This show has some serious highlights. La Grange bustout is a great way to start a show. Ramble On>Slave . . . is just as good as it looks. At the time I was really impressed by how the Ramble On jam was phish + Ramble On, a great fusion of sounds. And the Vernon Down the House>YEM and banter encore business was a lot of fun. This had everything a tour closing show should have.

Including - most importantly - kick-ass jamming to start set II. I don't know why this Mike's doesn't get more props but I absolutely love it.

It starts out in tight, focused '98 Mike's territory. After a few minutes it starts to get a bit sparse/trance. Nice subdued groove going on, good band balance, no voice is dominating, everybody contributing. They start to approach the closing chords but quickly back away. Around the 10:00 mark trey announces that they're going to jam for a while, delay loops are issued and things get late night/dark swamp eerie.

Fish starts to drive them forward a bit, trey follows his lead, once again they begin the approach to the closing chords. but no, they take a sharp left back into the 98 funk. Tight shit around 13:30, I love this kind of phish. they ratchet up the chaos level, screaming can be heard on the AUDs at phishtracks. NOW they're going for the closing chords . . . no wait fishman shifts the vector once again. trey gets NASTY now. I love how phish can shift directions together so easily. fish has a little ASZ groove but trey's playing has an industrial feel. is this NIN? Crazy noises! and Bob Weaver says NOW it's time for the closing chords. unique mike's. Love it.

Simple is simple . . . for a while. but the darkness of the mike's rears it's head after a few minutes of typically delicate simple jamming and they find a dark bluesy groove. the change happens fast, Mike starts a simple 2-thump bass "groove" (barely), trey plays a blues lick, and the whole feel inverts. One of those *moments* at a phish show where you enter uncharted waters, similar to the post-piper jam on 04/03/98. this jam doesn't really go anywhere, juts hands out in the bluesy realm before a little space and then an abrupt >Rift.

rest of the set is typical tour-closing joy!!