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

This one starts with a fun Makisupa that begins to get interesting towards the end, but then, in a rare departure from the band's patient exploration during this run, they opt instead to transition quickly into Ya Mar. Anything that we might have missed in Makisupa though seems to get picked up in this Ya Mar jam, which is airy and vibrant (pretty sure Trey even teases Makisupa at one point as well). This Gumbo is great as well; fantastic funky jamming from the band that fits right in with the vibe of this two night stand, and then comes to a sudden stop. The Divided Sky that follows is an excellent version too, rounding out a really powerful opening run to start this show. The rest of set 1 is standard but hits all the right notes after that incredible run. As with night one the band is patiently exploring each jam and the blend of both funk and ambient elements is fantastic and seamless.

The culmination of three sets worth of this type of exploration hits home with the set two opener, the longest ever version of 2001. This intro is a slow burn that goes on for 3.5 minutes before the opening beats even start. The band then digs in, with everyone bringing a slow build for the next 5 minutes before Trey starts to take command. The band is in such a groove at this point; it's clear to them that they have all the time in the world and nowhere to go, so they are going to dive as deep into this thing as they can. The funk starts to build at around 12 minutes in (Mike is fantastic) and then finally, euphorically at just about the 14 minute mark the band finally goes into the 2001 theme to an explosion from the crowd. Page is throwing fills in everywhere as the theme crescendos; the first 15.5 minutes of this are just outstanding but then the band starts the SECOND jam. This one feels funkier as Trey and Page lay on the effects and Fish continues to hold the thing down as if his life depended on it. The band finally hits the theme again at just under 23 minutes. The coda is particularly triumphant, punctuating an incredible improvisational experiment. Hard to believe how short versions of this song were in, say, 1993 after listening to this absolute monster. The only way to follow this up are with the opening notes of Mike's Song, which feel even more euphoric.

It's hard to completely describe this very unique Mike's Groove, one of the few with no song in the middle. The first Mike's jam very quickly goes off the beaten path, with a menacing beat that feels more like the heavy metal Wilson breakdowns from the previous shows. As this builds the more typical Mike's theme eventually weaves it's way in, courtesy of Page and Fish. The band continues to bounce back and forth between the dark and heavy theme and the proper Mike's theme, everyone holding their breath to see which will win out. At ten minutes this duel crescendos (Page and Fish are stellar here) until we finally hit the peak at around 11 minutes and enter into the second jam. Lead by Mike, the tempo slows down here and then eases into a theme much more joyful and uplifting. Eventually it slows to a near stop, with the rhythm section sitting out and letting Trey and Page bring the blissful theme to a conclusion. I usually don't use the words "beautiful" or "cinematic" to describe a Phish jam, but that's what this Mike's jam is. It amazingly goes from a very dark place to a very bright place and never feels out of place.

As the theme slowly drops off Fish starts to come in with the Weekapuag beat, and the band is off to the races. This Weekapaug jam is also amazing, dripping with the triumphant bliss of the 2001 and Mike's that preceded it. Fishman is absolutely filthy as Trey carefully peaks. Trey even flips off the theme from the Taste jam in the middle of this because, why not, they are in complete control. As we get to the nine minute mark the tempo gets faster and faster, Fish will not let this thing go, he is unrelenting as Page jams on the clav. Then they go into start/stop jamming that really whips up the crowd. At 11.5 minutes the jam suddenly alters into a funky strut, and rather than close Weekapaug out the band instead goes into a ripping Character Zero to end the set. Honestly though, they could have just given Weekapaug a proper ending and walked off stage and it still would have been one of the best sets they ever played. For the band to come out and kick off the encore with Punch You in the Eye just makes this feel extra special; the Rocky Top finale is just icing on a very tall cake.

When I started this run it was to see if I could prove that The Best Phish extended out to Summer '98. While the Europe run had it's ups and downs, this US tour seems like something else altogether. The Portland opener was good, Gorge night one was great, but this show has to be in the running for The Best Phish Ever. I do love Prague 2 but this show is better in my eyes, and might be better than any one show of the Island Tour either. I still have a long way to go to get to Lemonwheel but this feels like a real peak for the band. Essential listening from start to finish.