Best Fluffhead Ever?

great question: while my personal in the flesh experience for Fluffhead is easily answered by saying the Clifford Ball.

i still really enjoy the recording of 12-29-97 and 7-10-99.

E Center - 7-10-99 is my call for the best!

The most memorable Fluffhead of my Phish experiences would be the first time I heard it live at the Clifford Ball (my second Phish concert).  I also vividly remember Suzy Greenberg from the concert. 

Because of a family vacation, I got there on the second day early in the morning - everyone was still sleeping.  We drove from Philadelphia late Friday night arriving early Saturday morning and drove in without getting asked for tix or security.  I could not believe the amount of people that were there.  It was so exciting to have driven into something I didn’t expect, a sea of tents and rvs.  Not to mention the crazy Clifford Ball entrance.

In retrospect, I am ashamed to say we did not buy tix (the first and last time I did not have a real ticket and got in), we pieced together with tape, the ends of the wrist bands from other peoples extra lengths and because they were all reflective red color, we easily entered Saturday night.

I recall we were far back from the stage but positioned in the middle of the stage.  Since the only Phish I knew at the time was the Maze single they released and Junta album, I immediately recognized Fluffhead and boogied down.

Best ever?  That’s like asking what the best Sunday is, or the best Christmas… with a musical performance, finding a best ever is just asking for my mind to overload. 

I can tell you this, my favorite fluffhead is likely not on anyone else’s list.  It’s only on mine, because years later, my son was aware that he had seen fluffhead more than an entire Phish generation, and while he doesn’t really remember them playing Fluff at the Gorge in 97, he can ID the recording when it comes on.  Being able to share an inside joke and moment with my kids is one of the most valuable things in my life… so that’s my story, and I’m sticking to it.

4/13/92 - The band added all sorts of accents to each and every segment of the tune at this extremely underrated show in Tempe. By the time they reach Fluff’s Travels, Trey, Mike and Fish are just screaming shit as Big Red empties the tank with a barrage of machine gunning madness.

I dont know about BEST but the longest has to be 7/24/99. I think it tops off at 35 minutes. Good times!

my fav was the one the didnt play and they made all the youngins beg for…

7/24/99 It’s sooooo loooooooooong.

(that’s what she said).

“Some of the best jams, some of the best live releases that Phish has done, came from the Midwest.” - Michael Gordon

Is there really a best fluffhead though? They are all the same aren’t they, there’s really no room for improvisation except for maybe changing up the small solo at the end?

@cherokeemist: I guess I beg to differ.

Sure, the 1st half of the tune is usually pretty much the same thing every time (plus or minus a few flubs) but the 2nd half is always pretty different to these ears. And sometimes that “small solo at the end” goes on for 10 minutes.

Plus if you go way back (pre 1988) parts of the song were actually missing completely (Clod) or even part of other songs (like Bundle of Joy as part of Harpua). Not to mention the long lost Lushington (RIP!) parts of which also became part of Fluffhead.

Then again, there are folks out there who think ALL Phish songs sound the same, let alone different versions of the same one!

Say what you will about this show, but 7-24-99’s Fluff’ is not “all the same.”

10.1.99

while a smoking hot Fluffhead at times, best ever is a very subjective thing. trey totally flubs some of the composed parts and even train wrecks the very end of the part before the big “fluffhead!” part. but still, quite the treat and overall a really great version of this song from a time when trey couldn’t play a complex song like this without screwing up some of it. :)

There is really no contest- Alpine’s 7.24.99 slaughters every other Fluffhead ever—wonder why it took so long to jam this song??

the version which captures and encapsulates not only the built-in intensity but also every complex nuance of this mostly-composed tune, is, WITHOUT QUESTION, the Ball version from 8-17-96…..i’ve aurally witnessed the “Fluff” about 20 times and have heard at least 3 x’s as many and 8-17-96 is the one “to which none compare”

Congratulations to commenter Dave Calarco who scored a free Pollock School Magnet in our random drawing.

In related news, be sure to pay a visit to Dave’s great blog Mr. Miner’s Phish Thoughts where you’ll find great writing, great free music, great photos and more.

Congrats Dave, and thanks to everyone else who dropped a comment! Stay tuned for more quick giveaways in the future.