Am I wrong in thinking that this show has actually become somewhat underrated over the years? My ever-diminishing memory tells me that this show used to be considered one of the greats of not just 1997, but all of Phish's live catalog; these days, thanks to the spreadsheet and the new Hampton/Winston-Salem box set, I imagine this show probably slides out of most peoples' top 5s. Maybe I'm wrong, I dunno.

At any rate, I still consider it one of the best 5 shows of the tour; it's definitely one of the few shows where both sets are great the whole way through. The second set reminds me of 12/11/99, in which none of the songs are "best evers", but all of them are very strong versions and the setlist flow is absurdly good (particularly the way the Wolfman's jam ever so patiently slides into Boogie On - you'd think they'd been doing that segue for *years*). The first set, on the other hand...if there was a segue that could top that Wolfman->Boogie On, it's the silky-smooth AC/DC -> Psycho Killer transition, one of the best show starters of a tour that specialized in nasty show starters. And the rest of the set keeps up with that remarkable start, peaking with the fierce funk workout of the Tube Jam.

@waxbanks referred to this show's "retro-dufus-turned-pornstar-goodtimes", a description that I just love. It's not the deepest show of Fall '97 (that's 11/22), or the one with the best set (that's 12/6, of course), but it's probably the most fun show of the tour - the Hampton Comes Alive, so to speak, only instead of goofball covers we have cow-funk sprayed all over our ear holes by a band at the peak of its powers. This show is one of the greats.

Spectacular show, well deserving of SBD treatment. When 30something fans get nostalgic about the late 90's, partly they're longing for their college/grad-school freedom and irresponsibility, but mainly they're thinking of astonishing setlists like this one. Phish doesn't do first sets like this one anymore. Damn, just *lookit*: there really are four genuine segue arrows on the *first set* songlist, AND a couple of ridiculous bustouts, AND an old-fashioned Ice sandwich, AND an out-of-nowhere Tube Jam reprise that had phish.net readers excitedly/confusedly scratching their heads on 12/8/97 (I know I was). And that's just the first set. The second frame is just ridiculous. And how good was Fall '97? This superb show was just the lite'n'easy followup to the cataclysm in Michigan just 24 hours earlier.

Get this show, obviously.

Oh, that Nutty Nutter Center in Dayton, OH. Along with 12/6 II, this show constitutes the best 3-sets of Phish that has ever existed on this planet. The triple punch opener of AC/DC Bag>Psycho Killer>JJLC contains some of the most inspired, coherent and mystically connected improvisation that I've ever been lucky enough to witness.

This was my 25th show, caught on a whim when fellow traders@umich member Josh Zelkowitz offered to drive me from Ann Arbor down to Dayton. The Nutter Center seemed like a a giant gymnasium -- a far cry from the Palace of Auburn Hills (home to the Detroit Pistons) that they'd played the night before.

Sometimes the band just fires on all cylinders and they're able to take each and every jam to the next level. On 12/7/97, they were doing just that and the stellar song choice (Tube!) simply enhanced the experience of seeing a band at their peak.

The Tube Jam>Slave is quite possibly as close to perfection as you will ever hear! The best moment, in my mind, is as the last chords of Slave subside, after what has just been an awe-inspiring set -- Trey says "Thanks, we're gonna take a break, and we'll be back...thank you very much." We suddenly realized that we still had a whole second set to look forward to!

Continuing to fuse the stellar song choice with inspired playing, Timber, Wolfman's>Boogie On opened the second set for a 25-minute excursion that sublimely captures the magical essence of Fall '97. As exploratory and psychedelic as Timber Ho was that night (there's a full 6.5 minutes of jamming in-between verses 1 and 2), the band did not disappoint as they utilized Wolfman's Brother (many a fan's choice for best song of Fall '97 -- it really opened up new territory and showcased their ability to bring the funk!) to get the room grooving. The segue into Boogie On Reggae Woman was one of those moments where people begin to realize that IT was happening (and not for the first time that night, either!!). One person at a time the feeling swept over the room as eyes bulged open, jaws hit the floor, and some just stopped and stared in disbelief. I, for one, did not realize the bustout of epic proportions that I was witnessing at the time, but I sure as hell knew the room was rocking.

