To say this show is a mere 'gem' would be heresy; this show positiveley reaks of headiness. It boasts one of the most solid, well-played, thought-provoking jams the band has ever created, (Roses>Nassau Jam)a well above-average Mike's Groove, (with a special emphasis on the funkdified Weekapaug) a great Reba, a superbly melancholic Piper, (with a downright scary jam that follows) a supremely-placed, ever-welcome ballad, (Loving Cup) and a humorous yet vibrantly-soaring Antelope (chock full of jabs at Pete Carini, and gift-wrapped with a few Gordo bass bombs). The encore bodes well with this legendary show, coming full-circle with the second set's shenanigans by way of a bubbly Carini>Halley's>Tweeprise.

First Rating: 5/5...get this show, dissect it, analyze it however you want; remember that the 24 minutes of amorphous bliss following Roses are at a minimum a defining moment for the band, and - at a maximum - the pinnacle of the group's improvisational prowess.

This 27-minute(!) Roses starts out as robofunk in the vein of the 12/30/97 AC/DC Bag, though it lacks that jam's magical film-score climax. It's got the porno-percussive vibe of e.g. the 11/17/97 Ghost at first, but way more ambient-electronic trickery and remarkably patient playing from all corners. Surprisingly (and wonderfully) though, the jam develops *inward* rather than *upward* - growing clearer, more mellow, more spacious. Even the Fall '97 climax is muted, favouring private darkness over the anthemic vibe of (say) the 11/22/97 Halley's. The segue into Piper is downright mournful despite the music's resolute beauty - like seeing sunrise with a friend after a night's soul-searching - and the boys take their time bringing on the lyrics. The astonishing nine-minute jam that follows develops not from the driving uptempo segment (which powers most versions (and all modern versions) of the tune) but from the delicate coda; it's collective onstage composition, showcasing Phish's empathetic communication and patience.

The Roses > Piper > Cup is one of the strongest pieces of Phish improvisation of 1998, as far from the frenetic rock'n'roll pounding of 1995-96 as Phish could get without transforming into a different band. The rest of the show is of a piece with the fine Set II improvisation (Jesus, a 35-minute Mike's Groove opener?!), but Roses > Piper is the reason to seek out this recording. This is an attractive show for the post-'96 Phish fan, whether you prefer the band's 1998-99 ambient grooving or its more aggressive Fall '97 galactic funk antecedent - but the ~25 minutes of music around that marvelous Piper jam have more in common with the Lemonwheel ambient set (or the IT soundcheck!) than anything else. Heartily, happily recommended.

From the show notes above:

"...as well as a Carini mention later in the song."

Possibly the greatest understatement that can be found on Phish.net.

This capped my week visiting my aunt in Queens, but I was staying in Manhattan (score!). Just when I thought it couldn't get any better, all I had to do was jump on the LIRxR and I was in Uniondale for 2 Shows. I judged this far superior than shlepping across 2-3 states just for a single show. Just sit back, crack a Guinness, and ride the Train->Song.

While I was blown away by the strength of the transition between the evil Mike's jam into sweet bluegrass land of Old Home Place and the Crosseyed and Painless Jam in Weekapaug, the second set was, once again, where it was at.

The only two shows of fall '97 I caught were Champagne and The Palace, and they were JamFests. Here again was a four song second set. After bobbing to 40 mins of Ween->Piper, Loving Cup (the song they were born to cover) kicked the vibe into overdrive. The air was electric at the beginning of the show, but by now, they were ramping down east coast nuclear reactors and powering the US with the energy of Uniondale.

That crazy bastard jumped on the stage and then all hell broke loose. A Carini-lope ensued with Fishman repeatedly SCREAMNING "Carini" into the Antelope crescendos, followed by the 3-song monster of an encore, including Tweeprise because, although they didn't play Tweezer, apparently Trey wasn't done rocking. He was rooster-strutting back and forth across the stage (a VIOLENT display of emotion for him at this point) and threw in some "air-guitar" moves at the end. Check out the Youtube clip. Turn it up and you can hear the audio peaking out from the roar of the crowd.

Simply Legendary.

During the Loving Cup some dude catapulted onto the stage from like 5 rows deep. And what made it so cool was that he launched onto the stage precisely at the "beautiful buzz" part of Loving Cup. As soon as the band came out of the jam and sang "Oh, what a beautiful buzz", this guy flew through the air and landed on the stage. It was like he was spring-loaded. No clue how he pulled it off but he clearly had help. He hopped around a bit and then jumped back into the crowd. Seemed to get away scott-free. Im pretty sure it was this show, but Im not positive. But I do remember the band doing "Carini's gonna get you" lines during the beginning of Antelope. Anyway, the Island Tour was awesome, even if I dont fully remember it. Listen for yourself!

