The argument for Best Show of Fall '97 will continue for as long as people still care about either Phish or the Fall '97 tour; the argument of Most Underrated Show of Fall '97, in my humble estimation, should pretty much begin and end with the December 2nd Spectrum show (what *is* it about Phish in the Spectrum, anyway?). I truly believe that this show legitimately deserves to be considered one of the best shows of the whole tour, and is certainly on the shortlist of shows that have two stellar sets the whole way through.

Set I kicks off in fun fashion with Buried Alive, then leads into a sharp, if somewhat short, DWD that in turn segues directly into Makisupa Policeman. That Makisupa, as it turns out, is a breather for an absolutely ferocious Chalk Dust Torture, with an intense solo from Trey that earns a hearty cheer from the crowd. Ghost steps up next, and the band churns out a deliciously funky version that never quite hits Type II but will leave you bobbing your head all the same, until it leads nicely into Divided Sky. The rest of the set is perfectly fine, but the Buried Alive to Ghost sequence gives this first set an edge over many other first sets, even of Fall '97, where any first set could enter the pantheon on any given night.

The second set is a real treat, practically crying out for the LivePhish remaster treatment now that the major players of Fall '97 have seen official release. Kicking a set off with Mike's Song is always a good move, and this version is a multifaceted beast, rumbling along with a real dark intensity before opening up and letting some funkiness in, then cooling down for just a brief moment before really letting go and letting Trey do his thing. Let me tell you, this is one hell of a Mike's Song; I know this Weekapaug gets the plaudits, but I think Mike's is just as good. We then get the traditional segue into Simple (always the best way for Simple to appear, IMO), albeit not quite as smooth as a key change is necessary out of the Mike's jam, and Simple books along in its catchy way before, out of nowhere, the bottom drops out and Page and Trey have themselves a gorgeous duet, guitar and piano beautifully melding and spiraling in and out of each other before growing dissonant and slightly uncomfortable. There are better Simples, but none with an ending quite like this, and anyone that has not heard it needs to do so.

Then, out of the midst of the guitar/piano duet comes Dog Faced Boy, and it is a great version of an increasingly rare tune, charming and weirdly innocent (if that makes sense). And then, with joyful ease, the band rolls into Ya Mar, playing around with the lyrics ("he was an old grandpa/he was MY grandpa") before heading into a very rhythmic, spartan breakdown that bounces along and then gradually picks up intensity, spreading out in ways Ya Mar just doesn't usually do. And then, as though three glorious segues aren't enough, the band drops easily the best one of the night, as the Ya Mar jam slowly molds into Weekapaug Groove while retaining the jam's rhythmic base, giving us a Weekapaug that brims with funky goodness instead of the usual high-octane rockout it usually provides. And I do mean funky goodness - Mike really puts on a show with the booty-shaking lines he drops in the jam. That is, until about the 9 minute mark, when Trey suddenly decides "it's time to go interstellar in this bitch" and cranks the intensity up to 11 for a fiery rock jam, a much more palatable cousin to the 11/30 Wolfman's metal jam of doom (and then of soporific boredom), then gets things weird for a bit (dig the '80s Laser Floyd organ effects from Page!) before leading us into the usual Weekapaug closing section. This Weekapaug lives up to its bold-faced billing, and is the perfect capper to a glorious Mike's Groove, one of the best of the late 90s.

Final thought: I don't buy @Poster_Nutbag 's assertion that the last 4 songs drag this show down; if that were the case, 12/6/97 II (and not just 12/6/97 II) would immediately be disqualified from "best set ever" status. I like to think of Bouncing/Zero as a fun way to close what has been a heart-stopping second set, and Ginseng/Sample a charming encore that you don't NEED to listen to when you break this show out. And come on, we just had two fantastic sets dropped on us, how can they possibly be less epic just because they gave us some standard closer/encore fare and not a 25-minute Tweezer or something? At any rate, quibbles with closer songs aside, 12/2/97 serves as yet another reason why Fall '97 has entered into the stuff of legend - high class jams, massive servings of funk, powerful guitar declamations, astounding segues, perfectly placed bustouts, and sets that you never want to end.

