Typical rookie mistake. We’ve all made it. Hence I do about 4 ‘paranoid’ ticket checks pre-show.
Generally one whilst getting ready, another before leaving the house, the third whilst getting into the car, and the fourth getting out of the car / transferring into pocket for show.
It’s funny because I just had something come up that reminds me of the “others making you late” thing. I left a message for my buddy Dave about the Phish show and if he wanted to go about two weeks ago. He’s notorious for not calling back and while he’s been to a few shows in the past and likes them, he’s not big on concerts these days.
Anyway, he calls me out of the blue last night…he’s notorious for making me late for everything in the past…it’s not like he tries to…he just makes everything complicated. Mind you…I’m leaving work at 6pm and driving straight there and should be in by 7pm at the latest…there’s no time for fooling around.
But he complicates things…he doesn’t want to simply buy the ticket on Ticketmaster and use will-call…he figured he’d just show up and find a scalper…like he can do this in no time. Then his idea was find a guy on Craig’s list and then meet up with him at the show which has about a million things that could go wrong. Again, this is all assuming we both get there around 7pm. I explained him all of these issues and he said he’d consider it. And even though the highway from my work is a straight shot and stopping would slow it down, he wanted us to park somewhere before and take one car even though Pine Knob doesn’t charge a per-car fee for parking and I’ll be going straight home afterward.
So I told him I’ll just meet him at the show and to call when he gets there. I am not letting him make me late. If he wants to show up and do it his way, I’ll let it make him late but not me. It’s kind of a jerk move but when a guy calls you the day before a show and says he’s up for going and wants to change all the plans to make it slower, that’s kinda what I’ll do. I’ve done this stuff too many times and seen every story…that had “will be late” written all over it.
And yet the dude’s a really nice and funny guy…I hope he gets there and everything works out. But history says it’s not the case. Gotta be careful.
Hence I do about 4 ‘paranoid’ ticket checks pre-show.
Me too. Especially if I’m getting baked pre-show. I don’t trust my high self.
Same here. I must have checked for mine 10 times yesterday.
I think this was what happened with my friend.
I have gone to at least half, probably more of the 3.0 shows alone and gotten used to doing things my way. Which, of course, is the best way.
Have a great show Steve-O!
Yet another reason why I like to ‘save’ myself on show days and light up that first one when the lights go down (ok, sometimes maybe like 10mins prior). This was a tradition my buddy Doug (who took me to my first show) always did, and I’ve kept doing it too. I will break the tradition only for very, very special peeps!
and light up that first one when the lights go down
I only had one available so I hit a bowl right after parking and stumbled in and had the second for the setbreak. Worked out nicely.
Oh, here I go again…7/16/14 notes and observations:
Anyway, I just got back and I’m buzzing and each time I see them there’s a point early in the show where I say “Oh yeah…THIS is why I fucking love this band.” I had an absolute ball. My buddy, Dave DID end up being late and he just got a ticket from a scalper like he said he would. He found me on the lawn near the end of Wolfman’s and then rocked out the rest of the night. He even found his two cousins who were both at their first show who joined us for the second set…(though dubiously took off during Tweezer. For shame. (Though it’s possible they went back to their actual seats))
Anyway, I was Page Side, of course. I have not been Page Side for all of the shows I have seen but I have for most of them. Page Side is Rage Side. And, of course we got a Lawn Boy. Hell yeah, we did.
Wolfman’s - A random Dude in the Bathroom was talking about how they’re definitely playing a Wolfman’s this show. I figured they opened with it last time they were at DTE so they wouldn’t play it again. And they open with it again. And a sweet one too.
Wilson - Love it but remember in like 2000 when they’d jam out the part before the “can you still have fun?” line? Why don’t they do that anymore? Both Wilson and 2001 are back to their 1996 length for some reason.
Poor Heart - My buddy Dave’s knowledge of Phish was limited to Rift, the one time he’d heard Fuego, and the other songs I subliminally put into his head when he was my roommate in college for a year. It was cool when he’d get a song he recognized…he liked this one.
Yarmouth Road - It was thirty seconds in when I realized this was the only song I didn’t know the words to. For shame.
Rift - Fucking love Rift. Great choice.
The Line - Told ya they’d play it. I really dig this tune.
46 Days - I called this as show opener and got Set 1 closer. Never would have guessed. A damn scorcher with pure Type I shit.
Set II was incredibly good. Type II stuff all over the place.
Mike’s - What’s better than a Mike’s set II opener?
Sadly, near the end of Mike’s I had to really go piss…apparently the setbreak piss break didn’t take. I had to take off during the start of Ghost which sucked. I really only missed a few minutes but standing in that line and hearing the muffled music made it feel like forever. At one point everyone was there and bummed they weren’t seeing the band with us all staring blankly at the floor and the line wasn’t moving and it had just a depressing mood. Recognizing this, I vocalized:
Me: This is like the worst bathroom ever.
Guy Behind Me Who I Didn’t Even Turn Around to See: Hey man…there’s probably some really shitty bathrooms in Pakistan, ya know?
