Live Phish Series
Encyclopedia
Phish
Phish is an American rock band noted for its musical improvisation, extended jams, and exploration of music across genres. Formed at the University of Vermont in 1983 , the band's four members – Trey Anastasio , Mike Gordon , Jon Fishman , and Page McConnell Phish is an American rock band...
concert recordings. The original twenty-volume series was released by Elektra Records
Elektra Records
Elektra Records is an American record label owned by Warner Music Group. In 2004, it was consolidated into WMG's Atlantic Records Group. After five years of dormancy, the label was revived by Atlantic in 2009....
and launched while Phish
Phish
Phish is an American rock band noted for its musical improvisation, extended jams, and exploration of music across genres. Formed at the University of Vermont in 1983 , the band's four members – Trey Anastasio , Mike Gordon , Jon Fishman , and Page McConnell Phish is an American rock band...
was on hiatus from recording and touring (October 2000 to December 2002).
Numbered 01 through 20, each multi-disc set was made available individually and featured innovative packaging: a cardboard slipcase containing the compact discs housed in a foldable plastic page that could be stored in a ShowCase binder that was sold separately or with select copies of Volume 06. The first five volumes were simultaneously released on September 18, 2001. The rest of the series was then released in sporadic batches throughout May 2003. Among the initial twenty volumes, there are four two-disc sets, twelve three-disc sets and four quadruple
Quadruple
Quadruple may refer to:* Tuple, a mathematical structure* Quadruple, a term for winning four association trophies* Quad , a figure skating jump* Home run in baseball* Quadruple-precision floating-point format in computing...
-disc sets totaling over forty-seven and a half hours of live recordings ranging from 1989 to 2000.
In late 2002, to coincide with Phish's return to the stage, LivePhish Downloads was launched. This innovative website allows fans to purchase MP3
MP3
MPEG-1 or MPEG-2 Audio Layer III, more commonly referred to as MP3, is a patented digital audio encoding format using a form of lossy data compression...
s or FLAC
FLAC
FLAC is a codec which allows digital audio to be losslessly compressed such that file size is reduced without any information being lost...
s of the official soundboard recording of each subsequent Phish concert within hours of the show's final note. The website has been expanded to include the original twenty-volume LivePhish series, new archival concert releases, studio albums and band members' side projects. LivePhish Downloads is regularly updated with concerts new and old. In addition, beginning in 2003, select shows have also also released as CD sets directly through the band's own label imprint, although the numerical volume concept has not been used for these newer releases.
It should be noted that the original plastic fold-out CD pages eventually began leeching a strange chemically reactive liquid goo that often ruined the CDs within the original foil CD covers. Elektra Records thus began re-issuing several LIVE PHISH Volumes 1 through 20 in clamshell CD cases in the mid-2000s. Unfortunately for many fans, replacing their damaged discs became quite difficult (and expensive) as Elektra lost the rights to Phish's catalog in the late 2000s and the CD versions of LIVE PHISH Volumes 1 through 20 went out of print.
Beginning with Phish's 2010 Summer Tour, all shows are being made available on CD, AFLAC and FLAC-HD in addition to MP3
MP3
MPEG-1 or MPEG-2 Audio Layer III, more commonly referred to as MP3, is a patented digital audio encoding format using a form of lossy data compression...
and FLAC
FLAC
FLAC is a codec which allows digital audio to be losslessly compressed such that file size is reduced without any information being lost...
, with all downloads sold exclusively through LivePhish.com. Additionally, select shows from 2010 were re-released as remastered MP3 downloads and CD Sets in early 2011, and are available through more widespread distribution.
In 2010 LivePhish Downloads began a new series of download-only live compilations called Live Bait, each available as a free MP3 download. Six volumes of Live Bait have been released as of 2011, each selected by Phish archivist Kevin Shapiro.
