Another tasty morsel for all you phunky people, Phish Ventura Box Set in stores and online June 18, 2013. The 6-CD set includes complete concerts, including soundcheck samplings, of Phish’s performances at the Ventura County Fairgrounds in Ventura, CA on both 7/30/97 & 7/20/98.
The Ventura box set captures the feel of two magical nights of Phish – recorded by Paul Languedoc to multitrack tape, mixed by Jon Altschiller and mastered by Fred Kevorkian. Jams from the soundchecks were included at the end of both shows for a glimpse behind the scenes. This collection is a summer soundtrack that just gets better with every listen.
Phish Archivist, Kevin Shapiro gives us a look into what it was like for the band –
7/30/97 – “The site of the Ventura County Fairgrounds shows was a general admission dirt racetrack between the Pacific Coast Highway and Surfers Point Park; with palm trees and mountains behind the stage and a view of the Pacific Ocean from the bleachers. July 30, 1997 was Phish’s first Ventura stop since Trey learned to surf nearby in 1993… Ventura ‘97 featured a number of must-hear performances including a bass-driven, syncopated Wolfman’s Brother > Chalk Dust Torture, a deep and spacey Stash and a gnarly Character Zero in set I. Peak improvisation of the highest order defined set II with a Free > David Bowie > Cities > David Bowie combination that dominated the show’s second half with some of the summer’s biggest jams.”
7/20/98 – “Ventura ’98 was characterized by some new songs, some bustouts and some wicked jams played with a democratic group-mind that conjured a stellar Bathtub Gin opener, a new arrangement of Water In The Sky, the swinging funk of The Moma Dance and a hairy Split Open And Melt set I closer. Set II exploded with a crucial bass-and-drums-fueled Drowned > Makisupa Policeman pairing that utilized Page’s synth stylings to seamlessly blend rock and reggae.”
For your listening enjoyment and for sharing via download, stream or broadcast, a sample track from the release can be downloaded HERE – “BATHTUB GIN 7/29/98″
Ventura Box Set Setlist:
1. NICU
2. Wolfman’s Brother
3. Chalk Dust Torture
4. Water In The Sky
5. Stash
6. Weigh
7. Piper
8. Cars Trucks Buses
9. Character Zero
Disc 2
1. Punch You In The Eye
2. Free
3. David Bowie
4. Cities
5. David Bowie
Disc 3
1. Bouncing Around The Room
2. Uncle Pen
3. Prince Caspian
4. Fire
5. My Soul
6. Ventura ’97 Soundcheck Jam
Disc 4
1. Bathtub Gin
2. Dirt
3. Poor Heart
4. Lawn Boy
5. My Sweet One
6. Birds Of A Feather
7. Theme From The Bottom
8. Water In The Sky
9. The Moma Dance
10. Split Open And Melt
Disc 5
1. Drowned
2. Makisupa Policeman
3. Maze
4. Sea And Sand
5. Prince Caspian
6. Harry HoodDisc 6
1. Sexual Healing
2. Hold Your Head Up
3. Halley’s Comet
4. Ventura ’98 Soundcheck Jam
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