Excellent first set Down with Disease transitions smoothly into a nice Dog Faced Boy. This Tweezer->2001 to open the 2nd set is about 40 minutes long and is truely epic. I rarely use that term, epic, but I am comfortable using it here. This combo has been done only 4 times and this is easily the master of them all! Get this show and the next simply for the HUGE 2nd set opening combos. Both are must-hear Phishy Phish! Harry Hood encore!?! Never anything but grand in that slot. The AUDs of this venue are smoking. Mike's bass sounds so good thumping off the wood walls of what was literally a big wood shed.

My guess on the capacity is approx 800. Energy was high and all of us were in extremely cheery moods. The tour riff raff was non-existant, and in 1998 that was a luxury rarely afforded. No leaches, no (obvious)junkies, and few wooks... just people that planned and saved for this special month.

First set highlights are a great Moma (which is a little bit longer/funkier/jammier than the one from the night before), and the post DWD Ambiance -> Dog Faced Boy. The Disease itself is just OK, your typical 10-minute monotone shred fest - > light ambiance -> Disease Reprise. However, the ambient jamming following DWD proper is outstanding and the "->" Dog Faced Boy is perfect.

The Tweezer that opens the second set is just gorgeous and goes in many interesting directions without ever sounding meandering then dissolves into ambiance and quickly "->" into a super funky 15-minute 2001. Paired together these two make for one of the best jams of the whole 98 Europe run. The rest of the set is pretty standard then a typical (read great) Hood encore closes the show.

4 notes:
- This show is only 2:15 long, how about another jam for me?
- The FOB Schoeps recordings of the whole Europe are beautiful and clear
- Sweet Adeline is one of the better recordings of an unmic'd song I've ever heard. The small venue coupled with the the close proximity of the taper meant that they didn't have to crank their mic pres and the audience was (mostly) quiet and attentive (although you can hear people snapping away with their disposable cameras, remember those?)
- The assholes clapping annoyingly loudly and poorly during the quiet part of the Hood Jam: FUCK OFF!

The first set is just a set (I can't really get worked up for The Moma Dance) until it gets to DWD, which flies along in the time-honored DWD until gradually delving into a pool of spacey noise, with Trey wringing ugly noise out of his guitar and Fish providing cymbal washes for flavor as Page does his thing (shades of the Ambient Jam from Lemonwheel). Then, just because Phish does things like this, Trey pulls the "DWD riff" thread out of the ambient rug they just weaved and the band heads into the traditional DWD reprise....and then immediately drop back into another ambient zone, Page tickling the ivories and Trey launching a bevy of loops, that immediately grows warmer as Mike makes his presence felt and Trey changes his guitar tone for some really sweet soloing before leading perfectly into Dog Faced Boy. The rest of the set is whatever, but that DWD should definitely be heard, just for the ambient interludes.

Set 2 kicks off with Tweezer, and this is every bit of a piece with the best of the late-90s Tweezers, starting off with the usual funk groove of this Tweezer era (Trey's wah-wah is in fine form), then getting more rock-intensive while retaining a laid-back atmosphere - if you want a good modern comparison, think a more relaxed, funkier version of the 12/28/12 "best of 3.0" Tweezer, a jam that effortlessly shifts form while retaining a "hey, this is a Tweezer jam, guys" feel. The jam finally winds down to a mellow, contemplative close, then collapses into that familiar fog of white noise, and like Batman seeing the signal in the sky 2001 comes flying out of the PA system for the Grey Hall's dancing pleasure. This 2001 is played a tad quickly for my tastes, but it's still a very fine version with a cool repeating guitar line around the 4 minute mark and Trey soloing all over the place. The rest of the set is perfectly fine, but that 40 minute stretch is really worth listening to.

7/6 is still the show of the run for me, but the Tweezer-2001 run is as good as the year (and post-96 Phish) gets, and that DWD really does have some fine ambient work, so this is an easy recommendation.

This show is a great nugget. Not only is the playing and setlist from this show fantastic, but the AUD is as crispy and crunchy as you'd want it to be.

The first set has it's normal beginning run of songs. Things start getting really interesting when Moma Dance kicks in. It's in it's infancy and still has the open ended jamming style that it's predecessor Black Eyed Katy had. The guys had not completely worked out the kinks but it still sounds pretty good. The banter about Mike not knowing the Moma Dance is funny and is followed by an unanticipated monster of a Disease. I really enjoy the "Gateway" section as I like to call if from this particular version (right after Trey's solo). And the ensuing jam is mellow but great. One of the big highlights from this show is the buttery smooth segue from DWD -> Dog Faced Boy well placed song outstanding segue. The remainder of the set is a very well executed slow build Piper and a perky Chalkdust to blow the lid off of the set.

Set 2 is extremely short it's got a big and then a small anchor jam followed by a few really quick songs. Tweezer is always welcomed to kick off any set and this one goes the distance. The jam meanders somewhat but I still enjoy it. This leads into yet another perfectly executed segue into 2001. 2001 is kind of directionless but also a fairly interesting version with a little stretch. Not much can be said about the rest of the set as it's just a few quick rippers.

