Well kiddies, here we are, just a few days away from Phish’s ninth festival since 1996, Super Ball IX, which kicks off this coming Friday. With the greatest of Phish factors coursing through my head – anticipation – the possibilities are endless, especially considering that this is the band’s first festival in the Northeast since the debacle that was Coventry in 2004. Also factoring in is that this is the band’s first summer festival since then as well, so the stage is clearly set. For today’s Postcards From Page Side, I figured I’d take a look at snippets of festivals past, while getting you ready to blow it out this weekend.
Now, to fully grasp the past 15 years of Phish, and the previous eight festivals they have hosted, there are several important points we must first understand. With the Clifford Ball at Plattsburgh in ’96, the modern festival as we know it was born. There was no Bonnaroo, no Outside Lands or the like. There simply was PHISH. The wonder and amazement that something of this magnitude could simply take place was mind blowing. Is it a coincidence that the band has named this upcoming ninth installment Super Ball? The first time that joyous, celebratory word has been used since the inaugural year? Maybe, but I think there’s more to it. I feel that the band is back, comfortable and ready to cast some magic the likes that we haven’t seen in some time. And that, my loyal readers, reaches far more than the music created on stage.
From the Clifford Ball’s artwork, Ball Square (which again will return this year), and the fact that things were taking place on a decommissioned airforce base (a theme that would continue in latter years and festivals), the sheer scope and ambition that went into the first festival was unprecedented and never seen before. Ending a short, but ferocious Summer ’96 U.S. Tour, the band arrived just across the river from their Burlington base at the time ready to deliver, and boy did they. From the often praised “best set ever” of 8.17 II, which included a Slave to the Traffic Light that is many fans’ favorite version, the band was razor sharp. But, Phish had more in store, including what would become another staple of their festivals: playing a secret set at a random time during the weekend.
READ ON for much more on Phish Festivals…
