this show is commonly mentioned as a let down, but i think it is pretty damn solid. sure, some of the jams get lost, but there are enough highlights here to make it worth your while.

makisupa>maze is a red hot opener. maze in particular really burns. page and trey really light up the middle section of this one. water in the sky works well in the early set cool down slot. then they pull out a still quasi rare guyute. they really nail this one, much to the delight of the crowd. guelah papyrus is another nice cool down treat before they pull out the first new song of the night. limb by limb is not all that swell here, but they follow it up with a pretty solid horn. they pick the energy way up for the antelope set closer. the whole band is in sync on this one, and it gives the fired up deer creek crowd a lot of hope for the 2nd set.

timber ho! works well in the opening slot, repeating the first night opener from deer creek 96's first night. fishman and gordon lay down a nice foundation, but at times, trey seems a little lost in this jam. he finds some nice stuff, but they never quite get there. piper starts out promising but it never quite gets there in my opinion. vultures, another new tune, really works here. some friends griped about the placement, but i really like it. despite not playing exceptionally so far in this set, it did fit the mood extablished thus far. my soul was fun, but not really 2nd set material. then they drop yem. by drop, i mean they drop the ball. this one is sooooo long, and they never quite hook up with each other on this one. there is very little cohesive jamming. to their credit, they keep looking for that groove, but they never quite get there. character zero is very cheesey, so this is somewhat disappointing. i always welcome a coil closer too. nice to page last one off....

while i would not say that the deer creek '97 run was a "classic run" like '96 or '98 there are some good songs in the two nights to hear. this show is one of the rare ones in which i like the first set a little better than the 2nd. a bulk of the 2nd set is just spent searching for that groove.

highlights:

set 1:
makisupa policeman>maze, guyute, antelope

set 2:
timber ho!, vultures

I was at both of the Deer Creek ‘97 shows. That summer Phish debuted many new tunes, some of which would go on to become setlist staples (e.g., Ghost, LxL, Piper), and this run was the first time I was hearing many of them. There is no denying the strength of the previous evening. It was and remains one of my favorite live experiences. That being said, the second night of this run shouldn’t be overlooked as there are numerous highlights, including a top notch Maze. I’d even venture to say this show is underrated, a rarity in this pretty fantastic year.

Makisupa is a welcome way to open and this is a great, fun version, which transitions nicely into Maze. This Maze is a monster and is not one to be missed! It’s one of the longest versions, and an intense one that just keeps building and building. If you’re a Maze fan, check this one out.

There are a few other gems in this set, including a well-played Guyute and the always-welcome Guelah. The Summer ‘97 LxLs were some of my favorite versions and this one doesn’t disappoint. Patient and exploratory, I really miss the way they played this tune back then.

After a quick Horn, the band closes out the set with an smoldering Antelope. This is an intense version that is a bit more extended than typical and sends us into set break in a fiery way.

Set II opens with Timber. I like this spot for this tune, which was a common placement during this era. While not as interesting or exceptional as some of the other versions for this year (e.g., 11.16.97), this one is solid. Piper too is solid, and it’s over quickly, leading to Vultures. I love this song, and I love this version. There are a few hoots from the crowd during the ending jam but if this version were played today it would be a full-on woo-fest. I’m not a fan of My Soul but the transition from Vultures into it was nice.

This brings us to YEM, which is another highlight. The jam stays in type I territory for the majority of the song and the band really plays around nicely within the confines of that territory. There’s a slow build towards what would usually be the Mike-led portion of the jam but instead the band goes into an interesting noise jam, followed by a brief vocal jam. Mike is particularly fun to listen to on this version, and he’s a beast. Overall, this is an excellent and unusual YEM, which I really enjoyed and clearly the band was having fun. With Character Zero and a Squirming Coil encore, the show is done and we all moved onward to Star Lake.

While I admit to having a bit of attendance bias, I do believe this show has a lot of merit with a couple of standout tunes, including Maze, Antelope, Vultures and YEM. The Maze in particular warrants numerous listens as it’s a fantastic version.

Most people seem to like the 1st night at Deer Creek 97 better. For some reason I go to this night more often. Makisupa “Schwag” -> Maze should not be overlooked. A super-tight Guyute not heard for 25 shows and one of the best YEM’s I’ve witnessed make this show worthwhile for me every time I listen to it. Summer 97 was a very interesting tour. The new tunes were in heavy rotation for sure but they were growing nightly. Water In The Sky, Limb By Limb, Piper and Vultures were all pretty interesting this night. No complaints from me on the Antelope either.

Amazing show on an amazing tour! Did this tour through the Deer Creek shows, minus Riverport because my VW bus wasn't fast enough. Just saw some video footage from this show via Jambase. That funky sound from Page wasn't the theramin, it was one of his keys. Pretty sure the theramin was only on Summer 96 tour and an appearance or two after that.

Most people seem to like the 1st night at Deer Creek 97 better. For some reason I go to this night more often. Makisupa “Schwag” -> Maze should not be overlooked. A super-tight Guyute not heard for 25 shows and one of the best YEM’s I’ve witnessed make this show worthwhile for me every time I listen to it. Summer 97 was a very interesting tour. The new tunes were in heavy rotation for sure but they were growing nightly. Water In The Sky, Limb By Limb, Piper and Vultures were all pretty interesting this night. No complaints from me on the Antelope either.

SET 1: Makisupa Policeman: Interesting opener. Wonder what prompted it. The key word gave my crew a good laugh as that is pretty much all we knew in those days. ->

Maze: Other than being very, very long – I never really got the love for this one. The peak is good but nothing that I haven’t heard before, and I have attendance bias!

Water in the Sky: Standard.

Guyute: Standard.

Guelah Papyrus: Standard.

Limb By Limb: Decent jam.

Horn: Standard.

Run Like an Antelope: Briefly delves into that gritty summer 97 sound in the mid 8’s. From here they continue to build immense pressure and tension. When you think Trey is done peaking this, he’s not done and continues to ratchet it up higher and higher. Nuts! Smoking Antelope right here, highly recommended.

SET 2: Timber (Jerry the Mule) - I really like how down low they take this one, it is almost like a silent jam but not quite. Very eerie! >

Piper: Standard.

Vultures: Gets a little crazy towards the end. But not so much that I would consider it worth relistening to or jamcharts worthy. >

My Soul: Standard.

You Enjoy Myself: Very long funk section, then Trey rages for a good while. But then there is the most incredible, signature summer 97 style jam that just goes way, way out into outer space. Absolutely awesome! Mind blowing! Fantastic YEM!

Character Zero: Standard.

ENCORE: The Squirming Coil – Trey is a mess in the beginning.

Replay Value: Run Like an Antelope, You Enjoy Myself

I think Phish.net has this one basically nailed as a 3.782/5 (156 ratings). Two major highlights in that Antelope. It is a solid show.

Most people seem to like the 1st night at Deer Creek 97 better. For some reason I go to this night more often. Makisupa “Schwag” -> Maze should not be overlooked. A super-tight Guyute not heard for 25 shows and one of the best YEM’s I’ve witnessed make this show worthwhile for me every time I listen to it. Summer 97 was a very interesting tour. The new tunes were in heavy rotation for sure but they were growing nightly. Water In The Sky, Limb By Limb, Piper and Vultures were all pretty interesting this night. No complaints from me on the Antelope either.