Phish: July 23, 1999 Columbus, OH

Mike Ayers on March 18, 2020
Phish: July 23, 1999 Columbus, OH

The final release of LivePhish’s 2019 archival series zeroes in on a Friday night from the band’s last summer tour of the ‘90s, their second appearance at Columbus, Ohio’s Polaris Amphitheatre. The show is full of musical standouts, but historians may be particularly interested for another reason: During the late second-set “Meatstick,” Trey Anastasio informed the crowd that their attempt to break the world record the prior weekend for most people doing the same dance at the same time had failed—but that a second attempt could happen at their forthcoming New Year’s Eve show in Florida. And thus, one of Big Cypress’ gags was born. But for those 20,000 in attendance that night in Ohio, they received much more than just a heads up on the future. The show was full of ferocious uptempo moments. An uncharacteristically long “Ya Mar” kicked things off, stretching out to 12 minutes and eventually giving way to a fast-paced “NICU.” Other set highlights include a cover of Jimmy Smith’s “Back at the Chicken Shack,” an intense “David Bowie,” and a “Punch You in the Eye” containing a swirling intro with Anastasio jumping on keys for a bit. Yet, it’s the five-song second set that really takes the show into must-hear territory, with a “Ghost”> “Free”> “Birds of a Feather” combo that lasts nearly 56 minutes. None of the jams seem to take a breather and, in particular, “Free” and “Birds of a Feather” become rare exploratory vehicles. Though Anastasio struggles through the lyrics to “Birds,” the liftoff finds the guitarist heading into pure “hose” territory, clocking in at a whopping 25 minutes. The mix sounds outstanding, too—making it a must-download release even for fans who can still find their Maxell copy of this mid-summer stop.