Although most of our Phish Friday posts focus on audio recordings, you may have noticed that we’ve started to change things up by posting more video footage. While audio will always be the bread and butter of Phish Friday, it’s nice to occasionally throw in some visual representation of what the shows were like, especially in terms of the lights.
Case in point…this great video of the second half of “Reba” (the improv half) from 4/3/98, a well-known show in Phish history that I was lucky enough to have attended. Although it isn’t a pro-shot video, this clip nicely illustrates the way that Phish’s light man, Chris Kuroda, played a huge role in the band’s stage production and the way Phish improvisations developed. My favorite part comes around the 6-minute mark, when Trey’s solo and the lights come together in a huge crescendo. It’s not only classic Phish, but classic Phish/Kuroda improv. Check it out:
I think most Phish fans tend to agree that the four shows the band played in the Spring of 1998 — aka the ‘Island Tour’ — were some of its best. I love them all, but 4/3/98 — the band’s second night at Nassau Coliseum — is probably my personal favorite. It is also one of my more vivid concert experiences. As a result, this is not my first post about this show….and it probably won’t be my last.
A special thanks to the fan or taper that captured the video of this show for all of us fans. On a personal note, I was in an odd position for this show: off to the band’s left side, but way high up in the Coliseum seating. Although it was a really cool vantage point to watch the band’s onstage movements and signals, I never got to see the true brilliance of the full light show until these videos surfaced. Muchas gracias silverchair97!
