Phish in the 90’s was somehow always in the midst of a transitional year. 1993 was the leap to larger venues and sheds. 1994 embraced bluegrass, segues, and extended jamming. 1995 pushed the improvisation even further with myriad experimental long jams and a wild December run. 1996 was Phish getting fully comfortable with their growing audience by hosting festivals and large arena shows. 1997 was a musical peak, confident, inspired, and legendary. By the time 1998 rolled around, Phish was an accomplished arena rock act and audiences finally knew exactly what they were getting…
At the Hampton Coliseum on November 20th and 21st, Phish was throwing a party.
Was there a better place to throw a party in 1998 than Hampton Coliseum? Already legendary in the Grateful Dead world, the lore of Hampton exploded after the incredible 1997 shows. Resting on a tiny peninsula over a man-made lake, the Hampton Coliseum loomed over the festive parking lot like a religious shrine. Nothing could compare.
Is there a better time to throw a party than the weekend before Thanksgiving? Phish in the 90s was largely a college affair, with the biggest venues like Madison Square Garden picked for when college was out of session. The weekend before Thanksgiving was devoid of any school-related responsibility, beckoning college kids up and down the East Coast to make the trip.
Was there a better way to kick off a party than “Rock and Roll Part 2”? The iconic jock-jam, perhaps a choice improvised on the spot, was the perfect start to the two shows. There’s something special about songs with crowd participation leading off a show. From “Wilson” to “Punch You In The Eye,” 13,800 fans yelling in unison binds the band and audience together. “Rock and Roll Part 2” was just that kind of opener.
A scorching “Tube” and “Quinn the Eskimo” came next, the latter played for the first time since 1987. Keeping the energy up, another Mike Gordon sung tune followed with “Funky Bitch,” complete with ripping solos from Trey Anastasio and Page McConnell. The spectacular set continued with excellent versions of “Possum” and “Split Open and Melt” to close.
The “Bathtub Gin” that began the second set is one of the most criminally underrated jams of the ’90s, showcasing Phish’s unique penchant for full-band improvisation: Page in particular shines here. While staying mostly on the piano, he compliments each band member’s ideas while still pushing the whole jam forward. This was Phish at its best in 1998: effortless, dynamic, and cohesive.
But these shows weren’t looking to challenge the musical peaks reached in the previous year at Hampton Coliseum. These shows were about throwing a party as Jon Fishman’s vocal take on “Gettin’ Jiggy Wit It” is further evidence. The 1997 hit was the perfect pick for the weekend it was unforgettable and hilarious. “Harry Hood” and Character Zero closed the set, the perfect combo to end set two.
Backstage in the late 90’s Phish shows were, well, a different kind of party always filled with friends, new and old. One of those old friends, Carl “Gears” Gerhard of Giant Country Horns fame, just happened to bring his trumpet that night and came on stage for a triumphant take on “Cavern” to close the first night.
What makes Hampton work isn’t just one thing… First, it looks like a colorful spaceship, earning it the nickname “The Mothership”. Second, Hampton hosted amazing concerts by legendary acts for decades and, by the late 90’s, Phish was in the middle of claiming it as their own. But lastly, it also was a contained environment after the show with a dozen hotels within walking distance of the venue. Phish may have hit pause on the party after the encore, but those in attendance did not: Those nearby hotels raged until the early hours.
Showing no signs of hangover, the party continued into night two with another crowd-uniting opener to kick things off with Wilson and a wild run through “Big Black Furry Creatures From Mars.” “Cry Baby Cry,” from The Beatles’ White Album, was an unexpected but lovely surprise later in the set only to be followed by the perfect pairing of reggae-influenced tunes “Boogie On Reggae Woman” and “NICU.” While probably the weakest musically of the four sets this weekend, there’s still much to enjoy here.
1998 was also the year of unexpected (and often hilarious) covers. Aside from the aforementioned “Getting’ Jiggy With It”, in 1998 Phish debuted 2Pac’s “California Love,” “Sexual Healing,” “Been Caught Stealing” and of course, “Terrapin Station” among others.
And so…. Phish would open the final set of the weekend with “Sabotage” by The Beastie Boys. Tuned a half-step down and thereby necessitating a second guitar, Trey absolutely slays the vocals here with an Ad-Rock impression among some of his best imitations.
Switching back his regular guitar, Trey began a “Mike’s Groove” for the Phistory books. The tension-filled “Mike’s Song” jam segued into a patient and delicate “Simple,” perhaps the highlight of the show. “The Wedge,” “Mango Song,” and “Free” provided the anchor to the middle of the set, and a shredding, high-energy “Weekapaug Groove” closed out the stanza.
But the party wasn’t quite over as Phish as the encore brought the backstage to the front of the stage with an uproarious cover of Chumbawamba’s “Tubthumping.” Tom Marshall, always a treat onstage and a telltale sign of a legendary show, was on vocals and Carl “Gears“ Gerhard was back with a truly jubilant trumpet solo during the final jam.
A mere year later, Phish would issue these shows as a box set titled Hampton Comes Alive, the first full shows they would ever release: it was quickly a dorm room staple and still among their most listenable ever live releases.
As often happens when the party goes too long, a darkness would fall over Phish in the years to come. The following year at Hampton was a strange affair, with uneven shows and odd hippies completely uninterested in the band milling about in the parking lots. But at these joyful shows in 1998, that was on no one’s radar.
This was a party for the ages.
