There was no way I was going to spend money on the band. In 2003, a great friend from high school (Shaggy) had two interests: the now defunct Palmyra Tea Room that used to be in Bound Brook, and this hippy band Phish. Like devotees of the Grateful Dead, Shaggy would hoof it to the surrounding states in order to see multiple shows at a single venue. It was strange. I mean, at that time, I loved music, and had seen my fair share of "jam bands" like Santana and the Allman Brothers, but you knew, from year to year, you were going to see the hits...and the novelty of seeing a band that was supposedly improvisation/experimentation personified, wore off...especially when, back-to-back years they played nearly the same set. Yawn. Then, my girlfriend bought me a ticket.
She said, (and I'm paraphrasing), "Sweetness, this band, Phish, is the bees knees and I used to follow them, and it's 2003, and they're coming to the Jerz, and we're getting lawn seats with my friend, and maybe your obsessed friend Shaggy will be there too." Where is it, I asked? "Camden," she said. We lived in Montclair. An effing long haul. What's the weather going to be? It's going to pour. Great. And, I didn't know any of their music. I told her that, unless the band played someone else's music, this would be the first, and last show of theirs I saw. She didn't care.
We met her friend in the parking lot. I think the friend trucked in from NY State...with her dog. Stupid children were doing whippets a couple of cars away. Drugs were apparent. Authorities didn't care. Pre-show was already living up to my low expectations. I donned a rather unflattering plastic poncho from Sears. It was starting to drizzle. Once in the venue, and sufficiently buzzed (don't ask), the band started playing. And they were good. First observations were that they were super talented. Guitarist's fingers were moving quite fast a la Zappa...well, maybe not that good, but good enough. Tunes were varied and long. We had met up with Shaggy who was getting drenched with us in the grass. He gave me a play-by-play, Phish for beginners, explanation of each song. It was immediately clear to me that he wasn't the only obsessed fan. The show was good...the lights were amazing, and then came the encore: Frankenstein by Edgar Winters, i.e. someone else's music.
On New Year's Eve, 2017, My now-wife and I met up with Shaggy pre-show, which was number 35 for me, and 137 for Shaggy (wife doesn't keep record, but I'm sure she's in and around 100 shows). I had already met up with him the night before for that show, but NYE was the biggie of the run. On New Year's they play 3-sets instead of two, and the evening typically features a ridiculous stunt or gag between the second and third sets, just around midnight. By some strange coincidence Shaggy's seats were in the same row as ours...the next section over...about 10 seats away. Or maybe it's not coincidence...the night before I knew the people behind me, met them over 10 years ago...and others in my section...and bumped into an ex-co-worker who had his seats in the next section over with his very pregnant wife. I rode the train home with friends from college...and Shaggy. Chalk it up to Phish magic. But NYE was incredible. They played (mostly) songs I knew. The fans were ridiculously enthusiastic. The stunt was tech heavy (you know I love my tech). Everyone was in a great mood, the show flew by (from 8:30p-1:15a), they encored with our wedding song, and, at the end, I was ready for another set.
It was exactly what I needed. The news this year has been dismal. Environmental regulations evaporating. Taxes going up. Property values potentially going down. National Monuments shrinking. Global Warming (it's a real thing), and women's rights, and #metoo, and the 2017 list goes on and on. I desperately needed a break, and Phish was that break. Their music isn't overtly political unless you read way too deeply into it, so there was no potential for reminders of what was happening in the outside world. It was just fantastic that me and my 21,000 friends were able to recharge for 4 days before Washington's Captain Idiot and the Hatchetmen (might steal that as the new name for my band) got back to his work challenging things I hold dear and appreciate.
Phish wasn't what I wanted, but in the 15 years I've been following them, they are what I need from time to time. It's January of 2018, and I want to wish you a happy new year, and hope that, in the past week, you had your moment of distraction from reality, enough to recharge your batteries so that you can accomplish everything you want/need to. If not, no worries, I hear that the band is planning a summer festival at Watkins Glen, NY. See you there. And, if it's your first time, maybe they'll play someone else's music.
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