Phish Shares Lively ‘Makisupa Policeman’ & ‘Ya Mar’ Pairing From ‘The Gorge ‘98’

Phish rolled out another preview of their upcoming The Gorge ’98 box set. The band shared the “Makisupa Policeman” and “Ya Mar” sequence that started their July 17, 1998 concert at the beautiful venue in Washington state.

The Gorge ’98 is a 5-CD box set featuring official audio of Phish’s entire two-night stand from July 16 and 17, 1998 at The Gorge Amphitheatre in George, Washington. Paul Languedoc’s original multitrack recordings have been mixed by Jon Altschiller and masted by Fred Kevorkian for the release due out on December 9 via JEMP Records.

Phish kicked off the second of two Summer Tour 1998 shows at The Gorge with the reggae-tinged “Makisupa Policeman.” Guitarist Trey Anastasio delivered the keyword “dank” to the delight of the audience towards the start of the song. Anastasio went on to unleash a siren tone as keyboardist Page McConnell vamped on Clavinet and organ while the rhythm section of bassist Mike Gordon and drummer Jon Fishman locked in on a groove. Trey played a brief solo after the final chorus that paved the way for a transition into “Ya Mar.”

“Ya Mar,” a cover of a song originally written by Cyril Ferguson, spanned just over 13 minutes at The Gorge on July 17, 1998. The bulk of The Gorge ’98 “Ya Mar” was devoted to a spirited Anastasio solo. Fishman was in fine form as he threw in memorable fills underneath Trey’s majestic riffing.

Hear the “Makisupa Policeman”/”Ya Mar” from The Gorge ’98 below:

The Gorge ’98 is currently available for pre-order through Phish Dry Goods.