Separate from the LivePhish series, Phish consistently releases live music as traditional live albums, multiple-concert box sets, full-concert DVD's, and DVD/CD sets.
The Original Series
- Live Phish 01Live Phish Volume 1Live Phish Vol. 1 was recorded live at the Broome County Veterans Memorial Arena in Binghamton, New York on December 14, 1995. The show occurred towards the end of the band's 1995 fall tour, which featured a tour-long chess game between Phish and its audience...
: 12/14/95, Broome County Arena, Binghamton, New York - Live Phish 02Live Phish Volume 2Live Phish Vol. 2 was recorded live on July 16, 1994 and was released on September 18, 2001 as part of the Live Phish Series. The show was performed on the side of a ski slope at the Sugarbush Resort in the town of North Fayston, located in Phish's home state of Vermont. It was the final concert of...
: 7/16/94, Sugarbush Summerstage, N. Fayston, Vermont - Live Phish 03Live Phish Volume 3Live Phish Vol. 3 was recorded live at the Darien Lake Performing Arts Center in Darien Center, New York, on September 14, 2000. The show was part of the band's final tour before taking an indefinite extended hiatus three weeks later....
: 9/14/00, Darien Lake Performing Arts Center, Darien Center, New York - Live Phish 04Live Phish Volume 4Live Phish Vol. 4 was recorded live at the Drum Logos club in Fukuoka, Japan on June 14, 2000.At the time, Phish was one of the biggest live bands in America, consistently selling out amphitheaters and arenas. However, in Japan, the shows were smaller and much more intimate than the usual Phish...
: 6/14/00, Drum Logos, Fukuoka, Japan - Live Phish 05Live Phish Volume 5Live Phish Vol. 5 was recorded live at Alpine Valley in East Troy, Wisconsin, a suburb of Milwaukee, Wisconsin, on July 8, 2000.At the time of its release, the album received a mixed reaction from fans, as it seemed to be a rather standard Phish concert compared to other shows from the band's 2000...
: 7/8/00, Alpine Valley, Music Theater, East Troy, Wisconsin - Live Phish 06Live Phish Volume 6Live Phish Vol. 6 was recorded live on the first night of a three night stand at the Worcester Centrum in Worcester, Massachusetts, on November 27, 1998....
: 11/27/98, The Centrum, Worcester, Massachusetts - Live Phish 07Live Phish Volume 7Live Phish Vol. 7 was recorded live at the World Music Theater in Tinley Park, Illinois, on August 14, 1993.Almost immediately, this concert became a sought after collectors item on the Phish bootleg circuit, as it seemed to define an era when Phish began breaking down many of its live performance...
: 8/14/93, World Music Theatre, Tinley Park, Illinois - Live Phish 08Live Phish Volume 8Live Phish Vol. 8 was recorded live at the E Centre in Camden, New Jersey, a suburb of Philadelphia, on July 10, 1999.This show is known specifically for the superlative version of "Chalk Dust Torture," which guitarist Trey Anastasio has referred to as one of the greatest Phish jams of all time...
: 7/10/99, E Centre, Camden, New Jersey - Live Phish 09Live Phish Volume 9Live Phish Vol. 9 was recorded live at the Townshend Family Park in Townshend, Vermont on August 26, 1989.When the band begin choosing concerts for the Live Phish Series, guitarist Trey Anastasio required at least one release from the 1980s...
: 8/26/89, Townshend Family Park, Townshend, Vermont - Live Phish 10Live Phish Volume 10Live Phish Vol. 10 was recorded live at the Veterans Memorial Auditorium in Columbus, Ohio on June 22, 1994.It features the band on their 1994 summer tour...
: 6/22/94, Veterans Memorial Auditorium, Columbus, Ohio - Live Phish 11Live Phish Volume 11Live Phish Vol. 11 was recorded live at the McNichols Sports Arena in Denver, Colorado on November 17, 1997.The 1997 fall tour will always be remembered by fans as the funky era of Phish, during which the band de-emphasized their often technical approach in favor of more simple, groove-based jams...
