I really love this show. It is overshadowed by killer shows at the Gorge and Ventura, but this one is not one to miss. Both sets are pretty stacked. This show also may have some extra flavor coming the day before jerry's b-day. Many heads were looking for some sort of dead tribute. there was certainly a nod to jerry, but heads would have to wait until virginia beach for the tribute they really craved, terrapin station.

ghost opens this up in fine form. this is one of many funkadelic jammed out versions in the summer of '97. also, this may be a slight nod to jerry. page has some very cool licks in this one. also, check out the groove estashed by fish and gordo here. very nice playing here. eventually it gives way to a very fun yamar. trey has some nice noodling here before they find their way into dogs stole things. sticking with the new song thing, they delve into a good early take of limb by limb. this one sounds a lot tighter than it did in europe, but it still not quite there yet... on more year and its money. dirt gives everyone a much needed breather before a very firey maze. trey and page will lift off on this one. glide is a fun choice, and like ghost, i saw it again might be a slight nod to jerry. then they pop off a nice funky yem set closer. once again, page flashes some very serious chops in this one.

after a mighty fine first set, they come out blazing in the second. this jim is a keeper. trey really cuts loose with some nice hendrix'esque licks in this jim jam. it's no worcester '97 but hey, what is!? they eventually slip into one of my favorite slow songs phish plays, the los lobos "when the circus comes to town." trey solos nicely here, and it sets up vultures quite nicely. they dip back into the classics with a nice eery take on mcgrupp. page buries his solo on this one. then they bring the thunder. this is a mighty fine mike's song. in fact, it is a candidate for best of the year. they ride the climaxes very hard, and fishman just plays like a monster here. they stick with the old winning formula and dip into hydrogen here. the weekapaugh that follows is loaded with fun. after complimenting page beautifully throughout this song, trey throws out some pretty sweet happy birthday licks. at first you wonder if he is going to say anything or if he is going to let the happy birthday tease stand on its own. finally, he gives the nod to jerry by saying they are trying to keep the vibe alive. this is the first on stage/public nod toward the dead that phish had made on stage since their show at shoreline in '95. at this point in their career, phish seemed to be doing everything possible to get some space from the monster that was the grateful dead. i think many were expecting/really wanting a dead song for an encore, but they got a nice take of cinnamon girl instead. who can complain about that.

Great big Jim and a spectacular Mike's Groove, though I've always preferred the blistering first set with its danceadelic Ghost > Ya Mar and YEM and gorgeous Limb by Limb. Not quite on the level of the huge second set from Ventura, but still a damn fine show.

I was that guy that hated phish cuz i didn't want my dead days to go away after jerry died .That said being in jerrys house that BILL G built for them [ I am from cleveland so its a tour that takes me out west ].Sick show [ this was my first real tour of phish ]AND WOW !! wHEN TREY was showing us that it's all about the music and the love for the DEAD ,,,,was just the thing to get me out of my bad attiued! So glad i got over that crap and now have seen 30 plus shows and LOVE IT !!Thank u phish and the Phans for showing me the way !

Upon relisten, I have changed my rating from four stars to five stars for this show -- though on a 10 point scale, this show's probably a 9. The show starts out blazing, with a funk-filled Ghost and an extended Ya Mar. Four of the first five songs of the set are brand new as of the preceding Europe tour, and it doesn't show at all. Saw It Again is great (also debuted the previous month) and the first set closes with maybe the best YEM of '97 -- which really says something. Funk in this YEM? Check. Psychedelic jamming on the back of the Worm? You bet. Creepy vocal jam? No prob.

Like many shows from Summer '97, the peaks that end the first set carry right over to the second set, and we get an all-time, must-hear Jim to open the second set, with a beautiful, sneak-attack -> into Circus. Though the Vultures is par for the '97 course (another new song!), we get a mini bust-out in McGrupp that bumps up into one of the better Mike's Grooves of 1997 to close the second frame. You know how sometimes the start of Mike's Song can be a bit jarring? This one, out of McGrupp, is far from it -- it really works here, and instead of the usual > Hydrogen, we get a strange -> Hydrogen which is dissonant but cool. The "nod to Jerry" in Weekapaug in the house Bill Graham built for him is pretty awesome, as is the CYHMK outro (as an aside -- the aerial view of Shoreline is a Steal Your Face logo: http://i.imgur.com/PGKuyCX.jpg). And in perhaps a "nod to Neil" (yes, I realize the whole "nod to" thing is comical), whose Bridge School Benefit is hosted annually at Shoreline as well -- perhaps not a coincidence that Phish was invited to play the next year -- the show closes with Cinnamon Girl. This is a historic show -- check it out!

It was the first time in my life some of my friends in high school had gone to see Phish, and was right around the time I was getting my first exposure to the band. I didn't catch my first show until Shoreline '99... this would've been a nice first show for sure.