Can anybody back me up?

16 years ago today, I walked into Nassau Coliseum and beheld this monster of a show. 4/3/98 is in my top 5 shows I've seen, and there are some heavy hitters in that category. Set 2 was just ridiculous. It was perfect. I left the show in a complete daze.

It opened with a fantastic Mike's Groove, with The Old Home Place instead of I am Hydrogen in the middle of the sandwich. The first set Reba was great as well, botched in some spots, but soaring near the end.

Set 2, once again, is where the magic really happens. It opens with a Roses Are Free that GOES PLACES! It is a looooong jam, and Trey settles into this sweet groove that the rest of the band embraces, and the trance begins. This groove continues and morphs for quite a while. Pure Phishtrance. The Piper is great as well, continuing with the Phishtrance (which was first explored in the Twist on 4/2/98).

During Loving Cup, a kid dressed in a Tigger costume (who was also at 10/20/98, Sessions at West 54th, in full costume...I was lucky to be at that show as well) ran out on the stage, and Carini ran after him. He jumped back into the audience, and escaped. The crowd went nuts, and you will can hear it in the AUD copy of the show.

This prompted them to really open up with lots of banter in the beginning of the Run Like and Antelope. This is probably my favorite Antelope I have ever seen, tied with 7/16/94 Antelope. Right before the jam begins, glowsticks start POURING down from the back of the venue, stage left. Hundreds of glowsticks. And just as this is happening, Fish says, "Look! Here comes Carini! He's gonna get ya!" Then BAM, the jam begins.

Trey asks Toph to turn off the lights. I think he simply says, "Toph." The venue was pitch black, and glowsticks were being thrown everywhere. The glowstick thing was still fairly new at this point, and seeing this was amazing. The end of the Antelope contains this amazing, slowed down reggae inflected Marco Esquandolas section. I won't even try to explain what happens just before the "Set the gearshift to the high gear of your soul!" section.

All I can say is that it is one of the coolest things I have ever heard Phish do. And at the time, I was completely in sync with them. What Trey did seemed to make perfect sense. It was as if he was reading my mind. I know this sounds hippie dippy, but I was sober, and this was a transcendental experience for me. I was completely tuned into the music. I loved it.

The encore was perfect. Carini (with an appearance from Pete Carini) > Halley's Comet > Tweezer Reprise. Once again, they read my mind. Although no Tweezer was played, nothing made more sense than Tweezer Reprise. I was thinking they need to play it, and sure enough they did.

1998 was a very tuned in year for me. The 11/27/98 Wipe Out show was another show where everything they did made sense. In fact, during the Possum at 12/30/98, I thought they needed to play Wipe Out, and sure enough they teased it. Freaked me out. Anyway, I digress. This show f***ing rocks! You need to listen to it.

This show is phenomenal but it's tough to listen to Trey play Carini in a different key than the rest of the band the entire song...

I've searched high and low, and still cannot find a better set 2 from this band. Absolutely mind numbing in every way, and it pains me to say that I skipped this show in favor of a road trip with some high school friends. Where's the Gamehendge Time Factory when you need it?

The patience and artistry of this era is something to behold.

I attended several shows in fall 1997 and island tour 1998. I missed this gem only due to a flat tire driving back to college for an exam after 4/2 show. I got back on the tow truck but couldn't return to uniondale.

Listening back on you tube in 2015 thanks to silverchair97 is a real treat. Set 2 had to be in the top 10 of sets ever.

From Went 97 to Providence 98 is the apex. Haters light me up but it is. No denying.

denver ghost.

champaign 2001.

Dayton psycho.

Philly groove.

Detroit tweezer+

The jim.

The rochester rock out.

Then this roses.

Plus 10 other things.

I love this phish.

Seriously listen to 2001 played in miami 2015 and feel how rushed it is, then listen to it on 11/19/97 and 4/4/98.

Patience, proper build and payoff.

This is the reason for 60,000 people burning up on a sweltering air force base in oswego.

Not miami 2015.

I know it can't be like it was, but it can be better than it is. Mpp 2014 showed us its still there. So did randals.

Cmon boys, play for the art, please. Were still here and we still love you.

(posted to rec.music.phish in April 1998 - part 2 of 4)

Friday 4/3

Ahh! Mike's Opener! Run for your lives! Actually, Reilly called this
one, figuring after a Tube opener we'd see 4 straight shows with
mind-boggling openers. How did he get to be so smart?

