When Phish announced the release of the (sonically astonishing) Amsterdam box set a couple of months ago, the news started a predictable debate at Phish.net HQ. If you took a poll, a plurality of Phish fans probably would crown 1997 as Phish’s greatest year. Phish themselves might even be said to agree, at least judging by how many 97 shows the band has deemed worthy of an official live release. The year’s overall greatness is indisputable. But in thinking about the boxset, we started asking each other, with so many titanic, colossal, monumental shows in 1997, were the much-loved Amsterdam shows even among the 20 best of the year? What are the best shows of 1997?

There was really only one way to satisfy ourselves. We dusted off Robert’s Rules of Order and proceeded to engage in a civil discussion on the merits. Opinions were shared, everyone was assured their perspective was just as valid as the next, and a list was compiled. We wrapped up the whole enterprise that night before coming to our senses and agreeing that it’s completely futile and stupid to attempt to measure the febrile creativity of Phish’s finest improvisations with something as crass as a numerical rank.

Sadly, it went nothing like that. Instead we spent two days arguing over the proper methodology and insulting each other before settling on the following ground rules:

1. We would start off with the Phish.net users’ top 25 rated shows of the year.
2. We would supplement that with whatever other shows anyone strongly felt deserved consideration (in this case 14 additional shows).
3. Everyone agreed to relisten to all of the shows; we would rank on our opinions of the shows in 2015, not based on old preferences.
4. Each voter would rank their personal Top 20 shows, assigning 20 points to the “best” show and 1 point to the 20th best.
5. There would be no set criteria for how to rank. Each voter was free to use whatever criteria he wanted.
6. Results would be aggregated and, voila, we have a Phish.net Top 20 shows of 1997 (though we should note that not all of the Phish.net team participated in these rankings).

And then the real fun started. Opinions were ridiculed. Aspersions were cast. Accusations were levied. Friendships were strained. People left the room and slammed the door, as much as that can be done in a group-text format. I wish I could say I was joking, or that we came out of it stronger. We almost certainly emerged weaker. But we did listen to a metric ton of fantastic music from one of Phish’s greatest years and we did manage to cobble together a list that we’re reasonably proud of and will be presenting over the course of the week. So all was not lost.

Before we do, though, a word on Why Your Favorite Show Isn’t on this List™. Please understand that these are all magnificent shows that we enjoy listening to. Their omission is not a criticism in the sense of a negative judgment against them. But if we were going to write descriptions of these shows, it seemed only fair to point out their flaws, if only to explain why we might have omitted them. Your list is different; we understand and respect that. [SP & DP]

Honorable Mention (in chronological order)

2/17/97 Paradiso, Amsterdam, Netherlands (Phillip Zerbo)
First among the rest, coming in at #21 in our survey was the 2/17/97 gig from the Paradiso in Amsterdam. The recent official release of the Amsterdam box set made this decision all the more difficult, given the pristine sound that allowed this show to shine in the best possible light. 2/17’s first set boasts the Phish debut of Bob Marley and The Wailers’ “Soul Shakedown Party” and solid versions of Phish classics “Divided Sky” and “Bathtub Gin.” The meat of this show and the lead argument for a top 20 slot is a 40-minute second set sequence of “Down with Disease” into the debut of “Carini.” This combo resonates strongly to this day, but imagine if you were at the show and had no idea who the hell “Lucy” was, or why she had a lumpy head? Woah! The combination of power, patience, confidence and weirdness is in many ways a preview of the musical doors Phish would blast down in 1997. As great as that extended segment was… the balance of the show doesn’t offer a whole lot that you can’t readily find in any other 1997 show. The fact it was edged out for the top 20 (I had it at 18th, sigh) is unfortunate, but ultimately fair and, like all of the shows in the Miss Congeniality category, says more about the incredibly stiff competition rather than any flaws or weaknesses of the show itself.

