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

As we now sit at what appears to be the low point of Summer '98 we hit a really unusual show... this one is loaded with covers and only has one jam chart entry, but this feels deceptive to me. After listening to this show the band appears to be trying to course correct and jump start themselves, recognizing that they are losing steam with half a tour still left to go. The way they approach it here results in a show that feels very different from the others this tour... but is that a good thing or a bad thing?

After a nice Birds of a Feather opener the band launches into their first cover of the evening... You Better Believe It Baby is only played twice by the band, but this one has a nice feel to it. After someone requests "something long" the band responds with a nice Bowie, and then, after a quick Frankie Says cooldown, obliges the fan some more with a great version of Reba as well. They wrap up the set with two more covers, both played with some fire. The band is clearly trying to re-energize, and this first set seems to have helped them along.

The second set kicks off with yet another cover, but this one is an exciting bustout. This La Grange rips, and the band is clearly getting some of their groove back, as they follow up with a stellar version of YEM (nearly a half hour long) which is the centerpiece of the show. The band just seems to be having fun with this one and while it may not be anything unusual per se they seem to be applying the same "explore every corner" philosophy to the typical YEM jam which gives this one added fuel. The debut of Albuquerque serves as a nice pause after the rager that precedes it, before going into Simple. This one is not as exploratory as versions from earlier in the summer but still has a good feel and an ambient cooldown at the end. Bold as Love/Sample punctuate a rocking second set. The encore is fine... maybe the weakest part of the show, but by then the band seems to have done what they needed to do.

Again, I know this one looks weird. Who needs six covers in one show? Why listen to a Summer '98 show with only one jam chart entry? But in the context of the journey this tour is taking, this feels like an important night. The band peaked at the Gorge and the trajectory between those shows and this one has been one of decline, with each show being a little less noteworthy than the one before it. This show though, the band just seems to be having fun, and the energy bleeds through. This first set is incredibly solid which felt like a relief after the previous show, and the second set felt much the same, with the exception of YEM which was well above average. Hopefully this means the tour is going to start tracking upward for the second half as we had to Lemonwheel.