I think this show is somewhat neglected in light of the famous DSOTM show that preceded it. The song selection and flow are quite good if you ask me and there are a few must-hear jams in this show as well.

Buried Alive>Character Zero makes for a pretty raucous show opening pair, and Guyute gives the set a bit of sophistication. Gin is next, and Riverport it is not, but it is definitely a worthwhile first set jam with some tasty playing from Trey. The end of the Gin jam smoothly shifts to an interesting Ya Mar in which Trey solos in an unusually percussive manner. Birds and Brian and Robert are straightforward, but on the other hand Frankie Says is very atypical as it drifts into a pretty deep ambient segment (especially for the first set) before segueing to a nice set-closing Bowie. I believe this is the first of 2 extended Frankie Says, the other being 12/28/03.

The first two songs of the second set, Jim and Moma Dance, are not too special, but Runaway Jim does have a slightly extended and hard rocking jam. Piper>2001 is the meat of the second set and really is the selling point of the show. This is one out of the handful of jammed out Pipers to this point, and this one is a pretty intense rocker for much of its duration until an ambient outro jam, which leads us into a pretty good 2001. Not a monster jam, but it certainly gets the job done. Chalk Dust and Loving Cup ends the set with more rocking good times, and Squirming Coil offers Page the opportunity to entertain us with his usual beautiful soloing.

Overall, I think this is an above average Fall 98 show. Being the "show after" instead of "the show", it's relatively unheralded, but I recommend giving it a listen if you have passed over it before.

Highlights - Gin>Ya Mar, Fankie Says->Bowie, Piper>2001

At the moment this show has a 3.57 rating, which is just wild!

This is the coolest Frankie Says that I know of, and the Stash tease in Bowie is delicious. The Gin doesn't reach July '98 levels, but it's plenty good with loads of soaring, whirling shenanigans from Trey... it definitely peaks hard.

Runaway Jim, Piper, 2001 second set... really plenty to chew on here. 3.57 ain't make no sense!

Attended. Raged the Coors Suite. The drive back to Littleton, was quite difficult in an 89 Tercel with Ohio plates loaded with Phish and Dead stickers.

SET 1: Buried Alive: Absolute rager out of the gate, crowd is bonkers. >

Character Zero: Completely off the wall placement. It had been played in set one in the 4 hole twice in 96. So this was definitely very unique. Personally, loved it then and love it now sitting here and listening to it. It would not see anywhere near this type of placement really ever again until 5.29.22 which it was the set one opener at that show. This one does get out there a little bit, more than perhaps your typical set 1 or set 2 closer. We are definitely off to a good start.

Guyute: Standard >

Bathtub Gin: Has a bit of that 4.2.98 Twist jam in it, just the tiniest bit. Pretty sick Gin actually. Too bad they didn’t keep it going, fizzles into space. >

Ya Mar: Lyrics are blown in the early going. Very unique jam. Trey w/ staccato stuff and Fish on the blocks.

Birds of a Feather: Standard.

Brian and Robert: The ending is slightly goofed.

Frankie Says: Wasn’t super pumped when this started up as two mellow songs deep in the set were not right for my headspace. BUT!!! This one gets ethereal right out of the lyrical section and goes right to outer space. Super chill and ambient. Subtle loops and effects hit with about one minute remaining and are perfect. Unfortunately some chompers on this aud in some of the quiet sections of the jam, typical Denver crowd ->

David Bowie: Taper notes indicate started as Maze then turned into Bowie, not sure about that – maybe for a second or two? Messing around with Stash in the early and mid 7’s then very prominent at 7:48. Decent Bowie, the crowd actually seems more pumped than what the jam actually yields but that’s Denver for you.

SET 2: Runaway Jim: My memory of this jam at the show is better than what I just heard on tape. Not that it is bad. This one has more of that rage than that soaring stuff that I prefer in a good 10 minute + Jim jam. >

The Moma Dance: Sloppy off the rip. Prefer this tune in the second set if it is not jammed, and this one is not, so… >

Piper: Face melting rager for most of it and 4 minutes of groove centric, chill jamming. Killer Piper! ->

Also Sprach Zarathustra: Smokes. Loved it then and loved it now. >

Chalk Dust Torture, Loving Cup: Bummer that they opted for type I ragers when they could have gone all in on a great show. Oh well.

