Dave's Thoughts
 
This was my first roadtrip to see Phish and only my second show ever. (I did go to Gainesville to see my first show in 1997, but that hardly counts as a roadtrip). Needless to say, I was floored, not only by the music (which was more than enough to do the trick), but it was the greatest gathering of people I'd ever been to. I'll have to explain... I've been to concerts before, big ones, but they always entailed going to the show, see the show, leave the show and maybe go out to the bars afterwards to completely wash the experience away with a few beers. Seeing Phish was very different.
Travelling with a large crowd, (some were part of our two-car convoy, others we met in Atlanta), was the best way to go. We arrived at the show hours before the concert began to hang out together with a few drinks and laughs, akin to tailgating, but, not only did we hang with our own, we got the opportunity to see and mingle with Phishheads from abroad gathering in the parking lot (they're the new hippies... the 60's meet the 90's). We wandered the lot to check the food and wares, a bevy of both available at reasonable prices. Phishheads seem to pride themselves on being nice, very respectful and even generous towards each other, no matter what creed, color or professional background (a very noble attribute, methinks), so smiling faces were everywhere, all of which made for a very peacefully relaxing and socially stimulating experience. And the show hadn't even begun!
Trina wants me to write about some of my thoughts on the shows themselves, and I'll do it here... once I can remember what I said...
During the shows, when it was light, I was able to glance at the huge crowd and watched as they all simultaneously enjoyed the music as one, yet each in his/her own way, i.e. dancing, swaying, smiling, jumping up and down... myself, I was mostly mesmerized. It's what we all came for, to see this band play, and in the midst of accomplishing that, we were all a happy group of people. High points for us were simple pleasures like blowing up large balloons, running them to the other side of the crowd carrying them like olympic torches, and letting them loose into the crowd and watched as they made their way across the ampitheater. We felt as if we were doing our part to add a little something to the experience.
Later, as it got dark, the fans were able to show Phish their appreciation of the music from singing along with constant movement and amazing crowd participation (things like the whole crowd crying out "Wilson!" in unison immediately following a very faint, almost hidden cue from Trey), to waging the beautiful "glowstick wars"... this level of participation from all sides is simply incredible. I just kept thinking, "That's a lot of love." From arriving into the city, to seeing the band (twice), to leaving the city... every experience felt united, as if we were part of a community that was sharing a spiritual bond, a love for music. And it all starts with one band. If that isn't inspiration, I don't know what is.
 
- Dave the cat