12-03-97 Corestates Spectrum, Philadelphia, PA
1: Punch You In The Eye, My Soul, Drowned, The Old Home Place, Gumbo, Also Sprach Zarathustra-> You Enjoy Myself
2: David Bowie*-> Possum#-> Prince Caspian, Frankenstein, Harry Hood
E: Crossroads
*Unfinished; “Simpsons” language and “Take Me out to the Ballgame” quote during the intro. #With the start/stop funk jam that repeatedly surfaced during the Fall Tour. May have oringinated in the 11-28-97 Worcester “Ghost.”
Fantastic show from start to finish. The Bowie->Possum->JAM! is all that needs to be said. This funk jam is perhaps the reason why I listen to Phish. 1st set features superb versions of Drowned, Gumbo, 2001, and YEM. The funk is thick with this one.
Was it any wonder why I became a hardened Phish fan? My first three shows were 8/14/97, the Darein Lakes Ken Keasy wonderment, the night before this one, 12/2/97 with my most favorite Mike’s Groove ever, and then this one.
The show was solid to be sure, but the Bowie->Possum->jam is another one of my regular favorite single CDs to listen to over and over. Love the laid back jazzy feel of the unfinished Bowie jam, and then the frenetic power of the Possum. The funk jam that many referred to at the time as the core of Black Eyed Katy, counter-balanced the music styles of the preceeding songs so nicely.
Saw many shows at the old Spectrum, but 12/2 and 3 were my two favorites.
^ you got dat rite brudda.
Am sitting in my office listening to the Bowie again, and it just makes me so happy. I love the dreamy, jazzy feel to this version. And this was my first live Bowie, that came on the heels of my first live YEM that closed the first set.
One song, not even. Maybe one section of one song, played like this Bowie, makes any show worthwhile to me, no matter what else happens in the night. This is crazy shit. That even one other person even understands this, amazes me still.
We just bought new speakers and the 1st song I put on was this Bowie last Sunday. The sound was so impeccable that I could hear the many little dynamics so much more clearly, like when after the composed section ends and the little loop begins so quietly along with the rest of the jam as it slowly progresses. This version has some dreamy sections that move in and out of one another and eventually reach that Fall 97 climax. The song just doesn’t want to end. Pure psychedelic exploration, this is probably my favorite David Bowie.
David Bowie is my favorite Phish song, and there are a lot of amazing Bowie’s out there, but this one is in my personal top 10 for sure. So friggin amazing. The rest of the show is top notch too. The first set is full of great jams and a thick YEM. The rest of the second set that emanates from this epic Bowie is just a showcase of funk. I really love the 97 Caspians so I have no complaints there, and then the Hood wraps up the night with a great peak. Good stuff Phish.