Today marks the 25th anniversary of Phish’s otherworldly “Ambient Jam.” The wordless candlelit improvisation took place after the band played three sets and an encore for the first night of their Lemonwheel Festival on August 15, 1998 at the Loring Commerce Centre in Limestone, Maine.
Phish returned to Loring for Lemonwheel after hosting the two-day The Great Went Festival there in Summer 1997. The two-day Lemonwheel Festival, attended by 80,000 fans, capped an extensive 1998 Summer Tour, including a European stint, which saw the band unveil a number of covers such as Van Halen’s “Runnin’ With The Devil” in Atlanta, Smashing Pumpkins’ “Rhinoceros” at Deer Creek and “Terrapin Station” by the Grateful Dead in Virginia Beach. On night two at Lemonwheel, the band incorporated the recently debuted cover of Marvin Gaye’s “Sexual Healing” (sung by drummer Jon Fishman) and a bustout of The Beatles’ “While My Guitar Gently Weeps.” Lemonwheel was capped by the “Baby Elephant Walk” gag, which incorporated fiery elements from the “Ambient Jam” the night before.
Following the encore-closing “Tweezer Reprise,” Phish guitarist Trey Anastasio noted that there would be an improv set “in the Brian Eno style of ambient music.” Part of the interactive fan activities at Lemonwheel was a station where fans could make their own candles. Those candles were then used as the sole lighting for the nearly hour long “Ambient Jam,” with Trey remarking that they would be playing in a “temple of fire,” as summer tour announcements had prophesied.
According to Phish.net historian Elayne Best:
The cities that Phish festivals become provide many opportunities for unique connections between the band and the fans. At the Lemonwheel fans were treated to numerous artistic delights including the Garden of Infinite Pleasantries (a Zen-styled playground that included a steam pond and a “Port-o-Let Pagoda”) and an interactive area for fans to create their own candles. The fan’s creativity would light the way for the fourth set of 8/15/98, the “Ambient Jam.”
After the encore-closing “Tweezer Reprise” Trey explained that the band wanted to combine ideas from The Clifford Ball and The Great Went, citing details about the band/fan artwork from previous years, and announced that the band would perform a fourth set, a free-form ambient jam “in the Brian Eno style of ambient music.” The stage was surrounded by candles that were made by the audience throughout the day. There were no other lights used during the jam. The Ambient Jam that ensued was nearly one hour long. It was spiritual, emotional, and funky improvisational jamming at it’s finest.
Brian Eno is a British musician and producer best known for his solo works Another Green World and Before and After Science, his production of Talking Heads’ Remain in Light, and his work as a member of the 70’s group Roxy Music. Perhaps less popularly known but no less influential is his four-album Ambient series. Eno wanted to make music that would support reflection and space to think. He did this by creating music that was beautiful, but did not have a center of focus to demand your attention. In his liner notes to Ambient 1: Music for Airports, Eno puts it this way: “Ambient Music must be able to accommodate many levels of listening attention without enforcing one in particular; it must be as ignorable as it is interesting.” This statement is quite true as there was certainly a mixed reaction to the “Ambient Jam” set. Many people were sleeping or left the concert grounds, while many others were completely engaged and in awe of the experience.
After the set, the band used the audience-made candles to light a set of four propane burners in a cement pagoda, each one symbolizing the light of each band member, that remained lit throughout the remainder of the weekend. The “Ambient Jam” will always hold a exceptional place in Phish’s Limestone history.
In honor of the 25th anniversary of the memorable Phish moment, listen to the “Ambient Jam” from Lemonwheel in 1998 below via taper Dave Schall:
Next up for Phish 2023 is their two-night benefit run at SPAC August 25 and 26 to provide flood relief aid for Vermont and Upstate New York. Phish close their 2023 Summer Tour with their traditional run at Dick’s Sporting Good’s Park near Denver. Livestreams for Dick’s are available via LivePhish.com.
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Phish Madison Square Garden Residency 2023 – The Skinny
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The Old Home Place: Phish Opens Madison Square Garden 7-Show Residency With Authority
