Sitting amidst the ongoing anniversary of one of Phish’s most revered tours, I can not help but broach the topic of Fall ’97. A tour that featured too many outlandish highlights to list or describe, this month-long run remains a defining point in the band’s career. Always revered for its infectious funk jams, Fall ’97 was so much more. Some of the most impressive and psychedelic jams the band has ever played are lifted from this month long trek of musical nirvana.
Yet, as we zoom in closer, we are amidst an even more impressive anniversary within the same tour. The week-long stretch of 11.17 to 11.23 can make a strong case for the greatest week of Phish ever. Beginning in Denver and ending in Winston-Salem, this seven day stretch represented the band at the top if their game, and contained many jams that deserve their own plaque in Phish’s Hall of Fame. These shows are household names- Denver, Champaign, and Hampton ’97- hero’s from an age gone by. Although sandwiched by continuous standout shows, when looking back over this epic week of music, the memories still leave the jaw resting comfortably on the floor below.
(11.16 &) 11.17: McNichols Arena, Denver, CO
Hot off the heels of their first visit to the E Center in Salt Lake City, Phish arrived in the Rocky Mountain State for two nights that would become forever immortalized. The first night of this stand featured an impressive second set with the improvised opener of “Timber Ho!” that morphed into a vastly different musical palate favoring melody over darkness, before twisting into the crowd-favorite “Simple.” A twenty-minute intense and inspiring Hood provided the other true highlight of the evening before they dusted off “David Bowie” as an encore for its first appearance of the fall.
But whenever the term “Denver ’97″ gets mentioned, visions of Tweezers and Ghosts begin to twirl in our heads. While the first night was a great Phish show, the second night was one of legend. When all was said and done, it would be the “Ghost” from first set of 11.17 that the band would incessantly listen to on their tour bus for the rest of the run, the show from 11.17 would be released as LIVE PHISH 11, and the sublime jamming throughout the night that would be talked about by fans forever.
Before the crowd even had a chance to get settled, Phish was dropping one of the best Tweezers of a Tweezer-heavy tour. Opening the show, this funk odyssey grew into some certifiable Fall ’97 Phish crack. As the grooves ended, the opening of “Reba” began. “Tweezer, Reba?!”- that’s one way to open a show! As the fugue opened the gates for the flood of colorful groove, the crowd soon found themselves floating in another huge Phish jam. Quickly developing into an absurd first set, a mere breath of “Trainsong” gave way to the career-highlight version of “Ghost.” The first fall appearance of the new Phish jam vehicle proved to be the one that Phish had been waiting to play since the song’s inception. Transcending the raw Cow Funk that typified its summer incarnations, this “Ghost” took off into driving dance textures, fusing melody, harmony, and groove in a way the band had never done before, and rarely since. This jam featured virtuoso playing by all four members, and truly created a whole greater than the sum of its parts. This “Ghost” is characterized by the simultaneous and symbiotic combination of to-die-for groove and spiritual cathartic release. Add some of Trey’s most inspired playing into the mix, and you’ve got one for the record books. A legend in its own time, the Denver ’97 “Ghost” will properly put any pretenders to rest.
And that’s all the first set! Set break gave way to a unique exploration of uptempo Phish rock rhythms utilizing the random triumvirate of “Down With Disease,” “Olivia’s Pool,” and “Johnny B Goode.” On a night like this, the band used any song to get directly into the thick of things, and the obvious example would be the jam out of “Johnny B. Goode,” as creative and psychedelic as anything they played all night. Topping the stand with a monster YEM, the band littered the jam with the disgusting grooves that would soon define the era.
11.19.97 Assembly Hall, Champaign, IL
Stopping in the Midwest for one show on the way to Hampton, the magic from Denver was still oozing in Illinois. The first “Bathtub Gin” of the fall kick started the the show with its second slot placement. With a gorgeous meshing of piano, guitar, and bass, the band improvised amorphously as one throughout this rendition. A tour highlight that is often forgotten due the abundance of tour highlights, this Gin’s ocean of vibrant waves eventually breaks down into some funk rhythms before picking up steam and segueing perfectly into “Llama.” This Phishy juxtaposition of musical feels weighted the first half of the set, while the final combination of Fee > Meatstick > Antelope held down the end. The band moved into a dreamy jam out of “Fee” in which Trey began to play the vocal melody of “Meatstick” (the song had only been sung once over a chugging jam in Lille, France over the summer). The band soon hopped on board and played a mini three minute Meatstick jam, complete with barely discernible vocals, before delicately transitioning into a blistering set ending Antelope.
Phish was on fire. It didn’t matter what set it was, what song they were playing, they could do no wrong this week. It was as if they were set on cruise control at 120 mph. Communicating masterfully and effortlessly, the band was having so much fun at this point and it was so obvious. Each night, each set was another odyssey. You had to strap your seat belt tight because you simply never knew what was coming. The new term of Fall ’97 was “four song set” as the band played several second sets of few heavily improvised pieces. The second set of Champaign would be one of these sets.
Coming out with no ambient build up, Fishman kicked right into the opening of 2001, transforming the venue into a futuristic dance hall for the next twenty minutes. The first 2001 of such length since the revelation at the Great Went, this version had the perfect tempo to it, creating a wide-open spacescape of Phish grooves. A personal favorite version, the band was so locked yet loose during this one, they truly nailed the essence of the cover in Champaign. As this Hall of Fame version climaxed, it led right into another first-ballot inductee in “Wolfman’s Brother.” Totaling a half-hour of spectacular playing, this version moved from the smoothest funk into more ambient realms before shifting into part two of the jam. With an aggressive high speed chase through the Phish universe on the magic carpet of a Crosseyed jam, the second segment of this jam is better suited for warfare then for casual listening. Existing as some of the deepest and most impressive music to emerge from Wolfman’s in its career, this jam is the type of evidence I present when people claim Fall ’97 was all about the funk.
As the Wolfman’s wound into some slower rhythms, the band seamlessly slid into Makisupa. An excessively dubbed out version would bring the all-star Phish jamming to a non-stop total of one hour. While most Makisupas exist as a fun ganja reference with some token reggae rhythms, the band created something much more significant this time around. Moving from dub into deep space, the band explored the beat-less realm as they created ethereal textures. A smashing version of “Tatse” ended the set of distinctly “other” type of jamming. As the crew packed their gear after the show, someone remembered to grab the vat of magic dust from backstage and put it on the bus for Hampton.
11.21 & 11.22 Hampton Coliseum, Hampton, VA
What more can be said about this weekend that hasn’t already been said. The two shows that stamped the Phish logo on the Mothership would go down as two of the best in the history. Below is the mini two-night review from the “Tour Stop: Hampton” post:
1997 would be a different story all together. In the most epic Hampton installment ever, Phish gave a nod to the celestial portal by gracing it with it’s first two-night stand. It would be over the 21st and 22nd of November that Hampton Coliseum would officially become Phish’s personal playground. With two shows that were as good as any, on a tour that is sometimes overwhelming with all of its magnificent music, Phish threw down four sets for the ages that still live in legend to