Quite a few threads in the archive about the overall experience, vibe, and/or the DVDs, but surprisingly few about the MUSIC from that groundbreaking weekend. I intend to fix this.

Upon first listen to the old FM soundboards a few years back, I walked away utterly unimpressed. At the time '97 elastic-groove Phish was my thing. What appeal could Summer '96 Phish hold in comparison? I remember filing it under 'pedestrian, nothing special', and barely giving it a second thought.

Fast forward to this past October 20. I drove to three different Ticketmaster locations around Denver in an effort to be first in line, only to discover that most outlets in Colorado don't sell tix to any event OUTSIDE Colorado. Exhausted and pissed off, I wandered around the record store that was my third stop, and finally decided to drop the $79 on the CliffBall box set, hoping a little retail therapy would make me feel better... and did it ever.

Seeing them play this music, in front of a crowd more than TWICE the size of any they'd ever performed for before, and getting to hear it all in glorious multitracked surround sound opened my eyes. So tight, so clean, so definitive! The overwhelming projective energy which the band had NO CHOICE but to deliver to the assembled throng, with its undercurrent of abashed nervousness, is palpable in the music's peaks and valleys.

I'm gonna break down some of my favorite moments:

CDT > Bathtub Gin > Ya Mar -- PERFECT opening sequence. All three versions are candidates for "X of the Year". Zero slop in this Chalkdust, all perfectly placed notes and angular tension. Gin blows the doors off, climaxing somewhere between the superheavy Zeppelin-drum onslaught of Fall '95 and the melifluous legato HOSE of late Fall '96 and Europe '97. There is a breakdown to extreme quiet in Ya Mar that I couldn't appreciate till I SAW them pull it off... Really? 75,000 people, third song, and you bring the jam down THIS far? That takes cajones, ladies and gentlemen.

Mike's > Simple -- Straight thunder. First time I heard it on the slightly muddy SBD, I thought it was just overindulgent, uninteresting Trey wankery, with the segue into Simple coming WAYYY too late in the jam to redeem it. Now, with crystal-clear dynamics, I can appreciate how much the other three guys move around underneath the spitfire guitar. Not quite as diverse as the Mike's jam from Deer Creek the week before, but still plenty of great rhythmic and harmonic variation. Possibly the single DANCIEST Mike's played prior to Halloween '96. When Simple finally shows up, it will. not. be. denied. Great placement, great post-acoustic energy recover, great stuff.

Harry Hood -- the Fireworks Jam is awesome to watch, but the Hood proper is great upon relisten. Page and Trey ascend to the ether very early in the jam, and stay there. Delicate, beautiful, representative.

Punch > Reba > CTB -- How's this triumverate to get a crowd up and moving again after running around the tarmac all night? Probably my favorite Punch, flublessly played at a menacingly slow funky pace that you just don't hear anymore. Great intro. This Reba... if you've heard it, you understand. One of the greats, my all-time favorite version, perfectly patient, crystalline, and drop-dead gorgeous. Love they way they slam right into CTB, a great currently-underplayed chunk of NOLA by way of Vermont. Again, definitive, with awesome Page solos and an actual rhythmic *contribution* from Trey on mini-kit.

Maze > Suzy -- A*MAZE*ing. Killed it, straight up. My favorite Maze ever... some of them, especially in '95-96, can go on too long, almost to a masturbatory point (see Deer Creek), but this one is concise and fiery. Great interplay, solos and ending totally on point. If there was a better, tighter, or more celebratory Suzy played during the 'big rock' period of '95-96, I haven't heard it.

It's Ice > Brother -- Trey's personal favorite slice of the Ball, due to pefect execution of the Ice composition, a "was that composed?" creamy jam center, and a ripping Brother, the first in over three years. Ben and Jerry's contribution cracks me up every time.

Tweezer -- I've never heard ANYBODY mention this Tweezer, but I'm here to say that if you want to show somebody with a short attention span what sort of potential this song has, it's basically a one-stop shop (I know, the same could be said for SO MANY Ball jams!). Not a single extraneous note is played, with plenty of bombastic pre-funk bounce. Bonus points for featuring clearly intelligible vocals in full harmony, something I'm a stickler for in Tweezers and something that was lacking from '97 through... today, pretty much.

