''The Clifford Ball'' is a seven-DVD box set released on March 3, 2009 by the rock band
Phish
Phish is an American rock band formed in Burlington, Vermont, in 1983. The band is known for musical improvisation, extended jams, blending of genres, and a dedicated fan base. The band consists of guitarist Trey Anastasio, bassist Mike Gordon ...
. It was performed on August 16 and August 17, 1996 at
Plattsburgh Air Force Base
Plattsburgh Air Force Base is a former United States Air Force Strategic Air Command (SAC) base covering 3,447 acres (13.7 km²) in the extreme northeast corner of New York, located on the western shore of Lake Champlain opposite Burlingto ...
in
Plattsburgh, NY
Plattsburgh ( moh, Tsi ietsénhtha) is a city in, and the seat of, Clinton County, New York, United States, situated on the north-western shore of Lake Champlain. The population was 19,841 at the 2020 census. The population of the surrounding ...
, chronicling the first of ten
Phish festivals Phish is an American rock band formed in 1983, dissolved in 2004, and reunited in 2009. It is one of the most successful live acts in popular music history, forging a popularity in concert far greater than their album sales, radio airplay, or musi ...
. The collection received a nomination for the
in 2009.
Additional footage in this set includes documentaries, the soundcheck from August 15, and footage of the early morning performance of "The Flatbed Jam".
Phish issued the entirety of ''The Clifford Ball'' on a 12 LP box set on March 4, 2022. The Flatbad Jam was also made available on a separate LP. The same day as the box set's release, the official audio recordings of the festival were also made available for digital purchase and streaming on the band's LivePhish website.
The event was named after aviator
Clifford Ball
Clifford Nankivell Ball (January 24, 1908 – January 1947) was an American fantasy writer whose primary distinction was having been one of the earliest post-Howard writers in the sword and sorcery subgenre of fantasy. He wrote as Clifford Ball.
...
. The band reportedly learned of Ball from a plaque in a Pittsburgh airport which described him as a "Beacon of light in the world of flight". Phish had previously used the name "The Clifford Ball" as the recording location of the tracks that appeared on their 1995 live album ''
A Live One
''A Live One'' is a live album by the American rock music, rock band Phish, released on June 27, 1995, by Elektra Records. The album was the band's first official live release, their first album to be certified Platinum by the Recording Industry ...
'', as they were unable to secure the recording rights from every venue on the album at the time of its release.
Track listing
Disc one (August 16, 1996 – Set one)
# "
Chalk Dust Torture
"Chalk Dust Torture" is a 1992 song by the American band Phish. It is the thirteenth track from their 1992 album ''A Picture of Nectar'' and was also released as their first promotional single by Elektra Records. The song is a riff-based, fast-p ...
"
(Anastasio
Anastasio is both a given name and a surname. Notable people with the name include:
People with the given name
* Anastasio Alfaro (1865–1951), Costa Rican zoologist, geologist and explorer
* Anastasio Aquino (1792–1833), Salvadoran indigenou ...
, Marshall
Marshall may refer to:
Places
Australia
* Marshall, Victoria, a suburb of Geelong, Victoria
Canada
* Marshall, Saskatchewan
* The Marshall, a mountain in British Columbia
Liberia
* Marshall, Liberia
Marshall Islands
* Marshall Islands, an i ...
) – 7:05
# "Bathtub Gin"
(Anastasio, Goodman) – 10:30
# "Ya Mar"
(Ferguson) – 8:51
# "AC/DC Bag"
(Anastasio) – 9:11
# "Esther"
(Anastasio) – 9:07
# "The Divided Sky"
(Anastasio) – 16:35
# "Halley's Comet"
(Wright) – 7:01
# "David Bowie"
(Anastasio) – 14:52
Disc two (August 16, 1996 – Set two)
# "Split Open and Melt"
(Anastasio) – 13:46
# "Sparkle"
(Anastasio, Marshall) – 3:48
# "Free"
(Anastasio, Marshall) – 8:48
# "The Squirming Coil"
(Anastasio, Marshall) – 10:30
# "Waste"
(Anastasio, Marshall) – 4:59
# "Talk"
(Anastasio, Marshall) – 3:41
# "Train Song"
(Gordon
Gordon may refer to:
People
* Gordon (given name), a masculine given name, including list of persons and fictional characters
* Gordon (surname), the surname
* Gordon (slave), escaped to a Union Army camp during the U.S. Civil War
* Clan Gordon, ...
