So I’ll start by saying that I was well aware of Phish in my high school days in the late 90s, but I dismissed them as a stupid drugged-out hippie band without actually listening to the music. For this, I am eternally ashamed.
Then, hiatus came and I went to college. One of the first people I made friends with at college is a huge Phish fan who is singlehandedly responsible for introducing me to their music. Soon after my introduction, I was kicking myself for disparaging the band that quickly became my favorite (by a wide margin) and for missing the several opportunities I would have had pre-hiatus to see them. When hiatus ended, I jumped at the chance and went to as many shows as I possibly could. I managed to make it to 13 shows before “the end.” I was really grateful for having been able to see the boys in person, but I knew from having listened to many recordings from '91 to 2000 and talking to friends who had seen them pre-hiatus that I was missing something. Don’t get me wrong – I loved every second of the shows I went to, but more often than not I got the impression that the band was just “going through the motions.”
Fast forward to the summer announcement. I was excited, but thought I would be satisfied with just going to Great Woods (hometown show). Then, I heard the recordings from Hampton and realized that I might be able to get a taste of what I missed more than a decade ago. My summer tour plans now include 7 shows and I can’t wait… 53 days til Phenway!
Thanks for reading… I’m just spilling thoughts into the series of tubes to pass the time at work…