The transition from Ya Mar to Weekapaug Groove in this show might well be the most joyful few minutes of Fall '97. And that's sayin' somethin'. The only other thing to say is that - improbably - that segue is no more vivid or exciting than the set leading up to it. It's as good as the shows surrounding it, the Dog Faced Boy is perfect, and we'll leave it at that, I think.

These two Philly shows don't get the attention of say the Denver, Hampton, or Auburn Hills shows, but they include music that is up to par with the best of the tour. They both contain at least one phenomenal set. For example, this show's second set is ridiculous. But, first things first...

The opening set is average for the tour and anchored by a ripping Chalk Dust Torture, a thoroughly funky and enjoyable Ghost, and the only Divided Sky of the tour. This Ghost contains breakdown jamming similar to that of the Worcester (11/28) Ghost, but not quite as good.

The second set is absolutely filthy, boasting one of the best Mike's Grooves of all time. Mike's Song itself is ferocious, featuring that angry funk that permeated through the song during this period. The following Simple is a beauty as Page and Trey take a duet. Simple's outro slides into an uplifting take on Dog Faced Boy, as opposed to 11/14/95's version which comes out of a menacing Stash. Ya Mar comes next via a smooth segue. This Ya Mar bares little resemblance to a typical Ya Mar jam and the segue into Weekapaug is amazing, one of the smoothest transitions you'll ever hear. Weekapaug starts out very funky, but eventually becomes a raging, Trey-led jam. This Weekapaug is among the best, plain and simple. Bouncing Around the Room and Character Zero are just thrown in there as a bonus on top of the hour of awesome improvisation that preceded it. Ginseng Sullivan, my favorite of the bluegrass covers, (I seem to review a lot of shows with Ginseng Sullivan in them, coincidence?) and Sample seal the deal.

This second set is one of the best sets of the tour and must-hear. The first set is average-great Phish from this period and still well worth checking out.

It's been over 17 years since this show took place and it was my first Phish show. Since then, I've listened to this show more than any other show. So, I guess it's about time to review it.

I was a fan of Phish's music for about a year and a half before going to this show. I had listened to all of their studio albums released before the show as well as a healthy selection of shows on tape. I took (or dragged) my friend to the show with me. He was a Dead fan who had never heard Phish other than a couple of songs we listened to on the way to the show. In short, we were both unprepared for what we were about to experience. We bought tickets at the box office at about 7:00 and we got seats on Page side, about 12 rows up from the side of the stage.

Phish came out swinging. Buried Alive > DWD -> Makisupa, CDT. My friend and I didn't say a word to each other from the first note until the end of CDT. We were both blown away. To be honest, the show could have ended here and my noobish self would have still thought it was the best concert I'd ever seen up until that point. The energy in the Spectrum that was driven by the band was unbelievable and like nothing I had ever experienced before. Based on re-relistening to the show, the playing was solid in this opening segment but it doesn't really get too far out of the box. Just full of tight playing. Other highlights of the 1st set were Ghost > Divided Sky. Somehow, I had not heard Ghost before this and the funk did not disappoint. Divided Sky was a nice treat because I knew this song better than any other before walking into the show. Taste may not quite hold up that well against the great Tastes from '97 but I knew nothing about that at the time and I certainly loved it in the moment. The Star Spangled Banner was a Phishy way to end the 1st set.

At set break, we were extremely excited about what we had just seen and we anxiously waited to find out what they were going to do next. The reality of the situation was that I had no idea what this band was capable of. Lights out for set 2.

Mike's -> Simple -> Dog Faced Boy -> Ya Mar -> Weekapaug Groove. If you haven't listened to this sequence, set aside 65 minutes of your life to listen to what might be the best hour of music they have put together on stage.

