Home Music Phish Makes Bonner Springs Debut In 1998: New To YouTube

Phish Makes Bonner Springs Debut In 1998: New To YouTube

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Last fall, Phish fan Arty “Marmar” Haynes helped bring high-quality footage of one of the band’s performances from 1991 to the masses. Arty currently has his hands full digitalizing and adding taper audio to an entire collection of VHS master tapes featuring fan-shot footage. The first video Haynes posted to YouTube contains most of the second set from Phish’s July 28, 1998 show at what was then known as the Sandstone Amphitheatre in Bonner Springs, Kansas.

Phish’s Bonner Springs debut was the 10th show of the quartet’s Summer U.S. Tour. The group would start to unveil a diverse set of covers over the next few weeks including songs by Van Halen, The Beastie Boys, Grateful Dead, Smashing Pumpkins, Talking Heads and Bob Marley leading fans to dub the run the “Jukebox Tour.” However, at the Sandstone Amphitheatre the band focused on classic material. The video starts with Phish’s first rendition of “The Mango Song” in 88 shows and continues with rarity “Brother.”

Guitarist Trey Anastasio then shouts out a couple he met the previous night during “Contact” and plays a “love style” solo for the pair. A blazing “Maze” comes next before the ballad “Prince Caspian” leads into a particularly funky “You Enjoy Myself.” Phish begins the encore with just the fifth “Camel Walk” since 1989 and ends with the Page McConnell showcase “The Squirming Coil.” Watch most of Phish’s second set from July 28, 1998 thanks to Gordon F., Marmar and audio taper Eric McRoberts:

Since this is a Full Show Friday column, here’s audio of the entire show including Phish’s third ever cover of “Emotional Rescue,” a fun “It’s Ice” > “Lengthwise” > “It’s Ice” sequence, the rare ballad “Tela” and more taped by Craig Hillwig: