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

This show starts off with a bang; My Friend My Friend is always a great opener, and the Ya Mar and Roggae that follow offer up tasty type 1 jams. The Rift also feels extra hot, but the real heat comes with one of the all time great versions of Cities, making it's first stateside appearance after highlighting some of the shows in Europe. After winding up, at about 7 minutes the jam seems to downshift into some minor chording, before shifting into a Trey lead melodic groove which Mike also seizes on and adds his own spice to almost immediately (once again, the communication is borderline telepathic). The build on this one is patient and thorough, as all the great jams from this tour have been. The hose starts at about 12.5 minutes and continues triumphantly past the 14 minute mark and caps off with a fantastic wind down; for the second show in a row the band has delivered a remarkable, self contained, exploratory jam in the first set. Water in the Sky and Stash bring things to an excellent conclusion before the break.

We have yet another top tier opening song with Curtain, and then the band jumps into a very unique Free. The jam is almost like a typical Type 1 Free but instead has a very bluesy feel to it; a fresh spin on a tried and true highlight. It goes into a very nice If I Could, which was a big bustout at the time (you can hear the crowd roar in appreciation as the song begins). As if that wasn't enough, the outro of the song just melts beautifully into TMWSIY in one of the best ambient jam segments of the tour thus far. Avenu Malkenu gives Mike the spotlight for a bit and he doesn't waste it. The Twist > Izabella that follows is fine (though it does give Trey a chance to shred). The Julius/Cavern double shot set closer is better than fine, but not as strong as this show was through Avenu Malkenu.

For the THIRD TIME this tour, Punch You in the Eye kicks off a multi-song encore. This one is FAST and the breakneck tempo almost derails the band, but they pull it off and this one feels particularly thrilling for it. Slave takes us out for a strong ending.

This show is great for about a set and a half and then loses steam, but the double encore is a nice attempt to elevate the end of the show. Our upward trend has plateaued a bit; while the previous show was a bit better overall we are light years away from the dip they hit in Texas.