Of all the bands in all of jamdom, few have as much lore as Phish. Between guitarist Trey Anastasio‘s The Man Who Stepped Into Yesterday senior project (aka Gamehendge), the myriad audience participation, and an endless list of other inside jokes, it can be quite daunting as a newcomer. Sometimes, however, you see history change right before your very eyes. That’s what happened at a Phish show on November 6th, 1998 at the Kohl Center at the University of Wisconsin.

Coming in as the sixth stop on the band’s 1998 Fall tour, things were already heating up. Cow funk had been introduced the previous summer and the band’s audience was ever-expanding. Following a seven-song first set capped off with a “Split Open And Melt” that bassist Mike Gordon revealed was one of his favorites from the tour, the band returned to the stage for set two.

While Phish’s playing was definitely on-point that night, something else was off. The stage—and the entire arena—was inundated by campus security whose presence loomed large over the young crowd. The band members themselves could feel the tension created by the added security presence and decided to take a shot as only they can. During the second set opening “Makisupa Policeman”, rabble-rouser Anastasio used the song’s customary ad-libs to reference a “university rent-a-cop.” Whether or not the security officers were listening can’t be known for certain, but the band’s comeuppance came later on in the set.

During the “Prince Caspian” that came later in set two (out of a killer “Simple”), a naked man jumped onstage. By this point, Phish fans were accustomed to some light male nudity (usually courtesy of Jon Fishman himself). The band has had to dodge the odd streaker since, too, but perhaps no pants-less encounter has been as influential on the music.

Despite the influx of campus police, the person who actually intercepted the naked guy on this night was none other than Fishman’s drum tech, Pete Carini, who had already been immortalized in song (and, later, in banter) over his penchant for wrangling stage-crashers and other such interlopers. All the while, the band never missed a beat and kept on playing. As the “Caspian” jam ensued, Fishman could be heard cheering on his technician.

While the show moved on as normal from there, the seed had been planted. Two nights later, during a show at UIC Pavilion in Chicago—the band put “Carini” in the two-slot of set one, only this time with some new lyrics referencing the streaker and the resulting effect of “I couldn’t eat my food.” The lyrics remain a part of “Carini” to this day.

Watch footage of the streaker from Phish’s November 6th, 1998 show whose very presence caused the band to alter the lyrics to “Carini”. The naked guy comes in at around the 17-minute mark.

Phish – “Simple” -> “Prince Caspian” – Madison, WI – 11/6/98

[Video: Bowa4141]

Phish – Set Two – Kohl Center – Madison, WI – 11/6/98

[Video: telekinetica]

Setlist: Phish | Kohl Center | Madison, WI | 11/6/98

Set One: Possum, Wilson > Roggae, Maze, Meat > Sparkle > Split Open and Melt

Set Two: Makisupa Policeman[1] > Funky Bitch, Simple -> Prince Caspian[2] > Fluffhead, Hold Your Head Up > Bike > Hold Your Head Up, Harry Hood

Encore: Birds of a Feather, Hello My Baby

[1] Keyword referenced “university rent-a-cop.”

[2] Began with Fish on vacuum.

[H/T JamBase]

[Originally published 11/6/21]