3/1/97 Markethalle, Hamburg, Germany (Phillip Zerbo)
Spoiler alert! No shows from Phish’s winter jaunt through European clubs made our top 20. By no means does this reflect our views on the overall importance of that tour – one of the many factors that culminated in 1997’s perfect storm that was the fact that they had so many shows under their belt early in the year. The tour offered an environment selected specifically to allow them to recapture something that they were missing in the last few years as their popularity moved them onto the shed and hockey rink circuit in the US. Whatever they were looking for, it seems that they found IT! Among the most popular of those shows is from 3/1/97 Hamburg, Germany. Portions of this show were immortalized on the Slip, Stitch and Pass official release. The 17th rated 1997 show by fans, 3/1 slots at #34 in our list, and frankly even that may be charitable. It doesn’t matter… it’s overrated! It’s a nice show, with a first set that offers more than respectable versions of “Down with Disease,” “Wolfman’s Brother,” and “Reba.” The second set has good – but not great – takes on “Mike’s Song and” “Weekapaug,” along with solid versions of “Theme” and “Taste.” But “nice” and “good” and “solid” aren’t going to play with the big boys that would come later in the year. 1997 was a year where every tour got better, and each tour got a lift on the shoulders of its predecessor. These were the building blocks – the payoff was to come, but not yet.

7/21/97 Virginia Beach Amphitheater, Virginia Beach, VA (Dan Purcell)
U! S! A! U! S! A! The show whose first set really crystallized Phish’s 1997 cowfunk improv style. The show starts with “Ghost” like 1997 in general did, followed by a parade of other new songs, the band showing off the new repertoire it had rehearsed to razor sharpness in Europe. Even better is the insane “Bathtub Gin” where at one point five-eighths of the band is playing “Drowned.” But our voters consistently disfavored shows with disjointed second sets and no real tent-pole jam. Rather than a tent-pole jam, this show has a mid-set “Theme” (okay) followed by a cacophonous jam with LeRoi Moore sitting in on sax for some reason, to make extra noise one supposes. It punches back, closing very strongly, but it couldn’t quite recover to make the list.

8/13/97 Star Lake Amphitheater, Burgettstown, PA (Dan Purcell)
Of all the summer 1997 shows I had on tape, this was the one I played the most. It has great balance. A wonderful little one-off cover to start, done beautifully and then never again. An assertive and credible “Stash.” A “Gumbo” that reinvented “Gumbo” just as Dayton would to “Tube” later in the year. (I know people who would come to blows with you insisting that there is a “Franklin’s Tower” jam in the “Gumbo.”) And a first-set “Crosseyed” > “Wilson” which are you kidding me. But the second set is just good; the band is on, and playing well, and having fun, but it never really takes off the catalytic converter if you know what I mean. I was sad to see it miss the cut, but I didn’t put it in my top 20 either.

12/7/97 Ervin J. Nutter Center, Wright State University, Dayton, OH (Dan Purcell)
This is a wonderful show, a fun show, a show with a brilliant and playful spirit. It’s as good a first tape as you could make for a new Phish fan. It is great right out of the box; even in 1997, the year of the first set, shows usually took a little longer to get going. You know about the “Tube,” which is unimpeachable and standard-setting. But it doesn’t really have a second set. It has two first sets. This field is too strong for that kind of thing.

12/12/97 Pepsi Arena, Albany, NY (Steve Paolini)
This probably isn’t one of your favorite shows, but maybe it should be. What the second set lacks in glamour songs, it makes up for in fiery playing. “Saw It Again,” “Piper,” and even our dear friend “Prince Caspian” are not just outstanding versions of those songs, but outstanding Fall ‘97 jams. It’s also probably got the second-best encore of the entire year. It didn’t quite make our top 20, but don’t make the mistake of judging this book by its cover.

12/29/97 Madison Square Garden, New York, NY (Dan Purcell)
As one panelist commented, this show just keeps hitting singles – one solid base hit after another – but it lacks the extra-base pop that truly sets apart the best of this year. The second set is flashy on paper and we’re not really criticizing it, only to say that there are a handful of better versions of each these songs from this year, except for “Tube,” which is a worthy contender for Dayton’s championship belt. One interesting thing we noticed: many 1997 shows that were historically regarded as classics because they were part of an excellent multi-show run tended to suffer in these rankings. 12/29 was certainly one of these. Unable to get a boost from the superior show the following night, it couldn’t quite clamber onto the list.

Coming Tomorrow: Shows 20-16

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