The rest of the set, and the timely encore (12/8 happens to be the anniversary of John Lennon's murder) were really just icing. 12/7/97 Dayton lives in this fan's memory as undoubtedly the best show that had ever occurred up until that point -- and few have come close since.

A comment, rather than show review (That's been *covered*): Several posters above made at least a mention that Guyute was good in this case. I personally did not ever accept the (forgive me, but "PT" type) notion that "Guyute sucks" (the top complaint being that it was played too often and didn't travel into "Type X" jamming) and I find Trey's brilliant musical composition to be a thrill when performed tightly, as classical fans often do with their favored compositions.

When I think of the date 12-7-97, I most often think "The perfect Guyute". I may be forgetting a small number of flub notes that disqualify that statement as an absolute, but when I play GUYUTE for anyone who doesn't know PHiSH, I play THIS GUYUTE.

And yes, I also think "transcends excellence" about the rest of the show :^P

my favorite show

15th anniversary of our first show! (Mrs. Bathtub Gin and me). One of my geometry students got us floor seats just right of taper section. We had no clue we were at a show for the ages, but we did flip out over the crowd....participation. We had been to a hundred other concerts and had never seen this kind of audience response to a band. I had never enjoyed watching a crowd as much as I did that night. I told my wife that we had found 'our people'. It was a couple more years before we realized that we had witnessed lightning in a bottle on that cold December night in Dayton. We've seen them at just about every Midwest show since then. Thanks, Phish and Phamily.

I took my dad to this show. It was his first time seeing Phish. He had no idea what to expect. I wasn't sure if he's be overwhelmed or what. Long story short he loved it. After tapping me on the shoulder during JJLC saying "this is the best fucking band I've ever heard". Let's just say my inhibitions went away as I knew he was enjoying himself. He saw them another 6 times with me. A few with the whole family. Mom, Dad, brother, sister. I'll never forget those times.

I flip flop between this show, 11/7/96 (listen to the second set --- Suzy > Gin > HYHU > Bike> HYHU, YEM, E: Frankenstein ---- it is the gem of 1996) and Big Cypress as the best shows I've ever seen in person. Tonight, I'm listening to the SBDs of this show, transporting myself back to the floor of the funky old Erwin J. Nutter Center and, as an admitted Tube-head, well, I'm hooked. This is the one. "Tube, Tube Jam > Slave" is absolutely sick. I feel privileged to have seen both this Tube and the Tube from 12/28/98 in person, arguably the best two Tubes ever and I think this one takes the cake. This Tube, this entire show oozed IT....and after a mini-tour consisting of a solid show in Cleveland on 12/5/97 and AMAZING show in Detroit on 12/6/97, we thought 12/7/97 in little old Dayton might be pedestrian. Boy, were we all way wrong. WOW. If you haven't listened to this, do so now. And if you were there with us, well I'm thrilled that you were able to witness Phish live up to 100% of their potential and then take IT even further. This is the type of show you love and hate because it sets a ridiculously high benchmark for all others. Pure. Freaking. Bliss.

This was the single best show I've ever seen in my life. Period. AC/DC Bag->Psycho Killer->Jesus Left Chicago was an incredible show opener and the transition from Bag had some tasty notes by Trey. Theme was absolutely beautiful. But the Tube->Jam was the highlight though. '97 funk throwdown Nutter style. If you can, listen to the entire tour and see this funk jam show up here and there. Fantastic stuff and Phish playing at a very high level (even for them). There were no lyric flubs or bad notes on this night. An A+ show. Everyone needs to download this gem.

this is a damn good show, from start to finish. i have friends that claim this as their all time favorite show. personally, it's not even my favorite of the tour. in fact, i think the best single set they played on this week was the second set the night before at auburn hills. also, i'm too much in love with the rochesters 2nd set, the 1st night of worcester, and the aformentioned auburn hills show for this to even be my favorite of the tour. none the less, this still an absolutely rediculous show in a tour full of stacked shows.

the ac/dc bag>psycho killer opener really sets the tone. they explore some nice dark realms in this sequence. very nice jamming here. jesus left chicago is inspired and it keeps that darker vibe going. mmgamoio lightens the mood before a very deep ice/swept/steep/ice sequence keeps the crowd guessing. theme is nice, but it leads one to believe this set may be stabilizing a bit. that, of course, is not the case. they lay down a nice rowdy, funky tube. the middle section is nice, but the real magic comes in the extended jam on the back section. this is a nice impromptu funk jam that eventually fizzles into a very nice slave set closer.

timber ho! is one of my all time favorite phish set openers, and this one does not disappoint. in the year of the wolfman's brother, this one stands out as one of the better domestic wolfman's. plus, it goes nicely into the first boogie on since the 80's. while, this seque sounds relatively standard now, it was blowing minds in '97. keep in mind, this song had not been played since '88. out of boogie on,they pop right into a very nice reba. reba was played very nice and tight, along with the slamming guyute. finally, the cut loose on a very uppity and rowdy possum, closing this very fine show it in fine form. aditl is a nice appropriate encore.

this is a very good show, with not one dull moment. although, i don't think it fully displays phish's musical prowess in '97, it is a very nice tip of the ice berg. you really can't argue with a show with a boogie on and psycho killer break out. of course, phish would begin to work boogie on into the rotation over the next couple of years. it would take quite a bit longer for psycho killer to pop back up. a great set list and stellar playing makes this one a keeper. just don't think this is the best '97 has to offer; competition is tough in '97.

highlights:
set 1:
bag>psycho killer, tube>jam>slave

sete 2:
timber, wolf>boogie>reba

I'm really into this (pretty) delicate Ice sandwich. Listening to it now while typing. It's (pretty) delicate because it retains this tense feel to it as it manages to "sandwich" (pun completely intended) its entire self in the middle of a fireball of a show. It does its part to be as soft as possible and sorrrrrrt of simmer things down, and not in an unfortunate way what so ever, especially considering the whale of a "Theme" afterward. Stellar.

I love this show because of the sheer number of places in the download from the spreadsheet where an arbitrary place is picked as where the next song begins. During the segues each song seems to rise out of the previous, making it impossible to say where one ends and the next begins. Improvisation at its finest. MUST HEAR.

(Published in the second edition of The Phish Companion...)

Someone must have told the band it was my fiftieth show; they made sure to keep the setlist fresh and funky! It's hard to imagine becoming jaded with shows like this one around.
Set I: Wow! What a killer set! The "Jesus Just Left Chicago" totally brought the house down, and the "Psycho Killer" was sweet to hear. "My Mind's Got a Mind of Its Own" hasn't been around for a while -  it was the first time I've heard it since `93 I believe. The "Ice" had a few problems but Page was king, and the "Swept/Steep" middle was well placed. The "Theme" included a gorgeous Trey solo. (It sounded to me like he was breathing through the guitar.) Then "Tube"! Whoo! I'd been waiting years to catch this, and then they bust out the funky version for me! The middle of "Tube" featured a cool funkified jam, which they launched back into after having wrapped the song up. (It was more or less an untitled funk instrumental, I guess) Then "Slave"! This totally made up for the Cleveland fiascothis was a momentous "Slave""...and a momentous set.
At setbreak, I told my neighbor, "They can play shorter sets if they are going to be that good!" Once again the band must have been listening.
Set II: "Timber" was nothing special, but the "Wolfman's" -> "Reggae Woman" was phenomenal! Great segue and great tunes! "Boogie On Reggae Woman" is a Stevie Wonder cover. "Reba" and "Guyute" were sweet to hear, although neither version was stellar. "Possum" included a repeated tease of a lick I didn't recognize, and in general was tasty. "A Day in the Life" was a bit of a letdown, I suppose, but even that hasn't been around for a while, and nothing could be a letdown from this fine show. Short but sweet: thirty-five minutes shorter than Cleveland but far more fun! It was especially sweet from the fourteenth row!

