Summer 98 was really a pretty incredibly tour, and you could argue its highlights are standing the test of time as nicely as any from the 97 vintage. The jams were exploratory, melodic, funky and in many cases sliiiick. It was a good time to be on tour if you liked to dance. Grab just about any Bathtub Gin from this tour to see what I mean.

August 98 boasts some especially tasty jams (8/1 Tweezer, 8/12 Runaway Jim), and this show at Deer Creek packs a bunch. This is an all-time Gumbo on par with the phenomenal version from the summer before at Starlake (as well as the top 2.0 version they dropped again at Deer Creek on 7/22/03). But this show gets deep even earlier; checkout out the gorgeous twenty minute Halley's in the number two spot. Trey is inspired, fresh, full of life. Listen to the crowd on the I Didn't Know that follows and you can tell how special a night it was. Throw in the Rhinoceros, Ride Captain Ride and Bike bustouts, and an Antelope tagged onto the Circus encore and you've got yourself a keeper.

A+

this is my favorite of the 2 night '98 deer creek stand. an odd set list, sharp playing, and nice explorative jamming really make this a marquee/keeper show. rhinoceros, a one and done song as of now, was a really strange opener. i can't imagine that anyone was guessing any smashing pumpkins songs as an opener. this is a pretty sharp take on this tune too. then, a monster halley's comet brings us into the phish catalog. this is a nice funk/rock version with some really sweet "a love supreme" teases by page. mike gets in on the bass line a bit, but it is mostly page teasingg this jazz master piece. after about 20 minutes, this finds its way into an inspired version of i didn't know. then, we get to go back to odd ball covers. the first ride captain ride was since the early 90's was a very well-recieved treat. cars trucks and buses and the moma dance furthered the funky vibe established earier in the set before a strange desing>zero combo shut it down.

well, this might be my favorite gumbo. tinley park 97 and deer creek 03 were very good, but i just love this one. trey throws around some sweet manteca teases, and this one dips back into that dark/funk groove they explored in the ghost the night before. after an extended funk jam, they blast a rocking axilla. they mellow with meat before going into the whole fishman/bike deal... good times. after 97, tube had become more than just a nifty rarity to catch, it had become a full blown show-making bad boy. this is one of thost. very nice loose funky jam in the middle section. the whole band jives very well on this. gordon plays some real nice funk bass. a rare, for the time, wedge serves as a appropriate and pleasant closer. a well played circus starts up the encore, and then they turn it on one more time. keeping the deer creek antelope streak alive, they played a killer antelope at deer creek every year up to '09, trey leads the boys into a nice rowdy 'lope. this is a good solid closer, and everyone throws down and gets going on this one.

highlights

set 1:
rhinoceros, halley's comet, ride captain ride, the moma dance

set 2:

gumbo (must hear), tube, antelope

Easily and without a doubt my favorite Gumbo. That funk jam figures in my personal Top 5 jams of summer 98. Get this show, if only for the tasty Gumbo.

to 8-3-98, i bid unto you a HAPPY 15th AnniBirthversaryday!!!!!!...and, to phishman0610, you are correct; it was an extremely tripppppy night at the Creek..i'd been seeing the Phish from Vermont for five years at this point and this was, BY FAR, the HIGHEST I had ever experienced the audience, as a whole, at a Phissshow (before or since)...the entire crowd was literally vibrating...the only explanation i could ever come up with is that, since the drive to the next show in Atlanta was a HAUL, people making that trek opted to lighten their psychotropic load and let it aaaall hang out for the 2nd and final night at DC...all signs pointed to a special show when the 1st set opened with the one-time-only performance of the Smashing Pumpkins'ssss Rhinoceros which, I later found out, was a tribute to a phan who had recently lost his brother...throw in two all-time jams in Halley's (followed up oh-so-appropriately by a humorously PLACED-PERFECT I Didn't Know) & Gumbo, tunes exhumed with the first Ride Captain Ride in almost six years and the first Bike in 100+ shows, well-timed ballads, an otherwise all-around psychedelic dance party, all wrapped up with a heartfelt yet playful double encore of CircusLope and you have a show that unquestionably has it all it still remains one of my most favoritest Phish experiences ever

first show, sat outside the venue, could hear the jams well, new i had to go inside sometime, also started collecting music

Tough to beat Phish at Deer Creek, and on top of that, you've got 1998 vintage Phish. All of the ingredients are there for a great night...

They busted out Ride Captain Ride, Bike, and debuted Rhinoceros, a pretty cool Smashing Pumpkins song (don't forget about that solo Trey takes in it too.)

Halley's is cosmic, Gumbo is groove-tastic, Antelope is high-octane.

And like Ben said above, really interesting set list. Not many of the "classics" like YEM, Mikes, etc., and a lot of newer songs at the time (CTB, Moma, etc.)

Awesome show.

Deer Creek Rarely Disapoints

Few shows open quite the way this one does either the crowd was losing their minds or were wondering WTF was going on.

Rhinoceros is a fantastic debut to kick things off it really sets the mood. Hailey's isn't your run of the mill typical version. It quickly goes into a nice Wah-Funk jam, very reminiscent of the cohesive funky fall '97 jams. Page and Trey are locked into eachother. It then goes into a nice drum led Mellow, Psychedelic type jam. I really REALLY enjoy this jam. It's not balls out and not super spacey it's really just right for me. Awesome Ride Captain Ride bustout that is very well played. The guitar solo is also quite noteworthy. Solid Moma Dance and a Strong Character Zero.

Gumbo comes out of nowhere to start set 2. The jam is very groove based but excellent in it's execution. Sloppy intro to Axilla. A top shelf tube love me a solid tube. and if this show wasn't weird and random enough, The Wedge ends the set. It's also excellent.

Now in my opinion most people were expecting When the Circus Comes and if they didn't like it they were walking out. But stick around because were still going to play A solid Antelope as a bonus.

Overall a great show. It's shy of 5 stars but I'd give it over 4 if I could!

Why Rhinoceros was played (per @theothr1):

"......okay, so, Rhinoceros was played to honor the passing of fan Philip Andrew Cassels...Phish paid tribute to Phil by opening the Deer Creek show with the song he was listening to before he took his own life (when they found him, the tape in his truck's radio was right where Rhinoceros ends) shortly before the band kicked off Fall Tour 1997...the band was fully aware that Phil’s brother, former Pharmer’s Almanac editor and HT contributor Kevin Cassels, was at Deer Creek that night so, it was played for Kevin for Phil...a bit maudlin? Perhaps but, i know for a fact that, having absolutely no idea whatsoever that the band was gonna do this, Kevin was deeply touched by this "silent" (and emotional) homage."

https://forum.phish.net/forum/permalink/1377153155

This show has a version of Gumbo that sets the bar, for me. It grooves like none other. The song drops some serious grooves. Manteca interlacing is also dope as hell! Wow.

This Gumbo changed my life. I had been seeing shows since 94, but this was something different. It was a trippy night at the Creek, at least for me. This was my first time seeing GOD, understanding it, remembering it, and trying to avoid it ever since. I know that if anyone is reading this then they have had that moment at a show where they realize they are leading the show and there is nothing they can do then either go with it, or freak the fuck out. I lasted about 16 minutes and then I lost it (wish I could of lasted longer). The last bit where you hear the band playing that chaotic structure right at the end is me running for my life. The minute I hit the parking lot they jumped into Axilla. The rest is one of those stories that only those few understand (or not).
I remember as I was running out thinking to Trey that he should play the hardest Antelope he has ever played as for some reason that song made total sense to me at the time. Sure enough he came through in the encore. How the hell do they do that shit night after night.