This Mike's rocked for an entire 15 minutes, and was considerably good
being in that slot! Certainly better than 12-9 (Penn State) and I'd have
to say just as good as the 11-22 (Hampton) 1st set Mike's opener. Old
Home Place was oddly placed as far as I'm concerned, but Trey turned to
Mike looking for a suggestion and that's what he suggested to a shrugging
"ok," of Trey's.

The Weekapaug however, was stellar and came in at 18 minutes. The jam
segment went on *forever* and seemed to almost segue into a new song then
back into Weekeapug. At one point in the jam, Trey looked to Fishman and
Fish pulled his mic to his mouth, although he never sang anyhting. Again
this jam digressed into something similar from the post Twist jam the
night before (band members "ooh"-ing and Chris doing a similar effect
lighting the band from behind) Suddenly amidst the chaos Trey raised his
finger with the number one and the band launched back into Weekapaug.

The next four songs (Trainschwag, Billy Brothed, Beauty in my Pants, and
Dogs Stole an Otherwise Great Slot for a Song) were painful to hear all in
a row, but better here than a few hours later. But all was saved by the
Reba. Nice jam in there before the dreaded My Soul.

Second set of Friday was probably the best musically of the run. Another
four song set which tore the roof off of Nassau. The Roses are Free went
on for almost a half hour (28 mins for those playing at home) of pure
rock-n-roll bliss, which then segued into an incredible Piper. More
intense than the Palace Piper (the only other one I've seen) and better
(though I can't describe how) that the Utah Piper, which was my favorite
up till then, this is quickly becoming my favorite song. You heard it
first here, I'm calling a Mike's->Piper->Weekapaug to open Portland. ;^)

Out of Piper formed a jam that can really only be described as "niiyce!"
but I think you'd need to hear me say that word out loud to fully gather
its meaning ;^) This unique jam (it was after the traditional end of
Piper but before the Page solo where he started Loving Cup) was an entire
10 minutes, more than enough to warrant a Piper->Jam->Loving Cup imho.

Loving Cup was Loving Cup (which is to say great!) but Antelope was
something else. I was thoroughly geeked to hear the opening of what was
to become the first '98 Antelope - especially with all the "Carini's Gonna
Get You!" madness. 1997 was such a great year for Antelopes, and I feel
safe in saying that 1998 will be as good...but in a different way. This
was not like an Albany nor a 12.29 Antelope, but had an energy all its
own. I'm sure many people will say this was not as good as those
Antelopes, and some will say better. I can say that it didn't get as
crazy as either of those, and it was relatively short (15 minutes) but it
rocked nonetheless. But don't believe me, cause I'm stupid, remember?

The Encore, in the words of Aaron, "Rules all worlds." Carini (obviously)
-> Halley's (whu...?!?) -> Tweeprise...what a night. Who can complain?

Yes, that's exactly what happened! I just watched a youtube clip that shows it quite well (Phish - 04.03.98 - Loving Cup -- Antelope (intro)). Around the 6:20 mark, a shirtless guy with a tiger backpack springs onto the stage out of nowhere. He skips along and pumps his fists in the air until Carini confronts him, forcing him to jump back into the audience which was feet from where I was standing. Funny shit, great show!

Another ridiculously great show from what might be the most ridiculously great 4 show run in Phish history. This one is my personal favorite of the 4, though all 4 are absolutely stellar!

Highlights:

Set 1: Mikes Groove, Billy Breathes, Dogs->Reba

Set 2: The Whole Thing!

Encore: The Whole Thing!

Yes, it's that consistent. You NEED this.

I'll back you up TannisRoot
This was the best show I've been to! Such a crazy couple days in NY and then we get this!
I was sitting (nee' dancing) Fish side about 2 rows off the floor and I remember seeing that guy just spring off the floor onto the stage. I remember thinking he had cutoff corduroys and no shirt on and a backpack that was furry and whatever animal it was (I thought it was a monkey) the arms and legs connected to make the shoulder straps. Best was that he ran from Fish side past Mike, past Trey to Page Side and stopped and threw his arms in the air. When he saw Carini at the last second he jumped back into the crowd and Carini missed him, thus sending the band into glee. I wore this tape out when I traded for it. The ONLY downside I have to the Live Phish version of this is you can't really hear the crowd elevate when he makes the jump and got away. I'd love to know who that dude was.
That one move, not getting caught brought the mood in that building up 10 notches, unless you were Carini...
Killer - 4 song 2nd set!!! Tight, takes you different places every time you listen to that Roses Jam.

