Venues

Hartford Civic Center

Hartford, CT, USA

Jump to: Top Rated Reviews Jam Details

Top Rated Shows

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

Date Rating
1997-11-26 289 votes 4.4983/5
2013-10-27 451 votes 4.4812/5
1996-10-23 86 votes 4.2674/5
1999-12-12 128 votes 3.6797/5

Top Reviews

Highest-rated reviews from shows at this venue:

2013-10-27 by Jimmymac03 70
This is the best show Phish has ever played. Why? Cause it is the show that the woman of my dreams agreed to spend the rest of her life with me at. I have yet to relisten but in the moment everything was perfect. @ktirwinning I love you. I am one lucky man.
1997-11-26 by waxbanks 55
Dan's got it right: this is a gem. It feels weird to say DOWNLOAD THIS NOW about nearly every single show of Fall '97, but it's hard to find fault with any of Phish's music of that period - even the noble failures and mixed successes (cf. 11/29 Jim). This distended, wholly unexpected Character...
2013-10-27 by ajcmixer 32
The one and only show I was able to attend on the Fall tour after the Denver's attended and before the MSG and I could not have asked anymore of it, the pre-show script fell into place perfectly. Get there on time: check. Hang out all together, all dozen plus of us, with my beloved Phriends and...
2013-10-27 by lazylightning 26
I really hate the jam chart for this Tweezer. Just because Trey is willing to take a back seat does not mean that this jam is "overrated". If you want guitar solos that are mistaken for jams, then I suggest you try the Allman Brothers. They've perfected that genre. That said, the chart is...
1997-11-26 by qushner 18
This was, for me, a very special night. It was my ninth show. I hadn't seen the band since the 1996 New Years Run, which was a terribly disappointing affair. I'd only been going since Spring 1994 at this point, was a bit soured on the band, and was telling myself this was a "last chance"...
1999-12-12 by Mikesgroover 7
The first set of this show is filled with songs that have heavy lyrical themes, perhaps selected by Trey in light of the recent death of his grandfather. He mentions after Chalkdust that he has a lot of relatives in the audience. High energy Bag, with a strange little extended "plinking"...
1997-11-26 by NickSalv 7
Amazing stuff, obviously. 11/26 is a standard above-avg Fall '97 show. Though, I think I would give this one 4/5 stars, especially when looking at the EASY 5-STAR shows surrounding it (Hamptons, NC, Worcester). I don't feel a need to give a full review here, as quite a few others have already...
2013-10-27 by dpwilljr 5
I had seen The Grateful Dead at the civic center five times including my first show in 1981 but I haven't been there since 1987. I originally planned on flying up for the Atlantic City shows, but decided to revisit this old building. Hartford security and police were present in larger numbers...
1997-11-26 • Dan Alford by 5
(Published in the second edition of The Phish Companion...) Anyone who has made live music into a lifestyle choice has secrets. Not secrets like "Can you guess where all my money goes?" or "What do I do every weekend?" The answers to those...
1997-11-26 by PhishSince94 5
This was my favorite Phish show to date, first show I went to with my tour buddy Matt.

Notable Jam Chart Performances

Individual jam chart entries from this venue:

2013-10-27 • Golden Age (16:47) Set 2 Noteworthy
Ferocious start-to-finish, with magnificent accompaniment by Page, Mike and Fish as Trey solos.
1997-11-26 • Also Sprach Zarathustra (14:23) Set 2 Noteworthy
First jam is stellar, highlighted by the 5:00-7:00 mark. Second jam goes "Super Bad" stop-start and your clothes will be shed on the ground. Segue into "Cities" is great.
1997-11-26 • Tweezer (17:29) Set 1 Noteworthy
Funk soars into some excellent, transcendent, arguably "hose" improv.
1997-11-26 • Taste (12:02) Set 1 Noteworthy
Unbelievable playing by Trey and the others as the band builds to a HUGE peak and then drives up over another. 7/22/97 is (literally) electrifying; 8/3/97 is unusually improvisational. This version is just phenomenal, with masterful contributions by all band members.
1997-11-26 • Character Zero (20:43) Set 2 Noteworthy
This uniquely jammed out version maintains a heavy rock vibe for the duration and features multiple Trey solo sections. -> "2001".
2013-10-27 • Fee (6:49) Set 1
Slightly extended outro with nice melodic contributions from Mike. > to "Maze".
2013-10-27 • Maze (9:43) Set 1
Fish, Page and Mike really crank the tension up during Trey's solo, combining for a fiery peak to this "Maze."
Trey changes the soundscape to this constantly. Second jam is a funk Echoplex exploration. Band takes all kinds of chances here.
2013-10-27 • Tweezer (17:31) Set 2
Overrated by your friends, this version captivates with brilliantly melodic soloing by Trey for several minutes, before flaking out a bit, and becoming aimless. (Still worth your while to hear to be sure.)
1999-12-12 • Drowned (30:37) Set 2
If you're looking for a good groove-based jam coming out of "Drowned," this is a more dynamic, propulsive and multi-sectional option than Big Cypress. It's solid, not epic, but well worth checking out.
An excellent version arriving midway through an excellent first set. Following a strong composed section, Page crafts an inspired passage, gently working a pleasant melody. Trey responds in kind, offering the perfect counter to Page's playing. While different from the typcially comedic "Mule-Duel," the combination here jells, creating an inspired rise to the conclusion.
1997-11-26 • Cities (8:00) Set 2
Segues out of "2001." Nice mellow groove tacked onto the outro. -> to "Ya Mar."
1997-11-26 • Gumbo (12:11) Set 1
Funky jam has nice interplay between band members. Stacatto-ey at times with some "Manteca" teases. At 8:00 Mike starts a theme that they play around with for a couple minutes before Trey takes over with a solo that leads into My Soul.
> in from "PYITE." Soaring and shredding guitar playing by Trey. Stellar backing from the others.
1996-10-23 • Tweezer (17:26) Set 2
Extra drummer (Bob Gullotti), plus Trey on the percussion kit for awhile = lots of OOooomph.


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