1999
| Originally Performed By | Prince |
| Original Album | 1999 (1982) |
| Music/Lyrics | Prince |
| Vocals | Mike, Page, Trey (alternating leads) |
| Historian | Phillip Zerbo (pzerbo) |
| Last Update | 2019-04-24 |
History
The final song recorded for Prince’s 1982 album of the same name, “1999” was likely performed by hundreds of bands on 12/31/99: “Cuz they say two thousand zero zero party over / Oops! / out of time.” Phish apparently had other plans for that night. Not content to follow the crowd, Phish got a jump on the rest of the world by a year; they partied like it was going to be 1999, not like it was 1999. This apocalyptic party number was a fun and surprising kickoff to '98-'99 NYE festivities at Madison Square Garden and featured a variety of costumed dancers on stage. The theme lingered throughout the night as the song was subsequently teased in both "Weekapaug" and "Runaway Jim."
Phish, "1999" – 12/31/98, New York, NY. Video © Phish
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