Mike's Song is a multi-headed beast driven by Fishman who leads the band through darkness and funk before opening up room for machine gun Trey to take control. Simple is beautiful and I loved the Trey/Page duet. Dog Faced Boy is perfect for this Mike's Groove. It is a great landing pad after the monster Mike's -> Simple. I absolutely love how Fishman keeps the song a little more upbeat than usual. This is my favorite version of the song but mostly because of its placement in the set and how smoothly the band segues into and out of it. Ya Mar featured some fun lyrical changes since they spent that day with Page's grandfather (Grandpootie) who was in attendance. This might be why Page's solo was so inspired. Again, Fishman drives this Ya Mar into new territory and the band takes it for a rhythmic ride which leads to a segue that is smooth as butter. The band eases into Weekapaug with a slower groove than usual which features some downright dirty baselines from Mike. About half way through, Trey signals to the band that they are switching gears to a high energy, in-your-face, Trey-led shred fest before bringing it back to earth to finish off this glorious Mike's Groove.

Fishman is an absolute machine throughout the entire groove. I really think he is what makes this segment of music so great. All 4 of them are really locked in and playing at the top of their game, but Fishman really stands out. When the Mike's Groove ended my buddy turned to me and yelled, "This has to be the hardest working band that ever existed!" That quote has stuck with me for the past 17 years.

Bouncin' was a much needed cool down before a scorching Character Zero to end the set. The encore was just gravy on top.

12/2/97 at the Spectrum changed my perception of what a concert is.

Side note: My friend was glad I dragged him along and he became a Phish fan for life after that night.

Right now I'm dedicating a large portion of my listening time to Fall 97'. I would still consider myself a newer phan (first show 7/13/13) and after finally finding websites with quality audience recordings I'm going hard into exploring the older versions of Phish I missed out on. After hearing this show I was blown away. Since I wasn't there I can't tell some awesome story, but I'll leave my notes on what I took from this show.

First set highlights: Ripping version of Chalkdust. Although late 90's versions tend to remain shorter, they give Trey a lot of freedom to shred and he doesn't disappoint here. Same concept with Down with Disease. I'm not going to say this was some mind-blowing version, but very solid, tight playing from everyone. The Ghost kicked off a little funk and kept me interested. Like an earlier comment previously stated, it doesn't blast off into any type II territory, but I was jamming out to this song.

Second Set highlights: As someone who would usually skip through Mike's Song when listening to 3.0, I cannot believe how absolutely incredible the start of this set is. Mike's is down right rocking and really attracts the side of me that LOVES heavy playing. You can really tell by the audience recording I have that people are freaking out throughout this song. Simple brings things down a notch after one hell of a Mike's song. This song is beautiful, although I think the Page/Trey interplay drags a little bit. I love the smooth change of pace though and everyone gets a breather with Dog Face Boy. No one can control the pace of their sets like Phish and this is a perfect example. So begins the second ascent. Ya Mar is always fun and I'm becoming a big supporter of this 97' versions. The transition into Weakapaug is so smooth, but I don't know about smoothest transition you'll hear. Kind of an awkward change of pace, but as soon as everyone gets adjusted, they lock in. This is by far and away the best Weakapaug I've ever heard. I'm a bass player so obviously this is favorite to begin with, but the shift from funk to rock is unreal. Like I told my friends trying to convince them to download this show, this song peaks like only the best Phish jams do.

Phish Destroyed Philly!
The entire show flows beautifully!
Awesome segues everywhere starting at buried alive>dwd>makisupa (keyword: pot)
The mikes>simple>dog faced boy>ya mar>weekapaug is pure bliss!!

A must download!

the one thing that prevented this show from becoming epic was the bouncin & character to end set II and the ginseng, sample encore.

this show smokes from start to finish. a raging burried alive>DWD>makisupa>chalk dust is the way to start a show. the ghost>divided was great. no one ever saw divided coming out of that ghost and the two worked together beautifully.

but the second set. the second set is where it is. a standardly stellar mikes starts things off. like all fall '97 mikes this is funky and rocking at the same time. very patient. simple is great and goes off on this funky groove into dog faced boy. yamar brings the set back into focus and with silky-smooth precision the segue into weekapaug is a thing of beauty. i would put this segue up there with any other segue phish has done. totally sick. and the weekapaug rages too.

do yourself a favor. listen to this show. a true gem from fall '97 that does not get its due.

been listening to this show on repeat lately, so figured i would throw in a review. simply put, this could be the finest mikes groove ever. i may still be partial to the 12/1/95 and 12/7/95 grooves, but this one is quite the behemoth.

the standout moment of the entire show, to me, is the segue from ya mar into weekapaug. trey, mike and page all allude to the segue moments before it actually occurs underneath a pulsing groove from fishman, but when trey finally plays the riff proper, fish recognizes the move instantly and quickly (and seamlessly) switches the groove to the classic weekapaug feel. this short moment is true telepathy. however, instead of rushing into the lyrics, the band hangs in the weekapaug feel for a moment, allowing fishman to switch to the halftime groove and back to the weekapaug beat to really drive home the transition. it is a magical phish moment, which is evident from the euphoric cheers heard on the AUD.

this show simply must received an official LivePhish archival release.

