Decided to give this one a spin recently for the first time in a long time given the upcoming MSG run. 12/29 and 12/30 get all the love, and probably rightly so, but this show has some terrific highlights..

Emotional Rescue. This version might top 11/21. Another almost 20 minute opener it goes right into some very funky grooves and just dances there for 10 minutes or so, before Trey pulls out a bit of the Hendrix vibes over top of it to finish. If you haven't heard this in a while I highly recommend giving it a listen. Only downside is that it end kind of prematurely when Trey starts up Ya Mar. But it's a fun Ya Mar.

Mikes's>Piper. The Mike's is top-notch. Very tight, ballsy to start, with Trey seriously on point. Then it develops into a gorgeous, delicate almost ambient jam that settles down into Piper. The Piper is a tightly contained old school version but beautifully executed. The Circus->Roses that emerges from it is actually pretty great too. Good flow.

Weekapaug. Almost 20 minutes, Weekapaug on steroids. It goes big and then it goes bigger. And then bigger. And then it goes fun with full band breakdown solos.

2001. Underrated version that's maybe eclipsed by being in the NYE countdown slot, but there's some great atypical work in the mid-section by Mike here. Great groove.

You can probably skip the first few songs of 1998 though. The boys had just run out of steam by then. But can you blame them?

Is the only reason they didn't release this SBD because of the massive balloon popping during set 3?

@MiguelSanchez Yeah, I mean there's three sets so not all of it is great, but definitely listen to the whole Mike's Groove, the Emotional Rescue (show's highlight, imo), and the 2001.

@ledzepmaster Could be a combination of that and the fact that aside from the aformentioned highlights, there's not a ton to write home about, which is about half the show.

December 31, 1997

Madison Square Garden, New York, NY

Set 1: Emotional Rescue > Ya Mar^[1], My Sweet One > Beauty of My Dreams, Wolfman's Brother, Limb By Limb^[1], The Horse > Silent in the Morning > The Sloth, Fire

Set 2: Timber (Jerry) > Mike's Song, Piper > When the Circus Comes -> Roses Are Free > Weekapaug Groove

Set 3: Also Sprach Zarathustra > Auld Lang Syne > Tweezer > Maze^[2] > Prince Caspian > Loving Cup

Encore: New York, New York^[3] > Tweezer Reprise

[1] Auld Lang Syne tease.
[2] Birdland tease; unfinished.
[3] Phish debut.

Notes: Ya Mar and Limb By Limb included Auld Lang Syne teases. Maze contained a Birdland tease and was unfinished. New York, New York made its Phish debut during the encore. My Sweet One was played for the first time since December 14, 1995 (155 shows).