this show is a sure-fire winner. if you do not, at the very least, have a copy of the second set, you are missing out on some absolutely marvelous phish. there is something about the centrum. they killed the place with the big bathtub>real me>bathtub in 95. the '96 shows were solid, but they rallied back with a killer 3 night run, featuring the legendary hour long run away jim. then there is the 3 night run in '98. each night was killer, but this show, without a doubt, takes the cake. it is one of those shows where they are making insane setlist selections and matching it with absolutely brilliant playing.

they kick things off with a really nice funky bitch. trey gets nice and bluesy, gordo nails the vocals. yamar cools things off for a minute before they rip into a really nice carrini. runaway jim keeps the momentum rolling. after the hour long jim the year before, the boys didn't really bother taking this one out too far. meat works well hear, but reba works even better. this gives the boys their first chance to really take off, and they really nail reba. this one stays in the normal "reba framework," but they work nice and precisely in that frame work. old home place is nice and snappy, and dst's is well executed. vultures really shines. this is a great tune that needs to be played more. this is a typically nice dark version. circus serves as a really nice cool down after a pretty fiery set. birds closes this one out in fine form. this one was not much of a jammer yet, but it was coming along.

then there is the second set. buried alive is absolutely, positively the best set opener around. trey kills some very nice santana'esque guitar licks through out this one. then out of buried, trey rips into wipe out. this one is nice and fun. after that one, they start up a rare second set chalk dust. trey litters wipeout teases all over the first section of chalk dust. then in trey's solo, him and fishman start to push the band in a slightly different direction. next thing you know, trey is belting out "mirror in the bathroom," between chuckles, of course. out of the mirror jam, they quickly shift back into a rowdy chalk dust jam, that quickly makes a bluesy turn. then, we are walking across the lawn! dog log is well-played. especially, since it quickly jumps back up into a very rowdy chalk dust closing. chalk dust closes with more energy, mostly built from the momentum of mirror and log, than any chalk dust closing i've heard. so, of course, the boys need a little cool-down, right? sanity! this always rare treat works oh so well after the chalk dust mayhem. keeping it mellow but with some oh so rare treats, they drop right into buffalo bill. i remember being so pissed that the centrum got buffalo bill in consecutive runs, but then, my home town deer creek dropped 'ol buffalo bill on us in '00 and '03. anyway, as if this show was not hot enough, they delve into a pretty solid mike's song. this one is pretty average for '98 with a slightly extended spacey jam before drifting into hydrogen. hydrogen is pretty straight forward. while the mike's song was pretty average, the weekapaugh was not. of course, gordo storms into the song like a champ, but the way they jam on this one is incredible. they drop it down twice, building it back up into storming weekapaugh jams both times. trey and page just dance around each other on this one, while gordon slaps away, and fishman keeps the beat like a mofo! great 'paugh, best of the year. now, that's the last song right? it's late... nope, antelope! trey nimbly brings us out of weekapaugh and into antelope. this draws a few cheers, to say the least. trey goes onto light this one up, and don't skip fishman's playing here. good antelope, especially being king of a free bonus on an already rediculously sick set/show. the encore leaves a little to be desired, but after that show, how much can you bitch about a 3 song encore. velvet sea doesn't do it for me, and golgi is one that i've grown weary of. they do tack on a bounus wipeout, sending everyone home extatic.

this is one show, along with the 95 show in the same venue, that if i had a time machine... well, anyway, the guys poor it on in the second set like i have never heard them. buried through chalk dust or the mike's groove would have really made any other show worth hearing, but to have all that, plus sanity and bill in the middle, really makes this one a contender for one of the best shows ever. it's in my top 10 for sure.

highlights:

set 1:
funky bitch, reba, vultures

set 2:

buried>wipe>chalk>mirror>chalk>log>chalk, weekapaugh>antelope, hell gotta throw sanity and bill on there too...just get this show....the second set is must hear for any phish fan!