People may have wondered why that set wasn't more dense. But it was likely because the guys had a big Hood planned for the encore. And this one most definitely does not disappoint. It has a great build and conclusion and is a perfect bookend to this show leaving any normal sane person very happy.

Great show. Would do again.

First Set overall was nothing spectacular other the the Moma Dance was played in consecutive nights probably to see if the crowd remembers the "moma dance" that the band introduced the night before. DWD>Dog Faced boy was a neat jam/transition although trey flubs lyrics in the DWD. Second set was some incredible jamming by the band TWEEZER!>2001 were GREAT versions. 2001 was sick!! Two songs combined were 36 min followed by an "above average" Loving Cup, then probably one of the best and most electrifying My Soul Ive heard...it was short and sweet definitely worth a listen. The second set was noticeably shorter then the night before by about 30 min. It was short but STRONG!

Overall: The Whole second set is worth a listen BY FAR!

Part of my full run through of Summer '98, see here: https://phish.net/reviews/1380008243-batleon.html />
So after kicking things off with their only June show of the year, I approach July with a bit more trepidation about my hypothesis on Summer '98, but it turns out I needn't have worried. The show once again starts in modest fashion with a three song run capped off by a peppy but still not quite ready for prime time version of Moma Dance. After that, we get a bit of a "banter reprise" from the previous night showing the band is still feeling playful. At that point, Trey prompts Mike to launch into Down With Disease and at this point I think Summer '98 really starts to take off.

This version rages on in the DwD theme for nearly eleven minutes before quickly but not abruptly smoothing out into a quiet interlude (still in the key of DwD) which makes the explosive return to close the song out that much more enthusiastic for the attentive audience. And then, as the song ends around 14 or so minutes in the band slowly breaks down into an ambient jam reminiscent of something like the Stash from the Island Tour... and instead of going dark it becomes upbeat and downright cheerful. This goes on for several minutes until the band (in the same vein as the previous night's Stash > Cities) sneakily transitions into Dog Faced Boy. Where other versions tend to be melancholic this one is quite chipper (invoking the spirit of the 12/2/97 version). After a straightforward Piper (no jamming here) and Waste, they wrap things up, running through Chalkdust with a little extra mustard, as Trey plays with a heavy rock groove for a bit before breaking out a well executed solo to close out the set.

Set 2 seems to be where the band truly launches as the band attempts to step back up to the level of the tours that preceded it. This is, in fact, a 5 song set 2 so it passes the eye test in being a show of the era. It kicks off with a Tweezer that plays it mostly safe; it grooves enjoyably on for 20 minutes before the band once again breaks out into ambient bliss to close it out. Not surprisingly, a groovy 2001 follows; this is the era of powerful 2001s and this one fits the bill. The two covers that follow are punchy and the a capella capper is a nich touch. And who could complain about a Harry Hood encore? The band has clearly shaken off any cobwebs and doubts and are ready to push themselves forward once more. The race is on.

PHISH, WEDNESDAY 07/01/1998
THE GREY HALL
Copenhagen, Denmark

SET 1:

NICU: Standard. >

Sample in a Jar: Standard.

My Mind's Got a Mind of its Own: Standard.

The Moma Dance: Standard.

Down with Disease: It does the typical DWD thing where it rages and then settles. When this one settles, it goes to a very sparse ambient space and then out of nowhere returns to the ending coda. They don’t really end the song though; it drifts back out into that ambient space with some creepy loops backing it. Super chill jam. Would recommend. Neatly segues into Dog Faced Boy while Mike basically maintains the same manner in which he was playing in the DWD jam ->

Dog Faced Boy: Unique in that it sounds different than normal as they kept the backbone of the DWD jam going through Dog Faced Boy, pretty cool >

Piper: Standard.

Waste: Standard. >

Chalk Dust Torture: Standard.

SET 2:

Tweezer: Exceptional version. Starts off very quiet and funky. Ever so gradually it picks up steam. Things get heated from the mid 13’s to the early 18’s. This section is a must hear! When things get ambient after this, the No Quarter stuff is neat. The last couple of minutes are very pretty and delicate. Easy all timer and highly recommended. >

Also Sprach Zarathustra: Another all timer right here. Has grooves for days on end. Highly recommended. This late 90’s were truly the golden era for this tune >

Loving Cup: Standard. >

My Soul: Standard.

Sweet Adeline: Standard.

ENCORE:

Harry Hood: Good jam but very little to offer in the way of a climax.

Summary: Awesome second set and the first is no slouch with a strong anchor in DWD. The current rating of 4.407/5 (86 ratings) on Phish.net seems accurate to me.

Replay Value: Down with Disease, Tweezer, Also Sprach Zarathustra

Tweezer included a No Quarter tease from Trey and 2001 contained Long Train Runnin' teases.
SHOW RATING
Your rating:
Overall: 4.407/5 (86 ratings)
JAM CHART VERSIONS
Down with Disease, Tweezer, Also Sprach Zarathustra
TEASES
No Quarter tease in Tweezer, Long Train Runnin' tease in Also Sprach Zarathustra