New To YouTube: Phish Lemonwheel Night Two

On August 15 and 16, 1998 Phish hosted their third major festival, dubbed “Lemonwheel,” at Loring Air Force Base in Limestone, Maine. Approximately 60,000 fans made the trip to the top of the U.S. for six sets of Phish plus a famed “Ambient Set” on Saturday. A group of five friends who attended the festival passed around a camcorder to capture nearly all of the action on the 16th, but sadly the master tapes were lost shortly after the shows. One copy did survive, was paired with incredibly crispy audio and uploaded to YouTube over the past few days by YouTube user DSA.

Now, let’s bear in mind we’re talking about fan-shot footage on a camcorder from the late ’90s, so don’t expect mind-blowing video. However, the team of fans shooting the concert became more comfortable as the show progressed and captured some stellar close-ups as the evening went on. It’s also cool to get a feel for what the Lemonwheel was like since the cameramen intersperse scenes from what was going on around them. For now, this is the best we have when it comes to video from Lemonwheel. Thanks to all involved in sharing this with the masses.

Musically, highlights include a 45-minute sequence of “Down With Disease” > “Piper” and “Ghost” to start the second set, rare covers of “Sabotage” by the Beastie Boys and Henry Mancini’s “Baby Elephant Walk,” the latter played as a faux elephant marched through the crowd, and extended takes on “Also Sprach Zarathrustra,” “Bathtub Gin” and “Harry Hood.”

Set One

1. Ginseng Sullivan (00:00)
2. Bathtub Gin (03:49)
3. Rift (17:03)
4. Punch You in The Eye (23:38)
5. Lawn Boy (32:43)
6. Yamar (36:01)
7. AC/DC Bag (46:40)
8. Frankie Says (55:22)
9. Birds of a Feather (1:02:11)
10. Guyute (1:10:45)
11. Possum (1:21:37)

Set Two

1. Down With Disease (00:00)
2. Piper (18:59)
3. Ghost (29:20)
4. Fluffhead (47:35)
5. When the Circus Comes to Town (1:03:19)
6. Wading in the Velvet Sea (1:08:52)
7. HYHU-Sexual Healing-HYHU (1:16:40)
8. Run Like an Antelope (1:28:53)

Set Three

1. Sabotage (00:00)
2. Also Sprach Zarathrustra (3:45)
3. Wilson (21:58)
4. Mango Song (29:53)
5. Character Zero (37:17)
6. Bittersweet Motel (45:44)
7. While My Guitar Gently Weeps (49:29)
8. E: Harry Hood (59:45)
9. Baby Elephant Walk (1:21:28)