Set One Notes:
AC/DC Bag opens, and let’s get this show on the road. Great call as an opener, as the jam develops, Trey decides to hang on one chord, and Mike follows, leading a buttery segue into Psycho Killer, the first since ’93. Who would’ve predicted this one? It quickly moves into that classic Fall ’97 soaring groove-space, and, in time, Mike starts to digitally jumble his bass, and the whole band moves to hover above that strange energy before another buttery segue into JJLC. Page takes it for a ride on the baby grand, Trey patiently builds his solo, its Phish playing the blues, take it as you will. MMGAMOIO is a nice little “bluegrass” tune, always feels more on the rare side, catchy tune. It’s Ice emerges, the first of Fall Tour. It’s one of my favorite Phish tunes, so I always want it to pop up, and this time, Page’s Jam melts into a gentle musical rippling, leading into Swept Away, the crowd loving what they hear happening. Steep arrives, the slightly foreboding partner in the duo, “an amazing composition” a friend comments, the imagery of the lyrics floating by. Soon, Trey strikes a particular chord, and we are right back into It’s Ice to finish it off, a very cool Ice sandwich. Theme From The Bottom brings the anthemic catharsis to the set, arriving as the jam grows wings and glides upwards, hovering over the top of the mountain before dropping into the ending. “Tube?” “Make it funky!” A classic moment, dropping into this Tube, the first of tour. It’s time to get sucked into the funk tube, then. Page’s clav and organ carry the slap/pop cowfunk, a swirling disco ball groove-space. Trey vocally approves of the jam before he is caught in the wah-spotlight, soon calling for the blues-shuffle ending, wrapping up the tune. “Start that jam again?” Tube Jam restarts, this time quickly going the direction of cow-abduction-funk spaceyness, sirens rolling, Page swirling synth tractor beams, Mike bumping octaves, Fish 2K keeping rhythm like a dancey atomic clock. Mike’s bass starts to get tubular, man, the music spreads out and becomes a cloud-top dance party soundtrack. Slave comes in out of the dreamy Jam outro, great energy and power to close a strong set. Page gives swirling stereo-therapy as the jam builds on top of melodic Mike, Trey shreds slippery plasma guitar lines up to the peak. A great first set wraps up, a strong contender for the top first set of tour.

Set Two Notes:
Timber kicks things off, always a promising sign, as you know that it’s set up to jam. This one immediately goes for murky, chilly waters. At times, the Jerry-beat totally dissolves, only to reemerge having gained momentum, before it melts into nothingness, just for Timber-proper to reemerge to get finished off. Wolfman’s gets it funky, starting the second set dance party off after that light/dark, tense/loose Timber. The Wolfman’s jam heads straight into a funk session, with full 3D slap/pop action. Soon, the jam shifts into up-tempo cowfunk, Fish playing with the beat at times. Fish and Mike start to push forward into something new, Trey and Page hop on, and Mike drops the Boogie On bassline. A huge bust out, Boogie On heads straight into its own simple funk session. Fish is totally locked-in, the baby grand pounding away on the opposite side of the stage to foundation-shaking Mike and plucky Trey. It’s an indica-groove if I ever heard one, and it has really set in by the time Page starts wah-ing the clav over the crowd. Reba comes out of nowhere, certainly welcome, though. Reba just hits different in the second set, not necessarily better or worse. The knotty composed section is traversed pretty cleanly, and the opening of the Reba-Jam Space feels great, peaceful and enveloping. Trey drops melody lines to bounce on top on the lilting groove. I am reminded that nature and the universe tend towards balance and equilibrium in the long run, no matter what may be occurring in the short run. This Reba soars beautifully, a truly great version, with a clean ending, with no whistling. Guyute is called by Trey across the stage, an interesting call in an interesting second set that has felt a little different that most second sets in this tour. The ugly pig brings the weirdness and energy, though, staying pretty tight through its tangled center, bursting through to the end in full glory. Possum has lots’a messing around to start before Possum-proper bursts through, making most of a long, slow build to a big, raging peak. A Day In The Life in the encore slot is unexpected, a nutty meltdown to a nutty show. Mayhem builds and swirls, finally crashing to send the crowd into the Ohio night.

I’ve heard some discuss this as the best show of tour. All I know is that it is certainly a five-star show in a five-star tour.

The segue from AC/DC Bag -> Psycho Killer to open the show is the stuff dreams are made of. Psycho Killer even gets a space/ambient jam! The segue out of it into JJLC is also accomplished. The It's Ice -> Swept Away > Steep > Ice is deservedly lauded, and I'm thrilled for it to be followed by Theme. I think an oft-neglected facet of Fall '97's grandeur is not only the sea change that occurred on 10/31/96 at the Omni in Atlanta, with the musical costume of Talking Heads' Remain in Light, but that the new songs at this time--referring to those found around the release of Billy Breathes--are particularly strong and well-suited to Phish's milieu. Recall that there were a couple handfuls of new songs debuted in '97, but that they wouldn't get studio treatment until '98 and some later than that. The Tube and ensuing Jam are in-your-face funk, but with the hazy, enveloping, and somehow welcoming feel that was so characteristic of Fall '97. Another revelatory segue in Wolfman's -> Boogie On, with the latter not having been played in over 9 years. And it gets a Ghost-like jam, to boot! The Possum is out of control in a very good way, and this was just A Day in the Life for phans who were blessed to be present when these nightly clinics were actually happening.

