Yes, my first phish experience and what an experience it was. The second night of the final four night run of the summer tour. This show had it all and is being hailed as one of the best shows of the tour. The scene was beautiful, the music was beautiful as was the entire night.
After a longer than expected drive to the venue me and my friend arrived there about an hour and a half before the show was supposed to start. So we walked around the parking lots and just took in the scene (and to look for a person to sell our extra ticket too). All around were people tail-gaiting, listening to music, throwing a football, selling various handmade products, etc etc. It was a very calm atmosphere, with all the diffrent concerts Ive been too, Ive never gotten a vibe like I did that night. Well after some wandering about and finding someone who was looking for an extra ticket we headed onto the lawn, it was still early so we found a nice spot on the lawn where we had a great veiw and just laid on the lawn for a while listening to some Coltrane that was on the house music. Then as the hour progressed more people started coming in (obviously) but it was 8:00 alreay and still no PHISH! What were they trying to do to me?! Another 45 minutes had past with the occasional false alarm and the crowed clapping in reaction when FINALLY...ahhhhh the four guys from vermont.
The lights went down, the place FILLED with smoke and the first note of the night came out which was "Punch You In the Eye" Great first set opener. The night continued on with a little trip to gamehenge with "AC/DC Bag" and an "NICU". After that we got a great "Colenel Forbins Ascent>Famous Mocking Bird" Usually some type of story is told during the song but there was none to be had, the night was still young though. Famouse Mocking Bird was very well played by trey for an 09 show. After the stellar excecution of Mocking Bird they whipped out a dark meniacle "Birds of a Feather" I was never really a fan of this song in the beginning but it's starting to grow on me now because I realize how much jam potential there is with this song. After the first psychedelic jam of the night page decided to come out and serenade us with the always fun jazz interlude of "Lawn Boy". With a shout out to the people on the lawn! Wooooo! After that, another psychedelic journey, this time with "Stash". The first set was very jammy, which I like because Im a big fan of when they just go off. Alot of risk taking in the first set and we still had another one to go! Ending the other worldly "stash" they brought it back down again with "I didn't Know" where fishman plays his vacuum solo! After that came a song that I love love love called "Middle of the Road" It's a new song but it's so fun and I can't stop listening to it. To end a great first set they topped it off with the blues based "Character Zero". My first set of phish had been completed and I was not disapointed.
After the fifteen minute break the boys came out again and the night was back on! They came right out of the gates running with "Down with Disease." This song has been the jam vehicle of the tour and I was excited to see how it would pan out tonight. It's always a great song to get the crowd moving too. This "Disease" was going fantastic! The song was really being shaped nicely and toward the end it was getting serene and beautiful! I was so into it! and then....trey kills it by starting "Wilson". What?! There was absolutely no grace in the segue what so ever. The disease jam was beautiful and then it was just BLAT! Totally brought me back down to earth.lol I guess trey decided he had had enough and just wasn't feelin it anymore. Oh well, had to move on, atleast "wilson" sounded great. After the great but structured "Wilson" they segue into "slave to the traffic light" ahhhhh back to my euphoria. "slave" sounded beautiful and again trey was shaping the music much better then the beginning of summer. Now at this point I had this HUGE dude, spun out on something or another, dancing like a manic right next to me! But it's ok he was being cool about it and didn't bother me, but I was thinking that if he hit me I would be going down the lawn.lol He was a big dude, but hey he was enjoying himself. So as the "slave" ended they went into a fantastic, very well jammed out "piper" It even got me moving. From "piper" it segued into "water in the sky" ahhhhhh another fun song. I love those blue grass tunes as did the guy next to me.lol 
HIm and his buddy started to do a hoe down. Nothing like a blue grass song to lift every body's
spirits. After that "Psycho Killer" which was on the house music before the show that alot of people were singing along too, so I guess they got the idea to play this song from the reception it received. The "Psycho Killer" was short and then changed into this weird, futuristic, video game rythm to which I said in my head "YES!" They were really going out on a limb here! This is why we love this band! They kept that going as trey started to goof around and try and dance to the music.lol Which was undanceable. Then he told fish to come and try the best dance he could. Keeping the strange rythm going trey started reciting their poem "Catapult!" WOOOOOOOOO!!! CATAPULT! OMG This was going to a whole other level. With the rythm STILL going trey started telling us how "we kids" are so involved with our technology with our video games and ipods. Then he remarked how he was around for the invention of PONG to which he started to immitated it to the strange music, which was extremely fitting.lol Going on about our technology and "kids these days" he started a rarely played song called "Icculus" This is where the story came in! Then to finish the night off and the set they came with "You Enjoy Myself"
Just an epic night with and epic setlist and EPIC playing. I will never forget it for as long as I live
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