"Brain dead and made of money, no future at all..."- Phish
I'm going to miss Deer Creek
Editor's Note: This is one of my longest posts to date. It's best read if you print it out and read it in parts. Just my suggestion. If you are not familiar with Phish, I posted a Glossary of Terms and Slang in the next post for a little help if you get confused with the lingo. Now, here's the post that everyone's been waiting for...
Following Phish is the closest thing to being a rock star that I will ever experience. Sure, I don't get up on stage every night, but I'm living the lifestyle, which is probably more fun without any of the responsibilities of holding iconic rock star status. Unlike Trey, I don't have a thousand barefoot children outside my house, dancing on my lawn.
Following Phish is like being a rock star. I'm on the road, in a different city every night, mostly places I never would choose to visit if you put a gun to my left testicle. I stay up very late, way past seeing the sun rise after partying hard while a steady flow of cheap booze and expensive drugs which they eagerly line themselves up for quick ingestion into my body. I'm always kickin it with some friends, but usually complete strangers, and it really doesn't matter, because they thought I was a golden God among pimps and hustlers, and that's a high I hope some of you get to feel once in your life. Alas, when I do wake up, with wicked cotton mouth and a groggy head, it's always in a different place; lying face down in a middle of a cornfield with a dozen mosquito bites on my hand, or passed out on a friend's couch with his dog licking my face, or curled up in generic bed in some generic hotel with a young girl fast asleep, her angelic face vaguely familiar and her hippie name a thousand miles away from any semblance of me trying to recall it when she eventually wakes up.
Mike in Brooklyn
I have that vibe. You know, that vibe that people get sometimes about cool people. Complete strangers walk up to me and ask me for drugs. Other times, they want to buy drugs from me, and the best times are when they just hand them over. Strangers have given me the following items at Phish shows: bottles of hard liquor, joints, balls of hash, Jamaican red hair seeds, opium, painkillers, beers, grilled cheese sandwiches, and hits of ecstasy. Man, you know you've done something right when a beautiful girl taps you on the shoulder and hands you a packed bowl of kind buds in the middle of the Brooklyn show. Maybe it was my sleek red dinner jacket that I wore the entire tour (rain storm in Brooklyn excluded), but I was putting the vibe out once again. People knew I was a party guy.
I cite evidence from the parking lot after the second Saratoga show. Traffic was hell getting out of the lots. It was standstill until 1:45 am every night. The Joker and I knew this and set up a late night lounge at our parking space, complete with rave music (from XM radio) and candles and the two of us jumping up and down like those Roxbury guys from SNL. One adorable Phishy chick wandered out of the woods and asked, "Do you guys have any Molly?"
We didn't have any, but seconds later a random guy offered to sell us an entire gram! They could have asked hundreds of others in the lot, but we were giving off that probable cause vibe that I hoped the coppers and federalies weren't picking up on. Sure, we looked pretty freaky, but at a Phish show, freaky and weird are just par for the course. You know it's going to be a circus sideshow when I look like the most sober person at the concert.
Niagara Falls
Then of course I wandered off to Canada, where the rock star status continued. I got $200 Canadian dollars and hit the casino, then a fancy gentleman's club afterwards. We lied to the strippers and told them we were in a band, and slowly but surely, all of the better looking girls stopped by our table looking to give us table and lapdances. I shrugged my shoulders twice; once when I attempted to discuss literature with a not-so-bright adult entertainer. Now I know... most strippers don't read the same books I read. (And I have gotten a few off-the-record comments that most regular women, aka women with clothes on and with real jobs, don't know who Milan Kundera is as well) and the second time was when I witnessed the two hottest performers lick each other's vagina... while both were standing up (and bending over). I was impressed, but didn't want to overextend my enthusiasm. OK, enough about me gloating over how cool I am. You get the picture. I am a drugs, sex, and rock and roll kinda guy.
Fish in his Moo Moo
The Phish. How about those guys from Vermont, huh? Phish played some of their best stuff in recent memory. They know how to put on a good show. They rocked out for three hours, more than half of it in the rain on the first night in Brooklyn. The next night, they showed their range as musicians and artists. Phish has always been willing to take risks... they do stupid shit sometimes, but it's always different.
