20 years ago today (8/16/16), Phish redefined festival possibilities with The Clifford Ball – years before Coachella, Bonnaroo, Lockn, OutsideLands, Sasquatch and almost any other festival held today that wrote their own blueprint on mixing art, music, camping and extra curricular activities. The first (of ten so far) “big” Phish festivals (there were smaller ones prior – Amy Farm, Pete’s, Arrowhead Ranch) took place at on August 16 and 17, 1996, on the site of a former Air Force base in Plattsburgh, New York. The band also introduced the first of their regular “surprise” sets, which would take place on a flatbed truck strung with lights and equipped with mini-rigs for each band member as they “Sserenaded” their fans in the parking lot in the wee hours of the morning. Check out this scorchin’ version of “Split Open and Melt” from Day 1 at the Ball.