Rock on backpack dude! You made into Phishistory

second set... absolute perfection.

a seriously heavy antelope that blew me away.

In the running for one of my favorite Mike's Grooves ever. Skirting the edge between funky and ambient for 33 minutes, while replacing Hydrogen with Old Home Place (an upgrade in my book). Great Reba followed by a flawless second set that needs no further deliberation. Carini ('s gonna get ya) > Halley's > Tweezer Reprise is a fantastic encore. A+ show (obviously)

Mike's and Weekapaug both feature big heaping dollopin's of the cowfunk, a really unique Mike's Groove that sits up there with the 12/30/99 Mike's Groove for me. The Nassau Jam ranges over some very compelling territory, no doubt. Best jam ever? I'm not so sure. Piper's jam is more nerdily/statistically interesting to me because it covers territory that I've never heard a Piper jam cover again, though Roses is jammed far less frequently than Piper, so what do I know about anything (A: not all that much!) Phun Carini antics and this one's in the books.

The 2nd set + Encore might be my favorite CD I have.... I love this show so much!! one of my all time favorite ones to relisten to!!.... It was a super fun show in general with lots of fun, long jams!!
one of my favs for sure!!

How this is considered by many people to be a "best ever" Phish show is beyond me. It has some great moments (the "Roses" jam for instance), but overall the playing is very loose to the point of being sloppy. In particular, Trey is seriously off his game in the first set. His playing on the composed sections of "Reba" being an especially egregious example. It's so messy, I couldn't help but exclaim "WTF, Trey?" out loud multiple times. I don't know if he was taking opiates for the first time or something, but either way there's no good excuse. The jam that follows is middling at best. Overall, the boys just don't sound very "together" for the first set. The second set is better, but nothing extraordinary by '98 Phish standards. Overall, I'd rate it 2 1/2 to 3 stars out of 5.

Pretty great show. Highly underrated

Love the versatility in set 1, full of highlights. Set 2 is life changing, quintessential phish. Roses > Piper is some dark magic for sure, don't let your kids get a hold of this one. This is probably the best Antelope out there, the slow Rocco section is all I strive for. Mike fest.

Strange encore. One of the weaker Carinis out there, but they had to do it. Fish kills it, check out the jar action at 3 mins. The inverted Tweezer is a great gag.

Definitely better than N1, but that doesn't mean much in a run like this

Ah, the mystical, magical island tour night 2. Mike's opener is groovy and extended. Old home place played with great precision. The Weekapaug starts with terrific psychedelic guitar playing by Trey, then going into a very rhythmic section, back into the main Groove chords with a sizzling end. Train song and Billy Breathes give the audience a well deserved chill break after all that jam fury. Billy Breathes very well executed. Beauty of my dreams is one of my favorite bluegrass songs they play. They seemed to like this one a lot in 97 and 98 too. Reba was pretty good though not a standout version. My soul is a good set closer. Allows them to play around with the blues scale.

A four song 2nd set! What to say about the Roses Nassau jam? It's a journey. Deep. Dark. Groovy. Key changes. Great full band teamwork on this one. Awesome quintessential 1998.

Interesting Piper. Slows down. Gets weird. More of the 98 ambient sound. Great lead into Loving Cup. Fun funk Antelope to close.

PHISH, FRIDAY 04/03/1998
NASSAU VETERANS MEMORIAL COLISEUM
Uniondale, NY

SET 1:

Mike's Song: Uh oh, heavy hitter to open the show – look out below – GAME ON! I have said it once and I will say it again, the loops in Mike seem to allow for the first jam to breathe and for them all to stake a claim as to what they each want to accomplish. Nice and spacy! Eventually Trey takes the lead and solos nicely for a couple of minutes and then leads them into the second jam. Trey destroys the first part of this second jam, intense and fire filled guitar frenzy. He hits some loops in the late 12’s and we are back to some spacy breathing room. Plenty of room to stretch out here. Would recommend! Nicely into TOHP ->

The Old Home Place: Trey sounds awesome. Pickin’ and grinnin’ >

Weekapaug Groove: The Mozambique stuff starts at 6:03 on the Live Phish recording. This turns out to be a super crazy version. Very funky middle portion along with that vocalization. There is a LOT going on in this one! Crosseyed And Painless by Talking Heads tease at 9:45. Nellie Kane by Hot Rize tease at 12:50. Highly recommended version!

Train Song: Standard. >

Billy Breathes: Standard.

Beauty of My Dreams: Seems like they really enjoyed playing this one.

