The Gorge '98 Explained
The Gorge '98 is a live box set by Vermont-based jam band Phish. Released on December 9, 2022,[1] it documents their performances at the Gorge Amphitheatre in Grant County, Washington on July 16 and 17, 1998.[2]
Background
The band's summer 1998 tour saw them add songs into their repertoire that would later be included on that year's The Story of the Ghost album (including setlist staples "Roggae" and "The Moma Dance", the latter of which was performed during the second set of the July 16 show) and continue the funk-influenced improvisational style that came to the forefront the previous year.[3] [4] Additionally, the 1997-1998 era saw the band's jams increase in their average length by a wide margin, exemplified by the second set of the July 17 show, which lasts over an hour despite being made up of only four songs.
Other shows from the band's summer '98 tour appear on Live Phish Volume 17, Ventura, and Star Lake '98.
Songs performed during these shows include an extended jam on the normally-compact "Tube" on July 16, and the band's longest ever performance of "Also sprach Zarathustra" (entitled "2001" on Phish releases) on July 17.[5] Additionally, performances from the soundcheck of the July 16 concert are included as filler on the third disc.
Performances of "Tube" → "Slave to the Traffic Light" from July 16 and "Divided Sky" from July 17 were posted on the band's official YouTube channel in October to promote the release.[6]
Track listing
July 16
Disc one
Set one:
- "The Squirming Coil" (Trey Anastasio, Tom Marshall) – 11:17
- "NICU" (Anastasio, Marshall) – 5:51
- "Stash" (Anastasio, Marshall) – 13:02
- "Reba" (Anastasio) – 17:04 →
- "Fast Enough for You" (Anastasio, Marshall) – 7:23 →
- "When the Circus Comes" (David Hidalgo, Louie Pérez) – 4:56
- "Run Like an Antelope" (Anastasio, Marshall, Steve Pollak) – 13:47
Disc two
Set two:
- "Julius" (Anastasio, Marshall) – 12:20
- "The Moma Dance" (Anastasio, Jon Fishman, Mike Gordon, Page McConnell, Marshall) – 11:58 →
- "Piper" (Anastasio, Marshall) – 7:56
- "Axilla" (Anastasio, Marshall, Scott Herman) – 5:49 →
- "David Bowie" (Anastasio) – 19:13
Disc three
Set two, continued:
- "Tube" (Anastasio, Fishman) – 10:04 →
- "Slave to the Traffic Light" (Anastasio, Dave Abrahams, Pollak) – 13:26
Encore:
- "Sample in a Jar" (Anastasio, Marshall) – 5:51
Soundcheck:
- "Gorge '98 Soundcheck Jam" (Anastasio, Fishman, Gordon, McConnell) – 11:03 →
- "Dog Log" (Anastasio) – 5:39
July 17
Disc four
Set one:
- "Makisupa Policeman" (Anastasio, Marshall) – 7:25 →
- "Ya Mar" (Cyril Ferguson) – 13:05
- "Gumbo" (Anastasio, Fishman) – 12:34
- "Divided Sky" (Anastasio) – 17:31
- "Waste" (Anastasio, Marshall) – 7:15 →
- "My Mind's Got a Mind of its Own" (Butch Hancock) – 2:30 →
- "My Soul" (Clifton Chenier) – 8:22
Disc five
Set two:
- "2001" (Richard Strauss) – 24:49 →
- "Mike's Song" (Gordon) – 18:39 →
- "Weekapaug Groove" (Anastasio, Fishman, Gordon, McConnell) – 13:23 →
- "Character Zero" (Anastasio, Marshall) – 9:21
Encore:
- "Punch You in the Eye" (Anastasio) – 8:20 →
- "Rocky Top" (Felice Bryant, Boudleaux Bryant) – 3:10
Personnel
- Trey Anastasio – guitar, lead vocals, backing vocals
- Mike Gordon – bass, backing vocals, lead vocals ("Ya Mar", "My Mind's Got a Mind of its Own", "Mike's Song", "Rocky Top")
- Jon Fishman – drums, backing vocals, lead vocals ("The Moma Dance")
- Page McConnell – keyboards, piano, backing vocals
Notes and References
- Web site: Phish Dry Goods . Phish Dry Goods . 24 October 2022 . 24 October 2022 .
- Web site: Phish Previews ‘The Gorge ’98’ Box Set With “Tube” > “Slave To The Traffic Light”. Live for Live Music . 21 October 2022 . Broerman . Michael .
- Web site: Phish.net . 22 October 2022 . "Roggae" Song History .
- Web site: Phish.net . "The Moma Dance" Song History . 22 October 2022 .
- Web site: Phish Delivers 4-Song Set At The Gorge On This Date In 1998 . Jambase . 22 October 2022 . 17 July 2020 . Todd . Nate.
- Web site: Jambase . Phish Drops Triumphant 22-Minute ‘Tube’ & ‘Slave To The Traffic Light’ From ‘Gorge ‘98’ Box Set . Bernstein . Scott . 21 October 2022 . 21 October 2022.
