Summer 98 was really a pretty incredibly tour, and you could argue its highlights are standing the test of time as nicely as any from the 97 vintage. The jams were exploratory, melodic, funky and in many cases sliiiick. It was a good time to be on tour if you liked to dance. Grab just about any Bathtub Gin from this tour to see what I mean.

August 98 boasts some especially tasty jams (8/1 Tweezer, 8/12 Runaway Jim), and this show at Deer Creek packs a bunch. This is an all-time Gumbo on par with the phenomenal version from the summer before at Starlake (as well as the top 2.0 version they dropped again at Deer Creek on 7/22/03). But this show gets deep even earlier; checkout out the gorgeous twenty minute Halley's in the number two spot. Trey is inspired, fresh, full of life. Listen to the crowd on the I Didn't Know that follows and you can tell how special a night it was. Throw in the Rhinoceros, Ride Captain Ride and Bike bustouts, and an Antelope tagged onto the Circus encore and you've got yourself a keeper.

A+

this is my favorite of the 2 night '98 deer creek stand. an odd set list, sharp playing, and nice explorative jamming really make this a marquee/keeper show. rhinoceros, a one and done song as of now, was a really strange opener. i can't imagine that anyone was guessing any smashing pumpkins songs as an opener. this is a pretty sharp take on this tune too. then, a monster halley's comet brings us into the phish catalog. this is a nice funk/rock version with some really sweet "a love supreme" teases by page. mike gets in on the bass line a bit, but it is mostly page teasingg this jazz master piece. after about 20 minutes, this finds its way into an inspired version of i didn't know. then, we get to go back to odd ball covers. the first ride captain ride was since the early 90's was a very well-recieved treat. cars trucks and buses and the moma dance furthered the funky vibe established earier in the set before a strange desing>zero combo shut it down.

well, this might be my favorite gumbo. tinley park 97 and deer creek 03 were very good, but i just love this one. trey throws around some sweet manteca teases, and this one dips back into that dark/funk groove they explored in the ghost the night before. after an extended funk jam, they blast a rocking axilla. they mellow with meat before going into the whole fishman/bike deal... good times. after 97, tube had become more than just a nifty rarity to catch, it had become a full blown show-making bad boy. this is one of thost. very nice loose funky jam in the middle section. the whole band jives very well on this. gordon plays some real nice funk bass. a rare, for the time, wedge serves as a appropriate and pleasant closer. a well played circus starts up the encore, and then they turn it on one more time. keeping the deer creek antelope streak alive, they played a killer antelope at deer creek every year up to '09, trey leads the boys into a nice rowdy 'lope. this is a good solid closer, and everyone throws down and gets going on this one.

highlights

set 1:
rhinoceros, halley's comet, ride captain ride, the moma dance

set 2:

gumbo (must hear), tube, antelope

Why Rhinoceros was played (per @theothr1):

"......okay, so, Rhinoceros was played to honor the passing of fan Philip Andrew Cassels...Phish paid tribute to Phil by opening the Deer Creek show with the song he was listening to before he took his own life (when they found him, the tape in his truck's radio was right where Rhinoceros ends) shortly before the band kicked off Fall Tour 1997...the band was fully aware that Phil’s brother, former Pharmer’s Almanac editor and HT contributor Kevin Cassels, was at Deer Creek that night so, it was played for Kevin for Phil...a bit maudlin? Perhaps but, i know for a fact that, having absolutely no idea whatsoever that the band was gonna do this, Kevin was deeply touched by this "silent" (and emotional) homage."

https://forum.phish.net/forum/permalink/1377153155

Easily and without a doubt my favorite Gumbo. That funk jam figures in my personal Top 5 jams of summer 98. Get this show, if only for the tasty Gumbo.

to 8-3-98, i bid unto you a HAPPY 15th AnniBirthversaryday!!!!!!...and, to phishman0610, you are correct; it was an extremely tripppppy night at the Creek..i'd been seeing the Phish from Vermont for five years at this point and this was, BY FAR, the HIGHEST I had ever experienced the audience, as a whole, at a Phissshow (before or since)...the entire crowd was literally vibrating...the only explanation i could ever come up with is that, since the drive to the next show in Atlanta was a HAUL, people making that trek opted to lighten their psychotropic load and let it aaaall hang out for the 2nd and final night at DC...all signs pointed to a special show when the 1st set opened with the one-time-only performance of the Smashing Pumpkins'ssss Rhinoceros which, I later found out, was a tribute to a phan who had recently lost his brother...throw in two all-time jams in Halley's (followed up oh-so-appropriately by a humorously PLACED-PERFECT I Didn't Know) & Gumbo, tunes exhumed with the first Ride Captain Ride in almost six years and the first Bike in 100+ shows, well-timed ballads, an otherwise all-around psychedelic dance party, all wrapped up with a heartfelt yet playful double encore of CircusLope and you have a show that unquestionably has it all it still remains one of my most favoritest Phish experiences ever

Deer Creek Rarely Disapoints

Few shows open quite the way this one does either the crowd was losing their minds or were wondering WTF was going on.