, Linitz) – 3:14
# "Strange Design"
(Anastasio, Marshall) – 3:47
# "
Hello My Baby"
(Emerson, Howard, Singer) – 1:48
# "
Mike's Song
"Mike's Song" is a song by the rock band Phish. Originally written in 1985, and debuting that year on March 16, bass player Mike Gordon's song has been played a total of 488 times (appearing in 28.26% of all of Phish live shows), the third most pla ...
"
(Gordon) – 16:00
# "Simple"
(Gordon) – 6:03
# "Contact"
(Gordon) – 6:09
# "Weekapaug Groove"
(Anastasio, Fishman, Gordon, McConnell) – 10:02
Disc three (August 16, 1996 – Set three)
# "Makisupa Policeman"
(Anastasio, Marshall) – 8:17
# "
2001
The September 11 attacks against the United States by Al-Qaeda, which Casualties of the September 11 attacks, killed 2,977 people and instigated the global war on terror, were a defining event of 2001. The United States led a Participants in ...
"
( Deodato) – 6:13
# "
Down with Disease
"Down with Disease" is a 1994 song by American band Phish. It is the second track from their 1994 album '' Hoist'' and was released as their fifth promotional single by Elektra Records. The song is a funk rock song written by Phish guitarist an ...
"
(Anastasio, Marshall) – 15:34
# "NICU"
(Anastasio, Marshall) – 5:17
# "
Life on Mars?"
( Bowie) – 3:23
# "
Harry Hood"
(Anastasio, Fishman, Gordon, Long, McConnell) – 19:58
# "
Amazing Grace
"Amazing Grace" is a Christian hymn published in 1779 with words written in 1772 by English Anglican clergyman and poet John Newton (1725–1807). It is an immensely popular hymn, particularly in the United States, where it is used for both ...
"
(Traditional) – 2:34
Disc four (August 17, 1996 – Set one)
# "The Old Home Place"
(Jayne, Webb) – 3:37
# "Punch You in the Eye"
(Anastasio) – 8:11
# "Reba"
(Anastasio) – 16:19
# "Cars Trucks Buses"
(McConnell) – 3:41
# "The Lizards"
(Anastasio) – 10:35
# "Sample in a Jar"
(Anastasio, Marshall) – 4:59
# "Taste"
(Anastasio, Fishman, Gordon, Marshall, McConnell) – 7:02
# "Fee"
(Anastasio) – 5:52
# "Maze"
(Anastasio, Marshall) – 12:50
# "Suzy Greenberg"
(Pollak Pollak is an Austrian surname, and is a variant of ''Polak'' usually of Jewish Ashkenazic origin, it originates as an ethnic surname for Jews between Austria, Poland and Germany. Notable people with the surname include:
Athletes
* Burglinde Poll ...
) – 7:06
Disc five (August 17, 1996 – Set two)
# "The Curtain"
(Anastasio, Daubert
In United States federal law, the ''Daubert'' standard is a rule of evidence regarding the admissibility of expert witness testimony. A party may raise a ''Daubert'' motion, a special motion ''in limine'' raised before or during trial, to exclude ...
) – 7:39
# "Runaway Jim"
(Abrahams, Anastasio) – 12:26
# "It's Ice"
(Anastasio, Marshall) – 9:03
# "Brother"
(Anastasio, Fishman, Gordon, McConnell) – 6:19
# "Fluffhead"
(Anastasio, Pollak) – 14:42
# "Run Like an Antelope"
(Anastasio, Pollak) – 10:09
# "Golgi Apparatus"
(Anastasio, Marshall, Szuter, Woolf) – 4:44
# "Slave to the Traffic Light"
(Abrahams, Anastasio, Pollak) – 13:03
Disc six (August 17, 1996 – Set three)
# "Wilson" –
(Anastasio, Marshall, Woolf) – 6:14
# "
Frankenstein
''Frankenstein; or, The Modern Prometheus'' is an 1818 novel written by English author Mary Shelley. ''Frankenstein'' tells the story of Victor Frankenstein, a young scientist who creates a sapient creature in an unorthodox scientific ex ...