Me: That’s an excellent point.
Then the next stall opened up for me so I could do my business. That exchange actually happened. Awesome.
Prince Caspian - Type II Caspian! Just the start of the fricking odyssey.
BDTNL- Only problem with this song is it’s oftened segued out of something else and it has a really abrupt start and usually a big key change that is hard not to sound awkward. And I think Trey knows that folks aren’t quite as into it so he always tries to make up for it by killing the solo…this one was incredible. Seriously, at the time of this song, I was thinking it was song of the night. It’s that good. You have to hear it.
Weekapaug - This was glorious. It somehow would meander into weird directions yet keep getting pulled back into the main groove but the band didn’t want to sing the ending of the song so they just kept experimenting…it wanted to go type II but somehow was dragged back into Type I at various points. And then around two or three minutes into the jam it just CLICKED and it took off and the band was just locked in…it was jumping around like an Umphrey’s jam and yet was seamless each time. I could have listened to this Weekapaug for hours. I want to have sex with this Weekapaug.
Cavern - Only thing wrong with this Cavern was it meant the end of that sick Weekapaug with a (somewhat awkward) segue into it. My sense of time was so off I was thinking this song could end this second set…it would have been a short set but it felt like I’d gotten a ton of music already.
Piper - For this, I wondered why they even play the start since they jumped right into more Type II guitar stuff for the jam. Glorious.
Waiting All Night - So glad I got this one. I needed a breather and it sounds great. Trey was hitting those notes nicely. Seriously, Caspian>BBDTNL>Weekapaug>Cavern>Piper was an awesome and exhausting batch of music.
Tweezer->Fuego - Been a while since I got a Tweezer. And I was shocked when I heard the first notes of Fuego since they played it just last night. Man, when they sing the “Vlad the Impaler” line and the song just explodes, it’s unreal.
2001->Possum - 2001 is always nice but was short and I was glad it didn’t close the show. Possum was excellent…the jam kinda lost its way as it slowed down with Trey just noodling as Mike was intently watching him and waiting for a point to kinda jump back into the song. Only Trey was off in lala land so Mike just kept watching and rolling with it. Finally, at the right moment, Mike and Fish just conspired and threw out this nice groove where Trey could easily work his solo back into the main song. It was fascinating to watch these pros just observe and adapt on the fly like that.
Absolutely loved the show. Just happy and glowing now. This is what it’s about.
Holy shit, when did I write all that? And it’s halfway coherent. Amazing.
^ should this go in the “specific show” thread?
^Oh, I suppose…
Morning dudes.
PYK will be glad to know I survived another tiny midnight drive home from rehearsal. I did get sleepy a lot though. Tried making myself nervous to stay awake. I even had an evening coffee to help, but still found it difficult. Recently I started ending rehearsal earlier, so as to be safer, but the last couple rehearsals ran late. Maybe PYK won’t be glad, but rather compelled to tell me I better change my ways.
We have a noon gig in Jamaica Plain this Saturday, for whomever might wanna know about that!
We had a nice gig at the Tavern this past Friday that I’m editing now … worked on it before coming into work this morning. What’s nice is, my memory of the last set is that we were bad by then. But that’s the one I’m working on now, and it’s much better than my memory was sayin’. And rehearsal was very good last night. I sometimes feel like the band is too much for me, but then after the last week, I feel great about it again.
Welp.
Hey you know what there’s no such thing as? Foghat Leghat.
Poor Kevin. Here are a few things I do to ‘help’ with the sleepiness when driving.
Disclaimer: each method only works for about 5 mins; Recommend switching up the methods to prolong effects
^Pull over if possible, open the window and sleep for 5 or 10 minutes. It will really refresh you.
Morning 'Pa.
Glad Michigan got a great show. Many friends in the Mitten who deserve it.
Absolutely beautiful morning in NJ. Bright cloudless skies, low humidity and high 70s temp. One of the year’s ten best for sure.
Today is my Friday which is nice. Tomorrow the painters come to transform our living space, and next week the furniture arrives. This is the first major furniture purchase in 20 plus years, and we’re both kind of excited about it.
Went to a retirement seminar last night about where to get the most bang for your buck when your income becomes fixed. Some of the recommended states for retirees: Florida is still number 1, followed by South Carolina and Georgia. Arizona, Wyoming, Deleware, and Nevada also faired very highly. Among the worst places for fixed incomes, or any incomes for that matter, Tennessee, New Mexico, Hawaii, Connecticutt, Massachusettes, California, New York and New Jersey, natch. Best foreign countries to retire to: Portugal, Nicaragua, Panama, Costa Rica, Equador and Paraguay.
Don’t really believe we’re going to move away from the kids permanently, but I can almost see selling our current house, and buying two smaller ones, one here and one in northern FL which we’ll claim as our permanent residence. We like the change of seasons, falling leaves, budding plants and even a light snow off and on. And oh yeah, the kids are nice to have around as well.
Well, I better get back to it. Have a great Thursday.