Rhinoceros is a fantastic debut to kick things off it really sets the mood. Hailey's isn't your run of the mill typical version. It quickly goes into a nice Wah-Funk jam, very reminiscent of the cohesive funky fall '97 jams. Page and Trey are locked into eachother. It then goes into a nice drum led Mellow, Psychedelic type jam. I really REALLY enjoy this jam. It's not balls out and not super spacey it's really just right for me. Awesome Ride Captain Ride bustout that is very well played. The guitar solo is also quite noteworthy. Solid Moma Dance and a Strong Character Zero.

Gumbo comes out of nowhere to start set 2. The jam is very groove based but excellent in it's execution. Sloppy intro to Axilla. A top shelf tube love me a solid tube. and if this show wasn't weird and random enough, The Wedge ends the set. It's also excellent.

Now in my opinion most people were expecting When the Circus Comes and if they didn't like it they were walking out. But stick around because were still going to play A solid Antelope as a bonus.

Overall a great show. It's shy of 5 stars but I'd give it over 4 if I could!

first show, sat outside the venue, could hear the jams well, new i had to go inside sometime, also started collecting music

To follow up on the story/review from @CajunPhish about the Rhinoceros opener, this is a short piece written by Kevin Cassels himself about the moment that I thought was worth sharing:

"I’ve always had a strange feeling that Phish was much greater than the sum of its parts. A spiritual vehicle, if you will. When you experience those peak moments, a lot of thought goes into the whole concept of Phish in general, such as why they are so important to us. If you enjoy Phish for the right reasons, they seem like members of your family. That's why I get so discouraged when I hear of fans going astray because they saw two mediocre shows in a row, or they didn't get a Lushington encore. If your mother is being a pain in the butt, do you disown her, or do you stick by her side through thick and thin? Phish is family, and even at their worst, they are better than any other live act in the country. Phish becomes a family situation of greater proportions when you go on tour. Friends become part of the whole concept, as do memories on tour with those friends.

In 1996, I began taking my brother Phil to Phish shows. He was already into the band, but it was difficult to get him out of the house. My brother was very depressed about life. What in general, I don't know, but I know we all felt helpless trying to aide the poor guy. It was like pulling teeth to get him to agree to come to the Clifford Ball, but once we were there, I knew it was the cure he had been waiting for. There we sat on a hill overlooking the sunset, taking in the last few moments of a brutal Bowie jam. A few more shows followed, but by 1997, he had quit going. In fact, he had quit doing most of anything by that point. Deeply depressed, he took his own life on October 5, 1997. While I was at a friend's house playing music, he drove his truck to the top of a mountain and hung himself at sunset, with nothing but a pack of cigarettes and a Smashing Pumpkins' album in the truck tape player.

I needed Phish's music more than ever after a blow like this. It seemed the only place to get away from all the madness was somewhere deep within a Phish jam-the Hampton '97 Slave perhaps, or the 5/3/85 Eyes masterpiece. As with all tragedies, you never get over it, you just learn to live with it. For several months, I bottled up quite a bit of anger, quite a bit of pain, and a lot of self depression — a move that was very dangerous in hindsight, putting my own mental health at risk. I kept seeing Phish, and just about every song jerked a tear or two, but I always held back. The only other person I knew who held such emotional affinity towards a band was Phil. The way he felt about the Smashing Pumpkins was paralleled only by my affection for Phish, as he depended on the music, learned from it, and used it as a medicine or a drug in times of need. It was the last thing he ever listened to, the last song being Rhinoceros—a heartfelt epic with poignant lyrics and a powerful message. For some reason, he chose this as the last song he wanted to hear before he turned his back on the world.

As time went on and I began to actually understand that Phil was never coming back, my habit for holding my feelings in just increased, thus thrusting myself into my own mild wave of depression. Luckily, my wonderful girlfriend and I were weeks away from Phish's 1998 Deer Creek shows, where I assured myself everything would be better. The first night, I again felt a very strong connection with the boys, as they were a lot like my brother when they were kids-shy, self conscious, out of place. I held back tears for Lifeboy in an effort to avoid any pain I might have been feeling, lying to myself in order to stay happy.