Holy Heads! Holy Ice Billy! Holy Slave! Holy Timber Tube! Holy Holy Reggae Woman! This night was truly an inspirational "religious" Phish experience. Easily my all time favorite even competing with Big Cypress and the Lemonwheel. I don't really think the magic of this show is in the selection of songs which seems to be the reason many phans choose this as a favorite. The magic was in the ambiance. In the air. Whatever channels these 4 travelers are able to open when fully connected and sharing, seemed to be blown wide open by a strong wind from the universe sending Phish on a journey I don't believe anyone, especially the band, was expecting or trying to traverse. The segues somehow seem completely composed, as if they were writing and preparing the 1st set for months. Trey and Mike kick it off playing as one single entity, birthing Psycho Killer from some deep subconscious place, and right away, everyone involved started to feel the pull. Phish could've went ahead without even beginning another song and the music would've woven new unexplored tapestries. The music was alive and creating itself, it had a will of its own. The musicians had no choice but to hold on and try to keep up. No other band alive can deliver such pure, spiritual sound. Amen.

This was the second time I've seen them (Phish) and they didn't dissapoint at all. Great start to the show with AC/DC Bag and a fantastic Psycho Killer. Excellent Jesus Left Chicago and it got better as the night went on. It was one of those nights where the groove was there and the crowd was into it and Phish responded. Great Theme From the Bottom, Tube, Tube Jam and a great finish with Slave to the Traffic Light to end set one. Love the start of set two also. Timber is one of my favorites. Wolfman was a bit of a let down for me only cause it doesn't do much for me. Not one of my favorites at all but the crowd really enjoyed it. Boogie on Reggae Woman really got the crowd going then along with a great Reba, Guyute, Possum finish. They ended the night with a excellent A Day in the Life. I can see why this show is rated one of the best

I don't think you can say enough good things about this first set, especially when you consider how different it is from the other monster sets of Fall 97 and Phish's career more generally. This is not some four or five song set with a monster jam (or two!) centerpiece. This first set is sharp, creative, patient, delicate, and inspired. Not that the other "Best Ever" sets aren't some, many, or all of those things...but this one just hits differently. The -->'s into and out of Psycho Killer are butter (and true -->'s the way many other segues on this site are not). You can hear a pin drop during the It's Ice sandwich. As a lover of Theme, this one peaks in a way that you hope for Theme to peak. It's delightful to hear the band jump back in one last time to reach that peak just when you think the song is going to peter out. And the Tube, Jam --> Slave segment is a 25-minute distillation of Fall 97.

What I love about this first set is that you *must* listen to it all the way through in a way you don't necessarily have to do with some of the other sets contending for "Best Ever". You're not skipping anything here, you're not pulling one or two songs for your "Fall 97 Playlist"...the whole damn thing is getting added, thank you very much.

And, oh yeah, 12/7/97 I > 12/6/97 II.

My Review:

SET 1:

AC/DC Bag: As early as 4:23 you can tell something is up with this one. What transpires is fantastic. Obviously practiced. Major goosebumps sitting here listening. ->

Psycho Killer: With 40 seconds left, Trey begins setting this up for a silky smooth segue into Jesus Just Left Chicago. Psycho Killer was unfinished and was performed for the first time since March 30, 1993 (413 shows). Unfinished. ->

Jesus Just Left Chicago: Page just crushes this one. So good on the baby grand! Trey smokes his solo as usual. Rocky Mountain Way tease by Joe Walsh.

My Mind's Got a Mind of its Own: Standard. >

It's Ice -> Swept Away > Steep > It's Ice: The jam in It’s Ice is pretty cool. The last 35 seconds or so of it are so pretty as Trey is gradually angling for Swept Away. Gorgeous. This was the first Swept Away > Steep of the tour. After they go back into Ice the composed piece that leads back to the lyrics is pretty rusty.

