The Great Went

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The Great Went was the second of seven weekend-long festivals hosted by the rock band Phish. The event took place on August 16 and 17, 1997, at the Loring Air Force Base in Limestone, Maine, just miles from the Canadian border. 75,000 people attended, thus making the event Phish's largest concert up to that point. It was also the largest rock concert in the United States in 1997. The event was named after a quote from the movie Twin Peaks: Fire Walk with Me.

Phish was the only band at the event, performing seven sets of music over two nights, including a late night disco set at 2:30 AM featuring all four members on keyboards. Fans camped out onsite in tents, creating community of fans that became the largest city in Maine over the weekend.

Although Phish was the only rock band to play, the Bangor Symphony Orchestra performed Peter and the Wolf during the afternoon of the second day.

Throughout the weekend, the band had the audience paint their own individual piece of art. Each piece of fan artwork was attached to make a huge tower that was several stories high by the end of the weekend. Backstage, Phish was also creating their own piece of art. During a jam on the final day of the weekend, the band passed their artwork through the audience. The audience attached the band artwork to the fan artwork, thus connecting band and audience in true fashion. A giant matchstick was lit, burning the tower to the ground. This can be seen in the film Bittersweet Motel.

Preceded by: The Clifford Ball

Phish Festivals 1997

Succeeded by: Lemonwheel