Toward the end of winter 1998, Phish began preparing to record “Story Of The Ghost”, their first studio album since 1996’s “Billy Breathes”. The band gathered alone for pre-production recording and practice sessions in a rented farmhouse in rural Moscow, Vermont. Using a four-wheel drive vehicle to navigate the driveway during mud season, they practiced and recorded the beginnings of many new songs like Shrine, Roggae, Shafty (Olivia’s Pool, funkified), Frankie Says, What’s The Use, Fikus, Birds of a Feather, Meat, the Meatstick and My Left Toe.
Soon after this first of two “Ghost Meat” sessions, the band decided to play some live shows in the northeast. So-called Island Tour was quickly scheduled and the result was standout shows at once extraordinarily risky, playful and emotive. With little time to warm up, the band hit the stage running with two shows at Nassau Coliseum immediately followed by two at Providence Civic Center. The four nights-in-a-row were a whirlwind of energy with each set building on the last to a funky crescendo that left the band headed back to work on Story Of The Ghost with an electric swagger.
The band has released all four nights of the famed run that hit both islands- Long Island and Rhode Island. Each 3 CD set is available in mp3 and FLAC livephish.com
