Phish-ing on Lake Champlain

Story by Allen Kirmss
Photos courtesy of The Press-Republican

The numbers are loosely based. Estimates put attendance anywhere from 70 to 100 thousand people. For two days during August, 1996 the town of Plattsburgh was transformed from its regular routine to a town filled with fanatics, stoners, groupies, and followers alike for an event almost as historical as the Battle of Plattsburgh.

“It’s hard to refer to a Phish concert as just a concert”

As the runway to the Plattsburgh Air Force base filled with cars, plenty more were waiting in line on the New York State Northway, waiting for their turn to set up camp to witness this blockbuster event as the rock band Phish hosted a concert for the ages.

When Phish performed their The Clifford Ball at the Air Force base, the town was literally swarmed with fans from all over the country. The band performed one of their largest concerts from August 16 and 17. Never before had the town of Plattsburgh hosted an event of this magnitude. Forget Peter Frampton’s Frampton Comes Alive album--this was a concert to end all concerts.

Although thousands of people attended the concert, few got to stand on stage and see what it was like from the other end of the spectrum. Other than the band themselves, a symphonic band, made up of local performers from the North Country, was the only other performance to entertain the crowd those two nights.Herman Matlock, a local musician and adjunct music lecturer at SUNY Plattsburgh, was one of them.

“It was just a concert,” Matlock says. “But it’s hard to refer to a Phish concert as just a concert.”

Matlock played the trumpet for the symphonic band in a 45 minute set that included songs like the Firebird Suite by Stravinsky and Capriccio Italian by Tchaikovsky, songs that were all hand-picked by the band members of Phish.

As a professional performer, Matlock is no stranger to playing in front of large crowds. He has played in bands that accompanied Aretha Franklin and The Temptations, so opening for Phish was nothing out of the ordinary. However, playing at a concert with people who he thought were not into that type of music was a bit out of the ordinary. Matlock has never seen anything quite like that of a symphonic band being the only opening act to Phish.

“I would give anything for the band to come back to Plattsburgh.”

Matlock says he couldn’t believe the response the crowd gave the symphonic band after their performance. It was a hard feeling to describe, considering he was not sure if Phish’s fans would understand the music they were playing. Plain and simple: “I felt respected,” Matlock says.

“It’s a satisfaction that’s a lot different than hitting a grand slam homer in the bottom of the ninth to win a game,” he somberly adds. “When 80,000 people are giving a thunderous response, it’s like an earthquake. We left the stage, all of us feeling like ‘what just happened there’ in a positive way.”

For what seems like an eternity, Phish has currently been on an almost 5-year break from touring. The last concert they had, in Coventry, Vermont, was set to be their final performance ever. Phish fanatic Mark Opipari happened to be at that festival.  “It’s been almost 5 years since their last concert, I really did not think they were going to get back together,” he says. “It was upsetting knowing that I wouldn’t see them ever again.”
But will the band ever come back to Plattsburgh?

“I would give anything for the band to come back to Plattsburgh,” he admits.

Even for younger fans like Opipari, who didn’t have the chance to see The Clifford Ball, Phish has become a part of his culture. Opipari remembers the Coventry concert very well and can relate it to what the Clifford Ball was probably like.

The highway was so packed with cars and people he ditched his vehicle and walked 15 miles through mud to get there, just to witness the magic of Phish. “Every concert is crazy…it’s Phish,” he says. “You never know what’s going to happen.”

Josh Vavra, another Phish fanatic remembers his experience at Coventry. It was truly an experience for the ages. “It was amazing,” he said. “We had to help everyone around us push cars out of the mud because it was so muddy out.

Coming to school nearly a decade after the concert was over is a solemn feeling in itself for Opipari. The band just started their summer tour last month, and the venues are not expected to upset fans. Opipari already has tickets for their Jones Beach concert. However, going to school only a few years after the festival occurred just isn’t the same for him.

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