From April 2nd through 5th of 1998, Phish played four of the best shows of the band’s career. Dubbed the Island Tour, since the first two nights were on Long Island (Nassau Coliseum in Uniondale, NY) and the next two on Rhode Island (Providence Civic Center in Providence), each of the four shows has left an indelible mark on Phish history.

The first night on April 2nd featured some extensive musical exploration and the debuts of “Frankie Says” and “Birds of a Feather”.  The second night of the run on this day in 1998 featured its own debut, though the band didn’t know it yet; the jam session in “Weekapaug Groove” would eventually spawn the original song “Mozambique”.

Among the many highlights from night two of the historic run was a particularly noteworthy “Roses Are Free”, as Phish took the Ween cover for a 27-minute odyssey. The track was the first of a four-song set that included “Piper”, “Loving Cup”, and “Run Like An Antelope”, bringing some straight funk for a full hour-plus of music. With some extra time, Phish played a glorious three-song encore that included “Carini”, “Halley’s Comet”, and “Tweezer Reprise”.

There’s a reason the show is among the highest-rated on Phish.net. Check out a video of the massive “Roses Are Free” below and watch a video playlist of the whole show here.

Phish – “Roses Are Free” (Ween) – 4/3/1998

[Video: mkcool18]

Setlist: Phish | Nassau Coliseum | Uniondale, NY | 4/3/98

Set One: Mike’s Song -> The Old Home Place > Weekapaug Groove, Train Song > Billy Breathes, Beauty of My Dreams (Del McCoury Band), Dogs Stole Things > Reba, My Soul

Set Two: Roses Are Free (Ween) > Piper > Loving Cup (The Rolling Stones) > Run Like an Antelope[1]

Encore: Carini > Halley’s Comet > Tweezer Reprise

[1] “Carini’s gonna getcha” sung several times in intro. “Carini” spoken later in the song.

Weekapaug included a Crosseyed and Painless tease and a quick tease of Nellie Kane from Trey. A fan ran up on the stage during Loving Cup, prompting banter and subsequent singing of “Carini’s gonna getcha” several times in the Antelope intro, as well as a Carini mention later in the song. This show is available as an archival release on LivePhish.com.

[Originally published 4/3/2017]