Just another amazing show on a legendary tour.

DWD is a compact ripper it has a fantastic segue into Makisupa (the first of several epic segues during this show). CDT has an explosive fantastic guitar solo. Good quick Ghost jam (are there any bad versions of Ghost in 97'?). Divided Sky is notably strong and likely one of the best versions I've ever heard. Taste is strong as most are from this year.

Mikes Song jam starts with an awesome 97' cowfunk jam it goes into a nice groove before evolving into a tense jam. Although this whole sequence is epic I have to say Simple is mighty sloppy. However, the segue from Simple -> Dog Face Boy is fantastic It is just seamless. Great segue into YaMar, the jam that ensues is very funky and Mike slaps the crap out of the Bass. This is before a legendary segue into Weekapaug, probably the best segue into it ever. Mike just keeps slapping away as it turns into the Weekapaug intro. It is very slow at the beginning with extra funk. It speeds up gradually into a crazy powerful shredtastic jam. Trey just explodes with energy. Bouncing is a very cool down after the fact. Zero brings it's typical high energy to cap the set.

Sample has a very explosive solo that ends this wild show on a high note.

This show is amazing. I thought the Ghost in the first set was something--and it was!--but hold on to your butts when you listen to Set II! Each segue is masterful, just as happened to be mentioned in the .Forum yesterday. I think the most impressive for me is Simple -> Dog Faced Boy, with Dog Faced Boy taking on a Catapult-like free-floater attribution, in that it's not played to its usual accompaniment. Even Character Zero gets some shenanigans thrown in! If you need any reason to check out Fall 1997 beyond the archival and CD releases, this show is a good towering example of what's to be found for the attentive listener. Pudding!

Unmentioned in any of these reviews and what should be noted is how badass the Character Zero is that caps off this show. The energy was so thick in there that the whole place was along for the ride at this point-- and that's the perfect setting for any Character Zero, let alone the gem they had in store. With a notably patient, thick, deep pocket groove, Trey rolls all over this with December 97 aplomb. A few great tension and release peaks takes this one all the way to the rafters.

To my ears, this Mike's Groove is start-to-finish as impressive as 11/22/97 II or any other 45 minute stretch of tunes on this tour. Excellent version of Ghost as well. The rest of the show is average/great Phish.

Great show. This Mike's groove is ridiculous. I'm not usually a huge fan of Weekapaug (don't know why), but this one is jaw dropping really. If this Weekapaug doesn't make you move, I don't know what Phish songs will.

Get this show! While your at it, just download all of Fall 1997.

FWIW, Chalkdust contains a Lazy (Deep Purple) tease and Taste contains a short Close to the Edge (Yes) tease, both by Trey.

SET 1:

Buried Alive: Killer opener as always. >

Down with Disease: This is a type I rager all the way. Big old loops at the end. Unfinished. ->

Makisupa Policeman: Crowd goes crazy for this one when it starts up. Great placement! Woke up this morning, pot. LOL.

Chalk Dust Torture: Trey teased Lazy (I don’t know what Lazy is, just found this in the Phish.Net notes). Trey DESTROYS this one. Wowzers. Would recommend!

Ghost: Page shines brightly on this one. Drives the funk bus big time! When Page stands up we get down!!! Lots of stop start action starting at 10:20 through the end (couple of minutes worth) >

Divided Sky: At first this sounds like Slave. Just momentarily. First and only of the tour. LTP 8.2.97 (Gorge), 23 show gap. Trey is rusty in the early going (tramps). Get past that, and this is a rocking version.