ENCORE: The Squirming Coil: Standard.

Summary: Had an incredible show and the party was unbelievable in the Coors suite. Had never experienced anything at all like that as we had about ten of us from Bowling Green laying waste to that sucker. Felt like a baller when in fact I was 6 months out of college and flat broke. Fact of the matter is expectations were beyond reach coming out of the Vegas run and then the legend they threw down in Salt Lake coupled with the epic shows played at this venue just one year ago. Expectations were of course not lived up to, how could they be? This show is very solid and we had so much fun. Ya Mar was cool, Gin is super underrated, Frankie Says was great and Piper is an all-timer. I would rate this as a 3.9 out of 5. The 3.6 rating is way too low.

This show excites me! Thanks to the tapers, especially the one whose AUD I'm listening to right now. That's unusual placement for Character Zero, but it works. Bathtub Gin, I think, is more notable than the Ya Mar; Gin was just 2 legit 2 quit in 1998. Birds of a Feather packs a punch for its 6-some minutes. The amazing part of the first set, if you're into ambience, is the jam out of Frankie Says (-> David Bowie.) It's just gorgeous, soothing calm. The Moma Dance in the second set has a somewhat extended intro, at least in comparison to 3.0 versions. At this point in Phishtory, I'm sure some phans wondered if (and hoped that) Black-Eyed Katy would return; The Moma Dance had only been debuted on I think 6/30/98. That toe-tapping dance didn't last long, though, did it? Chalkdust is also phenomenal, and Coil is its usual thrilling and charming self. I'd have to say this is an average-great show, but--and I'm reticent to say this--average-great meant something somewhat different in Fall '98 than it has for the majority of 3.0. For what it's worth!

Saw the first 3 shows of the tour and was runnin low on cash so we skipped 11/2. Biggest mistake in my Phishistory. We heard what they played and needless to say this show did little to ease our pain. Unfortunately do not remember much of this one... AT ALL! Moma Dance is solid upon relisten. Memory suppression is an amazing thing

Always record more then you erase- Mickey Hart

SET 1:

Buried Alive: Great opener! >

Character Zero: Awesome placement, love this here. The arena is rocking.

Guyute: It’s fine. >

Bathtub Gin: Very solid jam! Would not necessarily recommend but it holds its own here mid first set. >

Ya Mar: It’s a jam charts version. Not sure why honestly. Lots of wood blocks in play which was cool.

Birds of a Feather: Standard.

Brian and Robert: Standard.

Frankie Says: Sick as hell. Not sure there was a better one until Miami 03. This one gets out there big time. 98 ambience and loops for the WIN. Loved this. ->

David Bowie: Nice! Very solid version although Trey struggles a bit with the ending for a moment.

SET 2:

Runaway Jim: Very solid jam. But would not go out of my way to revisit this one. It is a very nice opener. >

The Moma Dance: Standard. >

Piper: All timer. I love this version. I have attendance bias but this one has the goods. Ferocious through 12 or so and then great ambience with loops. Thought we were headed for the moon at this point. ->

Also Sprach Zarathustra: I loved hearing this ring out but there isn’t much to grab on to here… >

Chalk Dust Torture: What? Very strange placement. Was scratching my head.

Loving Cup: Wow, ok. Guess they had a hot dates lined up for the bus or the clinic.

ENCORE:

The Squirming Coil: Standard.

Summary: Very solid first set. With that Jim and Piper in the first quarter of the second set, I was hoping they were gunning to try and revisit the heights of the previous years shows at this venue. It was not to be. Very, very average show. I was a new resident of Denver and very broke, so I was lucky to attend this show in the Coors Suite (raged it hard). But waking up Tuesday morning and seeing the Utah setlist broke my heart. Would rate this as a 3.5/5. Extremely average show.

Replay Value: Frankie Says, Piper.

Ok show. Solid versions of Bowie and Jim. The highlight is definitely the Bathtub Gin. Not great, but an above average version that is somewhat compelling.