Theme From the Bottom: Solid version.

Tube: So loose and funky. Page and Mike tearing it up.

Jam: Page is super heavy on the synth to get this started, really sets the tone. You can hear Trey already feeling Slave as early as the late 3’s. His mates aren’t ready though. Really fun jam. Great segue into Slave! ->

Slave to the Traffic Light: That run of notes at 9:30 from Trey is the first salvo of many. 10:20 is when he begins his peak in earnest. Utterly awe inspiring. All of this amazing in itself but then he ramps it up even more at 11:15. As if that weren’t enough he lets loose AGAIN at 11:45. This is the most I had ever been moved at a Phish show. Moved me to tears. My most listened to live Phish tune ever, for sure. Best Slave of all time.

SET 2:

Timber (Jerry the Mule) - Packs a punch – not anywhere near what they threw down in Denver but still a good opener. >

Wolfman's Brother: Short and funky. Good version. Could have used something more here. ->

Boogie On Reggae Woman: Another enormous bustout, it was played for the first time since September 13, 1988 (989 shows). Jam is short and funky. >

Reba: They start this one off at the speed of light. Very interesting placement here. This set is really starting to feel more like a first set than a second set. Pretty average Reba right here guys.

Guyute: Another first setter. Huh, interesting. Not exactly a concise version either. >

Possum: Pretty rare for this to close a first set. As of 12.4.23 Possum had been played 566 times. 83 times it closed the second set so 15% of the time. Last time it held that spot was 8.12.96, coincidentally I was at that show too. They wouldn’t’ do it again until 7.13.99. This is a good version, but nothing stands out for me. Charge! by Tommy Walker tease at 1:04. We Will Rock You by Queen tease at 2:00

ENCORE:

A Day in the Life: Standard.

Replay Value: Theme From the Bottom, Tube, Slave to the Traffic Light, Possum

Summary: After seeing Cleveland and Detroit and having obligations at school on Monday morning, we considered skipping Dayton. Decided against that and made the drive south. So glad we did! After Possum, we made our way up to the concourse to watch the encore from the closest exit and then sprinted for the car to get home asap. Again, totally blown away by this show, especially that first set. Best first set ever for me. Slave and Tube were incredible. What a weekend run this was! I think Auburn Hills is the most complete of the three. Dayton is rated the highest on Phish.net shown currently as Overall: 4.61/5 (661 ratings). I would give it a 4 out of 5. I know I will get killed for this, but this show is overrated – and I have attendance bias too. It gets tons of hype for the bust outs, the Tube and the Slave. Nothing really hits in the second set. The first set was awesome though.

Replay Value: Tube, Slave to the Traffic Light, Possum

Update for show notes that Phish.net did not include. At soundcheck Boogie On was sung by Page. I met him night after this show at a bar in Penn State and he told me how he sang BORW at soundcheck and Trey 'stole' it from him and just started singing when they played it that night. They also recently released a recording of this soundcheck and you can hear Page sing. Don't know why they didn't update when this was brought to their attention

this is shit is mind splitting goodness. one will find themselves floating out of the tube 'reprise', soaring in and out of clouds until ultimately touching down... in to a glide atop a multicolored soup, while engulfed in a funkadelic fog. then setbreak and we are on to the next chapter of this long-told journey.

Disclaimer: Wasn't there. First set is unassailable, but if I lost my recording of the second set, I probably would not bother replacing it. Based on the above reviews it would seem I am in the minority. Glad to be disabused of my opinion though. Giving it another listen on it's Sweet 16.

I need to add nothing as the above reviews spell it all out. Second best show I have been to except my first 12/8/95..
Certainly full of the "Fall Funk" and a great fall it was!!

1997 is extremely overrated. Even fall. But the Nutter show is not. This show is one of the few that is worth all the hype. Nearly every song is a highlight. Only slave guyute day in the life and possum did not blow me away. Every other song in this show is one of the stronger versions ever played. They were so hot on this night. This is the best show of the year in my opinion. Followed by Ventura, the spectrum shows and auburn hills. December 1997 is really the only stretch of 1997 that lives up to all the hype. The rest of 1997 is pretty average. But the nutter is truly incredible.