Venues

Plattsburgh Air Force Base

Plattsburgh, NY, USA

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Top Rated Shows

Highest rated shows at this venue by Phish.net users:

Date Rating
1996-08-17 452 votes 4.6261/5
1996-08-16 393 votes 4.5725/5
1996-08-15 61 votes 4.3770/5

Top Reviews

Highest-rated reviews from shows at this venue:

1996-08-16 by J_D_G 48
From The Phish Companion: A guide to the band and their music (2000 & 2004) By Jeremy D. Goodwin The Ball had been a coming of age thing for me, my first real multi-day adventure in which my only implements were a borrowed car filled with camping gear, a good friend, and a future to invent....
1996-08-17 by hewins 15
*NOTE: this was originally written back in 1996 pretty much right after the shows. My thoughts on the Clifford Ball Please allow me to begin by saying that the Clifford Ball was the greatest concert experience I have ever been a part of. It was not the best phish show I have seen if you...
1996-08-16 by dndjp 9
One of the Greatests and I do mean greatest shows I ever seen. Ok so the first set of day 1 wasn't up to everyone's snuff. Musically they were text book. A jammin Chalkdust!! And a Divided Sky that Trey had his guitar holding the sun up for that last few moments. Then he plucked that chord and...
1996-08-16 by ilostmypebblesandmarbles 8
I listen to this 3rd set a lot. Makisupa through NICU is very cool. Mr. Sausage !!!! Hahahahahaha. The DWD is stellar. The jam is so clean. Phish were playing it like they had nowhere else to go for a few days :) I wore this cassette out . I put it on one day and everything sounded like it was in...
1996-08-16 by MiguelSanchez 7
I was not at the clifford ball, so i can't really comment on the "good times factor," but it high this one was up there. now, i can speak on the musical intensity of these shows. while i feel the 2nd night of deer creek was the best show of the tour, i feel the ball was the best "stand,"...
1996-08-15 by westbrook 7
Definitely check this soundcheck out. It's pretty much all jams of varying styles, including some nice funk. I always find it interesting to hear the band discuss their jamming, and there's some of that here, as well. This is also a nice opportunity to hear extended jamming that features Page...
1996-08-17 by theothr1 6
okay, McG81, you asked for it (i apologize but my current presence @ work allows only for an extremely abbreviated version); the 2nd set of this show was the most musically intense hour of my life...long story short>>>the psychotropic ingestibles that i took before set two literally opened a...
1996-08-16 by DaReba 6
when you talk about professionals showing up at the showdown, u might think of nhl playoff game seven, world series, super howl pressure. Setting up a festival where you must entertain 90k heady , obsessed , longing( Jerry and the dead show supprt group was very missed at this point still) fans...
1996-08-16 by markah 5
(posted to rec.music.phish in Nov 1996) I'm sitting at my desk with my headphones in my ears, listening to the Clifford Ball's surprise seventh set. It is so enchanting, serene, haunting, and, for lack of a better word, "neat" that I had to write. First off, I did not go to Plattsburg,...
1996-08-17 by mcgrupp81 4
Someone who was at this show needs to post their perspective on Set II of this show as I unfortunately was not. I still feel the need to comment. The heart of Phish is improvisation, but if you stuck me on a desert island and told me I could only bring 5 live Phish song performances to listen...

Notable Jam Chart Performances

Individual jam chart entries from this venue:

1996-08-17 • Reba (16:00) Set 1 Noteworthy
Beautiful. As if so composed. Like grains of sand in some mystic mandala. And then perfectly arranged.
1996-08-17 • Fluffhead (14:41) Set 2 Noteworthy
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.
1996-08-17 • Slave to the Traffic Light (12:20) Set 2 Noteworthy
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.
1996-08-17 • Runaway Jim (12:25) Set 2
> "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.
1996-08-17 • It's Ice (9:05) Set 2
Old fashioned version with the whole band involved in a subdued jam.
1996-08-17 • Brother (6:12) Set 2
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.
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.
1996-08-17 • Tweezer (11:54) Set 3
Very good, popular version.
1996-08-17 • Possum (13:23) Set 3
Lots of nice improvisational twists and turns in the jam including dissonant and off-key jamming with great tension.
1996-08-16 • Esther (9:08) Set 1
Classic "Clifford Ball" version featuring a totally relaxed vibe, glittering Page, and one of Trey's most memorable "Esther" solos.
1996-08-16 • Mike's Song (16:00) Set 2
The longish (to 9:00) 1st jam is crisp and well played, but covers pretty familiar territory. However the 2nd jam breaks into solid and intense rocking action, with all four band mates contributing in good measure.
A soaring and impeccably played straightforward jam is followed by a cool Page-led funky outro jam while Trey addresses the Clifford Ball crowd.
Although largely "Type I,", this very popular, well-played version strays from the ranch towards the end with a -> to "NICU."
1996-08-16 • Harry Hood (13:39) Set 3
Enchanting solo from Trey leads the band in a patient, beautiful build-up to a mighty peak that segues (literally) into fireworks.
1996-08-16 • Jam (3:21) Set 3
-> in from "Hood." A cacophony of noisy jamming follows "Harry" to accompany fireworks, concluding the Clifford Ball Day I.


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