Dirt: Exceptional placement! Trey crushes the solo. Soaring is an understatement. >

Taste: Close to the Edge by Yes at 6:31. Good Taste with some excellent trilling at the end.

The Star Spangled Banner:

SET 2:

Mike's Song: Big ol’ loops to kick off the jam, love that! Wish they would bring that back. Awesome work from Fishman ratchets the energy up a notch at 6:28, guy is such a beast. Love the subtle mellowing at 8:42 in preparation for the second jam. But instead of going for that second jam, things get a bit funky. By the 12 minute mark they settle this down again into a Trey led jam. Things get quite dissonant in the late 15’s as Trey opts for that weird summer 97 tone. This doesn’t last too long. Shortly after this things are ramping up BIG TIME with Trey wailing like a fiend. Super intense and in your face. Rock and roll!!! With just a minute and a half or so left, Trey manages to ramp up the intensity even more with some severe note bending. Phew! That doesn’t last too long but it surely served its purpose. These guys were such rock stars. They finally head for Simple at 20:52. That Mike’s was incredible. EASY all timer and highly recommended! ->

Simple: The Trey/Page musical duet is very cool. Things get pretty crazy in the late 8’s as it takes on a SOAMule sort of feel with Mike and Fish joining back in around 9 and half. Mike and Fish actually drop back out fairly quickly, and Page and Trey create some gorgeous stuff that segues exceptionally well into Dog Faced Boy. That was amazing stuff!!! Highly recommended. ->

Dog Faced Boy: They basically jam the opening of this for a good while before actually going into the song proper, super cool stuff and the crowd starts a loud clap along. When they do finally go into the actual song, it’s played a good bit faster than typical. Was played for the first time since August 12, 1996 (109 shows). ->

Ya Mar: Crosseyed And Painless by Talking Heads at 10:51. Fun play on the actual lyrics, granpoodie!!! They jam this sucker for 8 minutes! Out of the jam gate Fishman is masterful. This jam is so sick – 4 headed monster! Mike is very prominent, so many bombs being dropped on the Spectrum. This is completely Type II by the way. Trey dialing up the intensity at the ten minute mark taking great runs. But let’s be clear, Fishman freaking owns this jam, dude is incredible. Listen to Mike just destroying America at 13:35 as he guides the band into Weekapaug about 25 seconds later. Incredible! What a finale this ends up being. My goodness, EASY all timer. That was so sick. Incredible segue into Weekapaug!!! ->

Weekapaug Groove: Mike is absolutely raging in the early going of this jam, so loud! Around 5 and half things are super funky. They almost take a slight reset or restart and briefly it sounds like they are going to take a hard left into Cavern. By the mid 8’s things settle out of that funky groove into a Trey led romp, this is fairly fast paced. By 9:15 Trey has pushed this thing into overdrive. By the 10 minute mark, the crowd is responding to this and goes berserk. Huge traditional Weekapaug peak at 11:50! Instead of hammering that, Trey takes it back into a funky section at 13:00. Crazy stuff from Page in here. This goes on for a minute and then they get back into a typical Weekapaug wrap up. Scintillating version. EASY all timer, highly recommended! According to Phish.net at some point Trey teased Izabella but I never heard it.

Bouncing Around the Room: They could have played anything at this point. Frankly, I think this is awesome placement. After all that came before it in this set, this feels right to me.

Character Zero: Played a little slower than usual through the composed section.

ENCORE:

Ginseng Sullivan: Not seen in the encore slot since 11.24.96 and this was the last time it was placed in the encore slot. >

Sample in a Jar: Standard.

Summary: Wow, what a show! First set is tame for this tour’s standards. But second set packs a Mike Tyson right uppercut to the jaw type of impact. Loved basically every minute of it! I feel this rating currently on .net is a great representation of what this show is: 4.542/5 (301 ratings).

