5/3/2023 0 Comments Phish flatbed truck jam![]() ![]() The Clifford Ball, a surprisingly orderly event marked by few arrests and one death (which police believe was a drug overdose), could be viewed as Phish’s coming-out party: And it’s like we’re not even in the game.” Meanwhile we’re working straight along, getting bigger every tour. And the bands they focused on, some are bombing. I open up the Rolling Stone summer touring issue, and we’re nowhere. “We keep playing bigger places, and we’re like invisible. “This has been the story since we started,” guitarist Trey Anastasio, 31, said Thursday before launching a long jam that served as a sound check. The national press all but ignored it.Īnd still attendance exceeded expectations. There was very little advertising, but lots of discussion on the myriad Phish-related Internet bulletin boards. Unlike most latter-day touring festivals, which offer a slate of well-known performers, this show featured exactly one band. Pearl Jam isn’t exactly known for playing six high-energy sets in two days. Jimi Hendrix never took over a military base. The crowd didn’t have to be told it was part of a unique rock event: Phishheads take every opportunity to revel in the uniqueness of the band’s music, the wackiness of its antics. ![]() There is something magical happening here.” You don’t even have to be romantic about it - just look around. “Kids are putting their lives on hold to follow this band around. “This is what people still don’t understand,” said Phish manager John Paluska, during a rare quiet moment backstage. They watched banner planes overhead carrying messages like “Running Low on Fuel - No Joke.” They wore shirts with every possible play on the spelling of Phish - one of the most sociologically astute proclaimed “Phishing For Our Phuture.” They came to be among thousands of like-minded young people who take their peace, love and understanding very seriously. They schlepped digital recording equipment in green plastic garbage bags, in order to capture every note of music. They danced on a runway once used for fighter planes. Then the party band, seen by some as the outfit best able to fill the void left by the demise of the Grateful Dead, invited its friends and devotees to drop by the decommissioned base for music, food, and a communal campground dedicated to a minor character in the history of aviation, Pittsburgh native Clifford Ball.Īn estimated 70,000 showed up Friday and Saturday for The Clifford Ball. The takeover of Plattsburgh Air Force Base went something like this: When it was planning its summer tour, Phish, the determinedly eccentric quartet from nearby Vermont, decided it wanted to set up and play for a few days.
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