There are certain years in Phish lore that are held in higher regard than others. 1997 would certainly be one of them. This year’s fall tour, also known as Phish Destroys America, produced some of the greatest moments in the band’s storied history. 23 years ago today, the legendary tour stopped in Rochester, NY and delivered some monumental jams as well as the debut of a soon-to-be Phish regular.

Phish storms right out of the gates tonight in Rochester, setting the tone early with a massive three-song opening sequence. “Punch You In The Eye” welcomes a loud war memorial crowd with a quick detour to Gamehendge. The popular opener gets the audience even more in the mood with its signature lyrics, fun calypso rhythms and of course Mike and Trey’s usual salsa dancing.

While “Punch” may not have been a surprise, the absolutely monstrous “Down With Disease” that immediately follows certainly must have been. Phish’s second song in Rochester was played like a second set with an electric, Anastasio-led jam starting around the five minute mark. From then on it’s a masterclass in controlled chaos with the band in full swing. This eventually evolves into an ambient style jam full of digital delay loop effects, giving it that late 90s vintage sound.

20 minutes and a crazy start-stop jam later, the “illness” slowly comes to an end. At this point anything is possible. But then the familiar high hat drum pattern from “Maze” emerges from the fog. The dark organ tones that Page creates on the keys, combined with Trey’s relentless guitar rhythms, shine here. This marks the end of a fascinating and certainly tiring start with a 1-2-3 score on the lineup card in Rochester this evening.

Understandably, things cool down a bit after that, starting with the following “Dirt.” Trey takes the band on a brief journey beneath the surface with this new song, which debuted earlier this year. Another new song then appears, “Limb By Limb”. This one comes with a quick, delicious jam at the end. “Limb” would later appear on Phish The Story of the Spirit The album was released the following year.

These two soaring songs are then followed by two cover selections to close out the opening verse. McConnell and his small wing take the lead and set the tone on a recording of the Rolling Stones’ “Loving Cup.” And a rousing “Rocky Top” closes the book with a first set that will surely be remembered for its impeccable start.

Phish delves deeper once again, beginning the second set with an extended rendition of another cover, “Drowned” by The Who. Trey wastes no time unleashing a wealth of tones, closely followed by the rest of the band, in another frenetic jam early in the set in Rochester. The result is a pleasant, improvisation-heavy jam that once again transitions into a loop-heavy ambient segment and once again extends to the 20-minute mark.

Suddenly, Trey starts strumming a particular tune as they move somewhat awkwardly into the next number. But it’s one they’ve obviously practiced (Mike in particular), as this clip from the film shows Bittersweet motel seen below.

A cover few expected, Phish takes on Ween’s “Roses Are Free” for the first time. They come through well and some more inspired guitar playing from Trey brings it out nicely. All of a sudden, the story goes from a debut to a complete breakthrough when Big Black Furry Creatures From Mars reappears for the first time in 118 shows. The old-fashioned, nonsensical rocker shows no real signs of dusting up as there is the usual havoc he causes.

From the feedback-heavy conclusion emerges “Ghost,” the title track from the aforementioned 1998 album. This lays the foundation for one last notable Rochester jam. Mike’s thunderous bass playing and Page’s work on the electric keys were groundbreaking early on. Then a wonderfully patient and slowly progressing sequence takes shape, in which Trey and Fishman become increasingly involved.

At the end of another monstrous jam, a distinct “Down With Disease” section is played, as if it were a nod to its brethren in the first set. An incredibly random but rousing rendition of Chuck Berry’s “Johnny B. Goode” then concludes the second movement in a magnificent way. This would be the second to last time it was played at a Phish show to date. And as a complete juxtaposition, the tender ballad “Waste” rounds things out as an encore on this chilly Rochester evening.

Phish Rochester War Memorial – Rochester, NY 12/11/97

Sentence 1: Hitting you in the eye > Down with sickness -> Labyrinth, dirt, limb by limb, loving cup > Rocky Top

Sentence 2: Drowned -> Roses are Free -> Big Black Furry Creature from Mars > Ghost -> Down with Sickness -> Johnny B. Goode

Encore: Waste