Following up from my last column on the history of Phish festivals, this week I decided to focus on the band’s recent Super Ball IX festival, which took place over the 4th of July weekend at Watkins Glen International racetrack  in upstate New York. While I have previously given a recap of past festivals and also chimed in on the VIP camping options, I wanted this week’s Postcards to get the commentary flowing from all of you - and see what your perceptions and opinions of the weekend were. So please, feel free to participate in the below polls and leave some comments below about what was truly a magical weekend.

[All photos by Andy Hill]

From perfect weather, to the smallest attendance numbers of any festival, Super Ball IX offered a different sort of vibe than past behemoths. I have my opinions on why the numbers were so small – Phish tour manager Richard Glasgow pegged the number at “about 30,000″ attendees, which is about two-thirds the capacity of Alpine Valley – but wanted to see if you all agreed with me or not. Whether it was the fact that the majority of the festivities were confined within the racetrack itself, or the fact that they had recently saturated the Northeast with many previous shows during the first leg of summer tour. So, for the first poll, I ask you, why do you feel the numbers of this festival were down compared to past affairs like The Great Went, Lemonwheel, Big Cypress, It and Coventry?

READ ON to take this poll and for more of Brian’s take on Super Ball IX…

We’re still basking in the post-show glow of Phish’s Super Ball IX festival in Watkins Glen, listening back to the tapes, sharing stories and checking out some of the pictures tweeted over the weekend. Once again the @Phish_FTR feed was firing off images of the band and crew from backstage and beyond.

@Phish_FTR

Several tweeters were equally prolific supplying illustrative insights into weekend’s festivities check them out below and send @Hidden_Track a tweet of your #SBIX shots.

Day 1

@tmeyeratplay

READ ON for more great photos from Super Ball IX…

Photographer Andy Hill was on site at Watkins Glen race track to cover Phish’s Super Ball IX. Here’s a look at his shots from Day Three…

[All photos by Andy Hill]

READ ON for a full gallery of Andy’s fantastic photos…

We’ve reached the end of Phish Super Ball IX, which concludes after two sets tonight at Watkins Glen International racetrack in Watkins Glen, NY. On Saturday the band provided a marathon days worth of music with four sets by the time they called it a night.

[Photo by Andy Hill]

I’ll be reporting live from SBIX for @YEMblog so be sure to follow along. You can also stream the show through Bunny Radio on Sirius/XM’s Jam_ON radio. READ ON for tonight’s setlist and The Skinny…

Phish returns to Watkins Glen International race track for the second of three shows at Super Ball IX. Last night the band got off to a fantastic start but limped to the finish line towards the end of set two.

[Photo by Andy Hill]

For my full review of Day Two head over to Relix. READ ON for the setlist and The Skinny…

We’ve reached the start of Super Ball IX, the ninth Phish festival since 1996. The three-day concert takes place at Watkins Glen International racetrack in Watkins Glen, NY and kicks off with two sets this evening.

[Dusk after Soundcheck, Photo by Patrick Jordan]

Sam Davis of Dog Gone Blog will be reporting live from the event for @YEMblog, so be sure to follow along. You can also listen to tonight’s show on over Bunny Radio which will be simulcast over Sirius/XM’s Jam ON. READ ON for the setlist and The Skinny for Night One of Super Ball IX…

The members of Phish took the stage just after 4PM for their Super Ball IX soundcheck at Watkins Glen International racetrack in Watkins Glen, NY. As with most past Phish Festivals, the soundcheck is being broadcast live on The Bunny. You can hear The Bunny through the Live Phish app, LivePhish.com Radio or over Sirius/XM’s Jam_ON radio.

Phish Super Ball IX Soundcheck

Set: [4:06PM] Jam > Undermind, Sleep Again, My Soul, Ginseng Sullivan, Jam [5:10PM]

The band got their feet wet with a quick improvisation that led into a tight version of Undermind. Phish did struggle through Sleep Again, which hasn’t been performed in concert since August 7, 2010 at the Greek in Berkeley, though we did get to hear Fish get a lesson on how the song is supposed to end from Trey. My Soul featured some vicious licks from Anastasio and Ginseng Sullivan gave everyone a chance to catch their breaths before a mesmerizing 20-minute jam that ended the soundcheck.

Over the course of the 20 minutes, this exploration went off in a number of directions with each member of the band taking a turn leading the jam. At points you could almost picture them going into Bathtub Gin or Ghost or Wolfman’s Brother, but unlike many of the actual shows Phish just went with the improv to the delight of those in attendance and the listening audience.

Well kiddies, here we are, just a few days away from Phish’s ninth festival since 1996, Super Ball IX, which kicks off this coming Friday. With the greatest of Phish factors coursing through my head – anticipation – the possibilities are endless, especially considering that this is the band’s first festival in the Northeast since the debacle that was Coventry in 2004. Also factoring in is that this is the band’s first summer festival since then as well, so the stage is clearly set. For today’s Postcards From Page Side, I figured I’d take a look at snippets of festivals past, while getting you ready to blow it out this weekend.

Now, to fully grasp the past 15 years of Phish, and the previous eight festivals they have hosted, there are several important points we must first understand. With the Clifford Ball at Plattsburgh in ’96, the modern festival as we know it was born. There was no Bonnaroo, no Outside Lands or the like. There simply was PHISH. The wonder and amazement that something of this magnitude could simply take place was mind blowing. Is it a coincidence that the band has named this upcoming ninth installment Super Ball? The first time that joyous, celebratory word has been used since the inaugural year? Maybe, but I think there’s more to it. I feel that the band is back, comfortable and ready to cast some magic the likes that we haven’t seen in some time. And that, my loyal readers, reaches far more than the music created on stage.

From the Clifford Ball’s artwork, Ball Square (which again will return this year), and the fact that things were taking place on a decommissioned airforce base (a theme that would continue in latter years and festivals), the sheer scope and ambition that went into the first festival was unprecedented and never seen before. Ending a short, but ferocious Summer ’96 U.S. Tour, the band arrived just across the river from their Burlington base at the time ready to deliver, and boy did they. From the often praised “best set ever” of 8.17 II, which included a Slave to the Traffic Light that is many fans’ favorite version, the band was razor sharp. But, Phish had more in store, including what would become another staple of their festivals: playing a secret set at a random time during the weekend.

READ ON for much more on Phish Festivals…