Jay Z with Phish in Brooklyn
In Vegas, Trey tried to sing a Jay Z cover, which was funny, but really a bad train wreck after three minutes. But... in Brooklyn, they brought out the real deal himself, and Jay Z took over with Phish as his backup band. For ten minutes the entire crowd on the floor was going crazy. I heard all the black ladies who worked the concession stands left their posts and got down with all the heads, dancing, groovin, and chanting Jay Z's lyrics with the chemically flooded crowd. Phish playing trip-hop? Why not. The boys were Big Pimpin' all night long.
Here's what one NY Times writer had said about the Jay Z appearance:
"It was yet another brilliant stunt from an incorrigibly stunt-happy band. During "99 Problems," when Jay-Z rhymed about eluding an illegal search ("Well, my glove compartment is locked, so is the trunk in the back/And I know my rights, so you gon' need a warrant for that"), there was a sympathetic roar; who says Phish fans and hip-hop stars have nothing in common?"He got that one thing right. If the NY Times takes the space to print up those words, it must be newsworthy.
Phisheads with the munchies in Coney Island
Sure, they were still sloppy at times, and a few times they lacked cohesion in the setlists. But for the most part, the boys nailed several tough composed parts in songs like You Enjoy Myself and Reba in Saratoga, and when they jammed out songs... the jams were insane, heavy, and they pushed each one to it's limits. Take Piper from Saratoga for example. That was one of the best jams I ever heard Phish pull out. The energy level was high, the band was having a blast, and the crowd kept wanting more. The next night, Seven Below was a tune that exemplified the nature of Phish. They can go off on a tangent at any moment and rock out licks that you have never heard before, but they suck you in and you're caught up in their madness. I noticed that the played a lot of songs where they could go into uncharted waters... songs with some composed sections, but a definite point of entry into the depths of in the moment insanity. That's why I go to so many Phish shows. I love getting lost in the music and taken on a journey.
My setlist from second night in Saratoga
The second night, second set at Saratoga was an epic set. If you enjoy trippy Phish, then it's a must have for your collection. Seven Below is a song that I really got into last summer. At first, the lyrics hint at a definite winter song. In fact, it's great to listen to during a light snowstorm. The boys like it because they can go off and jam out the latter part. At Saratoga, the mushrooms kicked in and Phish swept me away in their noodling. The version of Ghost still lingers inside my half-burnt head as I write this. One of my favorite versions I've seen live.
On the trampolines during Y.E.M. in Saratoga
I really like sets when Phish plays three or four songs, jamming out each one, yet maintaining a distinct sound particular to that night. In some ways, Seven Below, Ghost and Twist all had a similar sounding background jam that Phish weaved throughout the insane set. You Enjoy Myself was a rager. I didn't think they were going to play YEM until Deer Creek. Again, the second set is a must add for your collection. Personally, I was pretty far gone most of the second set. I couldn't even pack a bowl I was so jittery. Luckily, I pulled out of the darkness at the start of YEM. Man, the boys really kicked my ass at Saratoga. The Good Times, Bad Times encore was the cherry on top of the sundae. It's one of my favorite Led Zeppelin cover songs, and I love Page's singing on their version. I left Saratoga with some great memories of Phish. Man, and I was looking forward to the Deer Creek shows.
I Fuckin' Love Deer Creek
Some of the best shows I had ever seen were at Deer Creek. For an outdoor amphitheatre, the sound is near perfect. The lawn is spacious, and there are no bad pavilion seats. They allow on site camping nextdoor, adjacent to a corn field. That's where the party never stops. For a two day event, the camp grounds take on a festival and carnival like atmosphere. Anything goes in the campgrounds, and the police are very cool. They won't step inside. It's self contained.
At our campsite in Deer Creek
You can get anything inside... sex, drugs, and rock and roll. The barter system is the most preferred form of currency. I had a few dollars, but plenty of nugs to trade. I was able to get a few different kinds of strains... from the Northern Lights to Smurf to White Widow cross bread that these guys from Georgia shared with me. I would offer up a few nugs for pharmies. I scored a few Valium to help me sleep after being up for the shows. I also got offered yay yo a bunch of times from a few crusty chicks, in exchange for a few pharmies and nugs. The tour has been flooded with yay yo since last summer. Times are a changin'.
