Phish Announces Atlanta July 1997 Live Archival Release

Phish will unveil official audio of their July 23, 1997 concert at Lakewood Amphitheatre in Atlanta this Friday, March 12 via LivePhish.com. Archivist Kevin Shapiro confirmed the show featured in the second Phish live archival release of 2021 today on an episode of SiriusXM’s Phish Radio’s From The Archives.

The quartet’s performance in Atlanta was the third stop of their U.S. Summer Tour 1997. Phish played a number of songs debuted in Europe the previous month including “Dirt,” “Dogs Stole Things,” “Limb By Limb” and “Ghost.” The latter spanned nearly 27 minutes and was the improvisational centerpiece of the concert.

Other highlights from Phish’s July 23, 1997 show include a powerful “Punch You In The Eye” second set opener, expansive “Split Open & Melt” towards the end of the opening frame and rare vocal jam-less “You Enjoy Myself.” Phish transitioned from “YEM” into a short but incredibly sweet take on Joe Walsh’s “Rocky Mountain Way.” The first and only “Rocky Mountain Way” in the band’s history since February 16, 1991 bled into “Chalk Dust Torture.” Phish teased “Rocky Mountain Way” within the set-closing “Chalk Dust” and went on to encore with a cover of the Edgar Winter Group’s “Frankenstein.”

Audio of the show will be available for download through LivePhish.com starting at midnight on Friday, the same time LivePhish+ subscribers can stream the concert. Phish Radio will premiere the new live archival release this Thurday.