''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 consists of guitarist Trey Anastasio, bassist Mike Gordon, drummer Jon Fishman, and keyboardist Page McConnell, all of whom perform vocals, with Anastasio being the ...

. 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 (USAF) Strategic Air Command (SAC) base covering 3,447 acres (13.7 km) in the extreme northeast corner of New York, located on the western shore of Lake Champlain opposite Burl ...

Plattsburgh, NY Plattsburgh is a city in and the county 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 (and separately in ...

, chronicling the first of ten

Phish festivals Starting in 1996, American jam band Phish has hosted a series of music festival, festivals—eleven in total, with attendance at around 85,000. They are typically the only band to perform at the festivals, although the 1998 Lemonwheel festival and ...

. The collection received a nomination for the

Grammy Award for Best Boxed or Special Limited Edition Package The Grammy Award for Best Boxed or Special Limited Edition Package has been presented since 1995 to an album's art director Art director is a title for a variety of similar job functions in theater, advertising, marketing, publishing, fashion, ...

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 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 Associatio ...

'', 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-pac ...

" (

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 indigenous ...

Marshall Marshall may refer to: Places Australia *Marshall, Victoria, a suburb of Geelong, Victoria ** Marshall railway station Canada * Marshall, Saskatchewan * The Marshall, a mountain in British Columbia Liberia * Marshall, Liberia Marshall Is ...

) – 7:05 # "

Bathtub Gin Bathtub gin refers to any style of homemade spirit made in amateur conditions. The term first appeared in 1920, in the prohibition in the United States, in reference to the poor-quality alcohol that was being made. As gin was the predominant drin ...

" (Anastasio, Goodman) – 10:30 # "Ya Mar" (Ferguson) – 8:51 # " AC/DC Bag" (Anastasio) – 9:11 # "

Esther Esther (; ), originally Hadassah (; ), is the eponymous heroine of the Book of Esther in the Hebrew Bible. According to the biblical narrative, which is set in the Achaemenid Empire, the Persian king Ahasuerus falls in love with Esther and ma ...

" (Anastasio) – 9:07 # " The Divided Sky" (Anastasio) – 16:35 # "Halley's Comet" (Wright) – 7:01 # "

David Bowie David Robert Jones (8 January 194710 January 2016), known as David Bowie ( ), was an English singer, songwriter and actor. Regarded as one of the most influential musicians of the 20th century, Bowie was acclaimed by critics and musicians, pa ...

" (Anastasio) – 14:52

Disc two (August 16, 1996 – Set two)

# " Split Open and Melt" (Anastasio) – 13:46 # " Sparkle" (Anastasio, Marshall) – 3:48 # "

Free Free may refer to: Concept * Freedom, the ability to act or change without constraint or restriction * Emancipate, attaining civil and political rights or equality * Free (''gratis''), free of charge * Gratis versus libre, the difference betw ...

" (Anastasio, Marshall) – 8:48 # " The Squirming Coil" (Anastasio, Marshall) – 10:30 # "

Waste Waste are unwanted or unusable materials. Waste is any substance discarded after primary use, or is worthless, defective and of no use. A by-product, by contrast is a joint product of relatively minor Value (economics), economic value. A wast ...

" (Anastasio, Marshall) – 4:59 # "

Talk Talk may refer to: Communication * Communication, the encoding and decoding of exchanged messages between people * Conversation, interactive communication between two or more people * Lecture, an oral presentation intended to inform or instruct ...

" (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 * Gordon Heuck ...

, 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, the song written and named after bass player/singer Mike Gordon has been played a total of 488 times (appearing in 28.26% of all of Phi ...

" (Gordon) – 16:00 # "Simple" (Gordon) – 6:03 # "

Contact Contact may refer to: Interaction Physical interaction * Contact (geology), a common geological feature * Contact lens or contact, a lens placed on the eye * Contact sport, a sport in which players make contact with other players or objects * C ...

" (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 year's most prominent event was 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. The United States led a Participan ...

" ( 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 and l ...

" (Anastasio, Marshall) – 15:34 # "NICU" (Anastasio, Marshall) – 5:17 # "

Life on Mars? "Life on Mars?" is a song by the English musician David Bowie, first released on his 1971 album ''Hunky Dory''. Bowie wrote the song as a parody of Frank Sinatra's "My Way". "Life on Mars?" was recorded on 6 August 1971 at Trident Studio ...

" ( Bowie) – 3:23 # " Harry Hood" (Anastasio, Fishman, Gordon, Long, McConnell) – 19:58 # "

Amazing Grace "Amazing Grace" is a Christian hymn written in 1772 and published in 1779 by English Anglican clergyman and poet John Newton (1725–1807). It is possibly the most sung and most recorded hymn in the world, and especially popular in the Unit ...

" (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 ''The Lizards'' (, also known as ''The Basilisks'') is a 1963 Italian comedy-drama film written and directed by Lina Wertmüller. It was Wertmüller's directorial debut. Plot Francesco, Sergio, and Antonio are three privileged young individuals ...

" (Anastasio) – 10:35 # "

Sample in a Jar "Sample in a Jar" is a song by the American band Phish. It was released as the second single from the band's fifth studio album, '' Hoist''. The song peaked at No. 49 on the ''Radio & Records'' Rock chart. On the surface, the lyrics seem to deal ...

