11-17-97 McNichols Arena, Denver, CO
1: Tweezer, Reba, Train Song, Ghost*, Fire
2: Down With Disease-> Oblivious Fool-> Johnny B. Goode-> Space Jam-> Jesus Just Left Chicago, When the Circus Comes, You Enjoy Myself
E: Character Zero
*Jammed out “for your listening pleasure.”
Happy 11/17 everyone! Break out your copy of this legendary show and savour the flavour tonight. I find that 11/17 goes splendidly with a nice hearty porter or stout and an herbal garnish. Sit back and enjoy 
The “Ghost” gets a lot of hype, as it should, but I think the dark-horse is the nice jam out of JBG. Nice little melody that dissolves into JJLC. The segue from DWD into Olivia’s Pool is good, too!
Indeed, those are definitely quality. The Tweezer, Reba, DWD and YEM jams are also fantastic, right up there with the Ghost… the band was just on fire that night, no question.
Alright maybe I’ll bust this out tonight. I really don’t listen to these enough, considering how much they cost me!
But that’s it! No more Phish after this.
…
Until I see 'em in Portland.
MY favorite Phish show ever. And dammit, why wasn’t I there!! IF I had only known…or if I only had a time machine!!
Happy 11-17 indeed!
Just saw this topic from the main page so I decided to start listening to this show tonight. The jammage in this show quickly reminded me of why I love to listen to Phish as much as I do and I think I might want to listen to all the Fall '97 shows again… it has been a while. Nice.
Great show right here. Great extended jams.
I first sought out a copy of this show (on CASSETTE TAPE, remember those?) back in 1998 or 99, after reading Trey’s comments about it in The Phish Book. He didn’t refer to it specifically by date, so I had to do some sleuthing to figure out that it was 11/17 in Denver. After I got my copy, I finally understood why Trey felt that it signified a new level of improvisation for the band. SO GOOD.
I listened to the tweezer from that show the other day and it really just does it for me every time. i was lucky enough to attend that one and it gives me chills. soooo nasty!! not to mention one of the sickest endings to any song, any time…
^right on dude… one of my favorite jams ever. I in fact think it is THE best ending to a Phish song ever. I play that Tweezer for Phish virgins and then tell them “they opened with that. there’s still a lot of good stuff left” and they are like holy shit, Phish is the shit.
I’ll be honest…the first time I heard this show it blew me completely away. Moreso than any Phish had ever done up to that point. It was summer 2002, I was gettin’ high and deliverin’ pies, but my Phish listening still wasn’t all that in-depth at that point. It was mainly studio albums, LP 01-06, HCA, ALO, SSAP, and I think just 7-11-00, 11-14-98, 6-20-97 and whatever else I happened to hear through various sources.
I had to listen to the Ghost 3 times in a row. Love the transition from Disease into Olivia’s Pool. A nice YEM. Lest we forget a nice filler, too.
And for whatever reason, the melodic theme Trey latches onto at the end of the “Denver Jam” just popped into my head, and I can’t get it out. That’s why I came in here, actually.
JBG is rock n roll trey at his finest!
He does shred…and then the jam that follows is pretty cool. Whenever I listen to it, I get the melody stuck in my head.
This yem just elevated my appreciation for vocal jams and funky yems. The instrumental portion of the jam melts into the vocal jam instead of jumping into it. Is that Fishman crooning over the rest of the band in that haunting and still funky portion at 18+ minutes?
I never commented on this? 
This was the first Phish show I ever heard and a huge part of why I love Phish as much as I do. I remember the first time listening to the Tweezer (which I am listening to as I type this), I was thinking how four white dudes can produce this extremely funky shit. I remember the catchiness of Reba and Olivia’s Pool sticking with me from first listen. Also, I figured at first listen that DWD was one of their “poppier” sounding songs.
11/17 will always have a special place with me. It contains many tip-top favorite versions of songs: Tweezer, Reba, Ghost, DWD, OP, and YEM. My favorite part about this YEM is how it dissolvese into the vocal jam after the soloing section. Did a lot of 97 YEMs do that? Anyway, listen to this show ASAP if you haven’t. It’s strange that this is easily in my top 5 most listened shows and I still haven’t checked out 11/16/97.
This show is just classic. Not a dull moment. I know every twist and turn of this show because I’ve sat down at my kit with this show in my ears so many times.
Yes most of them did. They seemed to have abandoned the hard B&D section for a more relaxed funky jam that eases into the vocal jam. I love these versions, but I’m glad they eventually went back to the original way.
11/16/97 set one is average, but the second set is on par with this whole show.
The best show I’ve ever heard, I haven’t heard them all but the entire first set is perfect with possibly the best versions of Reba & Ghost. Second set is great as well, Love the DwD>JJLC and the YeM. I love the 4-3-98 second set, but honestly don’t think I’ve heard anything from tip to finish that is this solid. 
Needs a Reba, DwD> YeM added to it 
Happy 15th Anniversary, this show!
One of the first I ever heard- still one of the best ever.
Happy birthday, Gerard…