At 14 years old this was only my 3rd rock concert (behind Kiss and Ozzfest) and my first ever Phish show!
I had an uncle who very much lamented never taking me to see a Dead show, so he jumped at the opportunity to introduce me to Phish.
I was not very familiar with most of the music at the time, but a few things captivated me and set me down the path.
First off, I listened to TONS of Sinatra as a boy so I was totally stoked about the I Get a Kick Out of You.
Second, the whole atmosphere was obviously something I had never experienced before.
Looking back I realize just how epic this show was!
Got Divided Sky, Reba, Ghost, Bowie, and Hood for my first time!
Only years later would I realize how rare that is.

this is a good fun show. roggae through you better believe it baby stays a little mellow but well-played. boogie on really gets the crowd grooving, and this is my favorite reba of '98. very good version. try is right on point. weigh is a nice treat, and the "new tune" birds of a feather closes this set down in style.

the set opening possum is a doozy. they really take this one all the way out there before storming back. this ghost and the jam the ensues have a nice dark/funky feel. it is nice and explorative before petering out into life boy. trey plays very well on david bowie. plus, they throw a whole bunch of nice little teases on the back end of this one. outside of a debut of "i get a kick out of you," the rest of this show ends end good but standard fashion. harry hood is nice, and bittersweet motel is a little bonus. good show.

highlights:
set 1:

roggae, boogie on reggae woman, reba

set 2:
possum, ghost, david bowie

You NEED to listen to set II! Superb. Possum and Ghost are fantastic. I love the Sinatra!

This was my first Phish concert and I had no idea how great the show was that I was seeing at the time. I remember being slightly bummed that they opened with Roggae, a slow song I didn't know back then, but now it's one of my favorites. THIS circus is the place for me...

My first Divided Sky is still the best version I've heard in person, but it's certainly nowhere near contention for one of the greatest ever. Still, it's special to me.

I also remember being excited to hear Weigh and
David Bowie at my first show.

Besides the song selection and excellent all around playing from the band, I remember that my friends and I rode in the bed of a pickup truck before the show. We caught a hitch near the farm where we were camping down the road to Deer Creek (back when Deer Creek was still surrounded by cornfields on all sides). Actually, a lot of fans were catching rides in pickups that day, but I bet the local farmers liked helping all the hippies.

Also, one of my neighbors at the show had duct taped a glass pipe to his leg beneath his patchwork pants to get it inside the venue. He was slightly perturbed that he wasn't patted down by security but only because he then had to unnecessarily rip off a ton of his leg hair on the lawn.

Well, that's the gist of what I remember from 23 years ago. Ah, I miss 90's Deer Creek.

Lifeboy has a really interesting uproar from the crowd deep in the song, in the climactic final choruses. Maybe there were glow sticks flying around? Maybe someone ran on stage? Or maybe the crowd was just legitimately moved by this early-era tune being played to a T.

Whatever the hoopla was about, it's not a normal end of song ovation.

Lifeboy rightfully doesn't get that much fanfare... it's not that great of a song. But this version is particularly on-point and the crowd gets real lathered up during it.