I was hanging out in Athens, GA in 1998 and made it up to the Greenville show and then onto Winston the next night. The Greenville show was in the brand new Bi-Lo Center, a venue that the boys have yet to return to. The parking garage adjacent to the venue was a mad house. Seriously, like a five floor disco party before and after the show.

Tickets were super easy to come by and I ended up taking my cousin to her first show this night. To our delight, we would up sitting in the first few rows up the rise about 30 ft from Page and had an outstanding 'long' view down the stage.

I really dug the 'Chicken Shack' opener, hatching out a thick, laid back groove to kick things off. They could bring that one back anytime as far as I am concerned. As others have mentioned, the 'Bowie' is hot. The second set is the bacon though and the opening 'Wolfman's' is definitely of the deep dish version. And hey who can complete about a tight 'Lizards' and an 'Albuquerque' - man I love the texture Phish brings to that song. I feel for it hard that night.

It might not translate as well over a recording but the encore was really, really special. I mean check it out! Not only is it a four song affair but the intimacy of that encore was something I had not (yet) experienced with Phish and it was a transformative moment for me with the band. And the 'Coil' topped it all off in fine form. What a great night, great show - and as it stands now a bit of a 'secret'.

An underrated show, at the time of my review this was scored by 6 voters as a 3.3 . The Wolfman's alone is worth a 4. Throw in a solid Fluff, a stellar Slave and a fun 4 song encore and you've got yourself a show worth seeking out. Wolmans in particular is some serious hose.

This and the next night in Winston Salem are over shadowed by Hampton, and they really should'nt be by all that much. The Hampton shows were indeed a blast but I don't think they played anything at either of those nights that bests this Wolfman's.

This was one of my first shows when in High School and the first event to take place in the brand new Bi-Lo Center. The first set was solid, and the boys were having fun, but the second set was classic. Wolfman's was my favorite version of all time - nearly twenty minutes and half of it open jamming that split my wig. Lizards was a nice treat, Slave was superbly executed, and the four song encore (3 songs acoustic?) with the final Squirming Coil was a great way to end a classic night. Page's Coil solo was one of the best of the late 90s.

Get this show for the Wolfman's. I would kill to have it on remastered soundboards.

while the first set had its share of entertaining moments, "bowie" was the only thing that really made me take notice. the second set was another story, starting with a remarkable "wolfman's" & maintaining its high level until the closing "character zero"....definitely a set worth listening to, highlights throughout. the four-song encore was a nice treat, capping off a trip to greenville i felt was much worthwhile....

SET 1:

Back at the Chicken Shack: Just the second time played (debuted at 10.30.98) and you can tell by the crowd reaction or the lack thereof that they are unfamiliar with it. Props to Jimmy Smith, the author of this tune.

Birds of a Feather: Standard.

Farmhouse: Standard. >

My Soul: Standard.

Guyute: Standard.

Lawn Boy: Standard.

Love Me: Standard.

David Bowie: In the composed sections that lead up to the lyrics there is the strangest echo going on – very distracting. This Bowie gets the job done. It has good length and a solid ending. But nothing truly unique or interesting about it all the same.

Carolina: They screw up in the middle and restart from the beginning. Wish I could make out the banter after the screw up, it’s all kind of muffled but sounds like they were all cracking up. Trey is laughing throughout the song. Pretty funny. From Phish.net “Carolina was restarted after Page’s miscue and ended with a choreographed stage routine. “

SET 2:

Wolfman's Brother: This version boasts that deep funk that eventually evolves into an organic upbeat jam – not that cookie cutter 2017 and newer MSG bliss jam. No sir. This one takes it’s time in getting there and even at its peak it never gets too self-absorbed. Great version! ->

The Lizards: Clean version. Very well done. Second and last version of fall tour not to be seen again until 7.12.99.

The Moma Dance: Vanilla. >

Albuquerque: Fantastic.

Slave to the Traffic Light: Somehow, this seems to fly under the radar. But I am here to tell you this is an easy all timer, right up there with the very best. Inspired version, not that different from the top of the mountain 12.7.97 – no, I am not kidding.

Fluffhead: The beginning of this one is all goofed up. But that is short lived, and the body of work here is fantastic. It is crushed throughout. Easy all timer. >

Character Zero: Standard.

ENCORE:

Brian and Robert: Standard.

Sleep: Standard. First time played in the encore slot.

Dog Faced Boy: Standard. First and last time played in the encore slot.

The Squirming Coil: Standard.

Summary: Yikes, that first set is very, very boring. Just going through the motions. You would think after having two days off they would have more to offer. The second set though does it’s level best to make up for it with a strong Wolfman’s top notch versions of Slave and Fluffhead! Maybe one of the most unique encores ever – it’s like the band felt they needed to deliver a large dose of landing gear to those in attendance in the best manner possible. Really interesting show. Would rate it as a 3.5/5 – Phish.net has it as 3.767/5 (90 ratings). I wanted to score it higher but that first set its just so boring.

Replay Value: Wolfman's Brother, Slave to the Traffic Light, Fluffhead

This was my first show and I knew little to nothing about the Phish from VT when me and my college buddies headed up to the show. We made it to the show and the parking lot was a straight mad house and I was enthralled as soon as we got to the lot. Me, and a bunch of my friends had eaten mushrooms for the first time. Needless to say, I was about to go to another universe. The first set opened up with back to the chicken shack and all I remember during the first set is how much different types of music I was seeing because I was not familiar with the song catalog yet at this point, and I felt like I was at a straight dance party which I was after the first set I knew this is where I needed to be.

The next set started with Wolfman‘s brothers, and as I looked down at my hand, my hands literally started to transform into werewolf hands. This was the moment that I knew I would spend the rest of my life with Phish in some form or another. The Wolfman’s is fire in the hole. Second set is a great for a show for me. This show rocks and you get a Fluffhead character zero and a cappella Carolina along with a four song encore, which was super intimate and super fun, and I was experience experiencing one of the best nights of my life with all of my college buddies, and after that I was super turned on. Now 40 shows later I’m still going strong