Of all the days on a calendar, this one sticks out the most simply because of this show. Can’t believe I’ve never done a write up for it on here.
I was a senior in high school and, after Vernon Downs and Albany earlier in the year, my group of friends decided NYC was the next logical destination to see them play. The 4 of us took a Greyhound to NYC early on the 28th. This was quite an experience in itself. I was seated next to a freshly released convict. In order to lighten the mood I offered him some of my doughnut holes. He declined, and that was the last we spoke. Later on some lady just lights up a smoke and stinks up the bus. Thought another girl was going to set her straight but that ended in an awkward silence until the next stop. Fortunately, this was the only down spot on the entire trip.
We ended up staying with my friends uncle who showed us a great time all over the city. First night was a lot of fun. It was my first time seeing a show in MSG. The first set was a bit tame but that Stash was the best one I saw in ~50 shows but I’ll save those comments for the other thread. Unfortunately, the other friend and his girlfriend had to leave early on the 29th to get back home. The two of us bounced around the city all day and decided to get to MSG early to walk around the arena. We eventually settled into our seats, halfway up the first tier Page side.
First set opened with so much energy! Rock and Roll > Funky Bitch, Punch You In The Eye. This trio of openers really set the mood for the night. After each one you could feel the energy building. They threw in a couple rarer songs at the time, Horn and Ginseng, before blowing the roof off the garden with a rocking Split. Even the band needed a quick breather after that one and B&R allowed us just that. Guyute was in heavy rotation in 1998 due to the release of TSOTG. This was one of the better songs from the album and you can hear the crowd’s excitement when Trey plays the opening. My Soul and Freebird had everyone out of their seats dancing and smiling before the break.
The lights go down…
Free kicks things off to our delight. I really liked this song and it was the first time I saw it live. This is one of the better versions I saw and really set the bar high for the rest of the set. Limb by Limb follows and keeps pace with the Free. The spacy jam following LxL still had everyone very interested and created a buzz across the arena for what was coming next. The band and crowd were feeding off each other’s energy and once Fishman kicked into 2001 the place erupted! Didn’t think they’d hit the peak from the first set Split again but when 2001 began we were in orbit. I’ve never seen so many people getting down together. The band obviously realized the magnitude of their crowd interaction that night and Trey keeps the dance party alive by starting up Boogie On. Rewind ~8 hours. While eating a quick breakfast at the uncle’s apartment he was playing a bunch of CD’s in the background. Stevie Wonder was in the mix and though I still have no idea what album it was, Boogie On was played. It prompted my friend to ask the uncle who the artist/song was. As Trey strums those opening chords my friend and I had looks of astonishment, as well as joy, as we both heard it right away. I probably never danced harder than this at a Phish show. Once it ended the buzz was electrifying. YEM starts up and it was so loud in there I don’t think I could hear the band for a full ~20 seconds. Call me lucky but out of my first 4 shows, I saw 3 YEM, which considering one of them was the 28th it’s the most I could have seen. I thought, and still think, the Vernon Downs YEM is one of the best I’ve seen (since it was my first show, too) but the one from the 29th is so absolutely flawless and the jam following the trampolines is so good it’s just hard to rank any other YEM I’ve seen above it. Once it ended we all took a well needed seat.
My legs were aching but I couldn’t have been happier. We finally have a minute to talk to each other without screaming, so we obviously debate the encore song. I guessed Divided Sky and my friend gave me the same look you just gave your computer screen. ‘No fucking way they play that song as an encore!’ I used loose quotes there because I think he added in more swear words. I don’t even remember what he guessed, because it doesn’t matter. Trey starts the Divided Sky chords and I jumped to the rafters. High fives all around from people who overheard our conversation. My friend was torn between the joy of hearing another Junta classic as the encore and hating me for calling it instead of him. He obviously realized how great it was and gave me a big hug.
The lights came on…
and I was changed forever. We both were. After the show was over we just sat down and hung out for a while. We didn’t want to leave the arena. We both knew what we experienced that night was something we will remember forever. We were touring buddies all throughout the early 2000s. We’ve been to CA, WA, ME, FL (all in 2003) and everywhere in between. When down in New Orleans earlier this month we were discussing this show as we got our tuxes on for his wedding. I can use the full quotes here for when he jokingly exclaimed, “You’re still a son of a bitch for calling that Divided Sky encore.” All I could so was smile and graciously accept.
