This show was overlooked by a lot of people, mostly due to the fact that it followed the weekend run at the UIC. Anyone that sleeps on this show is making a huge mistake!!

PYITE: Punch is always a great way to start the night. This one is par for the course for a '97-'99 version. Of course, that means it was dark, funky, and it got the room moving.

Gumbo: This was a great pick to follow Punch. It also offered the firs jam of the night. It was a complete 180 from the one that I caught at Deer Creek over the summer. It was a great taste of '98 ambient funk. Gordon and Trey had some pretty nice playing as this jam progressed. They bounced off each other all the way through.

If You Need A Fool: This snappy bluegrass tune picked the crowd back up after a nice swim through the abyss. Good version.

Sleep: A bit of a cool down here. Nothing much to write home about.

Tela: They kept mellow for another tune. No complaints. A nice Tela is always welcome, especially in the first set.

BOAF: This got everyone geared up for the first set home stretch. At this point, they had not turned birds into a jam vehicle, but it did offer Trey an opportunity to deliver a tight, explosive solo. This is one of the better versions you'll hear from '98. By the fall tour, they were really starting to get a handle on this Talking Heads inspired tune. I really like to listen to the evolution of this song from summer '98 to fall '98 to summer '99. There's a lot of growth there.

Theme: Another sharp solo by Trey. He really turns this one inside out. There isn't any "type 2" jamming here, but this one is a must hear for Theme fans.

Julius: Another Trey centered tune to close down the set. He gets some good backing from Page too. This one is not my favorite tune, but it was a nice rousing set closer.

Set 2 (Here's where the real action starts):

Halley's Comet: I'll lead with saying this may be my favorite version. It is definitely top 3 for me. This jam offers up a little bit of everything- space funk, a touch of ambience, and barn burning rock and roll. Fishman holds this one down well, and Trey paves the way for everyone else. Trey really sinks his teeth into this one the last 6-8 minutes. They are deep in a very serious rock groove when this jam slams into...

Simple: Some would call this a rip chord, but I feel like this transition works well. It is a bit sudden, but everyone is in sync as Trey starts the opening riff. The Simple jam fits real well here. It balances out the balastic Halley's jam very well. As a stand alone Simple, it's fairly standard, but it keeps a nice flow going.

Limb by Limb: Limb is a song that developed pretty quickly, and this one offers up a nice cosmic jaunt before returning to the song. Page really takes over, offering up some beautiful playing in the middle section.

Circus: This very well may be my favorite slow song they do. There is no real side excursion to speak of here. It's just a beautiful take of Circus.

Ghost: Coming out of Circus, most people were thinking Antelope or Hood. Well, they don't always play what you expect, and that's why we go to the shows!!

At first, this felt a bit odd in the show closing slot. By the end, i felt just right. The first half of this jam is a very easy going funky groove based excursion. Around the ten minute, Trey hooks onto something and just takes off. You will think this jam has reached it's peak 2-3 times, and each time, Trey kicks it up another level. By the end, he is absolutely shredding, bringing the house down. WHAT A CLOSER!!

Enc:
Contact->Rocky Top->Funky Bitch: After such a strong, jammed out second set, this three song encore was just the icing on the cake. Anyone that thought the ghost set closer was unorthodox definitely felt that way about walking out the door to funk bitch. Musically, there is not much to seperate these versions from other versions, but they closed this show down in style, with tons of energy.

Overall:
I would not describe the first set as "must hear," but there are certainly things there that are worth checking out. Now, the second set is one of the best sets of the Fall '98 tour. I would definitely pull this one down and give it a spin.

Highlights:
Gumbo, Theme, Halley's, and Ghost

Fall '98 is such a weird tour to me - there are many shows that have seen official release, far more than other (perhaps more deserving) tours like Summer '95 or Fall '99*, as well as the legendary 11/2 DSOTM show, but the quality *wildly* fluctuates from show to show and the music is not quite the drop-dead wicked funk of '97 nor the float-on-a-cloud ambiance of '99 (think My Left Toe, or the December tour). There are certainly strong shows, but the hit rate is not as high as the best tours. This tour is as transition as transition gets; that said, the best of the year deserves as much attention as anything else.

