Big Cypress (Phish festival)

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Big Cypress was the fifth and largest of seven weekend-long festivals hosted by the rock band Phish. The event took place on the eve of the millennium - December 30 and 31, 1999, at the Big Cypress Seminole Indian Reservation near the Big Cypress National Preserve in southern Florida. 85,000 people attended, a number surpassing many of the other huge rock and pop concerts that night, including shows by Sting, Barbra Streisand, and Elton John.

In a 2000 cover story for Entertainment Weekly, three of the four Phish members declared Big Cypress to be the greatest Phish concert ever. It was also voted as the most popular Phish show ever by fans in the final volume of The Pharmer's Almanac. It was also the longest Phish concert ever, culminating in a seven-hour second set from midnight New Year's Eve to sunrise New Year's Day . Phish was the only band at the event, performing five sets of music over two nights.

Peter Jennings reported on the huge audience in an episode of ABC World News Tonight. The band's performance of "Heavy Things" was broadcast during ABC's millennium coverage. Following the song, at Anastasio's request, fans chanted the word "cheesecake" instead of cheering to confuse viewers at home. At the beginning of the band's legendary seven-hour second set, guitarist Trey Anastasio mentioned that the band had portable toilets onstage so they could use the restroom during the marathon set, and a team of security guards lined the stage to prevent band members from "wimping out" and trying to leave the stage.

Preceded by Camp Oswego

Phish Festivals 1999

Succeeded by It