Chicago has played host to such legendary Phish shows that I felt a little intimidated having to write a blog entry on them. I wondered if I could really find something new to say about shows which I didn’t attend but which are so well known in the community. So instead of just writing a review or an essay, I decided to compose a sestina to capture some of my feelings about Chicago, Phish, and our fan community.

Each stanza (except for the the envoi) focuses on and draws from a different show. The end words are taken from Carl Sandburg’s famous poem, Chicago.

Five of the shows I chose to focus on seemed like no-brainers. I wasn’t sure which one to select for the sixth until I noticed that 4/10/93 was "Barefoot" Bob Eckhart's first show. Bob passed away in January and our community came together in a big way to raise money for the education of Bob’s children. Donations to Bob’s family would still be welcome, so if you are interested in helping, please send me a private message.

Bob was at every one of these shows, and this poem is dedicated to him.

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