"
(Winter
Winter is the coldest season of the year in polar and temperate climates. It occurs after autumn and before spring. The tilt of Earth's axis causes seasons; winter occurs when a hemisphere is oriented away from the Sun. Different cultures ...
) – 4:49
# "Scent of a Mule"
(Gordon) – 15:22
# "Tweezer"
(Anastasio, Fishman, Gordon, McConnell) – 11:56
# "
A Day in the Life"
(Lennon
John Winston Ono Lennon (born John Winston Lennon; 9 October 19408 December 1980) was an English singer, songwriter, musician and peace activist who achieved worldwide fame as founder, co-songwriter, co-lead vocalist and rhythm guitarist of ...
, McCartney
Sir James Paul McCartney (born 18 June 1942) is an English singer, songwriter and musician who gained worldwide fame with the Beatles, for whom he played bass guitar and shared primary songwriting and lead vocal duties with John Lennon. One ...
) – 5:35
# "Possum"
(Holdsworth
Holdsworth was a bicycle manufacturer in London, England. It was created by William Frank Holdsworth, known as "Sandy", and the brand is now owned by Planet X Limited based in Rotherham, Yorkshire.
History
Sandy Holdsworth took over Ashlo ...
) – 13:23
# "Tweezer Reprise"
(Anastasio, Fishman, Gordon, McConnell) – 4:46
# "
Harpua
"Harpua" is a Phish song that was a staple of their live concerts, but has now become a rarity and has ''only'' been performed live. Its first appearance on an album was on
''Live Phish Volume 2'', a 2001 release featuring a concert from 1994. Th ...
"
(Anastasio, Fishman) – 8:53
Disc seven
# "The Clifford Ball: A Beacon of Light"
# "The Flatbed Jam"
(Anastasio, Fishman, Gordon, McConnell) – 39:22
# "Soundcheck"
(Anastasio, Fishman, Gordon, McConnell) – 52:56
# "An Interview with Jim Pollock"
# "
Chris Kuroda
Phish is an American rock band formed in Burlington, Vermont, in 1983. The band is known for musical improvisation, extended jams, blending of genres, and a dedicated fan base. The band consists of guitarist Trey Anastasio, bassist Mike Gordon, ...
Split-Screen"
# "Phish: On Jamming"
# "Phish: The LG"
Album release
The Clifford Ball was later released in album form on LP and streaming on March 4, 2022.
Track listing
''August 16, 1996 – Set one:''
;Side A
# "
Chalk Dust Torture
"Chalk Dust Torture" is a 1992 song by the American band Phish. It is the thirteenth track from their 1992 album ''A Picture of Nectar'' and was also released as their first promotional single by Elektra Records. The song is a riff-based, fast-p ...
"
(Anastasio
Anastasio is both a given name and a surname. Notable people with the name include:
People with the given name
* Anastasio Alfaro (1865–1951), Costa Rican zoologist, geologist and explorer
* Anastasio Aquino (1792–1833), Salvadoran indigenou ...
, Marshall
Marshall may refer to:
Places
Australia
* Marshall, Victoria, a suburb of Geelong, Victoria
Canada
* Marshall, Saskatchewan
* The Marshall, a mountain in British Columbia
Liberia
* Marshall, Liberia
Marshall Islands
* Marshall Islands, an i ...
) – 7:05
# "Bathtub Gin"
(Anastasio, Goodman) – 10:30
;Side B
# "Ya Mar"
(Ferguson) – 8:51
# "AC/DC Bag"
(Anastasio) – 9:11
;Side C
# "Esther"
(Anastasio) – 9:07
# "The Divided Sky"
(Anastasio) – 16:35
;Side D
# "Halley's Comet"
(Wright) – 7:01
# "David Bowie"
(Anastasio) – 14:52
''August 16, 1996 – Set two:''
;Side E
# "Split Open and Melt"
(Anastasio) – 13:46
;Side F
# "Sparkle"
(Anastasio, Marshall) – 3:48
# "Free"
(Anastasio, Marshall) – 8:48
# "The Squirming Coil"
(Anastasio, Marshall) – 10:30
;Side G
# "Waste"
(Anastasio, Marshall) – 4:59
# "Talk"
(Anastasio, Marshall) – 3:41
# "Train Song"
(Gordon
Gordon may refer to:
People
* Gordon (given name), a masculine given name, including list of persons and fictional characters
* Gordon (surname), the surname
* Gordon (slave), escaped to a Union Army camp during the U.S. Civil War
* Clan Gordon, ...