Dogs Stole Things: Standard. >

Reba: Trey is a mess late in the composed section, yikes. The beginning of the jam is so bouncy thanks to Page and Mike, awesome stuff! Solid enough version here but nothing that reaches out and grabs me and demands my attention.

My Soul: Standard.

SET 2:

Roses Are Free: The first section of this jam goes until about . It is one long very consistent groove monster, all four members being equal partners. In the late 7 minute mark it shifts to more of a contemplative, ambient infused jam. Extremely mellow. Things start to transition to something else as Page is very influential on the baby grand. Things are gradually heating up. In the early 16’s it briefly sounds like Piper. The best way I can describe the next roughly 4 minutes is – mesmerizing. Kind of leads you into a trance. In the early 19’s Trey is deciding to take a more active role and his soloing but by 20:43 this is getting very spacy again. The next minute and a half are basically rudderless, it seems they have kind of run out of ideas and are collectively deciding on where to go next. Many adore this Roses jam. I think it’s good, but I am not as high on it as many. What I will say is it is very consistent and patient. Would recommend it, just not as highly as some. This segues into Piper before it runs out gas altogether. >

Piper: Super heady jam that follows the standard version of Piper. Two shows in 1998 and it seems that we have a common thread and that is less funk and more ambient, spacy jams. That is personified here as this jam has tons of room to breathe and is not trying to get anywhere fast. I like the last 40 seconds of this with Page playing around on the baby grand and then segueing nicely into Loving Cup. Would highly recommend this Piper. >

Loving Cup: Standard. >

Run Like an Antelope: Lot’s of fun banter about the dude jumping on stage and don’t let Carini get you. And don’t attack the drummer, lol. Carini’s gonna get you vocals here and there. Hard charging Antelope that will melt faces. I like the reggae feel of the Rye Rye Rocco part along with the sticky icky funk. Then the stop start stuff before the Set the gear shift part. Fun! Would recommend.

ENCORE:

Carini: Lots of fun getting Carini grace the stage. >

Halley's Comet: Crowd is super pumped to see this in the E slot! >

Tweezer Reprise: Standard.

Summary: Great show right from the first note! Tons of heavy hitters featured. This show has been super popular amongst the fan base since it was played and for good reason. That new, 98 style of jamming is definitely featured as the funk starts to fade a bit from 97. It is still there of course, just not as prominent. First set starts out like a house afire and then cools down until Reba. Second set is just all gas, no brakes and the same with the encore. This Friday night on Long Island has a rightful place in the annals of Phish history.

Replay Value: Mike's Song, Weekapaug Groove, Roses Are Free, Piper, Run Like an Antelope

[1] "Carini's gonna getcha" sung several times in intro. "Carini" spoken later in the song.

Weekapaug included a Crosseyed and Painless tease and a quick tease of Nellie Kane from Trey. A fan ran up on the stage during Loving Cup, prompting banter and subsequent singing of "Carini's gonna getcha" several times in the Antelope intro, as well as a Carini mention later in the song. This show is available as an archival release on LivePhish.com.
SHOW RATING
Your rating:
Overall: 4.657/5 (836 ratings)
JAM CHART VERSIONS
Mike's Song, Weekapaug Groove, Roses Are Free, Piper, Loving Cup, Run Like an Antelope
TEASES
Crosseyed and Painless and Nellie Kane teases in Weekapaug Groove

I spent a lot of time this week listening to this show and some of the other island tour stuff, especially a lot of 1998, listening back on all 4 days, this may be my favorite of all and probably my favorite 1998 show. This is the band at some if their tightest musicianship, incredible setlist, the improv and listening off eachother is something else here.

Set 1 opens with a fantastic Mike’s Groove with Old Home Place thrown in the middle. This really gets things going and is really underrated version IMO and Trey is at some great soloing. Train song and Billy Breathes soften things up incredibly, this Billy Breathes being a huge highlight. Incredible Reba, dogs stole things and beauty of my dreams flow nicely. My soul, has to be the greatest choice for a first set closer is really fun.

Set 2 starts with the famous jammed Roses Are Free, a rarely jammed out song and the band made history with it. The different segments throughout are fantastic. Piper is piper, ok song but good jam. Loving cup, love it. THE HIGHLIGHT FOR ME is antelope. Could this be the best version.?? Maybe IMO. Carini got me after listening. Then halleys and the tweeprise end things out really nicely and well done. There concludes the show.

Must hear if you’re a fan or getting into them. I wish I heard this show earlier than I did cause it’s a top 10 phish show ever for me. As I mentioned listening back on their shows, this is the best 1998 show and of the island tour IMO, but probably a top 5-10 rehearing it.