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

Yikes, well this show is a tale of two halves. The first half is plagued by PA and other technical issues that threaten to completely derail the whole show. The band bails basically two and a half songs in due to PA issues and takes an early set break to try to figure things out. I know some are saying Trey screws up this Divided Sky before the PA shits the bed but I have to give him the benefit of the doubt here; Trey's playing is just fine before then and it seems like too much of a coincidence that he starts to crumble right around the time the PA system also gives out. Even when they return the PA continues to be a problem... but that doesn't prevent them from delivering some strong performances anyway.

The Halley's set opener starts off with some PA issues and a little shakiness on the band's part. But when the jam kicks in at around 7 minutes the band shows why they are the best in the business at this point in their career; some PA problems aren't going to shake that. Nice ambient loops to start, and then just excellent groove based jamming instigated by Mike that the band rolls right into. The smooth funk is easy to get lost in, until around 12 minutes where Trey starts teasing First Tube and bringing this one home. Nice ambient finish during the last two minutes as well. The band is stretching their musical muscles after the technical issues and the result is a nice jam to kick off the only real set this show has to offer.

After a nice Roggae the PA issues threaten to derail again during Sparkle. The band banters a bit again (bringing us full circle back to the first show of this tour) while the crew tries to assemble an acceptable setup. The band then launches into a 45 minute Mike's Groove that saves the entire show. The Mike's Song is solid and segues into Simple. All seems fairly normal as the band jams on the Simple theme until shortly after the ten minute mark... then Page starts to play with the theme a bit, and soon after Trey and Mike follow him. At that point the song starts to deconstruct. Just as it seems they are on the verge of fading out Mike starts to shift the bass line, and instead the band goes into a propulsive dark rock jam that feels like the antithesis of the bright and steady theme of the Simple that spawned it. This slowly edges into triumphant trilling from Trey as the band morphs and bursts into Weekapaug to the delight of the crowd. The Weekapaug itself is great, featuring several shifts to the song's theme and a jam centered around On Broadway before concluding. Standard renditions of Sample in a Jar and Good Times Bad Times brings the set to a fine conclusion. The encore is a microcosm of the entire European run; at times quiet and intimate (Brian and Robert) and other times full of energy and strong musicianship (Taste).

This was an unexpected end to a tour that had a lot of peaks and valleys. PA problems not withstanding, the band really rallies here with very strong versions of Halley's and Simple. For sure it's hard to say this run was as strong as the tours that preceded it, but the band that made those tours what they were is still very much here, alive, and pushing themselves further at times. And I feel like I've been remiss in not mentioning the audio recordings from this tour, all of which are stellar. This second set is worth listening to, as are a number of other strong sets from this tour, and the recordings of all of them sound great. Again, if you're tired of hearing the same Fall '97/Island Tour jams you've listened to over and over again there is a lot in this tour that can scratch that same itch in a way that maybe you've never experienced before.