Soundcheck -- Taken as a whole, probably the most interesting hour of music played in Plattsburg. A tantalizing snapshot of the band's creative process at this point, with great banter. Mr. Sausage!

Flatbed Jam -- So cool to own and be able to watch. The music SOUNDS like hundreds of tiny (Christmas) lights floating through black space, bouncing off each other.

Takeaway? BUY THIS BOXSET. It truly is the most comprehensive and satisfying piece of merch that Phish has ever produced for its fans.

What did y'all like about the Ball, musically speaking?

The bass bomb at the beginning of Tweeprise was the most amazing thing I had ever heard in my life up to that point.

For a couple years, Phish had been redefining for me what was possible in terms of the physics of sound - quality, volume, clarity, etc. in multiple environments.

Seeing and hearing what they had set up out there was a wonder of engineering to me. I was nowhere near the stage when that note dropped. I could not believe how big, how all-encompassing it was.

On a similar note, the descending guitar line in Life On Mars? hit me the same way in terms of high end. Crystal clear and piercing the atmosphere.

I love it so much. I can maybe claim the ball as my all-time favorite phish. I want to say my favorite era is 98/99 (the 'ambient', spaced out, atmospheric jams) so this is contrary, but I love the clifford ball so much.
It's, like you said, so tight and so clean. This was when setlists were composed and single sets flowed so well and took on a once in a lifetime cohesiveness, existing on their own as a unique entity. > s and -> s were so smooth. for example, the AC/DC> Esther, Halleys> Bowie, makisupa> 2001> disease> nicu, reba> ctb, curtain> runaway jim were meant to be. They were married so well and existed right when and where they were supposed to be. The band was f&$%ing on.
And the quality of the recordings are just so good. I love the sound of Trey's guitar in the ball recordings.
I don't get a chance to sit and listen to music for extended periods of time these days. So, when it comes to phish, I'm unfortunately doing the pick and choose, a song here, a song there, kind of thing. For example, for 3.0, I've basically only listend to the official clips on the band's vimeo page and snippets of shows I was at. yeah, it's a bummer. Anyway, whenever i get a chance or jones, I seem to gravitate to the clifford ball. mmm...

Yes! I LOVE talking about CliffBall.

A few things I forgot to mention:

- Trey's tone is the closest to absolutely perfect I've ever heard, both on its own and in the context of the whole band's sonic blend.

- This is MY go-to Lizards, as well. The only other that comes close is NYE '95 (Drowned > ... as a bonus).

- The first sets on both days are incredibly crafted. Fantastic flow, and excellent execution goes without saying. You couldn't MAKE a better Set 1 using only '96-era songs than the first one they played on the weekend.

- The original 'The Set' - Day 2, Set 2 - is thrilling from beginning to end. I didn't specifically call out Fluffhead or Antelope, but they are both as brilliantly executed as ANY (non-type 2) versions this band has ever thrown down.

No posting of links to download copyrighted music or video, particularly Phish's commercial soundboard downloads from LivePhish.com or the band's albums. However, posting links to band-authorized audience recordings is definitely cool!

On a somewhat side-note, I find all my go-to Lizards are fron the '80s.

Not to be that guy but I did just order the DVD today off amazon. Can't wait

@dave25 said:

Not to be that guy but I did just order the DVD today off amazon. Can't wait

You won't be disappointed. It's f***ing awesome.

Yes I can't stop checking my email for a shipping number I ordered that and the it DVD at once... What's the scoop with the it DVD anyone ?

@dave25 said:

What's the scoop with the it DVD anyone ?

Good shiz. Not the whole festival, but a decent cross section of the music (two and a half hours worth), plus an interesting 90-minute documentary. The only bad part is that in his documentary interview segments, Trey looks and sounds like death.

Enough cant be said about Treys tone and the over quality of the recordings in general. Sheesh this concert is my end all be all of phish..

@DanceTheJig728 said:

On a somewhat side-note, I find all my go-to Lizards are fron the '80s.

Mine is IT (08/03/03), it's so majestic; everything is perfect.

I was hanging out with my buddy in Fall '96, the night before my first show, and he had to head out for a bit. He told me to hang out while he was gone and to listen to the Clifford Ball set he just received.

