Set List
Show Notes
The Great Went was Phish’s first performance at Loring Air Force Base – a decommissioned base used from 1950-1994 located at the extreme northern and eastern corner of the United States, just miles from the Canadian border. This show took place twenty-two years after a rash of fall 1975 UFO sightings at Loring AFB. This was the band’s second multiple-day, single-band festival – sequel to The Clifford Ball – the first day of a 2-day festival with onsite camping. Tickets cost $70.00 including camping from noon Friday 8/15 until noon Sunday 8/18. Attendance was estimated between 65,000 and 70,000. The Winter 1997 Doniac Schvice Phish News (sent in early 1997) gave some insight about The Great Went: “As you may have heard, the board of directors at Plattsburgh Air Force Based voted against hosting a follow-up event to The Clifford Ball at their site. Not to be denied, we are hard at work scouting for a new site. Look for more summer tour info. in the next issue of the Schvice, due out in mid to late March. The Great Went was announced in the March 1997 Doniac Schvice, which described it as “an easy drive from any direction.” The festival name may have originated from a line in Fire Walk With Me, a David Lynch movie referencing an episode of Twin Peaks. Real-time traffic updates, music, entertainment and live simulcasts of the shows were provided by the band and staff via: a local radio station (KA2XZE) 88.9FM WENT Radio aka “The Badger”. The Great Went incorporated a small side stage that included daily performances by the Gordon Stone Trio and the Beatroots Gypsy Caravan. The Great Went Harpua picked up where the Clifford Ball version left off, with “Jimmy.” After Chalk Dust Torture, Trey announced that the first three songs served as the soundcheck. Trey teased What’s The Use? during Theme From the Bottom. Before Ghost, Trey announced that “we’re the largest city in ME–bigger than Portland, and cooler.” Simple, My Soul and the Jam before Slave To The Traffic Light all contained teases of the Odd Couple theme. The Jam between My Soul and Slave To The Traffic Light also included an Entrance Of The Gladiators tease. Julius began A cappella with finger snapping. On Your Way Down was teased during Halley’s Comet. Cities was slow and funky and included some some alternate lyrics “Fishman sleeps, sleeps in the daytime, if he wants to!” Funky Bitch ended with a fireworks display and finale behind the stage. After this show at around 3am, the band set up on a lit flatbed truck between the concert field and the campground to DJ/MC a “Disco Set” on sequencers and synthesizers and drum machines – handbills were distributed with aliases for each band member – MC Neon Cellgap (anagram for Page McConnell) from New York City, Groomed Ink from Schenectady, NY, DJ Lemore Lalip from Oak Bluffs, Minnetankwa and DJ Heavy P from Meatcamp, NC. Trey introduced Fish at the end of the set as “Jacques the Gay Sailor.” Set I of this show is a set Trey mentioned in Bittersweet Motel “Phish 5 Sets To Redeem Ourself. The new live album…”