Phish 7/23/99 Set II Polaris Amphitheater - Columbus, Ohio

The '90s were my heyday for going to see Phish. My first show was in May of 1992, and possibly the best show I ever saw by them was December 1997 at the Nutter Center in Dayton, Ohio. Summer of 1999 was the only time I really "went on tour" with Phish, seeing six shows in July of that year. Polaris Amphitheater was kind of a nightmare to access. Seemed like only one road took you to the venue so the traffic was always a clusterphuck. My old friend Joe and I attended several shows together back in the day. For this one we were stuck on the highway in standstill traffic trying to get off on the ONE EXIT from 71 that went to Polaris. We could actually hear the band start playing the first set from where we sat on the highway. Have you ever seen a close friend so irretrievably pissed off that it's kinda funny? Joe was livid. When we finally got inside they were wrapping up the first set. A cursory glance at the setlist reveals that we probably didn't miss much. But the second set was amazing. I particularly enjoyed the first 3 tunes of the second set, which included a 25-minute mindfuck of a jam in Birds of a Feather. It was raining during the song as I recall and they just went down the rabbit hole of all rabbit holes. Not likely to convert any new fans, this is the shit I enjoyed the most about Phish. When they came unmoored from reality and fearlessly went into the darkness. Pro shot jumbo tron video of the 2nd set attached below.

SET 1: Ya Mar, NICU, Back at the Chicken Shack > Punch You in the Eye[1], Fast Enough for You, Back on the Train, David Bowie, Strange Design, Possum

SET 2: Ghost -> Free > Birds of a Feather > Meatstick > Fire

ENCORE: Bouncing Around the Room > Rocky Top