Trey seemed to forget the lyrics to the last verse of Fee and improvised the story as he led the band back into the final chorus. Fee subsequently concluded with an extended jam segment.
Debut Years (Average: 1990)

This show was part of the "1998 Summer European Tour"

Show Reviews

, attached to 1998-07-05

Review by ADAWGWYO

ADAWGWYO Really sloppy show. They were definately drunk and I surmise drunk on Absynthe. I remember Trey gesticulating near the mic and knocking his glasses off. Not much to say musically. I have seen Trey mess up Fee probably more than I've seen him do it right, bit this was definately the worst.

Beers were 34 CZ Crowns, or about a dollar. They raised the prices the next night like 50 cents or something.

I truely believe it is because of this night that they came out a-guns-blazin the next night. They had to make up for this bomb. Not quite on the level of Vegas '04.... not quite I say.

I don't really think any Phish show deserves a 1 star rating but this one is definately below a 3.

2 stars
, attached to 1998-07-05

Review by ChalkdustPleasure

ChalkdustPleasure I don't get why so many people hate on this show, sure it doesn't nearly match the next nights performance, but those are the types of shows that are on inhuman levels which is what makes this band awesome. If they make a few mistakes here and there then joke around about it it only reminds me that these boys are still human, just playing out of this world music for us at the same time.

By the way, the fee jam is straight raw...and makes the show no doubt.
, attached to 1998-07-05

Review by westbrook

westbrook Sloppiness detracts from this show as a whole but there is no shortage of material worth listening to repeatedly. It's pretty amazing that Phish can still feature some great segments despite (or because of) them being off their game. A botched Fee leads to one of the most unique, off-kilter jams ever played and the whole Gin through Axilla bulk of the second set (SBD available) is great. Bathtub Gin enters a funky zone that drops perfectly into Moma Dance and this Mcgrupp has an ambient outro jam that builds feedback and slams right into Axilla.
, attached to 1998-07-05

Review by dscott

dscott Sub-par show overall, and other reviewers have described the sloppy mess that is the 1st half of Set 1. At least things get competent after the forgotten lyrics Fee-asco, albeit largely ordinary. A relatively brief Chalkdust Torture has a little extra snarly gnar to its final 3 minutes or so, and Gin drops into a decent funk groove which nicely sets things up for how it meets its Moma.

Legit highlights can be found in the jams out of Fee and McGrupp, which are truly wonderful! I could swear that the funky melody that they keep repeating between ~9:45 and ~12:00 (when the jam takes on a Manteca-ish tone) is a tease of a familiar song, but I just can't place it.
, attached to 1998-07-05

Review by ucpete

ucpete Fishman and Trey are SO fucked up during this show. The first set may be the worst first set of Phish I've ever heard in my life.
, attached to 1998-07-05

Review by theghost

theghost What a weird show. I think the Birds and Taste are great.... tight and feisty....I don't hear any drunkenness at all. Cavern's good and the beginning of Reba is crisp and uptempo. And then, all of a sudden, the wheels fall off....all four members! Mike in particularly starts missing (or omitting) the roots of the chords all over the place. Very uncharacteristic and it seems to get Trey distracted and pulled offsides. All of this happened roughly 30 minutes into the show. My theory? Edibles. Mike seems the most off his game of all of them and is known to be an infrequent partaker. He hacks his solo in Lawnboy too. Just not like him AT ALL.

But this show isn't a total waste at all. There are segments scattered through the show that are at peak July 98 levels (one of my favorite months of their whole career). As I said the Birds and Taste are really good....the solo section of Taste is top notch. The Fee is a keeper for it's comedic first half and its really cool second half jam. I love the way Trey aborts the mission... "and he jumped over the side of the ship and the sharks ate him...thank you". You can hear him stifling giggles for the next minute or two. The Water in the Sky is a really nice version...Page shines. Then, the Gin.... pretty good but not too exciting. Until the 11 minute mark when they soar into a jam segment that's as thrilling as any particular moment in the legendary Riverport Gin a few weeks later. It just doesn't last for 24 minutes this time. McGrupp is a cool, unique (if a little sloppy) version...another worthy moment.

It's a sub par night for sure...particularly for this tour. But it's not dull and still worth a listen for the high points.
, attached to 1998-07-05

Review by DrJimmy

DrJimmy I was front row for this show. Very high. I felt like I could relate to the quality of the show. If you are wasted and the band plays great, you're lucky. If you're wasted and the band plays badly - and they're wasted - then its also fun... but not a great "show." Second night I was in the balcony. And the second night was HISTORY.
, attached to 1998-07-05

Review by Capricornholio

Capricornholio Slop-fest where every band member makes mistakes. Almost every song in the first set is flubbed. The jam following (the poorly played) Fee is awesome as is the Gin > Moma. Everything else is pretty weak. One of the weirdest Hoods I've ever heard. The jam starts off like it is going to be your typical, blissy build, but Fishman just completely forgets how to play the song. He ends up riding the toms the entire time and almost never goes to the ride cymbal, which totally kills the whole building aspect of the song.

2.5/5 C- Phish
, attached to 1998-07-05

Review by rhcp4115

rhcp4115 During Reba, Fishman completely forgets his part of the song and is way off with the drum timing. Trey and Page stop playing and look over at him. Followed by a Fee with most of the verses missing.
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