Thought I’d drop in and say good morning whilst sipping my extra cup of coffee this morning here at work. Saw the Phish last night. Good times, good music. Brought my mom to see her first Phish show. She’s been wanting to see what all the fuss is about for a couple years now. She enjoyed it.
Work today and tomorrow and then more Phish in Chicago. Life has been super chaotic lately so I’m glad to have these shows to lighten things up and remind me that fun and games are important parts of life. Hope yous all are doing well.
4. Sing Aloud to songs with lots of lyrics (recommend They Might be Giants)
This is my method on this…like you said…one can meander off to a nice jam but singing the lyrics keeps you engaged. Like you said, TMBG is a great choice. Talking Heads is another. Maybe even hit a rap album if you like that. Try to find some angry lyrics so you can really get into it…like the Run Like Hell or something.
Best foreign countries to retire to: Nicaragua, Panama, Costa Rica, Equador and Paraguay.
Maybe financially it’s nice but I would avoid living in Latin American countries like the plague.
Brought my mom to see her first Phish show.
I couldn’t imagine going to a show with my Mom and she’d get bored with the jamming since she’s pretty old-fashioned when it comes to music. But she likes a few of the tunes so it’s cool when she appreciates it.
Morning 'Pa. Another beauty in NJ.
Good day to have your walls painted. The windows can stay open all day and the paint will dry quicker.
I’m hanging out for a bit in case they need anything and then I’m heading outside to cut up some fallen tree branches and make a trip to the recycling center.
Have a great end to the week.
Got the work golf outing tomorrow which will be the first time I get on a course this year. It’s usually lots of fun but it sure sucks getting up early on a Saturday.
Good morning Oh Kee Pa! It is Saturday. I am 1/3 of the way through summer school. Looking forward to a little time off at the end of August before beginning the school year at my new job.
About to have some peanut butter toast, research home buying, and continue the online portion of the bullying course I have to take that I started last Saturday. Have to finish it by Thursday, so I can take the in person portion. It is incredibly boring.
Speaking of home buying. Anyone who has done so is welcome to provide tips or advice on what they have learned from their experiences doing so. Thanks.
Enjoy your day.
Morning 'Pa. Happy Monday?
I’m actually glad to be back at work. Was one of those weekends where I did some pretty hard outside work cutting up dead word and hauling it away, removing older shrubs and their root systems and hauling it away, and general cleanup work around the yard. Had to hang out while the house was being painted, but had to stay out of the way of the painters, so I worked outside. Muscles are sore in some locations, but overall, glad I had the opportunity to get some of this done.
Just happy to give those sore muscles a rest while I sit at my desk.
Chicago looked pretty decent on paper. Hope all the resident OKP’ers had a great time.
Well, have to get back at it. Tune back in later. Have a great week.
Chill weekend. Spend evenings streaming the Phish shows and had a work golf outing in which I was awful but still had fun.
Last night’s show may have been the most solid top-to-bottom show. Excellent first set and an even better second. That stretch of Theme>Mike’s>Wedge, Ghost>Weekapaug>First Tube was amazing.
Nice work of McIlroy on the British Open…seems he runs away from it with each tourney he wins. Of course when we saw that Sergio was his top competition, we knew it was over. 
Morning OKP. Freakin’, cannot believe I didn’t win the Powerball jackpot. Bullshit.
I know this spiritual healer guy, and his Facebook post this morning was all, wealth and happiness and the whole universe is within, the trappings of the outside world are an illusion, etc, and you know, I know that his point is good & true and all, but if I could afford to repair all my broken shit this “illusion” would be more tolerable I’ll tell ya.
This shit really annoys me. What the hell is the difference between the outside universe and the inside universe? They are either both illusions, or neither is an illusion, in which case, as Reverend Ike used to say at some ungawdly hour of the morning on some marginal TV station, there ain’t nothing wrong with money and the good life as long as you keep love in your heart. And then he used to reiterate “Swing low sweet Cadillac.”
Of course he said this as he was bilking thousands of knuckleheads out of their extra cash, but hey, in this country, anyone can buy anything they like, whether it has any “real” value or not. “Real value” is everyone’s private illusion. And so what.
Speaking of illusions, I love the movie The Illusionist and the music by Philip Glass that surrounds it.
You know, it again comes down to perspective. My coworker just started dating a real rich dude. She comes in with stories of living large on a high horse with a hog on it, every Monday now. And I putter my old VW out of the driveway at the end of the day, going, “I work plenty hard. No justice in our economy.”
But then, you know … I derive way too much joy from disc golf, which costs hardly anything, and you know, heard “Foam” on vinyl this morning, while the coffee was brewing. It’s relative. When I plunk down the cash for new tires, it won’t be as fun of a time as the $50 I spent on teh Nectar vinyl.
Sometimes I realize that I’d likely be no happier if I were wealthier.
I like your take though Bill, it’s like, illusion or no illusion, it is still my experience! I wrote this tune that has to do with God once, and there’s a line where I say, “and when those happy things are really of the world, well still I love them … nothing really that significant.”