Phish will crack open the vault for an archival release of the band’s September 12th, 1999 show at Oregon’s Portland Meadows. During a recent episode of From the Archives on SiriusXM Phish Radio, archivist Kevin Shapiro revealed that 9/12/99 will appear on LivePhish this Friday.
September 12th, 1999 was momentous on many accounts. Up until this past spring tour, it was the last concert Phish played in Portland in 26 years. The show also opened with the third-ever “First Tube” (an unorthodox thing to hear given the song’s cemented status as a contemporary closer) and Phish’s second of five performances of “Mozambique”, all played in September 1999 before the instrumental made the permanent jump to Trey Anastasio‘s solo band.
Even the venue itself was significant, as the general admission dirt field was reminiscent of the band’s younger days and stood in stark contrast to the sports arenas it was frequently filling. (By this point, for example, the band had already played Madison Square Garden 12 times.)
Phish — “Back On The Train” — 9/12/99
[Video: Zoe Alyse]
Beyond the stats, 9/12/99 is also celebrated for two standout jams that highlight the best of Phish in 1999. In the first set, a relaxed “Bathtub Gin” comes strolling in at a slowed-down tempo. This version sticks close to home and doesn’t veer into Type II, but within the song’s confines, Phish finds a comfortable pocket and digs in with Trey cooking up groove-funk riffs and Page McConnell bouncing along on grand piano for this blissful 19-minute version.
Then, Phish comes back for the second set with a “Ghost” for the books. Clocking in at right around 28 minutes, this “Ghost” travels through musical dimensions from its slinky funk beginnings through dissonant psychedelic noise rock to understated ambience before seguing into “Runaway Jim”. Even as the band evolved from the trancelike “cow funk” of 1997 and 1998, Phish continued to explore minimalist, droning soundscapes, and this “Ghost” is one of the year’s best examples of the band just getting weird. “Ghost” lit the slow-burning fuse for a jam-heavy, five-song set that included “Runaway Jim” into “Roggae” and “Also Sprach Zarathustra” into a “You Enjoy Myself” closer.
Revisit fan-recorded audio of Phish in Portland, OR on September 12th, 1999 before it lands on LivePhish this Friday. LivePhish subscribers can stream the band’s extensive live archive dating back to 1989. Not a LivePhish subscriber yet? Get started here. [Editor’s Note: Live For Live Music is a LivePhish affiliate. Ordering your LivePhish subscription or purchasing a download via the links on this page helps support our coverage of Phish and the world of live music. Thank you for reading!]
Phish — Portland Meadows — Portland, OR — 9/12/99 — Full Audio
[Audio: fromtheaquarium]
Phish — “Bathtub Gin” — 9/12/99
[Audio: mkcool18]
Phish — “Ghost” — 9/12/99
[Audio: astavely56]
Setlist: Phish | Portland Meadows | Portland, OR | 9/12/99
Set One: First Tube, Poor Heart, Mozambique, Bathtub Gin, Back on the Train, My Mind’s Got a Mind of its Own, Frankie Says, Birds of a Feather, Lawn Boy, Possum
Set Two: Ghost > Runaway Jim > Roggae, Also Sprach Zarathustra > You Enjoy Myself
Encore: Theme From the Bottom