The next night, I expected a nice NICU opener, or maybe a surprise Golgi, something exciting to dance to. Instead I heard feedback. A little puzzled, I began to hear a familiar tune, but I couldn't put my finger on it and neither could the audience. Then my stomach dropped. It was the Smashing Pumpkins' Rhinoceros.
Obviously, I broke down in an embarrassing display of tears and emotion, literally sobbing uncontrollably and making a scene. And it was exactly what I needed. Pure therapy and cleansing by way of the band, through the words of my brother, who I know was using Phish to speak to me that night. It was his way of saying, "I'm okay". Trey had a very prophetic look in his eye that spooked me to no end for the entire song, as if he knew what he was doing to me.

As the song ended, I sat down and tried to gather myself. Though moments ago I was sobbing with sadness, suddenly I felt brand new, like a new me had been constructed to go forward from this day on. So then came Halley's-the HAPPIEST Phish song of them all. The new me stood up and danced like mad with an ear-to-ear grin in a pure state of natural ecstacy. Not only was everything going to be okay, but I was now content and at a state of closure with my brother's death, probably because he spoke through Phish and assured me he was alright. That's the point where I knew that I would always give Phish my undying love and support, no matter what struggles they might go through. After all, they need us just as much as we need them-mistakes and all."

—Kevin Cassels

Tough to beat Phish at Deer Creek, and on top of that, you've got 1998 vintage Phish. All of the ingredients are there for a great night...

They busted out Ride Captain Ride, Bike, and debuted Rhinoceros, a pretty cool Smashing Pumpkins song (don't forget about that solo Trey takes in it too.)

Halley's is cosmic, Gumbo is groove-tastic, Antelope is high-octane.

And like Ben said above, really interesting set list. Not many of the "classics" like YEM, Mikes, etc., and a lot of newer songs at the time (CTB, Moma, etc.)

Awesome show.

This Gumbo changed my life. I had been seeing shows since 94, but this was something different. It was a trippy night at the Creek, at least for me. This was my first time seeing GOD, understanding it, remembering it, and trying to avoid it ever since. I know that if anyone is reading this then they have had that moment at a show where they realize they are leading the show and there is nothing they can do then either go with it, or freak the fuck out. I lasted about 16 minutes and then I lost it (wish I could of lasted longer). The last bit where you hear the band playing that chaotic structure right at the end is me running for my life. The minute I hit the parking lot they jumped into Axilla. The rest is one of those stories that only those few understand (or not).
I remember as I was running out thinking to Trey that he should play the hardest Antelope he has ever played as for some reason that song made total sense to me at the time. Sure enough he came through in the encore. How the hell do they do that shit night after night.

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

For the second night at Deer Creek, the band dips into the cover well yet again, this time with the Smashing Pumpkins' Rhinoceros, which is quite dutifully done. Getting Halley's immediately after this feels like the real intro to the show. At 6 minutes in we break free and immediately get into a nice funky groove. The jam is upbeat and peppy with a lot of bounce. At around 11 minutes Mike lands on a new theme in a different chord, and Page then Trey follow while Fish holds down the beat. Shortly after that it starts to get more spacy and approaches ambient territory, and Fish switches to a more driving pace. Instead, at a little past 15 minutes, this shifts to bliss mode instead and starts to conjure up echoes of the Gorge Mike's Song... but just shy of a real peak the band makes a dark turn instead which makes this jam much more interesting. We have a slow, heavy retreat to end the song and then a surprising segue into I Didn't Know as a release. Really fantastic way to start the show. The band continues the covers trend from the second half of this tour; after debuting a cover in the opener they provide a bustout in the form of Ride Captain Ride. Cars Trucks Buses and Moma Dance both sound great here. Strange Design is a great cool down here, and that allows the band to close things out in a rollicking fashion with Character Zero.

My one dig on the previous night's show was the lack of a signature jam. Well, if the Set one Halley's was not good enough to counter that point, then this second set Gumbo opener more than makes up for it.
The song proper is standard and then at around the 6 minutes the band launches into a somewhat typical Manteca-esque groove section, but as has been the style this tour, the band settles into this one, plays around with it, and thoroughly explores each iteration of the theme. At around 9 minutes the tone on this one gets brighter and approaches the same sort of "semi-bliss" status that Halley's hit earlier in the show. Rather than get dark though this time the band embraces the funky party vibe of this portion of the jam; this is very fun now. At 13.5 minutes Trey strikes a new theme with an airy vibe to counter the rhythm section's funk beat. It's just a fantastic groove at this point. Finally at 16 minutes the band reprises the Manteca theme to the delight of the crowd and everyone listening years later, closing this out with an amazing peak. This is one of my favorite Phish jams ever; sometimes I think I like this more than even the Riverport Gin. Stuff like this is the reason why I wanted to do this full tour listen in the first place.