We set up camp near the back of Shakedown. A cool band called EN2 were scheduled to play the after-show party in the campgrounds and we had the best view. There was a van selling balloons nearby and plenty of hagged out freaks wandered by late night, some asking for drinks, others just so far gone that they would stumble by like idiots. I wandered around Shakedown late night, and everyone was pretty far spun. I scored a grilled cheese and found a tent with a cardboard sign with the words Texas Hold'em Poker scribbled. Was I seeing things? The tent was wedged in between a couple of Phishy chicks selling Fajitas and grilled cheese sandwiches, and a guy selling crystals and other rocks. I poked my head inside and saw four guys sitting around a small camping table. They didn't have chips, but used dollar bills instead. I didn't get a good vibe from two of the guys running the games. They were skecthy and didn't look like an average head. I was too spun out to play cards. After all, I was on hiatus from poker, so I left. I also noticed a makeshift blackjack table a couple of rows over. It was the coolest thing to see at Deer Creek. A casino. I have now seen it all.
Vending and Shakedown Street
We got up fairly late on the second morning in Deer Creek. The band at the after-party played until sun up, but I passed out a few hours earlier. The Joker set up a makeshift bar in the middle of Shakedown Street, next to a vendor. There are two types of vendors in Shakedown, the professionals and the non-pros. The professionals have huge stands and are usually older than me. They have a legitimate setup with signs and great food. Some of them sell clothing, stickers, posters, and the jewelry. The non-professional vendors are much younger. They often just have a cooler filled with beer or water. The Phishy chicks roll up burritos or make ganja goo balls and other baked ganja products and sell them out of baskets. And of course, the straight up drug dealers stand in the middle of Shakedown and whisper their product as you walk by. I would hear faint callings of Molly and Nugs with every step. When I need something in particular, I would walk around blurting out, "Who's got my XYZ?" Where XYZ = whatever you were looking for... pharmies, marijuana, mushrooms, extra tickets.
The Joker performs Cities for the crowd
The Joker had a great pitch, "Cute girls like Bloody Marys!" It at least got a smile out of any girl who wandered by the makeshift bar. Sometimes we could tell a few girls were from Chicago and the Joker would yell out, "Cute girls from Chicago like Bloody Marys!"
Sometimes it worked, especially with those Dave Matthews chicks. Of course, everyone else had their own creative sales pitch. "Sexy grilled cheese. $1!" or "Ice cold beers... $3. Two for $5!" As you can tell, with plenty of people coming to the shows to party before hand, they almost instantly hit Shakedown to score whatever they were lacking; food, drinks, drugs, extra tickets... and the random chance you bump into someone you know.
Selling drinks on Shakedown Street
I got Al Can't Hang drunk before Noon on the second day in Deer Creek. The Joker traded a Bloody Mary for a fat plate of pancakes, biscuits & gravy. I traded a few nugs for two breakfast burritos (two eggs, cheese and ham) from an old Deadhead nearby. I also scored two lemonades from a girl with two puppies who was seeking a Miracle. I promptly poured vodka into the lemonade for my eye opener of the day. After smoking a few hits of Smurf in the hot Indiana sun, I was pretty much luggage for the next hour or so. Sloshed, you betcha. I was teasing girls who didn't want Bloody Marys. I dunno how I managed to find Maggie (the girl from Miami in the Truckin' story: Maggie's Flight), let alone make a few drinks for customers in search of White Russians. I would wander off from time to time into the dense, afternoon crowd of Phisheads, wearing my sleek red dinner jacket, hoping to strike up an interesting conversation with someone looking to trade for any different types of drugs. Really fucked up people loved the jacket. Some of the rolling girls wanted to feel the fabric. Although I never signed any autogrpahs, I took one picture with a nice couple from North Carolina.
With half a bag on, I also managed to pen a few poems and jot down some thoughts while we waited for customers in Shakedown.
Ode to ShakedownYeah, I managed to take a few pictures too. It was a nice boost of creative energy for sure.
11:05 am sitting in the sun,
Spun out girl stole our celery, while
The Joker played Cities three times
Attracting cute girls from the Midwest.
Funny accents on adorable waifs make me blush.
A guy with a parrot waves at me,
Then slings some nugs my way.
A wookie lost his dog,
and we laugh and shoot rubber bands at them.
Sipping Vokda Lemonades with
Blonde Wisconsin girls who are trying to
Find extra tickets.
Ask me if I care what time or
What day it is,
And I will flip you the finger!
