well, this week's pick does not 100% fit the hidden gem criteria, but it is largely overshadowed by the next nights show. i'm rolling with 11/21/97 hampton coliseum. this is one of my favorite shows from the fall/winter '97 tour. while the next nights show has the power house set list, i think they are pretty equal musically. at the very least, the highpoints of this nights show are equal to the high points on the 22nd.

the debut of emotional rescue opened up this two night run. phish played a very odd version of this already odd tune. for good measure, they tacked on a damn fine, murky funk jam. this worked nicely into the best melt of the tour. gordon starts to move in a different direction, and trey jams around the melt theme over him. very strong version. the rest of the first set, after a dynamite start, is very good but somewhat standard.

there is nothing standard about this 2nd set. ghost>ac/dc bag is like a roller coaster. both jams are somewhat similar in that they both start with very mellow, laid back funk jams, space out, and then build up into something new all together. this ghost is not your standard '97 funk fest. it moves into dark space before finding a very uptempo melodic passage. this section moves perfectly into ac/dc bag. in fact, i don't know that i can think of any jam that has worked its way into this song better. this bag is the precursor to the big msg one on 12/30. in fact, i think it is my favorite of the year, and this is a pretty thick year for bag. anyway, like ghost, it moves from mellow funk then to space. this one moves out of space quite differently. it finds itself in a dark, disodant, chaotic, sunra'esque jam. eventually, the jam falls back down on itself back into space, eventually rolling into slave. trey is very patient on this slave, helping make it another best of year candidate. gordon and fishman have almost an ocean like affect on this slave. they almost feel like a wave moving back and forth. page and trey weave over their rhythm, building the perfect, most glorious slave climax. loving cup is a nice rocking closer, and guyute is an all-business encore.

if the 2nd night weren't such a freak-out, i would say this run could stand up as being pretty classic on this show alone. either way, the 2nd night was a total freak out, and this show gets a little overshadowed.

it's hard to pick the cream of the crop when it comes to fall/winter '97, but to me, this is one of the best. the boys put their skills in managing tension and release on display, shaping a beautiful 2nd set.

if you really like this show, you probably want to check out 11/14/97 west valley, ut, 11/23/97 winston-salem, 11/29/97worcester mass, and of course 11/22/97 hampton. hell, get the whole freaking tour. the worst show still has must hear moments.

enjoy!

I just finished listening to 11/21/97, it was a pretty good selection. This was the first time listening to Slave in a few months

@jabberstin said:

I've been raging this Ghost among friends for the past week! Funk-mcGrunk!

i listened to the rochester one from that tour today on my way to work. another funk monster!