" (Anastasio, Marshall) – 4:59 # "

Taste The gustatory system or sense of taste is the sensory system that is partially responsible for the perception of taste. Taste is the perception stimulated when a substance in the mouth biochemistry, reacts chemically with taste receptor cells l ...

" (Anastasio, Fishman, Gordon, Marshall, McConnell) – 7:02 # "

Fee A fee is the price one pays as remuneration for rights or services. Fees usually allow for overhead, wages, costs, and markup. Traditionally, professionals in the United Kingdom (and previously the Republic of Ireland) receive a fee in contrad ...

" (Anastasio) – 5:52 # "

Maze A maze is a path or collection of paths, typically from an entrance to a goal. The word is used to refer both to branching tour puzzles through which the solver must find a route, and to simpler non-branching ("unicursal") patterns that lead ...

" (Anastasio, Marshall) – 12:50 # "Suzy Greenberg" ( Pollak) – 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 exc ...

) – 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 The Golgi apparatus (), also known as the Golgi complex, Golgi body, or simply the Golgi, is an organelle found in most eukaryotic Cell (biology), cells. Part of the endomembrane system in the cytoplasm, it protein targeting, packages proteins ...

" (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 Gothic novel written by English author Mary Shelley. ''Frankenstein'' tells the story of Victor Frankenstein, a young scientist who creates a Sapience, sapient Frankenstein's monster, crea ...

" (

Winter Winter is the coldest and darkest season of the year in temperate and polar 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. Dif ...

) – 4:49 # " Scent of a Mule" (Gordon) – 15:22 # "

Tweezer Tweezers are small hand tools used for grasping objects too small to be easily handled with the human fingers. Tweezers are thumb-driven forceps most likely derived from tongs used to grab or hold hot objects since the dawn of recorded history. ...

" (Anastasio, Fishman, Gordon, McConnell) – 11:56 # "

A Day in the Life "A Day in the Life" is a song by the English rock band the Beatles that was released as the final track of their 1967 album '' Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band''. Credited to Lennon–McCartney, the opening and closing sections of the s ...

" (

Lennon John Winston Ono Lennon (born John Winston Lennon; 9 October 19408 December 1980) was an English singer-songwriter, musician and activist. He gained global fame as the founder, co-lead vocalist and rhythm guitarist of the Beatles. Lennon's ...

McCartney Sir James Paul McCartney (born 18 June 1942) is an English singer, songwriter and musician who gained global fame with the Beatles, for whom he played bass guitar and the piano, and shared primary songwriting and lead vocal duties with John ...

) – 5:35 # "

Possum Possum may refer to: Animals * Didelphimorphia, or (o)possums, an order of marsupials native to the Americas ** Didelphis, a genus of marsupials within Didelphimorphia *** Common opossum, native to Central and South America *** Virginia opossum ...

" (

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 Ashlone C ...

) – 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 consists of guitarist Trey Anastasio, bassist Mike Gordon, drummer Jon Fishman, and keyboardist Page McConnell, all of whom perform vocals, with Anastasio being the ...

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 # "

" (

) – 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" (

, Linitz) – 3:14 # "Strange Design" (Anastasio, Marshall) – 3:47 # " Hello My Baby" (Emerson, Howard, Singer) – 1:48 ;Side H # "

" (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 # "

" ( Deodato) – 6:13 ;Side K # "

" (Anastasio, Marshall) – 15:34 # "NICU" (Anastasio, Marshall) – 5:17 ;Side L # "

" ( Bowie) – 3:23 # " Harry Hood" (Anastasio, Fishman, Gordon, Long, McConnell) – 19:58 # "

" (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) – 7:06 ''August 17, 1996 – Set two:'' ;Side Q # "The Curtain" (Anastasio,

) – 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 # "

" (

) – 4:49 ;Side V # "Scent of a Mule" (Gordon) – 15:22 ;Side W # "Tweezer" (Anastasio, Fishman, Gordon, McConnell) – 11:56 # "

" (

) – 5:35 ;Side X # "Possum" (

) – 13:23 # "Tweezer Reprise" (Anastasio, Fishman, Gordon, McConnell) – 4:46 # "

" (Anastasio, Fishman) – 8:53

Personnel

Trey Anastasio Ernest Joseph "Trey" Anastasio III (born September 30, 1964) is an American guitarist, composer, and singer-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 ...

– guitars, lead vocals, acapella vocals on "Hello My Baby" and "Amazing Grace", narration on "Harpua" *

Page McConnell Page Samuel McConnell (born May 17, 1963) is an American multi-instrumentalist, most noted for his work as the keyboardist and a songwriter for the band Phish. McConnell joined Phish in 1985, and is the only member of its long-standing quartet li ...

– 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 plays banjo, piano, and guitar. He is a filmmaker ('' Rising Low'', '' Outs ...

– 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 and co-founder of the band Phish, which was, in part, named after him. He is credited with co-writing nineteen Phish songs, eight with a solo credit. Early life Fishman was born in Ph ...

– 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, philanthropist, and activist. 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 Nationa ...

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 2000s live video albums Phish live albums JEMP Records albums