when 97 ny run show to pick as a favorite. the 28th is good, but it doesn't hold a flame to the next 3 nights. well...

nicu gets this one going properly. everyone is involved here. golgi recognizes that these garden tix were not easy. pretty pricey, if you could get them. cross roads pops up out of nowhere. kind of odd placement, but it works. cars trucks and buses gets everyone back in that loose funky groove. train slows things down before theme slowly brings it back up. trey sounds really good on this theme. fluff head works really well here, and the boys really nail this one. great garden fluffhead. dirt worked here, kind of breaking up the old 93 set closing duo. antelope was solid, but they brought back a touch early. it was nice and rocking, but they showed a little too much restraint for my taste.

this down with disease is a monster. they start out rocking before diving into some funkier realms. eventually, they hit the dark space that precedes bowie. this is a very good bowie. it is not overly extended but it is very focused. they bust a rowdy possum right out of the back end of the bowie coda. this move is similar to the bowie>possum from philly, if my memory serves me, from the fall tour. even though it is kind of a repeat move, it still gets the crowd gassed.... i doubt there was much bitching. tube is nice and funky. it was still a year or so away from being a funk monster, but this one does the job, warming the band up for a really nice set closing yem. gordon and trey are great on this one. gotta love those msg yem's.... they are always winners, see 95, 96, and 98 too. all are very good and pretty unique in their own yem way. zeppelin is always acceptable in my book and sends this one out on a rocking note.

overall, this one gives the 12/30 show a run for it's money, but the surpising length of that one, plus the sneaking sally and harpua breakouts probably put that one over the top. plus, i think the 30th wins on the quality of its first set. on the flip side, the 30th only has one big jam, bag, but it's a damn good jam. the second set here, is one big imporivisatory jam.

highlights:

set 1:
theme from the bottom, fluff head

set 2:

the whole thing, gotta listen to the bowie>possum segue from either this show or the philly one. pretty similar but both great!