Last Show at Deer Creek
I saw some kick ass shows in Deer Creek, most of them with Angela, like the infamous Moby Dick show 7.11.00. But the last show was one of the best performances I've witnessed at Deer Creek. Every song was solid and the jams were tight. I swear everyone around me was uber-wasted. I can't recall a show where more people were completely polluted. The first night they played some of my favorite songs in the second set. I was still giddy about the night prior when the boys broke out Halley's Comet > Crosseyed & Painless > Slave. Crosseyed is one of my favorite Talking Heads cover songs, and Fish rocks out on his version.
Trey during intro to Prince Caspian
Anytime Phish opens up a show with a smoking song like Loving Cup, you know it's going to be a special night. Page was rockin on the vocals and piano. The next song was a little bit of a surprise. Cities is another Talking Heads cover song. It was short and sweet. Ironic, since the Joker had been playing Cities a lot in Shakedown while selling Bloody Marys. The second set was were the magic continued. I was as wasted as I had been in a very long time. I made sure I was extra sauced up for the last set of Phish ever at Deer Creek. And the boys did not disappoint me one bit. I got to hear one of my Top 3 favorite songs in Tube. The Walls of the Cave closer is a song that Phish nailed the composed sections, then went off on a slamming jam. The closed out their last show at Deer Creek with a mellow closer, a fan favorite for sure, and a song that has since grown on me post-hiatus. I had goosebumps as Page played the last few notes to Squirming Coil, as the other members of Phish slowly, one by one, left the stage. I thought perhaps that might be the last song Phish might play in Coventry in August.
The morning after...
I wandered around after the show hanging out with Zobo, and then Alea in the parking lots. I was still pretty out there, and took my time getting back to camp. Alea wanted to beat the traffic back thru Chicago and Zobo was heading back to Atlanta. I bumped into some Japhamily, Craig, on my way back. I didn't see too many others from Japan. When I did return back to base camp, the Joker busted out the Christmas lights that he powered up through an adapter in his Honda Element... which he had named Marco. Indeed, Marco was the coolest touring vehicle I have ever encountered. I already miss the guy.
Notes from the Shows
I scribbled the following notes during the concerts...
6.17.04 Brooklyn... Joker points out twirling girl... guy in skirt with three foot chiquita banana... rain falling during Free looked awesome in the purple lights... security guards couldn't catch a fence jumper... shaking lights in the rain on the crowd was cool... raindrops the size of silkworms... Gil had the biggest umbrella, ever... I can see the PJs, the Cyclone (rollercoaster), the beach, and the subway from my seat... let's go out to dinner and see your boobies... thanks guys for Divided Sky encore
Senor and Gil before the Brooklyn show
6.18.04 Brooklyn... floor seats... ten rows back... Mike going off on Camelwalk... The Joker showed his sign: Dubya Loves Phish to the band... Page did a double take and Trey giggled... Mike dropped a few bass bombs... Senor told me had hadn't seen Phish in seven years, he's way off... I'm too faded to do the math myself... hot girl in wifebeater hands me a bowl of the dank in middle of Down with Disease... she looks like Catherine Zeta Jones, but hotter... I got hit in the head with a red glowstick during Harry Hood while on the phone with Molly... looked up to see a single star in the faint sky... Joker said they are playing songs they like... Big Pimping with Jay Z... way cool... Tweprise (Tweezer Reprise) rocked out... will that be the last Phish song ever in Vermont?
Brooklyn ticket
6.19.04 Saratoga... Joker made fun of the probable cause guys in front of us... sat behind the soundboard... could see Kuroda work the lights... Page was on fire in the jam on NICU... Mike was going off on Wolfman's Brother... SICK ASS PIPER > JAM!!!... at least 30 mins?... Trey dropped a few loops during Gotta Jibboo
Cool lights from Chris Kuroda
6.20.04 Saratoga... have balcony seats... great view... shroomies coming on... fast... balcony rocking during Julius... Page's dad came out to tap dance... it's Father's Day... too wasted to speak to the guy next to me, he has 5 on his shirt... cute girl in front of me with a bag of rubber bands... gives me a bunch... went wookie hunting shooting at wookies that wander by during setbreak... too scared to go to the bathroom when I take the rest of the mushroom chocolates... afraid to get lost... wanted a trippy set... Ghost was dark, trippy...
