Hey guys,
Compared to you guys im incredibly new to phish. I know what songs I like etc etc. But i’ve heard about the Island tour being there best tour. Can someone tell me why? Also, a reccommendation for the best or one of the best shows from it would be much appreciated.
Thanks a ton.
Here’s my $0.02…(you will likely hear various opinions from older fans than me or newer fans like yourself):
The Island Tour was coming off the heels of one of the greatest tours in Phishtory: Fall 1997. Their new “sound” that they had discovered in late 96/early 97 was something incredible: funky, improvisational jams that were groovy and delicious. The Island Tour was an extension of this. It was a “mini-run” and sort of spontaneous from what I understand. Which makes it all the more impressive, IMO.
As far as the actual shows go, you honestly can’t go wrong with any of the shows. Sure, some are better than the others, but they all get the job done. For basic, fun sets, check out 4/2 set II or 4/5 set I. I love both of those. If you REALLY want to get heavy, try 4/3 set II, 4/4 set II, or 4/5 set II out. Both bring the heat.
There are several standout versions of a lot of Phish staples performed during this run, the capstone being “Roses Are Free.” The jam out of that song is a MUST HAVE for any fan. It essentially epitomizes the sound that they discovered during this period. Excellent versions of “2001,” “You Enjoy Myself,” “Birds of a Feather,” “Stash,” “Mike’s Groove,” “The Lizards,” “David Bowie,” and “Cavern” were also performed.
Welcome to the board!
04-03 set two = seck.
an insane Twist on 4-2
there’s video of it on youtube
Birds of a Feather and Frankie Says (back then we thought it was Roggae, spelled “Roget”) debuted on that tour
All the people that loved the 1997 funk sound were really excited to hear how it had evolved for 1998. Just a very hot ticket, Phish had hadn’t played since New Years, people had already done their Summer mailorders (I think, seems like mailorders were in March) and couldn’t wait to see them.
I thought Frankie Says had been ‘Relax’ at some point (how it was labelled on my Maxell XLII for this show), though Roggae did have the spelling confusion.
Yeah, it’s labeled “Relax” on my old XLII too. But I’m almost certain there was a time (before Roggae was ever played) when Frankie Says was thought to be named Roggae.
I still refer to it as Relax btw