got an early start on the day.

www.toddmanout.com

PHISH, SATURDAY 08/08/1998
MERRIWEATHER POST PAVILION
Columbia, MD
Soundcheck: If You Need a Fool, Shafty

SET 1:

The Wedge: Standard.

NICU: Standard.

Sneakin' Sally Through the Alley[1] - This version rules! Super funky and no silly vocal jam. This delivers the goods people. Although, I will say when Trey hits that loop with about 2.5 minutes left in this jam, it doesn’t sound very cohesive. One of the rare times that I would say a loop just didn’t work for me. This segues nicely into Guyute. Would highly recommend this Sally, forgot just how good it was. ->

Guyute: Standard.

Fikus:

Farmhouse: Standard.

Possum: Standard. >

Sweet Jane[2] - Super cool, the summer of covers tour rolls on. Foreshadowing of the upcoming Halloween show.

SET 2:

Cavern: 478 times played and only 4 times has it opened a second set: 4/28/1990, 8/8/1998, 12/4/2019, 8/2/2023 >

Also Sprach Zarathustra: Nice and funky, great placement. >

Tela: Standard, nice to see it again so soon after they busted it out at 7.28.98. >

Piper: Once the raging eases up, this one has a nice 3 or 4 minute funky section and then for the last 90 seconds or so Trey catches a cool them and rides that to the end. Would highly recommend this Piper.

Sexual Healing > Hold Your Head Up: Pure comedy.

Harry Hood: Great Hood, especially from Trey. He is all over this one. Fantastic!

ENCORE:

Sabotage[2] - Awesome, place must have spontaneously combusted.

Summary: While the show presented a strong performance, my personal assessment differs from the widespread acclaim it has received. While undoubtedly a great event, I would rate it 4/5. It seems there might be a degree of attendance bias influencing its memory and ratings.

Replay Value: Sneakin' Sally Through the Alley, Piper, Harry Hood

[1] No vocal jam.
[2] Phish debut.

Sneakin' Sally did not contain a vocal jam. This show marked the Phish debuts of Sweet Jane and Sabotage. The soundcheck's Shafty contained a Fire (Ohio Players) tease from Trey and Maze quotes from Trey and Fish sung to the tune of Shafty.

SHOW RATING
Ratings are currently offline.
Overall: 4.47/5 (>50 ratings)
JAM CHART VERSIONS
Sneakin' Sally Through the Alley, Also Sprach Zarathustra, Piper, Harry Hood

Very fun show from the Summer '98 tour. Though I've never been, I imagine there's a certain magic to Meriweather Post Pavilion (maybe that's influenced by the AnCo album...). The output here certainly makes it seem so. Overall, lots of fun covers, some great jamming, and a nice variety of originals. Definitely more than a couple tunes worth revisiting here.

Setlist Thoughts
- Love The Wedge into NICU as a show opener. Both are pretty straightforward, fun tunes that allow for plenty of singalong.
- Sally jam is real funky, and I love the plinky, staccato approach that Mike, Trey, and Page seem to agree on. Mike's bass effects are sweet. The funk siren out and -> a well-played Guyute is a great transition.
- The penultimate Fikus is shortlived, but very true to the studio track. It's a shame this one was never really jammed out, as I feel like there could be some really awesome experimental material stemming out of this. Alas.
- Farmhouse hit me harder than I expected. While I appreciate the sweet, quite ballad it's become in Phish's later years, this more energetic performance gripped me a bit tighter. Love the effects that Trey and Page are using on this one, and Trey's solo really helps define this version as a more powerful tune.
- Possum picks the energy back up after a couple sleepier tunes, and Trey is ripping all the way through as usual.
- Set 1 closes with the debut of Sweet Jane, a not-so-subtle hint to what fans could expect out of Halloween '98. This first performance picks up a ton of energy through Trey's solo, serving as a fun cap to a pretty tight first half.
- Set 2 picks up with a hearty dose of funk. Cavern brings the usual goods.
- After a long, cloudy, rumbling intro, I was expecting the band to drop into DwD. But as soon as Fish hit the beat, I realized the UFO was landing. Also Sprach gets the drawn-out treatment here, allowing for plenty of chilled out grooviness with Mike, Trey, and Page all trading the spotlight and meshing excellently together. The first melody line doesn't hit for several minutes, and then Mike employs some effects in the second jam that can be described only as sloppy. A great, laid back version with lots of funky sauce.
- Always love to see Tela on a setlist
- This is a sweet Piper. We get awesome, blazing fast peaks, crazy soloing from Trey, a sped-up funk break that lets Page freak on the keys, and a quiet, misty outro in halftime (plus some Sparks teases?)
- A Fish-led cover of Sexual Healing -> HYHU has made its way into a couple of '98 summer shows. A moment that's probably better experienced in person, but I can appreciate the goofiness.
- Harry Hood closes out Set 2 with a tremendously soulful jam. The intro section also features plenty of awesome moments from all members of the band. A great finish.
- Sabotage is unironically super hype and surprisingly true to the original. Trey crushes the vocals, and Mike's fuzz bass to bring the beat back in at the end hits super hard.