Part of my full run through of Summer '98, see here

The show starts off with a comical Carini, where Trey references a stage rushing incident from the previous show. You might think we are going back to the banter-heavy shows from earlier this tour, but you'd be mistaken. This first set has a great setlist. Nothing unusual here, but the Boogie On, NICU, and Melt are all well played. This Meat is excellent, a 9 minute shot of swampy funk that feels fresh after the last few shows. Poor Heart provides a dose of energy, but this set really solidifies with a late rendition of Tweezer that kicks the show up a few notches.

After the main theme, the Tweezer descends into a Mike-lead murky funk jam reminiscent of the Meat that preceded it, with hints of the ambient space that has become oh so familiar during this run of European shows. At 9 minutes Page starts to expand the theme and open this up, and then at around 11 minutes Trey seizes control. After the slow build his solo bends and peaks fantastically as the band escalates (Mike even slyly teases Manteca at around 15 minutes). This all crescendos into a peak that contains, of all things, a Wolfman's Brother tease before quietly sinking to it's conclusion. This is a great Tweezer and really puts the cap on one of the better Set 1s from this tour.

The second set kicks off with Drowned, which is a great opener. Trey shreds into this one satisfactorily and when finished at around thirteen minutes, the band goes into a nice cool down outro that includes a return to the main theme making this one feel both powerful and complete. The slow down at the end eases nicely into Theme, making this a strong one-two punch to start the set. I'm not a Circus fan but I understand the band's need to pause for a bit after the opening run. At this point the second set delivers something fun and unique without the jams... Scent of a Mule is great and includes a rendition of the Violent Femmes "Blister in the Sun" during the duel section. They then close out with a Harry Hood > Izabella in a weired reverse of 12/30/97. This Hood isn't as strong as that rendition is at any point, and the transition is abrupt, but this still feels like a solid close to a good show. The Chalkdust fits the bill as well, with the return to the Ole chant at the end being a really nice touch.

For the most part this is solid Phish with a good setlist of songs. The best stuff is heavy right in the middle of the show with a very strong Tweezer and a great Drowned. Solid setlist with two good jams feels about right to me for night two of this run... let's see what night three brings.