The Clifford Ball

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The Clifford Ball was the first of seven weekend-long festivals hosted by the rock band Phish. The event took place on August 16 and 17, 1996, on the site of a former Air Force base in the upstate town of Plattsburgh, New York, about one hour west from Phish's home base of Burlington, Vermont. 70,000 people attended,^[1], thus making the event Phish's largest concert up to that point. It was also the largest rock concert in the United States in 1996. The event was named after Clifford Ball, a man who held events for famous aviators like Amelia Earhart. The Clifford Ball was a proposed name for the 1990s traveling festival that ultimately was named H.O.R.D.E..

Phish was the only band at the event, with the exception of a symphony orchestra that performed an afternoon set of classical pieces chosen by Trey Anastasio. Phish performed seven sets of music over two nights, including a late night set on a flatbed truck in the wee hours of the morning. Fans camped out onsite in tents, creating a community of people that became the ninth largest city in New York over the weekend. Despite the size of the concert, it got very little coverage from the mainsteam media. MTV aired a documentary of the experience, using footage from Phish's production company, Dionysian Productions.

The two-day event added $20 million to the local economy,^[2] however, officials cited damage to the festival site, making moves to prevent any future concerts at the location.

[edit] References

[edit] External links

• The Clifford Ball on Phish.net