Phish will revisit the band’s 1998 two-night run at The Gorge Amphitheatre with a new archival release, The Gorge ’98. Out in December on digital and 5CD formats, Friday’s announcement comes alongside a pairing of “Tube” > “Slave to the Traffic Light” from night one.
The preview takes fans back to a time when every “Tube” was jammed out with this slinky, funky delivery. The relaxed pace was indicative of Phish in summer 1998, with the band fresh off a nine-show trip through Europe. Phish arrived back on U.S. soil to open the 23-date summer tour on July 15th, 1998 for a show in Portland, OR, released in 2003 as Live Phish Volume 17.
After that, Trey Anastasio, Mike Gordon, Page McConnell, and Jon Fishman headed north to George, WA for a two-night stay at The Gorge. The band had made its debut at the bucolic shed the previous summer with a two-night introduction on August 2nd and 3rd. Since then, The Gorge has become a regular stop for Phish with the band playing there 22 times in total. Among the highlights of the 1998 run is a four-song second set on night two, featuring the longest “2001” to date.
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Listen to Phish stitch together “Tube” and “Slave to the Traffic Light” from the upcoming The Gorge ’98 archival release. Details including a drop date and pre-order information are expected next week.
Phish – “Tube” > “Slave to the Traffic Light” – 7/16/98
Setlist: Phish | The Gorge Amphitheatre | George, WA | 7/16/98
Set One: The Squirming Coil, NICU, Stash, Reba > Fast Enough for You > When the Circus Comes, Run Like an Antelope
Set Two: Julius, The Moma Dance > Piper, Axilla > David Bowie, Tube > Slave to the Traffic Light
Encore: Sample in a Jar
Reba did not have the whistling ending.
Setlist: Phish | The Gorge Amphitheatre | George, WA | 7/17/98
Set One: Makisupa Policeman > Ya Mar, Gumbo, Divided Sky, Waste > My Mind’s Got a Mind of its Own, My Soul
Set Two: Also Sprach Zarathustra > Mike’s Song > Weekapaug Groove > Character Zero
Encore: Punch You in the Eye > Rocky Top
Trey teased Close to the Edge and Makisupa Policeman in Ya Mar. Gumbo included Fire (Ohio Players) teases. This unfinished Weekapaug included syncopated jamming and a tease of the theme that signals the closing of the jam segment of Taste by Trey.