This show is one of my picks for best of the run; I might make the argument that it's *the* best if the wind's blowing the right way. The first set is reasonably good, with the highlights being the one-two PYITE/Gumbo punch (with the latter entering loop-and-organ chillout land, to really beautiful effect) and a cool Sleep/Tela mid-set combination, plus a pretty gnarly Theme to boot. The second set, however, is where the action's at - Halley's charges into a strong uptempo jam out of the gates, then about 5 minutes in things get more relaxed and streamlined (think the 11/17/97 YEM), then Mike starts really doing some work as Trey goes into "throttle my guitar" mode and the jam builds to a wicked, snarling climax. This is a great, great Halley's, a song with no shortage of great jams, and would be nearly enough for a listen-worthy set by its lonesome.

Simple comes in pretty much out of nowhere, and it's a perfectly fine version, as is Walk Away. But the Limb that follows is rather nice for a Type I version, with Page getting a chance to shine Squirming Coil style before everybody joins back in and finishes with a flourish. Then, as a fine close to the set, we get a very strong Ghost, half bouncing funk (a la the '97 Ghosts) and half sheer atomic-powered explosive jamming (a la 7/6/98). There's a surprisingly long encore, as well, which makes for a nice capper to the night. Give this show a listen - this is as good as Fall '98 gets.

* official count: 10/30 II, 10/31, 11/20-21, 11/27. Four full shows, a (great, btw) set from a fifth. That's more than December '95!

Being that it was my first show, I didn't know what to expect, but I had only three expectations or hopes/wishes.

First, I was hoping to hear Halley's... check.

Second, I was hoping to hear Limb as it was one of my favorite tunes at the time... check.

Third and most important, I was hoping to see my musical heros on stage for the first time, and reaffirm everything I've heard to that point on bootleg and CD.

From this point forward, I knew that I had found my band. I've only atttened a few shows since this one, but there has not been a day that has gone by since 1998 that I have not at least listened to Phish if only for a few minutes.

This show from Fall '98 is packed with standout versions of Birds, Theme, Julius (as always, ha), Halley's, Simple, LimbXLimb, Ghost...

But seriously, Trey is juiced for the second set here. I laughed when he closes the first set saying "We'll be back in 5 min...10 min.....20 min..." Trey absolutely shred's in Halley's Comet for a good ten minutes straight (check out from 11:00 on).....Halley's clocks in at over 25 minutes and is followed up by a quality version of Simple, which Trey and Page improv off each other on the main theme quite nicely type-1 here....Ghost closes the 2nd set followed by a pretty sweet selection for a THREE SONG ENCORE ....def worthy of being in a collectors' stash...

Stream the show at:
http://www.phishtracks.com/shows/1998-11-11 />
Download the show at:

http://www.phishows.com/

95 and 98 are my favorite years. And a few amazing shows in 94 and 99 a close 2nd. Keep it coming w archive releases from 98. The whole year and big Cypress before I die in soundboard quality please. One of the best shows ever. Up there w 12 29 and 30 1997 the island tour cypress 2nd night Magnaball 2 28 2003 yes that good. Wow!!!!

The Gumbo has a nice finish. Nearly 25 minute Halley's which is one of the strongest jams of 1998. The Ghost closer is no joke either. Any jam that has synth is good yes?

Debate which Halley's is the greatest but don't forget to enjoy the ability on display!

Yeah, not sure one spaces on the 11/22/97 Halley's... (thought I'd still give the edge to 12/7/99). 11/11/98 is is still a fine version. Typical for late 98 jamming, and maybe a bit more aggressive at times. But a Fall 98 highlight to be sure.

Hello Halley's! This is a monster, and probably the best Halley's Comet out there next to 12/7/99 and 12/14/95.

SET 1:

Punch You in the Eye: Killer opener. Yet another Fall 98 show opening rager. This one is fast and light on it’s feet. Very well done!

Gumbo: Ethereal and sublime. Easy all timer right here. Right up there with Star Lake 97 and Deer Creek 03. Gains significant momentum as it rolls along, each member an equal member of this effort.

