Setlist
Set One
Set Two
Set Three
Encore
Stream this show and the entire LivePhish catalog
Setlist
Set One
Set Two
Set Three
Encore
This Show Is Also Part Of
Show Notes
- Mary Had A Little Lamb tease before Split Open And Melt
- Waste, Talk, Train Song, and Strange Design were performed acoustic
- Makisupa Policeman > 2001 included “Mr. Sausage” vocalizations
- Harry Hood included an extended ending with fireworks
-Flatbed Jam is now available for streaming & download HERE
Production Credits:
Recorded by Paul Languedoc
Mixed by Thom Cadley
Mastered by Mark Wilder
Post-Production by Kevin Shapiro
On August 16th and 17th, 1996 Phish staged The Clifford Ball, the first of ten multi-day festivals by the band between 1996 and 2015. Phish played two 3-set shows plus a secret late-night Flatbed Jam at the decommissioned Plattsburgh Air Force Base in Plattsburgh, New York, across Lake Champlain from their native Vermont. This was an unprecedented gathering - a community pilgrimage that brought more than 70,000 to upstate New York. In addition to being a concert campout for the entire Phish Nation, The Clifford Ball introduced features like an onsite radio station, interactive art installations, a symphony orchestra, stunt planes, and other sensory treats that set the pattern for Phish and reinvented the landscape for festivals in the United States. The music rose to the occasion as the band crafted six stellar sets for the ages, complete with special guest acrobats and others, an acoustic mini-set, and a fireworks finale. The Clifford Ball was a tapestry of Phish’s nearly thirteen-year history up to that point condensed into 54 songs (and one 37-minute experimental jam). The festivities were recorded on audio and video and released by JEMP Records in 2009 as ‘The Clifford Ball’ DVD set.
Now following the 25th anniversary of The Clifford Ball, JEMP presents ‘The Clifford Ball’ as a 12-LP vinyl set. This is the first time Phish has released a festival on vinyl. The vinyl box documents Phish’s landmark concert event, including both complete three-set shows (nearly eight hours of music). The album was mixed from the band’s multi-track tapes by Thom Cadley and remastered for vinyl by Chris Bellman at Bernie Grundman Mastering.
This also marks the release of The Clifford Ball audio at livephish.com and the public showing of the video as episodes 36 and 37 of ‘Dinner And A Movie - an Archival Video Series’ over the 2021 Thanksgiving weekend to benefit Meals On Wheels.
Chalk Dust Torture (Anastasio/Marshall)
Bathtub Gin (Anastasio/Goodman)
Ya Mar (Ferguson)*
AC/DC Bag (Anastasio)
Esther (Anastasio)
Divided Sky (Anastasio)
Halley's Comet (Wright)
David Bowie (Anastasio)
Split Open and Melt (Anastasio)
Sparkle (Anastasio/Marshall)
Free (Anastasio/Marshall)
The Squirming Coil (Anastasio/Herman/Marshall)
Waste (Anastasio/Marshall)
Talk (Anastasio/Marshall)
Train Song (Gordon/Linitz)
Strange Design (Anastasio/Marshall)
Hello My Baby (Emerson/Howard/Singer)**
Mike's Song (Gordon)
Simple (Gordon)
Contact (Gordon)
Weekapaug Groove (Anastasio/Fishman/Gordon/McConnell)
Makisupa Policeman (Anastasio/Marshall)
2001 (Deodato)***
Down with Disease (Anastasio/Marshall)
NICU (Anastasio/Marshall)
Life on Mars? (Bowie)^
Harry Hood (Anastasio/Fishman/Gordon/Long/McConnell)
Amazing Grace (Traditional)^^
All songs copyright Who Is She? Music Inc (BMI) except for: *GBI Recording Co Ltd (ASCAP); **Edward B Marks Music Co (BMI); ***EMI Full Keel Music Co (ASCAP) & Publishing One's Music (ASCAP); ^Chrysalis Music Group Inc (ASCAP) & Tintoretto Music (BMI) & EMI Music Publishing Ltd (ASCAP); ^^Public Domain
Reviews
NoLeftTurnUnstoned — 7/16/2026 8:39:38 AM
"Damn. No discombobulated jackhammer jams reminiscent of '93 and '94. Tell me you hate dissonant, deconstructed jams without telling me. '26 might be better for you."
Seth — 4/27/2026 2:41:05 AM
"This is quintessential Phish at their tightest; everything flows effortlessly. No discombobulated jackhammer jams that were prevalent in 93' and 94'. No meandering, boring jams that make you say to yourself "ok, that's enough" and skip to the next song or turn it off entirely. Every song is played to perfection and every jam is just exactly perfect "
Guyute the Handsome Pig — 7/24/2025 7:28:41 AM
"This was a few months before my first show (10.31.96 ATL). I've been a subscriber to LP for years and been a phan ever since 96, but for some odd reason I've never listened to the glorious sounds of the Clifford Ball. Thank YOU for making this available to the peoples of the world!"
Whodeybob — 3/21/2024 7:21:54 PM
"Never forget this show, the drive from Columbus, my girlfriend passing out when they took the stage, the dead dude on way to the wash tubs, roller coaster of emotions that weekend, but the music was amazing. "
Jopix — 8/24/2023 9:09:02 AM
"Ugh! I was there! How amazing to flash back to an exact moment as a wee teen watching those fireworks and being in awe of the performance we just watched. Nothing short of pure magic??"