, Linitz) – 3:14
# "Strange Design"
(Anastasio, Marshall) – 3:47
# "
Hello My Baby"
(Emerson, Howard, Singer) – 1:48
;Side H
# "
Mike's Song
"Mike's Song" is a song by the rock band Phish. Originally written in 1985, and debuting that year on March 16, bass player Mike Gordon's song has been played a total of 488 times (appearing in 28.26% of all of Phish live shows), the third most pla ...
"
(Gordon) – 16:00
# "Simple"
(Gordon) – 6:03
;Side I
# "Contact"
(Gordon) – 6:09
# "Weekapaug Groove"
(Anastasio, Fishman, Gordon, McConnell) – 10:02
''August 16, 1996 – Set three:''
;Side J
# "Makisupa Policeman"
(Anastasio, Marshall) – 8:17
# "
2001
The September 11 attacks against the United States by Al-Qaeda, which Casualties of the September 11 attacks, killed 2,977 people and instigated the global war on terror, were a defining event of 2001. The United States led a Participants in ...
"
( Deodato) – 6:13
;Side K
# "
Down with Disease
"Down with Disease" is a 1994 song by American band Phish. It is the second track from their 1994 album '' Hoist'' and was released as their fifth promotional single by Elektra Records. The song is a funk rock song written by Phish guitarist an ...
"
(Anastasio, Marshall) – 15:34
# "NICU"
(Anastasio, Marshall) – 5:17
;Side L
# "
Life on Mars?"
( Bowie) – 3:23
# "
Harry Hood"
(Anastasio, Fishman, Gordon, Long, McConnell) – 19:58
# "
Amazing Grace
"Amazing Grace" is a Christian hymn published in 1779 with words written in 1772 by English Anglican clergyman and poet John Newton (1725–1807). It is an immensely popular hymn, particularly in the United States, where it is used for both ...
"
(Traditional) – 2:34
''August 17, 1996 – Set one:''
;Side M
# "The Old Home Place"
(Jayne, Webb) – 3:37
# "Punch You in the Eye"
(Anastasio) – 8:11
;Side N
# "Reba"
(Anastasio) – 16:19
# "Cars Trucks Buses"
(McConnell) – 3:41
;Side O
# "The Lizards"
(Anastasio) – 10:35
# "Sample in a Jar"
(Anastasio, Marshall) – 4:59
# "Taste"
(Anastasio, Fishman, Gordon, Marshall, McConnell) – 7:02
;Side P
# "Fee"
(Anastasio) – 5:52
# "Maze"
(Anastasio, Marshall) – 12:50
# "Suzy Greenberg"
(Pollak Pollak is an Austrian surname, and is a variant of ''Polak'' usually of Jewish Ashkenazic origin, it originates as an ethnic surname for Jews between Austria, Poland and Germany. Notable people with the surname include:
Athletes
* Burglinde Poll ...
) – 7:06
''August 17, 1996 – Set two:''
;Side Q
# "The Curtain"
(Anastasio, Daubert
In United States federal law, the ''Daubert'' standard is a rule of evidence regarding the admissibility of expert witness testimony. A party may raise a ''Daubert'' motion, a special motion ''in limine'' raised before or during trial, to exclude ...
) – 7:39
# "Runaway Jim"
(Abrahams, Anastasio) – 12:26
;Side R
# "It's Ice"
(Anastasio, Marshall) – 9:03
# "Brother"
(Anastasio, Fishman, Gordon, McConnell) – 6:19
;Side S
# "Fluffhead"
(Anastasio, Pollak) – 14:42
# "Run Like an Antelope"
(Anastasio, Pollak) – 10:09
;Side T
# "Golgi Apparatus"
(Anastasio, Marshall, Szuter, Woolf) – 4:44
# "Slave to the Traffic Light"
(Abrahams, Anastasio, Pollak) – 13:03
''August 17, 1996 – Set three:''
;Side U
# "Wilson" –
(Anastasio, Marshall, Woolf) – 6:14
# "
Frankenstein
''Frankenstein; or, The Modern Prometheus'' is an 1818 novel written by English author Mary Shelley. ''Frankenstein'' tells the story of Victor Frankenstein, a young scientist who creates a sapient creature in an unorthodox scientific ex ...
