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Phish - August 16th, 1997

Loring Commerce Centre · Limestone · ME

Saturday1997 Summer U.S. Tour1997-08-16
Songs played
26
4 sets · longest: Set 1 (11)
Average gap
11.6
rarer than 63% of all shows, 69% of 1997
Biggest bustout
92
Halley's Comet - shows since last played
Debuts
0
6 covers played
Rotation27% fresh vs previous 5 shows6 repeats from 1997-08-14 - Chalk Dust Torture, Train Song, Jam, Rocky Top, Limb By Limb, Funky Bitch
HarpualegendaryRelated to Gamehendge3/11bustout50+ show gap

1 Picked up where the Clifford Ball Harpua left off.

2 Intro performed a cappella with finger snaps.

3 Trey altered lyrics to reference "Fishman sleeping in the daytime."

4 Fireworks.

(Surrender to the) Flow of the night
5:07:08 of music

Song length in play order. Tap a point for that song. Swipe the chart to see the rest.

24:2212:11SET 1SET 2SET 3ENCOREMakisupa Policeman - 6:35 (Set 1)Harpua - 6:15 (Set 1)Chalk Dust Torture - 11:07 (Set 1)Theme from the Bottom - 12:21 (Set 1)Punch You in the Eye - 12:08 (Set 1)Ghost - 16:39 (Set 1)Ginseng Sullivan - 4:47 (Set 1)You Enjoy Myself - 24:22 (Set 1)Train Song - 2:46 (Set 1)Character Zero - 7:38 (Set 1)The Squirming Coil - 11:01 (Set 1)Wolfman's Brother - 19:15 (Set 2)Simple - 11:09 (Set 2)My Soul - 8:54 (Set 2)Jam - 2:48 (Set 2)Slave to the Traffic Light - 13:49 (Set 2)Rocky Top - 2:23 (Set 2)Julius - 10:45 (Set 2)Halley's Comet - 13:01 (Set 3)Cities - 13:30 (Set 3)Llama - 6:45 (Set 3)Lawn Boy - 3:28 (Set 3)Limb By Limb - 16:28 (Set 3)Funky Bitch - 8:58 (Set 3)Contact - 6:43 (Encore)Loving Cup - 6:56 (Encore)
Longest: You Enjoy Myself 24:22 · 26 songs with recorded lengths
When it debuted

Tonight's unique songs by the era Phish first played them.

  • '83-'8912
  • '90-'948
  • '95-'006
Album representation

The studio home of each song, from phish.net. Covers count as one slice.

  • Billy Breathes3
  • A Picture of Nectar2
  • Hoist2
  • Lawn Boy2
  • The Story of the Ghost2
  • The White Tape2
  • Junta1
  • Covers6
  • No studio album6
Gap since last played

Shows since each song's previous appearance. A big number is a bustout.

  • 1-29
  • 3-512
  • 6-151
  • 16-501
  • 51+ · bustout3
Originals vs covers

Whose songbook tonight drew from.

  • Phish original20
  • Clifton Chenier1
  • Norman Blake1
  • Osborne Brothers1
  • Son Seals1
  • Talking Heads1
  • The Rolling Stones1
Rarity board

A typical night, rotation-wise - 3 songs shelved 50+ shows.

Gap = shows since the song was last played, at the moment it was played.

Jam chart entries
Chalk Dust Torture

Great example of why '97 is such a pivotal year in Phistory. Here they stretch and expand the music everywhere possible without ever really getting beyond "CDT" proper.

Theme from the Bottom

The band covers a lot of varied musical territory in this "Type I" version that includes a "What's The Use" tease.

Punch You in the Eye

Despite arriving in what Trey called a "bad set", this version's wah-funky intro was the most significantly augmented until "PYITE's" 2025 renaissance.

Ghost

Mellow big bass funk groove, no climax. [A nice gradual transition from the heavy funk to more open, upbeat play, which grows dissonant before latching onto a great rocking, powerful and percussive groove.]

Wolfman's Brother

Awesome, improvisational version that gets well beyond standard "Wolfman's." At 8:50, the jam breaks out of funk mode and starts to explore, masterfully linking several sections with great, inspired music before -> to a cool "Simple."

Simple

-> in from a fantastic "Wolfman's Brother." A bit quirky, this mellow "Simple" jam includes a jam on the "Theme from the Odd Couple," turns bluesy, and -> to "My Soul."

Jam

A stand-alone jam, sort of spacey, sort of funky follows "My Soul" and -> to "Slave To The Traffic Light"

Halley's Comet

A kind of grunge-like jam develops, with additional vocal refrain at about 10:00. The jam then departs "Halley's" altogether and develops into a swirly, minor key, bluesy Fish and Mike led exploration. "On Your Way Down" tease leads directly to a -> to "Cities."

Cities

Another SUPER SLOW, funky version from '97. Segues out of "Halley's Comet." The tempo picks up at about 8:40, and the funk comes on even thicker. Gets more rocking and bluesy before -> to "Llama."

Llama

-> in from "Cities." Great Page and a nasty, growling and extended Trey section. -> to "Lawn Boy."

Limb By Limb

The boys really stretch the jam out on this one nicely, and the playing is excellent. They also tack on a nice extended ending (was played near the end of day 1 of the Great Went) before transitioning to "Funky Bitch."

Versions phish.net's jam charts single out as noteworthy.

Setlist notes

This was the first show of The Great Went festival. Harpua picked up where the Clifford Ball Harpua left off. After Chalk Dust, Trey remarked that the first three songs served as the soundcheck, which the band did not do before the show. The jam out of Simple, the beginning of My Soul, and the jam before Slave included Odd Couple theme teases. The jam before Slave also contained an Entrance of the Gladiators tease. Halley’s Comet included On Your Way Down teases. The lyrics in Cities were changed to reference Fishman sleeping in the daytime. The Julius intro was partially performed a cappella with finger snaps. Funky Bitch featured a fireworks display behind the stage that culminated as the song ended. After the show, the members of Phish DJ’d under pseudonyms at a festival tent in what has become known as the “Disco Set.”

Setlist, gaps, jam charts, and notes from phish.net, a project of the non-profit Mockingbird Foundation.

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