After Makisupa and Mr. Sausage 2001, the jam from DWD just blew me away. When my buddy got back, he found me after I had rewound it and cranked the volume, just rocking out, lol. It wasn't until the second listen that I even realized that they covered a Bowie tune after it. The jam just consumed me.

I love those Clifford Ball sets, because they were what drove me to attend the Went (and every other show from Illinois to Maine that summer, save Hershey Park). What a glorious time.

::gets misty over here::

i wish i was there

@Roofless_Sheds said:

still got those upgraded SBDs if anybody wants 'em. PM me!

I deleted that above. Please don't offer DVD rips again. Thanks.

http://phish.net/terms-of-use.php

1. No posting of links to download copyrighted music or video, particularly Phish's commercial soundboard downloads from LivePhish.com or the band's albums. However, posting links to band-authorized audience recordings is definitely cool!

Shipped cant wait... I should have done this years ago, too bad my local record stores/ best buys didnt have this I would have already raged it so HARDD

@johnnyd said:

The man, keeping you down. That's me.

But I also love sticking it to the man. So I am kind of conflicted.

i really have no idea why they haven't offered the remastered SBD audio to download via LivePhish. they went through all the trouble to make it one of their best-sounding releases ever... why not sell it to the ravening masses? if i could purchase it, i would, and would encourage others to do the same.

is there no grey area here, concerning the audio? if i offered an audio-only version of 'Tracking' for download, would i be in violation? please help me understand.

I don't want to be a downer here, but aside from all the greatness that existed that weekend I really have to mention the confusion that Harpua caused me and my friends. What a really strange and disappointing way to end such a fantastic experience. I get that same feeling in my chest when I watch it now.

All I would add is that the version of The Curtain they played made me a lifelog lover of that song. Before that I just didn't give it the time of day, now it is one of my favorites. Maybe growing older makes you appreciate the line

"please, we have no regrets"

and then Trey's aching guitar line....perfection.

I've loved the Clifford Ball "Free" since the moment I first heard it (on tape). To this day I can't hear it and not be back in time, remembering listening to my old fm copy on cassette tape. That awesome type I jam always made me feel like i was listening to a plane crashing or something. There's probably better versions, but for me, the Free from the CB was instantly unique. I think that analogy might apply to the rest of the Clifford Ball in general. The songs/jams are well executed/hot/recognizable and in the box for the most part but smoking nonetheless. Personally I like my Phish with a heavy side of deep improv, for that reason it doesn't find it's way into my rotation alot. I recently checked out the soundcheck and flat bed truck jam on the dvd bonus disc. Just incredible. If my girlfriend at the time had gotten her way, the CB would've been my first Phish shows; my band had other plans as we had a pretty big gig (for us anyways) that weekend. She got me to The Great Went a year later and I've been eternally thankful ever since for opening that door.

@Roofless_Sheds said:

@johnnyd said:

The man, keeping you down. That's me.

But I also love sticking it to the man. So I am kind of conflicted.

i really have no idea why they haven't offered the remastered SBD audio to download via LivePhish. they went through all the trouble to make it one of their best-sounding releases ever... why not sell it to the ravening masses? if i could purchase it, i would, and would encourage others to do the same.

Worst part? They play parts of it on LivePhish radio, I heard the Clifford Ball Weekapaug on there (and it was SHREDDING)

Still waiting ....

@johnnyd said:

@dave25 - you should make sure to take care of anything that really needs to get done. Once that package shows up, you aint gonna be doing shit for a while.

1 friend in particular - whenever we see them we go into a Clifford Ball DVD vacuum. Every time. Even if we intend not to. Its unavoidable. We'll be hanging with them Saturday, so that's cool.

I'm writing a paper that's due this week for school so it's not a burden when it shows up and I can rage this. Should be here tomorrow if not Tuesday... I'm über excited

Finally just got the entire first day into my ears, then I realized I'm going to ask for the DVD for Christmas so I'll probably wait to hear Day 2 until then! Can't do anything but conquer on the amazing quality of all the jams and the vibe you can feel come through for it being the first Phesty.

I've listened to them before from the spreadsheets but I feel like watching this DVD will bring me to a whole new level ... Right or wrong ? Anyone have the same experience ?

BUMPPPPPPPP just got here, wont be hearing from me from quite some time .net ill be in my onw little world. Ill be sure to hit yous up with an opinion/observations. Im dying of excitment
: Pops first dvd into the player: