Phish - August 17th, 1996
Plattsburgh Air Force Base · Plattsburgh · NY
1 No whistling.
2 Trey sang verses through megaphone.
3 Ben and Jerry on vocals.
4 Page/Fish Mule Duel.
5 Unfinished.
Song length in play order. Tap a point for that song. Swipe the chart to see the rest.
Tonight's unique songs by the era Phish first played them.
- '83-'8914
- '90-'949
- '95-'003
The studio home of each song, from phish.net. Covers count as one slice.
- Junta3
- A Picture of Nectar2
- Billy Breathes2
- Hoist2
- Rift2
- The White Tape2
- Lawn Boy1
- Covers3
- No studio album9
Shows since each song's previous appearance. A big number is a bustout.
- 1-29
- 3-513
- 6-151
- 16-501
- 51+ · bustout2
Whose songbook tonight drew from.
- Phish original23
- The Beatles1
- The Dillards1
- The Edgar Winter Group1
Rarer than most - 2 songs shelved 50+ shows.
Gap = shows since the song was last played, at the moment it was played.
Beautiful. As if so composed. Like grains of sand in some mystic mandala. And then perfectly arranged.
> "The Curtain", the "Clifford Ball's" special, sweet version is executed with great precision, a case study in tone, tempo, and meter. The band an ethereal conduit for (or from) some other dimension, here is nothing but on-point play, the four as one expertly channeling their supremely crafted vision.
Old fashioned version with the whole band involved in a subdued jam.
Ice Cream moguls Ben and Jerry sing the refrain before the jam. Trey's playing is as lightning fast as ever, although the sentiment is less shrill and dissonant than in '91 - '92. Page jumps to piano near the end which is a nice, unusual twist.
A truly great performance, the Clifford Ball "Fluff" features tight, near-perfect playing, great Fish throughout, early funk from Page in Clod, crisp vocals, and swirly, funky Trey, providing backing for Page's superb piano solo, also in Clod. Working through the vocals in Bundle of Joy, you get the sense the band is going to explode into Arrival, and thanks especially to Jon Fishman, the Plattsburgh throngs are treated to a joyous capstone and exclamation point.
Page deploys the Fender-Rhodes early on. This one has great balance, with everyone contributing in equal measure. Trey's skillful use of the Leslie effect as the jam builds to a peak puts this one in the elite category.
The others encroach on Page's solo, then back off. Fishman takes over on drums for an extended solo. Page responds with his own solo. Finally, arrival at the familiar klezmer pick-up, chanting and finale.
Very good, popular version.
Lots of nice improvisational twists and turns in the jam including dissonant and off-key jamming with great tension.
Versions phish.net's jam charts single out as noteworthy.
This was the second show of The Clifford Ball festival. Reba did not have the whistling ending. Trey sang the verses of Fee through a megaphone. Before the second set, Trey paid tribute to Aaron Stein of Syracuse, who was front row center for every show of the tour. The first Brother since August 2, 1993 (259 shows) featured Ben and Jerry on guest vocals. Wilson included a Heartbreaker tease. Antelope featured a female acrobat twirling in the rigging, suspended above the stage in a circus-like fashion. Scent of a Mule featured a Page/Fish duel instead of the typical Page/Trey duel. Tweezer had big trampolines on each side of the stage and more circus shenanigans. A stunt plane circled overhead during Tweezer Reprise and Harpua. Harpua was unfinished; it was completed on August 16, 1997 at The Great Went.
Setlist, gaps, jam charts, and notes from phish.net, a project of the non-profit Mockingbird Foundation.