11-16-97 McNichols Arena, Denver, CO
1: NICU, My Soul, Black-Eyed Katy, Farmhouse, The Old Home Place, Billy Breathes, Cars Trucks Buses, Scent of a Mule*, Poor Heart*, Taste, Hello My Baby
2: Timber (Jerry)-> Simple, Wilson-> Harry Hood, Izabella
E: David Bowie
*With Pete Wernick, aka “Dr. Banjo” on banjo. Wernick is a member of the Pete Wernick Live Five, a Colorado bluegrass band, and also produces instructional books and tapes for the banjo. He is a former member of Hot Rize (see 08-07-96).
This first set is a rare “weak” Fall 97 set IMO. BEK is sweet, but hasn’t yet reached it’s full potential as it does at Hampton the following week. The first Farmhouse played at a show. I used to like this song a lot more than I do now. I really enjoyed seeing them play it on Conan a few weeks prior to the tour, not only because I thought the song was cool, but because it was another risk the band took, which I always admire them for. I don’t think many performers have the nerve to go on national television and debut a song nobody has ever heard before in lieu of playing their current ‘biggest hit’. Anywho, I’m not much for special guest sit-ins and this one definitely doesn’t really do it for me.
The second set more than makes up for an average first set though. Timber Ho and Simple are two of my favorite Phish tunes and to have them opening a second set makes me drool. And this Timber is fucking stellar. I wish there were more type II Timber Ho’s out there to listen to, but alas…this shit is good though. The Simple traverses some nice mellow, uplifting, then psychedelic territories. The Wilson to follow is well-placed and segues perfectly into Hood. One of the things that makes this tour so special is the apparent ease and fluidity to which their segues had. Almost every single one of them is perfectly executed, both seeming to come out of nowhere but still making perfect sense. This Hood is spectacular and the Izabella to close afterword brings down the fucking house. Then to add more personal delicacy to this second set list they encore with Bowie. Bees fucking knees.