Great show that is obviously overshadowed by the surrounding shows. Both sets reek of the mid to late 90s... and that's a great thing.

First set highlights - great Ghost > Ya Mar opener and really deep LxL. The set closing YEM has a really weird jam in it, but weird is always good.

The Jim that kicks off the second set is not talked about nearly enough. It is 23 minutes chock-full of gooey '97 weirdness. This Jim, as well as the later Mike's Groove, has a psychedelic sound that is not quite 94-96 Phish and not fully the Fall '97 funk that would develop over the next few months. I personally really like this type of sound; sometimes the funk can be too much and I need the chaotic jamming that Phish is so well known for. A very smooth -> When the Circus Comes and then a few classic late 90s tunes in Vultures and McGrupp, a song that grown on me the more I re-listen to summer '97 in which they seemed to play it somewhat frequently.

The Happy Birthday tease and shoutout to Jerry in Weekapaug was really cool to hear and I can only imagine what it would have been like to be at this show and hear Trey acknowledge the impact of Jerry's passing on the community. Love a rare cover for the encore!

This is one of my all time favorite shows. Criminally underrated in my opinion. Great Ghost, Yamar and LxL, followed by my favorite YEM of them all. Second set starts with a pantheon level Jim and concludes with a blistering Mike's Groove. Oh- and a Cinnamon Girl encore? Forget about it.

Great show start to finish. Listening to albums for so many years, Maze and Glide were two songs on my long list to see live. Both were granted. This Runaway Jim hooked me for life on this tune. Being a Neil Young fan, the encore was a wonderful surprise.

Fifteen years is a long time but I'll never forget this beautiful summer afternoon in the bay area.

Thank you!

During Runaway Jim Trey sounds like Jerry did on some of the Dark Stars or Playin's from 72 or 73. Very psychedelic.

SET 1: Ghost: Don’t let the length on this one fool you. It means serious business and makes that known early on. >

Ya Mar: Trey’s staccato picking is absolutely fantastic. At 11 minutes in this is taking a distinctly summer 97 left hand turn. All timer Ya Mar right here! >

Dogs Stole Things: Standard.

Limb By Limb: What a four headed monster this jam is in the early going, just unbelievable. Just after 8 minutes it sounds like this one is going to wrap. Not so fast my friend. That slight fake out leads to a brief inspired jam and then the actual wrap up with Mike sounding amazing and of course Fish doing his thing. Great version!

Dirt: Absolutely perfect. >

Maze: Trey’s solo is extra-long. Solid Maze but nothing too crazy here.

Glide: Solid.

Saw It Again: Standard.

You Enjoy Myself: Absolutely incredible, full band jamming is just exceptional. The jamming that starts in the mid to late 11’s is just so odd and unique. It screams summer 97 weirdness. The Santa Comes to Town stuff is brilliant and fits like a glove. This entire jam is an assault on the senses. Truly brow beating in the best manner possible. Likely tough to handle on a strong headful.

SET 2: Runaway Jim: Little Sweet Home Alabama tease in the intro here. Trey guides the jam into a funky place starting at 7:36, lots of pornofunk type stuff, very cool. This really only lingers for a couple of minutes and by about ten and a half minutes the band is working itself into a very hard driving/rocking jam. Great pace to this as well. Transition into a gorgeous major key jam in the early 12 minute mark. Things are getting very summer 97 in the early 15’s – lots of psychedelic craziness led by Trey. Much like that segment in YEM, this is another assault on the senses. Hang in there phanners! By the late 20’s this one is gradually mellowing out into a nice mellow groove and a couple minutes finds itself segueing nicely into ->

When the Circus Comes: Standard.

Vultures: Standard.

McGrupp and the Watchful Hosemasters: Standard. >

Mike's Song: Page is fantastic in the midsection. Very bluesy playing on the baby grand, just beautiful. This eventually finds itself in a very dark and ominous place with Page ramping up a big wall of effects for a moment or two that is a perfect backdrop to what Trey is directing. ->

I Am Hydrogen: Listening closely it’s insane to me how good Trey sounds on this. You can almost see the notes, lol. That tone is so clean and beautiful. >

Weekapaug Groove: Pretty standard. But the Happy Birthday tease, Trey’s sincere nod to Jerry and brief speech about keeping his spirit alive through the music and the Can't You Hear Me Knocking jam is all super cool.

ENCORE: Cinnamon Girl – Standard.

Replay Value: Ya Mar, Limb By Limb, You Enjoy Myself, Runaway Jim, Mike's Song

Summary: Just a killer show! Ya Mar and Jim I have down as all timers and the YEM and Mike’s are extremely good. The rest of the show is very solid, and the energy is explosive as the band meant business right from the opening notes of Ghost. Love this show and agree with the current rating from Phish.net of 4.497/5 (193 ratings).