this show is a real gem. the next night has the legendary set list with some monumental jams, but this one is almost equally as hot.

they come out of the gates setting the pace for the rest of the weekend. i'm not a big stones fan, but i do like this unusual ditty. phish made this one their own. they took this for an exciting '97 phish ride. the whole band is in sync as they go on a 20 minute exploration. split open and melt follows. it is not legendary but it has a really nice improvisational segment. it certainly keeps the weird, experimental vibe going. beauty of my dreams is a pleasant shift as they drop this lovely bluegrass jam on the crowd. dogs stole and punch were both good but straight forward. then they play quite the humorous lawnboy. after introducing fish, he played his "anti drum solo." gotta hear it to get it. the rest of this set is some what unexciting.

then there is a very crazy second set. there were many fine ghosts in '97 but this is one of the best. they take this one for a mighty fine funky ride. like many versions in this year, page and trey are so in sync playing over a super tight gordo/fish groove. eventually this finds its way into a very experimental ac/dc bag. there are many songs that you hear about from '97, ghost, wolfman's, etc, but bag may have been one of the unsung heroes. this song was always a classic, but they really started to experiment with it. in fact, this was the first version that they really took for a ride. this was the precursor to the shorter but super fun dayton version and the similar take from msg on the ny's run. the msg version seemed to meld the hampton and dayton versions. as for me, i think i may like this one best. it is just straigh improvisation. there are some nice funky spacey segments. eventually, they drift into a beautiful slave to the traffic light. page really lights this one up. i'm not much for loving cup, but it works well, especially since they opened the show with a stones tune. then there is another great '97 song springing up in the encore slot, a nice focused guyute. the whole band buries this one.

there are so many nice shows on this tour, so it can be easy to miss this one. either way, go ahead and get both nights of hampton, and grab the next show too...that gin might be better than anything at either hampton show.