Hear Phish Wail On ‘Character Zero’ From ‘The Spectrum ‘97’ Box Set

Phish continues to roll out previews of their forthcoming The Spectrum ’97 box set documenting Trey Anastasio, Jon Fishman, Mike Gordon and Page McConnell‘s concerts on December 2 and 3, 1997 at the storied Spectrum arena in Philadelphia. The latest listen is “Character Zero,” which sealed the second set on December 2.

The Spectrum ‘97 box set — consisting of official audio from both shows along with bonus soundcheck tracks — arrives this Friday, March 15. The two-night stand was originally captured by former Phish sound engineer Paul Languedoc. The multi-track recordings were given a fresh mix by Jon Altschiller with Fred Kevorkian handling mastering duties.

Phish previously shared the “Dog Faced Boy” bust out and the “Ghost” > Divided Sky” pairing from December 2. December 3 previews include “Possum” > “Philly ’97 Jam” > “Prince Caspian” and “Gumbo”

The Vermont quartet now follow with presumably the final preview before The Spectrum ‘97 arrives on Friday, the December 2 second set-closing “Character Zero.” The song is the second track on Phish’s October 1996 album, Billy Breathes.

Phish unveiled “Character Zero” a few months ahead of the Billy Breathes release at an unannounced show on June 6, 1996 at Joyous Lake in Woodstock, New York under the name “Third Ball,” as per Phish.net. The first performance at an official Phish show capped an opening set for Santana in France a month later.

Recorded almost two years before The Spectrum ‘97 shows, the “Character Zero” still contains vestiges from the studio version including the monkey-like backing vocals on the coda. “Character Zero’s” proximity to its studio origins may have also led to a somewhat subdued Spectrum ‘97 version compared to today’s standards, although Trey Anastasio delivers a guitar run that ranges from raunchy to wailing — egged on by literal wailing from Jon Fishman.

Pre-orders are available for The Spectrum ‘97 box set via Phish Dry Goods. Preview the set with “Character Zero” below:

Check out Phish’s full 2024 tour itinerary below: