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

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

This was my first show, and I had never heard a note of Phish before, so this is written years later after hearing the show on Relisten. I was working at a youth hostel in Prague, and the day before the show all these fans started filling the place up. They were all following the whole European tour and talking about the shows so far- I had no frame of reference for why anyone would see the same band over and over on the same tour...

Ripping BOAF to open, followed by a very hot Taste and a solid Cavern. Band sounds energized, and the crowd hyped AF. Really fun to hear the small crowd clapping along during the chorus in Reba. A few shouts from Fishman just before the composed section, which is a bit of a mess. Really struggling to keep it together in some parts but they come together for The Chase section and through the jam.

Trey’s famous lyric flubs show up in Fee followed by a very strange, almost Plinko-type jam and a pretty cool segue into a tightly played Water In The Sky. I remember wondering what was going on during Lawn Boy- a lounge song? Having never heard Phish before, I didn't really know what to make of them- lounge music, Calypso, sort of all over the place and I couldn't understand why everybody was going absolutely nuts. Then they go into CDT to close the first set, completely tight and a total smoke show. This was when I got IT and realized what all the fuss was about, and why people were travelling around to see this band.

First part of the Gin jam sounds like they are struggling a bit, it feels like it’s dragging but picks up into a very solid jam with a strange segue into a very funky Moma dance with some sloppy playing from the bad lieutenant. McGrupp ends with an interesting jam which leads into a pretty messy Axilla. Rumour is that the band was dipping into the Absinthe this night which might explain why Trey knocked his glasses off of his face in the first set!

Harry Hood is fantastic- whatever was going on with the band during some of the night, they put it behind them here. Rocky Top is super tight and really fast and P/etroff/Page throws down a killer piano solo. Show ends with a decent Funky Bitch encore. And of course we all know what happened on Night 2!

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.

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

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.

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

After the previous festival set I was hoping to see Phish get back to the spot they were in during the three night run at the Grey Hall, but instead I discovered a blemish in this run with the first show in Prague. From jump there is clearly an issue; Trey flubs the BOAF lyrics. At first I chalked it up to the fact that at that point the band had only played the song a handful of times live. But this was just a precursor to the rest of the night. Taste is a mess lyrically, with both Fishman and Trey not on point. After Cavern the band jumps into an ill advised Reba... and it's very clear at this point that something is not right. This Reba almost comes apart completely, both musically and lyrically. This is clearly becoming a mess of a set. Fee suffers the same fate, with Trey and the band seemingly deciding to abandon the song altogether after continuous lyrical flubs; the jam that arises from this is fun but can't make up for the mess that preceded it. After that, the band seems to land the plane for a three song run to end the set, but they are clearly shaken.

Set 2 offers a chance at redemption, but it is also a mixed bag. The Bathtub Gin jam feels like an exercise, with the band trying to get back into a groove. Unfortunately Moma Dance then suffers from a lyrical breakdown by Fishman. The McGrupp is excellent and winds into another nice Europe '98 ambient outro as the band seems to try to reexert control over a show that has rapidly slipped away from them. But the rest of the second set feels almost like a frantic overcompensation; the Axilla/Hood/Rocky Top run to end the set is almost Too Much. Thankfully the Funky Bitch encore sounds good.

Now being five shows into the Summer, I'm feeling like my experiment is coming off the rails. This show for sure doesn't feel like Phish at their best, even though they kept trying. Honestly, if I didn't already know what was coming for the next show I might be ready to throw in the towel, but the next night in Prague the come back was on.

PHISH, SUNDAY 07/05/1998
LUCERNA THEATRE
Prague, Czech Republic

SET 1:

Birds of a Feather: Standard.

Taste: Fish can’t remember his lyrics. >

Cavern: Standard.

Reba: Sloppiest version I have heard.

Fee: Trey can’t remember the lyrics to multiple parts. They turn this into one of the more unique and quirkiest jams you might ever hear. Easy all timer and highly recommend. ->

Water in the Sky: Standard. >

Lawn Boy: Standard. >

Chalk Dust Torture: Seems to have a little extra mustard.

SET 2:

Bathtub Gin: Rocks hard for almost all of it but the last one minute and twenty seconds they take a deep dive into the icky sticky funk. Pretty cool segue here! >

The Moma Dance: Mike has some seriously great runs throughout the composed section. Great stuff. >

McGrupp and the Watchful Hosemasters: Standard – pay no mind to jamcharts. >

Jam: Now, THIS is cool! Hypnotic and droning. Great theme.>

Axilla: Standard. >

Harry Hood: Like Capricornholio said Fishman seems to have his troubles at a point in the build. I feel like they recover from this admirably and they go on to crush the finale. It definitely a rough around the edges but the payoff is great! Would recommend. >

Rocky Top: Standard.

ENCORE:

Funky Bitch: This one seems to have a bit extra, good stuff!

Summary: One of the sloppiest shows you will hear. But 98 Phish could still deliver some big highlights. The Fee Jam and then the jam after McGrupp were killer. But, 3.172/5 (87 ratings) feels like the right score in this case.

Replay Value: Fee, Jam, Harry Hood

[1] Trey improvised the story as he led the band back to final chorus. Extended jam segment at the end.

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.
SHOW RATING
Your rating:
Overall: 3.172/5 (87 ratings)
JAM CHART VERSIONS
Fee, Bathtub Gin, McGrupp and the Watchful Hosemasters, Jam

This show was a lot of fun, for the band & audience. Yes there are sloppy moments, but it was all "fun sloppy." I remember dancing like the world was ending with some great people and we were all having a blast. The 2nd set was pure fire. Don't believe the couch warriors when it comes to the low rating here.