After seeing the 2 Gorge and Boise shows earlier this tour, I was hoping to finish out 1999 with one more epic Phish show (FYI, this is still the goal and it will never change). I'll never tire of re-listening to the 1999 tour and this show is right up there with the best of the year IMHO. The talk on the tiny lot scene pre-show was mostly about some terrible tour-rat fight that happened the previous evening in Tucson. Not sure what went down, but people were definitely on edge and eager to get back to what's most important, Phish!!!! Standing in line at will-call, several people asked me if I had seen Mike earlier in a golf cart. I thought they were full of shit, but after the 3rd person brought up this story, I couldn't help but inquire further. Apparently, Gordo was driving around asking phans if they thought a weather/military blimp floating over the venue was an alien UFO?

Sure, go ahead and don't believe me. But this story was being repeated all around me up until the lights went out for the 1st set!!!! Then BOOOM, we get a 2001 to open up!!!!!! Can't make this stuff up. The 2001 comes complete with the obligatory Crosseyed and Painless tease from Trey early on in the intro and, needless to say, rocked the house. Other big Set 1 highlights included the Bathtub and Sand. Both were extended and well played. The Gin is one of my all-time personal favorites and has hints of the explosive Trey licks prominently featured in the 9/12/99 version from two weeks earlier.

Set 2 continued great vibe inside this 3/4 empty indoor basketball arena. I can remember having my own row of seats to dance in at one point this set and I was only a few rows up from the floor!!!!! Similar to the Boise show, the crowd had become so entranced by the band that between songs the venue would become eerily quiet. It took great restraint not to yell something obnoxious at Trey in between tunes. I remember thinking the stage was going to levitate through the roof during the Ghost jam. My favorite musical moment of the was early on during the Mike's Song jam where we finally got our first funk session of the night. Back in 1999, you weren't always guaranteed any cow-funk but this Mike's delivered a wonderful (though short) funkathon. Just to add some sprinkles to the sundae, Trey break out his machine gun during a RIPPING La Grange encore. Pretty sick encore choice if you ask me.