Phish has played “Cavern” somewhere around 435 times in its nearly 30-year career, but never quite like they did on April 5, 1998 on the back end of a four-night run that is known in Phish lore as the Island Tour. The band, getting a bit of cabin fever while holed up recording what would become The Story of the Ghost, set out to stretch their stage legs with four shows, two at Uniondale, NY’s Nassau Coliseum and two at the Civic Center in Providence, RI. The result is one of the finest live moments in the band’s history, with one of the unique highlights coming at the very end. 

“I started this little funk groove because we can’t end this thing without a little bit more funk,” Anastasio told the crowd after four funk-filled shows. He then uttered one of the cooler lines in rock and roll history, saying, “For those of you who want to take off, take off. For those of you that just want to dance to the funk, we’re going to stay around and keep grooving.” 

And with that, the band launched into a 13-minute funky “Cavern” with some of the tune’s original lyrics.