Day 2 in Saratoga
6.23.04 Deer Creek... on the lawn... some highschool kids next to us... Meredith tells me that "Texas is warmth"... both the weather and people... Dough Boy was wasted before the second song... sun sets and the moon rises in the same sky... the molly we snagged in Shakedown was mellow, could use some more... Bathtub Gin rocked... Joker called Wendy during the song... Slit Open and Melt was tripped out... met Lori from Kentucky, she's cool... lines to get out to the bathrooms were insane... smoked opium at setbreak with a crusty spun out kid in line at the bathroom... feet feel very heavy... I can't sneak into Zobo or Alea's section... they both come out to say hello... the boys read my mind... Halley's Comet > Crosseyed > Slave... my favorite songs... intense
Page in Deer Creek
6.24.04 Deer Creek... today is my 145th Phish show... hung out with Lori on lawn before the show... had pavillion seats behind the tapers... Loving Cup opener? Wow... Cities short and sweet... DWD > Rock and Roll = AMAZING!... the molly kicked in during DWD... thirtsy for beer for some reason... found Alea and Daddy (met for the first time) at setbreak... couldn't find Zobo... then the roll kicked in... called Tube opener... I went nuts... dropping the funk... the roll kicked in by the end... Wedge rocked... Page was the shit on Coil... last Deer Creek show... ever!
Last show at Deer Creek
Closing Thoughts
It was special to meet people that only know of me through the internet. My blogs have reached a Phishy audience as well... and getting to meet Lori from Kentucky and Daddy from Indiana was very special, especially the last few shows the boys were playing in the Midwest. The Joker was one of the coolest tour buddies I ever saw Phish with. It seemed fitting that I close out this first leg with a Texas Phishead. I partied hard with a few back in the late 1990s. I saw plenty of shows with Molly and Angela, both Texas girls. I never had to worry about him not holding his mud or flaking out on me. I can't wait to see the Vermont shows with his Texas crew!
The Joker and Dr. Pauly in Saratoga
Post Phishy Travels
After the shows ended, the Joker dropped me off in Chicago. I hung out with Bob for the night. We caught up and chatted about the good old days when we partied hard in Atlanta. I saw a bunch of Phish shows in the early 1990s with Bob and his brother, including the infamous Atlanta Fox Theatre 4.23.94 show, which still sits in the Top 5 shows of all time. Bob took me to a cool bar near Wrigley Field called Goose Island, one of his favorite hangouts. We watched some of the Cubbies game and I sampled the local brews. I also ate some spicy Buffalo chicken strips, which rocked with extra blue cheese. It's always good to see Bob in his hometown.
Waterfront in Grand Haven, MI
After Chicago, I drove over to Grand Haven, Michigan to meet the infamous Boy Genius himself. We seem to have very similar tastes in music, pop culture, and ceratin actresses. He was a mellow guy and his dog, Frye, was very chill. We wandered around the local arts festival downtown (a few blocks away from his house). Grand Haven in beautiful town on the Lake. We strolled by the waterfront and I saw all the cool boats that folks from Chicago and Milwaukee sailed over for the day. One boat was blasting the Grateful Dead. Fitting I thought, since the boat was named Touch of Grey.
BG bought me dinner at a swanky restaraunt (the Kirby Grill?) on the water, in celebration of his 30th birthday. I met his smoking hot neighbor who was a waitress there. Man, she was a looker for sure. We drank some expensive wine and I had the best meal on my entire vacation, thanks to BG. The muscles in garlic sauce were tasty and the T-bone steak was sensational. BG had a Veal Chop that he'd been awaiting for sometime. Afterwards, we played some poker. I met another poker blogger from Western Michigan named Lord Geznikor and I came in 8th place. I didn't play bad, just didn't get any flops. I also met BG's darling cosuin, who looks like Summer from The OC. And I behaved. I know what you are thinking... 19 year old girls and Dr. Pauly after Midnight are a dangerous combination. Anyway, BG gave me a cool book and I tasted some of his homemeade bread.
Somewhere in Michigan
Sometimes, when I get on the road, I never want to stop driving. Do you ever get that feeling? Travel is like a drug. I want to keep seeing new places, and visit old places I loved, and hang out with old friends, and make new ones. The road is one of the few places where I am truly myself, and I have no one else to blame for my troubles. The act of moving forward is never more evident, and I somehow always seem to figure out some of the problems that had been bugging me for months before. One day I'm going to hit the road, and never come home... and keep stay on the road forever. Maybe I can make that happen...
Disclaimer: All black and white photos were taken by me... all of the color photos were stolen from Phish.com.
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