"
(Winter
Winter is the coldest season of the year in polar and temperate climates. It occurs after autumn and before spring. The tilt of Earth's axis causes seasons; winter occurs when a hemisphere is oriented away from the Sun. Different cultures ...
) – 4:49
;Side V
# "Scent of a Mule"
(Gordon) – 15:22
;Side W
# "Tweezer"
(Anastasio, Fishman, Gordon, McConnell) – 11:56
# "
A Day in the Life"
(Lennon
John Winston Ono Lennon (born John Winston Lennon; 9 October 19408 December 1980) was an English singer, songwriter, musician and peace activist who achieved worldwide fame as founder, co-songwriter, co-lead vocalist and rhythm guitarist of ...
, McCartney
Sir James Paul McCartney (born 18 June 1942) is an English singer, songwriter and musician who gained worldwide fame with the Beatles, for whom he played bass guitar and shared primary songwriting and lead vocal duties with John Lennon. One ...
) – 5:35
;Side X
# "Possum"
(Holdsworth
Holdsworth was a bicycle manufacturer in London, England. It was created by William Frank Holdsworth, known as "Sandy", and the brand is now owned by Planet X Limited based in Rotherham, Yorkshire.
History
Sandy Holdsworth took over Ashlo ...
) – 13:23
# "Tweezer Reprise"
(Anastasio, Fishman, Gordon, McConnell) – 4:46
# "
Harpua
"Harpua" is a Phish song that was a staple of their live concerts, but has now become a rarity and has ''only'' been performed live. Its first appearance on an album was on
''Live Phish Volume 2'', a 2001 release featuring a concert from 1994. Th ...
"
(Anastasio, Fishman) – 8:53
Personnel
Phish
Phish is an American rock band formed in Burlington, Vermont, in 1983. The band is known for musical improvisation, extended jams, blending of genres, and a dedicated fan base. The band consists of guitarist Trey Anastasio, bassist Mike Gordon ...
*
Trey Anastasio
Ernest Joseph "Trey" Anastasio III (born September 30, 1964) is an American guitarist, singer, and songwriter, best known as the lead guitarist of the rock band Phish, which he co-founded in 1983. He is credited by name as composer of 152 Phish o ...
– guitars, lead vocals, acapella vocals on "Hello My Baby" and "Amazing Grace", narration on "Harpua"
*
Page McConnell
Page Samuel McConnell (born May 17, 1963 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania) is an American multi-instrumentalist most noted for his work as the keyboardist and a songwriter for the band Phish.
In addition to having been a member of Phish since 1985, ...
– keyboards, backing vocals, lead vocals on "Strange Design", "Life on Mars?", "It's Ice" and "A Day in the Life", acapella vocals on "Hello My Baby" and "Amazing Grace"
*
Mike Gordon
Michael Eliot Gordon (born June 3, 1965) is an American bass guitarist and vocalist most recognized as a founding member of the band Phish. In addition to bass, Gordon is an accomplished banjo player, and is proficient at piano and guitar. He ...
– bass, backing vocals, lead vocals on "Ya Mar", "Train Song", "Mike's Song", "Contact", "The Old Home Place" and "Scent of a Mule", acapella vocals on "Hello My Baby" and "Amazing Grace"
*
Jon Fishman
Jon Fishman (born February 19, 1965) is an American drummer known for his work with the band Phish, which he co-founded in 1983, and which was, in part, named after him. He is credited with co-writing nineteen Phish songs, eight with a solo cr ...
– drums, backing vocals, acapella vocals on "Hello My Baby" and "Amazing Grace"
Special guests
:
Ben Cohen and
Jerry Greenfield
Jerry Greenfield (born March 14, 1951) is an American businessman and philanthropist. He is a co-founder of Ben & Jerry's Homemade Holdings, Inc.
Greenfield grew up on Long Island. He attended Oberlin College, where he was a National Merit Sch ...
of
Ben & Jerry's
Ben & Jerry's Homemade Holdings Inc., trading and commonly known as Ben & Jerry's, is an American company that manufactures ice cream, frozen yogurt, and sorbet. Founded in 1978 in Burlington, Vermont, the company went from a single ice cream p ...
– vocals on "Brother"
Video Director
:Martin Pitts
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Clifford Ball
Phish video albums
2009 compilation albums
2009 live albums
Live video albums
Phish live albums