If You Need a Fool: Standard.

Sleep: Song is awesome.

Tela: Nice reaction from the crowd on the opening notes.

Birds of a Feather: Straight ahead face melter.

Theme From the Bottom: Jamcharts version. It’s fine but I don’t get where it stands out enough to gain that recognition.

Julius: Trey really runs roughshod on this one, it crushes.

SET 2:

Halley's Comet: Rock and roll – into a bunch of funk – into more hard core rock with Trey doing his best impression of Hendrix leaning as he leans heavily on the reverse reverb. An incredible jam. Easy all timer! >

Simple: Beautiful little micro jam, very delicate. Nice Trey and Mike interplay at the end. But the last ten seconds or so they just kind of get lost and don’t know what to do with Trey just kind of strumming around and then… >

Walk Away: More rock and roll! >

Limb By Limb: Much like that beautiful Simple jam, this sounds very, very similar in the early going. It eventually picks up speed as the entire band equally contributes. It’s the Trey show towards the end as he lets it rip. Another all timer right here.

When the Circus Comes: The first break of the set. They earned this one for sure! Nice respite.

Ghost: The effects to kick this one off are delicious. Huge loops. The way it should be played every time. Once this one gets going, I swear – Mike has never sounded so good. Epic. Page throwing down. Trey just crushing that cow funk, and Fishman driving the bus like a boss. So very good. The funk is so deep. Eventually this evolves into a rocking jam which peters out into very heavy effects. Outstanding version, what a way to leave the stage as the effects die down to nothing and the crowd roars their approval!

ENCORE:

Contact: You can hear just how much fun they were having up there. >

Rocky Top: Fun as you would expect. >

Funky Bitch: You can hear Trey call for one more and then they start this up. This one is fire. Trey is in all his glory. Shredsville.

Summary: Really fun first set. That Gumbo is sick. Set two is just nasty as hell. Halley’s is unreal. Limb and Ghost are great too. Smoking show. I am on board with the current rating on .net of 4.533/5 (199 ratings).

Replay Value: Gumbo, Halley's Comet, Limb By Limb, Ghost

The limb by limb and gumbo are the highlights to me. I know I know the Halley’s is long dank and parts of it are funky and parts spacey but it has this long part where trey has this annoying loop sound that just doesn’t seem to end in a bad way. The limb by limb is a rare rocker like a now 46 days equivalent. Amazing show all around but not top 20 ever

I rated this show 4 out of 5 stars. It's kind of under the radar, but it's been commemorated in From the Archives (Halley's Comet) or Live Bait, I can't remember which. Gumbo moves from its standard funk into two segments: what I'm maintaining is a "proto-bliss jam," and then the then-frequent ambient space that appeared so often in 1998. Call Me If You Need a Fool is one of the bluegrass tunes that I would very much like to resurface, particularly in light of this version, wherein Trey miffs the lyrics a few times. I find this show's Tela to be a very good exemplar of that song, so much so that it kind of converted me to phandom of Tela, whereas before I had been somewhat indifferent towards the stalwart Gamehendge tune. Finally from the first set, I feel like the Julius should be Jamcharted. Halley's Comet is the aforementioned archival jam, and it stays mostly "shreddy" throughout, though it modulates (> Simple.) The Limb by Limb melts away at one point into a kind of virtual Page-and-Trey duet, which Page very much leading the ensemble... it's a very pretty version. Finally from the second set, Ghost does indeed (as @n00b100 points out in his review) recall the fabled 7/6/98 version, but it doesn't quite scale the heights that way. It's a bit more subdued and less peaky. Funky Bitch as the show-closing song in the encore features some phun audience clapping. This show is well worthy of archival release, in my opinion, and not just because of the marquee jam in Halley's Comet.

Being that this was my first show, it was always have a special place in my heart. I was already hooked on the music since I was given tapes of early shows and Trey's thesis a couple years before. So this was the icing on the cake for me to go all in. Been a phan day in, day out since. I was on cloud nine for this Halley's, no place in the universe I would have rather been that night.

See 11-22-97

for best ever "Halley's Comet" see 8-3-98...