: 11/17/97, McNichols Sports Arena, Denver, Colorado - Live Phish 12Live Phish Volume 12Live Phish Vol. 12 was recorded live at the Deer Creek Music Center in Noblesville, Indiana, on August 13, 1996.Highlights include a mini-acoustic set of songs from the soon-to-be released, critically acclaimed Billy Breathes album, as well as a 22-minute version of the Phish classic "Mike's Song."...
: 8/13/96, Deer Creek Music Center, Noblesville, IndianaNoblesville, IndianaNoblesville is a city in and the county seat of Hamilton County, Indiana, United States, located just north of Indianapolis. The population was 51,969 at the 2010 census making it the 14th largest city/town in the state, up from 19th in 2007... - Live Phish 13Live Phish Volume 13Live Phish Vol. 13 was recorded live at the Glens Falls Civic Center in Glens Falls, New York on Halloween night, 1994. It was released on October 29, 2002, along with Volume 14, Volume 15, and Volume 16....
: 10/31/94, Glens Falls Civic Center, Glens Falls, New York - Live Phish 14Live Phish Volume 14Live Phish Vol. 14 was recorded live at the Rosemont Horizon in Rosemont, Illinois, near Chicago, Illinois, on Halloween night, 1995....
: 10/31/95, Rosemont Horizon, Rosemont, Illinois - Live Phish 15Live Phish Volume 15Live Phish Vol. 15 was recorded live at The Omni in Atlanta, Georgia, on Halloween night, 1996.This show marks the third in a series of Halloween shows in which Phish dressed up in a "musical costume" by performing an album from another artist in its entirety...
: 10/31/96, The Omni, Atlanta, Georgia - Live Phish 16Live Phish Volume 16Live Phish Vol. 16 was recorded live at Thomas and Mack Center located on the campus of the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, in Paradise, Nevada on Halloween night, 1998....
: 10/31/98, Thomas & Mack Center, Las Vegas, Nevada - Live Phish 17Live Phish Volume 17Live Phish Vol. 17 was recorded live at Portland Meadows in Portland, Oregon, on July 15, 1998.This was the first concert on the band's 1998 summer tour. The bonus track is a very popular version of "Bathtub Gin" recorded live at the Riverport Amphitheater in Maryland Heights, Missouri, a suburb of...
: 7/15/98, Portland MeadowsPortland MeadowsPortland Meadows is an American horse racing venue in Portland, Oregon, owned by MI Developments Inc. since 2001. Built by William P. Kyne, who also built Bay Meadows Racetrack in San Mateo, California, the facility opened on September 14, 1946....
, Portland, Oregon - Live Phish 18Live Phish Volume 18Live Phish Vol. 18 is an album by Phish. It was recorded live at the Bomb Factory in Dallas, Texas on May 7, 1994.The show is sometimes referred to as "Tweezerfest" because of a seamless second set that features elements of the song "Tweezer" in almost every song...
: 5/7/94, The Bomb Factory, Dallas, Texas - Live Phish 19Live Phish Volume 19Live Phish Vol. 19 was recorded live at the Colonial Theater in Keene, New Hampshire, on July 12, 1991.This concert was recorded during the middle of the band's 1991 summer tour with the Giant Country Horns - a three-piece horn section that would learn and perform individual sections of Phish songs...
: 7/12/91, Colonial Theatre, Keene, New Hampshire - Live Phish 20Live Phish Volume 20Live Phish Vol. 20 was recorded live at the Providence Civic Center in Providence, Rhode Island, on December 29, 1994.This concert is best known for its experimental, 35-minute version of "David Bowie," widely considered one of the greatest Phish jams of all time...
