Back at the show

by admin

The moon will always shine in the evening sky and the sun will always rise the next morning. As sure as these phenomenon are to happen if Phish says they are having a summer tour, folks will come.

I have been to more Phish shows than I can even remember accurately. Been around and around and around that trip and had a blast every time. A show to me was, as they say, like sex, even a bad show was still a show. It was then no surprise that when they came somewhat near our house it was showtime without any question.

The venue was Camden NJ. I had downloaded the Hampton VA shows on MP3 as soon as they were available and was completely blown away by the shows; all of them. After such a hiatus the band appeared very tight and strangely almost better than before. While I thought this may be an over-romanticized sentiment based on their absence over the past few years, I was nonetheless excited to see first hand.

The show could not have been better. Songs I had only heard a handfull of times over the years were all played in the first set (namely Fee, Lizards, and Strange Design). With the exception of a few comically forgotten words by Trey the band was tighter than I had ever heard them and they put on one of the best shows I can remember.

What I found most interesting was the crowd. Some things never change; tickets for drugs, searching for their miracle, grilled cheeses in the parking lot. What was slightly different was that the beat up Hondas were traded up to brand new SUVs. People got there via their GPS systems and I even saw a Porche blasting Julius while they danced in front. The venue was an outdoor amphitheater so there were lawn seats. The back most row was almost a day care center with slightly older Phans with kids in tow just hanging on the grass. It was truly a shift in the norm for a Phish show. Belonging to a similar demographic, while I didn’t have my kid with me, I could certainly see why they did. It was very cool to see the crowd in a bit more grown up sense.

Similarly I spoke with nearly a dozen folks who this was their very first show. All these years they had been listening to their friend’s recordings and studio albums but never a show. No one had a bad time and the scene was as phriendly as ever.

I look forward to more shows to come as well I remind everyone that the fun loving, music listening, bring your kid to a great show and feel safe, vibe is the reason we all love this lifestyle. It is always good to know that I am not the only one.

June 15th, 2009  |   9:29 am