Customer Reviews

Live Phish Vol. 11: 11/17/97, McNichols Sports Arena, Denver, Colorado

5 star:		(19)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

If you've ever read "The Phish Book", then it should come as no surprise that this one became an official release. The band members repeatedly talk this show up as a groundbreaking moment in the band's history, and how, for the rest of the tour, they would invite fans onto the tour bus to listen to it and dance down the aisles. This is the quintessential '97 show.

I was lucky enough to have attended this one, and I can assure you that it's no joke. The first-set-opener placement of Tweezer is very rare and foreboding , leading us to a five song first set (read: jams aplenty). The Ghost in this set is regarded by some (including band members) as one of Phish's finest moments.

This is the looser, space funk Phish that we saw in '97. The jams are more sparse and impulsive. It was about this time that they disregarded the notion that some of their songs were jam vehicles and some weren't. They started throwing long jams into places that that they normally wouldn't (check out Johnny B. Goode > Jam). Set and even song structure began to dissolve.

This may not be the greatest choice for someone's first Phish CD. The large number of long jams and small number of songs performed may be a lot to swallow for the uninitiated. It's an unusual performance. But for the well-versed fan or someone ready to wade in to the murk a little deeper, it's truly essential. It's dark, it's loose, it's beautiful. One for the ages.

Ok, first of all I could sum up this review by naming three tracks: Tweezer, Ghost and the so-called "Denver Jam". We all know that fall '97 was the tour that created "cow funk" thick enough to slice with knife...at least for 4 white guys from the suburbs. The opening Tweezer is a balls-to-the-wall tour de force of nasty, psychedelic funk-rock that must have got the energy in that place so intense I can't even fathom it. The tempo is slow and the "solos" aren't the old-school machine gun solos from the early/mid 90s, but the collective improv and the texture of this jam is truly state-of-the-art Phish, which obviously took 14 years to hone.

I feel the main highlight of this release, which is also one of the most genuinely intense moments of musical ESP and collective improvisation of Phish's career (so far, heh heh), is the jam that comes out of Ghost. I won't even bother trying to describe it, but it's the section that falls around the 8:00 mark till the 13:00 mark. Whatever. If you say so, guys.

The other main highlight for me is the "Denver Jam" in which they create a musical landscape unlike any I've ever heard. This is where the band announced (figuratively, not verbally) to the audience that instead of doing the same rip-roarin' solos that predictably crescendo the same way, they were going to focus on creating a certain kind of musical atmosphere in which the room is transformed into something other than a bunch of chairs and walls.

I listen to a lot of jazz, and as virtuosic as some jazz cats are individually, I have seldomly heard a group of musicians that know each other so well musically that they can pull off these kinds of jams without ever looking at each other. 'Nuff said.

A documented band favorite! This is a fantastic release from, in my opinion, the band's best tour of all-time - Fall 97. Do not judge the show by its somewhat sparse song selection because every song is heavily jammed. The first set is worth the price alone-Tweezer>Reba>Train Song>Ghost! The filler, Wolfman's>Makisupa, is also spectacular and from another show worthy of release-11/19/97 (Champaign, IL). Although shows from earlier years have more songs per show, the level of improvisation and imagination is just not at the 97/98 level. Mike's bass playing, in particular, is noticeably improved on these later tours and could be partially attributed to his acquisition of a Modulus bass. The band was just so tight and they could groove! To provide context, I attended my first show in Aug. 93 and my last in Fall 2000 with approximately 40 shows in between. I can honestly say that this is my favorite release followed by vol. 4 (Japan). I'm begging for more 97s!!!

Aight, there's no possible way this album deserves anything less than 5 stars. Its absolutley mind blowing from start to finish. The level of cohesion that the band achieves at this show is unparalleled. Tweezer, Ghost, YEM....i mean jesus, you have to hear it to believe it. The band talks about this show as a "breakout performance" and upon listening, it becomes very clear just how much they truly busted out at this show. GET IT. NOW.

Ok, this concert blew me away musically. It is so tight and funky comared to older phish. I have been listening to Phish for ages, and have been to a show, so I have a handle on their music.

Tweezer-Sick opener, slower than usualy, but the jam is fabulous. It starts out softly with mostly bass and piano. Trey fills in wit the occassional effect. It slowly builds with trey adding more and more until it reaches a funk filled peak that sounds like 10 people playing. It then slows down into a soft beautiful ending after 18 min.

Reba- No funk, but beautifully played. One vocal flub in the beginning. The jam was nice, soft, and creschendoed predictably. It was nice but not near the level of jamming reached in te Reba from live phish 6. No whistling ending.

Train Song- Brif soft interlude before...

Ghost- Highlight of concert. Tradiional intro, but then begins the funk. This soon crescendoes into a beautiful sonic orgasmic journey for about six minutes. Best phish playing ever, when im i th car, I listen to this nd forget where I am. It s so beautiful ad so perfect.