: 12/29/94, Providence Civic Center, Providence, Rhode Island
2003 Shows
Released 2003 in 3CD slimline jewel cases- Live Phish 02.28.03: Nassau Coliseum, Uniondale, NY
- Live Phish 07.15.03: USANA Amphitheater, West Valley, UT
- Live Phish 07.29.03: Starlake Amphitheater, Burgettstown, PA
Island Tour
Released 2005 in 3CD slimline jewel cases- Live Phish 04.02.98: Nassau Coliseum, Uniondale, NY
- Live Phish 04.03.98: Nassau Coliseum, Uniondale, NY
- Live Phish 04.04.98: Civic Center, Providence, Rhode Island
- Live Phish 04.05.98: Civic Center, Providence, Rhode Island
Archival Releases
Released 2007-2008 in fully recycled folding softcase digi-pak- Live Phish 11.14.95Live Phish 11.14.95Live Phish 11.14.95 is an archival release by the rock band Phish. It was originally released on February 20th, 2007 as both a CD and download on the band's website livephish.com. It was originally available only through the band's website, but is among the livephish releases that can be found...
: University of Central Florida Arena, Orlando, FL - Live Phish 12.01.95Live Phish 12.01.95Live Phish 12-1-95 is an archival release by the band Phish. It is the only two disc set in the livephish downloads CD series to date. The show was originally released in MP3, FLAC and CD formats on March 20, 2007...
: Hersheypark Arena, Hershey, PA - Live Phish 12.29.97: Madison Square Garden, New York, NY
- Live Phish 08.13.93: Murat Theatre, Indianapolis, IN
- Live Phish 12.07.97: Ervin J. Nutter Center, Dayton, OH
- Live Phish 05.08.93: UNH Fieldhouse, Durham, NH
- Live Phish 07.06.98: Lucerna Theatre, Prague, Czech Republic
- Live Phish 12.30.97: Madison Square Garden, New York, NY
- Live Phish 10.21.95: Pershing Auditorium, Lincoln, NE
Released 2010 in digipak
- Live Phish 11.02.96: Coral Sky Amphitheater, West Palm Beach, FL
To Be Released 2011
- Live Phish.com Japan Relief: 7/31/99 Field Of Heaven, Fuji Rock Festival, Niigata, Japan
2009 Reunion Shows
Released 2009 in digi-pak- Live Phish 03.06.09: Hampton Coliseum, Hampton, VA
- Live Phish 03.07.09: Hampton Coliseum, Hampton, VA
- Live Phish 03.08.09: Hampton Coliseum, Hampton, VA
2010 Shows
Released January 2011 in digi-pak- Live Phish 06.27.10: Merriweather Post PavilionMerriweather Post PavilionMerriweather Post Pavilion is an outdoor concert venue located within Symphony Woods, a 40-acre lot of preserved land in the heart of the planned community of Columbia, Maryland. It was named for the American Post Foods heiress Marjorie Merriweather Post...
, Columbia, MD - Live Phish 07.03.10: Verizon Wireless Arena at Encore Park, Alpharetta, GA
- Live Phish 07.04.10: Verizon Wireless Arena at Encore Park, Alpharetta, GA
Released February 2011 in digi-pak
- Live Phish 08.06.10: Greek Theatre, Berkeley, CA
- Live Phish 08.07.10: Greek Theatre, Berkeley, CA
- Live Phish 08.13.10: Verizon Wireless Music Center, Noblesville, IN
To Be Released April 2011 in fully redesigned packaging
- Live Phish 10.26.10: VZW Arena, Manchester, NH
- Live Phish 10.30.10: Boardwalk Hall, Atlantic City, NJ
Live Phish Promo Sampler CD's
- Selections from Live Phish Volumes 01-06
- Selections from Live Phish Volumes 07-12
- Selections from Live Phish Volumes 13-16
- LivePhish.com 2003 Sampler
- What I Did On My Summer Vacation: LivePhish.com 2004 Sampler
- Island Tour CD Sampler
- LivePhish.com 2009 Summer Sampler