Big Cat, 6.15.00, Osaka, Japan
Phish 6.15.00, Big Cat, Chuo-ku, Osaka, Japan
Set I: NICU, Chalkdust Torture, AC/DC Bag, Uncle Pen, Ghost, Frankie Says, Divided Sky, Farmhouse
Set II: Down With Disease, The Lizards, Bike, You Enjoy Myself
Encore: Gotta Jibboo
One of the many bridges in Osaka
Osaka was my favorite city in Japan. If I were to move to Japan, that's where I'd like to live. Tokyo gave off that NYC vibe, while Osaka was more laid back, much like San Francisco. We found a hotel near our venue and Beano went looking for glow sticks. I was on a search for a local head shop that sold mushrooms. I stocked up.
The venue was tiny and called Big Cat. I was up close for the entire show. One guy had a sign: RIZARDS. He wanted to hear Lizards and hoped his sign would catch Trey's attention. It did. NICU opener was smokin'! I had a moment during Ghost, one of those times when Phish went off and I quickly followed. It was pretty cool when even I cannot describe that feeling of being dropped off in the middle of nowhere, and loving every second of that. I was pretty pumped to be half way around the world, listening to one of my favorite bands with two friends I knew for a decade.
The show was pretty insane and Phish finally gelled the night before. Nagoya was the best show of the run (up until that point) and Fukuoka was special because the boys hit some rare moments (to this day, they haven't matched that intensity)... but they seemed most comfortable in Osaka. After being in Japan for a week, everyone was comfortable. My Japanese was surprisingly passable. The locals were impressed. I gather that it had less to do with my pronunciation, than my effort to communicate in their language.
While we were walking down a street, a guy tapped me on the shoulder. He was Japanese and his long hair was a give away that he was a Phishead. He told me that he recognized me from every Phish show in Japan and he wanted to say hello! How cool was that! Wandering around, down a random street, and I'm recognized by a local. Yes by that point, all the Americans had met one another and formed a group called Japhamily. Roughly 100 or so of us had ventured from the States and we all mingled at various times.
Hanging out at setbreak with Beano and Japhans
The show was great. Crowd was into the vibe. We hung out with Aki and Kimi and their Osaka friends. I met Ryuji and his drunk friend Hiroki, who insisted that he was "a professional." He kept shouting that at the top of his lungs. I learned that he was a professional alcoholic.
After the show, we were invited to an after party, thrown by some of Aki and Kimi's friends. I met Page. I hung out and smoked hash in a dark corner with people whose names I forgot. We saw Fish waiting in line to use the bathroom. Zobo walked up and Fish blew him off. He was trying to talk to a chick. I laughed when Zobo returned slightly jaded.
Next up... the last show in Osaka.
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