Fire- Fast rocking set closer

DWD- 16 min of totally Trey driven jamming, almost no funk, but wild to listen to

Olivias Pool- Now known as Shafty in Story of the Ghost. Interesting neat diddy into...

Johhny B. Goode- typical Chuck Berry, rocking like DWD, guitar driven into

Denver Jam- This song is very intersting to listen to. It is completely composed on the spot and is a swirlying spacey sort gorgeous jam. It peak at around 7 or 8 min with trey hitting these delicious twisting chords over and over. A must listen.

When the Circus comes- Im not a fan of in, but it isa ncie cool ballad to other people

Jesus Left Chicago. Straight out rocking blues. Listen for some great page here.

YEM- YEM s without a doubt the geatest and mostfamous Phish song. It is very hard to describe because it moves into so many different areas musically. It is beautiful. The jam out of it is all total funk like in the first set, and the vocal jamis beautiful. It makes me think of Africa.

Characte Zero- Awsome straight rocking tune

Wolfmans Brother- 28 minutes... WARNING- you must have a very good attention span to listen to this. But if you do, you will hear fabulous musicianship. There are several times throughout the 25 min jam that you want to have an orgasm... its that good.

Makisupa- Strange reggae tune with long srange jam... i dunno?

After falling in love w/ A Live One and Slip, Stitch and Pass, I struggled to find that pure energy I enjoyed so much on some of the studio Phish albums. This Live Phish release from a 97 show in Denver solved those problems. The first disc is absolutely jaw dropping. To think that these guys were coming up with this stuff off the top of their heads is simply mind boggling. The jams are long, compositional, and don't forget to mention funky like "James Brown on his worst night!"; they take their time, but it pays off immensely here. I believe this is the only show, as mentioned in the Phish Book, the band listened to, and actually enjoyed, after the fact. A first time in their history as musicians. This first set is very special! All other shows are subject to be compared to this one, for this is as good as it gets, my dubious friends. Until they release the Big Cypress cds, that is.
I was glad to see this release still in stock, for I bought this release years ago when first released nation wide in the now debunked live phish series now an online service apparently. I have plenty of these releases: live phish vol.1, 5, 6, 13, 18, Hampton Comes Alive boxset, Madison Square '95, Nassau- 4/3/98, and countless other bootlegs. No joke, this release is the best of all of 'em. This show should be forever available to the legion of Phish fans around the country. A holy grail of sorts, no doubt! Do yourself a favor: buy the ticket, take the ride.

I simply cannot get enough of this album. Oh, how I wish I had been in Denver that night! The curious mix of chemicals, the high altitude, the mystery and wonder of late autumn... I'm sure they all contributed to the musical greatness of the evening. The first set alone should be enough to convince any phan worth their salt to post a five star rating. Many other reviewers have raved about the version of Ghost on the first disc, and I have to agree that it is perhaps the finest that Phish has ever played. But Tweezer takes the cake for me. A muted, "feedback-ey" entry is followed by a full eighteen minutes of interesting and imaginative funk. Even after the 50-60 times that I have listened to this song, it still gives me shivers! The second disc shines with many lovely little nuggets of sonic beauty. A solid and highly enjoyable DWD kicks things off. The next few tracks exhibit the band's newly found "less is more" style, particularly with the Johnny B. Goode > Denver Jam. Listeners will also delight in a sparkling YEM on disc three, which ranks right up there with the version from A Live One (12/7/94). This recording is a shining example of the heights that were reached during the cowfunk years of 97-98. Enjoy.

This is the best live phish release since volume 4 in japan. The first disc has some serious jamming in tweezer, and a 20+ minute long ghost. This version of reba is the best i've ever heard, 1997 was definitely one of their most powerful years. I recommend this to anyone who enjoys the music of phish.

Out of 20 live phish cd's it's hard to know which one is best. i haven't heard 'em all, but i've heard plenty, plenty of phish shows and compared to their official live releases, i'd have to say this is the best. Taken from a show in an interesting year (1997) where the musc recieved many labels such as "phishphunk" or the "pornogroove", this show is stellar. You won't find the band in a similar position as 93-95. the band is much more laid back, getting much deeper into the groove on songs like "ghost" and "tweezer." for those more into the high-energy phish who can do segues like none other (see "Grateful Dead") you'll find your home in disc 2 with about 55 minutes of straight music. disc 3 starts with a steller YEM with serious funk and ends with a spacey "wolfman's brother"-> a reggae-esque "makisupa policeman." you won't get a ridiculous amount of music on these 3 cd's (it's about 3 hours in total) but like most 97 shows, it was short but sweet. definetly my favorite show so far in the live phish series. if your eager and looking to get 2, go with #17. peace

I was about 7 rows back for this one, and my mind was completely melted away and sent off into the far reaches of space never to return. At about the ten minute mark of Ghost, God himself emerges on the scene to perform a wonderful little pirouette and then proceeds to toss a large bucket of velvety golden liquid love on everyone. This show seeped out of the crack in reality.