this is a damn good show, from start to finish. i have friends that claim this as their all time favorite show. personally, it's not even my favorite of the tour. in fact, i think the best single set they played on this week was the second set the night before at auburn hills. also, i'm too much in love with the rochesters 2nd set, the 1st night of worcester, and the aformentioned auburn hills show for this to even be my favorite of the tour. none the less, this still an absolutely rediculous show in a tour full of stacked shows.

the ac/dc bag>psycho killer opener really sets the tone. they explore some nice dark realms in this sequence. very nice jamming here. jesus left chicago is inspired and it keeps that darker vibe going. mmgamoio lightens the mood before a very deep ice/swept/steep/ice sequence keeps the crowd guessing. theme is nice, but it leads one to believe this set may be stabilizing a bit. that, of course, is not the case. they lay down a nice rowdy, funky tube. the middle section is nice, but the real magic comes in the extended jam on the back section. this is a nice impromptu funk jam that eventually fizzles into a very nice slave set closer.

timber ho! is one of my all time favorite phish set openers, and this one does not disappoint. in the year of the wolfman's brother, this one stands out as one of the better domestic wolfman's. plus, it goes nicely into the first boogie on since the 80's. while, this seque sounds relatively standard now, it was blowing minds in '97. keep in mind, this song had not been played since '88. out of boogie on,they pop right into a very nice reba. reba was played very nice and tight, along with the slamming guyute. finally, the cut loose on a very uppity and rowdy possum, closing this very fine show it in fine form. aditl is a nice appropriate encore.

this is a very good show, with not one dull moment. although, i don't think it fully displays phish's musical prowess in '97, it is a very nice tip of the ice berg. you really can't argue with a show with a boogie on and psycho killer break out. of course, phish would begin to work boogie on into the rotation over the next couple of years. it would take quite a bit longer for psycho killer to pop back up. a great set list and stellar playing makes this one a keeper. just don't think this is the best '97 has to offer; competition is tough in '97.

highlights:
set 1:
bag>psycho killer, tube>jam>slave

sete 2:
timber, wolf>boogie>reba