Replay Value: Chalkdust Torture, Mike's Song, Simple, Dog Faced Boy, Ya Mar, Weekapaug Groove

Set One Notes:
Buried Alive is a great opener every time, and Trey gets the crowd going early. The ending melts into loopy weirdness, leading to the start of Disease. What a solid 1-2 punch opening pairing here, with this band coming out to play. A friend comments that “Trey is ripping!”, and he is absolutely right. This DWD is fantastic Type-I action, the band just cruising at high altitude, before diving straight down into siren-bliss. Makisupa emerges, nice call here, dropping the low-key, goofy stoner-vibe on the crowd after a rager of a Disease. They get into that ’97 fuck-with-you delayed-out trippiness, before snapping back into Makisupa. CDT brings us back to the raging, the band certainly in a mood tonight. This is Northeastern, cold weather, hockey arena rock music. The jam builds tension before bursting through, the crowd definitely approving. The jam twists and spirals upward, great Type I version here. When Ghost drops, I’m immediately thinking that this is certainly shaping up to be a hell of a set. The jam goes straight into low-key, vibey crunch-funk. It soon gains momentum into driving machine-funk, just charging over the crowd in high gear, flying grooves, Mike hammering away. The band stops on a dime, Trey in the wah-spotlight. The band goes right back to business, Page sailing synth deliverance into another Trey wah-spotlight moment. The band is impressively locked-in as they drop back in, driving to another small peak before an abduction groove outro. Divided Sky starts up, and this set is getting to be Too Much. What a welcome contrast of vibes, with a mostly clean composed section, the song and jam delivering me to a late summer daydream, watching golden light emerge around a a thunderhead looming in the distance. A blistering jam with a sweet, sweet resolution. Dirt plays it role as a peaceful space to move and breathe so well, and this set has earned its Dirt for sure. Taste is its standard-ultra strong ’97 rocking and peaking self, and a patriotic acapella Star-Spangled Banner closes the set.

Set Two Notes:
A Mike’s dropping to start any set is a sign that things are about to get good very quickly. The jam immediately drops into a pounding siren’d-out groove, Trey on tractor beam leads, the place erupting as the band hits an upshift. “Fishman is on one tonight!” a friend says. Yep. Fish 2K always gets it done. The jam widens out, the groove stretches and spreads, settling into a murky siren-pit, bass popping and pounding, locked-in Fish 2K, this is a fantastic jam, and I am led into a weird déjà vu space. Disconcerting, man… Trey’s solo really gains heat and starts projecting upwards, the band fully opening the music wave throttle, the peaks they are hitting here are in the Himalayas of Phish jams. This is an all-time Mike’s, I’m convinced. Simple is a good call here, and this one feels like it is slightly slower and heavier. The jam is very light and wispy, and soon, the rhythm fades and Trey and Page are left floating, implying the changes as they run melodies around each other. The duo is just hanging on each other’s chords as the full band reemerges leading into Dog Faced Boy. “This set is just nutty” a friend comments. Ya Mar takes the set to warmer musical climates, singing about Trey’s grandpa, Grand Puti (?). Page plays for him, before the jam moves towards a percussion center. Trey and Mike run musical orbits around Fish’s center, before Mike pushes for a minor funk groove as Trey makes passes at Xeyed, building into a charging groove with heavy peaks. Weekapaug emerges after a strange transition, Mike definitely pushing for it. He keeps the slapping and popping going deep into the jam here, taking control, Page crunching the clav over Mike’s basement-level pounding. “Mike is unreal right now”, a friend says. This has been a Mike jam through and through, before the entire band starts raging into a ball of plasma that opens back up into the ‘paug jam-proper. The crowd explodes with the hit of the highest Weekapeak, before the jam slides into a short ‘70s alien-disco space (via Page), then exploding back towards another final peak. The crowd is into the Bouncing call here, and while this is probably divisive for a lot of listeners, I fall on the side that says that this is a good call, with this song serving as a good-vibes comedown after a killer set. Zero closes the set with high energy, Rockstar Guitarman conjuring Hendrixian spells, Mike hitting the ground-pounders hard. Trey is casting musical cables outward, pulling all of the crowd’s energy into the band, which explodes in a final cathartic release. For the encore, Ginseng Sullivan is fun, and it’s still my favorite “bluegrass” song they do. Will it be a single encore with just that though? No, Sample in a Jar closes the show in proper hard-working rock band-form, sending the crowd back out in the cold late-fall night with a lot of residual heat.

Listen to all of Fall ’97.