Wasn't at this show but the Bathtub Gin to open Set II is another beautiful example of underrated Fall 98 jamming. If there was a bigger most-valuable-jam-song between Summer 97 and Dec 99, I don't know of it... and you could argue things peaked for Bathtub in Nov 98 in terms of how frequently great the jams were. This and the 11/29 version are both stellar.

This is one of the very best shows from this year. And that is due to not just a very strong 2nd set but also an incredibly good 1st set.

Divided Sky is epic, has to be one of the longest pauses ever. Trey just relishes it and keeps going with it very inspired version. The Frankie Says after is my favorite version and likely one of the very best ever played. Free is also in the conversation for best version ever, it gets super funky and the guys are as linked together as they can be. And to end this epic set is likely the best version they've ever played of Bold as Love. Best this best that. Yes this set is the business.

You'd think they were out of gas by Set 2. But no you get a nice big Gin jam right out of the gate. You get swept up into a sky of bliss right away. And although it does have some parts and pieces from Gins before it's near flawless in it's execution. You get a nice bustout with TMWSIY>Avenu>TMWSIY. The Moma Dance is solid. And YEM is a straight up dance party from beginning to end, very fun version.

And there's nothing quite like a Frankenstein encore with Freebird as the cherry on top.

This gets a rare 5 stars from me, it has everything I want in a show.

When I listed to this Gin jam, around the 11-15 minute mark, I keep waiting for someone to go "Heeeeeey Macarena". Trey's licks sound like the lyric portion. I'm doing the dance now in my desk.

set ena pol and a hena macarena
h and a so onapeeda
set en a pol an a hena macarena
Hey Macarena!

Set I--Solid Divided Sky

Set II-Bathtub Gin was excellent. Moma Dance was solid. Slave was better than usual. Decent YEM.

For me, the Bathtub Gin was the highlight of the 3 night run. The jam goes a lot of places. Several solid Gins in 98 indeed.

I believe this GIN deserves much praise and many adjectives. The point at beginning of 18 min or so, Trey plays those really high notes with the loop running and just owns it. Trippy as trippy my plan......then he so gently segues back into a bouncy reprise of the GIN theme as if to say, "Oh I'm back to my senses." This GIN is a must hear for any Phishy-head. 5 stars!

SET 1:

Llama: Another Fall 98 set one smoking opener! Lots of crunchy reverse reverb here.

Horn: Sloppy!

I Get a Kick Out of You: Trey – “Captain Gactin (?) will now sing a song for you.” The second and last time they played this Sinatra tune.

Divided Sky: Very, very long pause. Crowd is frothing at the mouth – super loud and into it. Strong version right here people.

Frankie Says: Standard, couldn’t touch the Denver version.

Dogs Stole Things: Standard.

Poor Heart: Sounds like they are really having fun. >

Free: Definitely has extra juice and groove. Would absolutely recommend this version! Very chunky and funky.

NICU: Standard.

Bold As Love: Rocks hard. Feels like Trey doesn’t want to leave the stage.

SET 2:

Bathtub Gin: This has it all. Rock, funk, ambience and groove in the middle, and then they ever so gradually build it back up to its original theme. Page sounds like a ragtime piano player on the closing. This is an all time version for sure but the reason it doesn’t get more notoriety is likely because it doesn’t have any one signature moment that folks can grab onto. Instead, it’s the entire, consistent body of work that is impressive and workmanlike.

The Man Who Stepped Into Yesterday: > Avenu Malkenu > The Man Who Stepped Into Yesterday – Mesmerizing. >

The Moma Dance: Standard. >

Slave to the Traffic Light: Nice version here. >

You Enjoy Myself: What in the world is Trey doing during Page’s solo? Weird issue on the source from the Relisten app. Listen to Page’s solo – it has Trey overlayed over the top of the Page – his strumming part that leads up to the Note. Very strange. Funky jam. I don’t think it’s good enough to be a jamcharts version though.

ENCORE:

Frankenstein: Crowd goes nuts before they play this. I guess they turned the house lights on on purpose as a joke or something? This is from Marcus Pearson marcusp@LEXIS-NEXIS.COM “When they went off stage, the house lights came on. Everyone freaked out and started screaming, booing, and yelling. The crowd got really loud, and the lights eventually went back down. They came back on a minute later.” Anyway, typical Frankenstein, great effects.

Free Bird: Trey thanks the crowd, we had a great three nights. Thanks for having us, etc. Then, What song is it you wanna hear? The crowd instantly clamors for Free Bird. Great stuff! Great encore.

Summary: Solid first set but nothing that will truly grab your attention outside of Free. Gin is really, really good – but not great. Phish.net has this rated at 4.377/5 (122 ratings) which seems absurd to me. Why is it so high? It’s a good show, better than average. But, whatever. I would rate this as a 4/5.

Replay Value: Free, Bathtub Gin

Above average-great show, 4 out of 5 stars, in my opinion. As with the previous night at the same venue, the setlist is on point, especially the song choices in the first set. The Bathtub Gin to open Set II is about 24 minutes long and ranges over a lot of movements, including a segment that feels similar to the "millennial" jamming we'd hear the next year at Big Cypress. The Moma Dance > Slave to the Traffic Light > You Enjoy Myself is a very strong way to close the show, too, and the "Fake Light Tease" (house lights went on temporarily on purpose before the encore) is funny with Frankenstein and Free Bird to send us on our way.

The First set was all the money, in my opinion. Llama rocked my socks off and the venue was Waaaaay over-crowded. Horn left everyone standing in awe at the sound and its HUGE-ness. I get a kick was totally for spite. % Sky made Trey cry. (and brought the rest of us close to tears as well.) Free was the money maker as well as Bold as love to thunder threw the end of the set.

Gin. Dance. Moma. Dance. You Enjoy Myself. Dance.

What song is it you wanna hear a capella?