Axilla fits nicely into the second slot of the set. This is yet another stellar Limb by Limb from a time period where this song was a show stopper almost every time. This one achieves extra bliss and then descends angelically; a top tier version for sure. The rest of this set is fine; Meat is standard and the Bike bustout is fun. Tube is good, but just not at the same level as other Tubes from this tour. Wedge is a strange choice for a set closer here though. As has been the case for several shows this tour though the band delivers a multi-song encore to compensate. Circus is standard, but the Antelope feels like an energetic conclusion to this great two night stand. Overall I think this is definitely one of the better shows of the tour... the end of the second set doesn't feel too strong (which seems to be common on this tour) but you have one, arguably two signature jams here with Gumbo and Halley's (and Gumbo is a best-ever contender). Highly recommended show.

PHISH, MONDAY 08/03/1998
DEER CREEK MUSIC CENTER
Noblesville, IN

SET 1:

Rhinoceros[1] - Rhinoceros serves as an incredible one and done performance, skillfully setting the tone for what follows. The unexpected choice of this cover adds an extra layer of intrigue, defying expectations and showcasing the band's versatility. It's a testament to their musical prowess and willingness to explore new territories, making this debut a standout moment that leaves audiences eagerly anticipating what comes next. The summer of covers rolls on!

Halley's Comet: An absolute monster, a masterpiece. One of the best they have ever played, an easy all timer. Early on this one is expertly led by Mike and Fish, serving as the catalyst for a musical odyssey that unfolds with masterful precision. Throughout this expansive jam, the band skillfully navigates at multiple, distinct sections, demonstrating their musical prowess and ability to traverse a wide sonic spectrum. This jam is transcendent and highly recommended. >

I Didn't Know: Standard.

Ride Captain Ride: Huge bustout.

Cars Trucks Buses: Standard.

The Moma Dance: Has a bit of extra mustard. Has a Walk Away feel to it starting at 9:39 through 9:52.

Strange Design: Standard.

Character Zero: Standard.

SET 2:

Gumbo: The Manteca tease hits at 7:22 and you can thank Mike for kicking that in. Interesting that they have played three standout Gumbo’s at Deer Creek (7.26.99 and 7.22.03 being the other two). Throughout the entirety of this rendition, Page consistently unleashes a relentless torrent of musical brilliance, solidifying this as one of the strongest versions ever. The fusion of funky grooves, melodic storytelling by Trey, and Page's relentless energy culminate in a performance that stands out as a testament to the band's mastery of their craft. All the Manteca stuff is brilliant. Easily all timer - Highly recommended!!!

Axilla[2] - Standard >

Limb By Limb: Throughout both peaks, Trey's passion for the music is palpable, resonating with every note played. His ability to connect with the audience on a profound level elevates the performance beyond a mere spectacle, transforming it into a transcendent musical journey. Would recommend!

Meat: Standard. >

Hold Your Head Up > Bike > Hold Your Head Up: Another bustout.

Tube: Played super-fast. >

The Wedge: Standard. Really odd set closer, total head scratcher. First and last time for this placement.

ENCORE:

When the Circus Comes: Standard. >

Run Like an Antelope: Spliff keyword, not spike. Other than this one is pretty much by the book. Still, great way to close out two nights at Deer Creek.

Summary: Show has two all timers but man, it’s kind of an odd show. The second set is really a first set. Still, with those two big guns, the strong, LxL, the out of left field opener and the bustouts – this is the better of the two night run. 4.2/5. I am not nearly as in love with this one as Phish.net is (4.451/5 (>50 ratings).

Replay Value: Halley’s Comet, Gumbo, Limb by Limb

[1] Phish debut.
[2] Contained Axilla II ending.

This show marked the Phish debut of Rhinoceros. The Halley’s jam included A Love Supreme teases from Page. The show also featured the return of Ride Captain Ride, which had not been played since December 30, 1992 (494 shows) and Bike, which had not been played since November 7, 1996 (129 shows). Gumbo included Manteca teases.
SHOW RATING
Ratings are currently offline.
Overall: 4.451/5 (>50 ratings)
JAM CHART VERSIONS
Halley's Comet, The Moma Dance, Gumbo, Limb By Limb
TEASES
A Love Supreme tease in Halley's Comet, Manteca tease in Gumbo

I LOVE 98 shows, especially this stretch of 98. That said, this show kinda can't get out of its own way.

Moma Dance has 2 very messy moments. Axilla is noticeably choppy too. (And I don't mean like "Oh Trey hit the wrong note," I mean they aren't together.)

Gumbo is great, as mentioned elsewhere, LxL is good, it seems like we're on our way... but no. Hold Your Head Up > Bike > HYHU... just really bogs things down.

This show has a version of Gumbo that sets the bar, for me. It grooves like none other. The song drops some serious grooves. Manteca interlacing is also dope as hell! Wow.