Greetings and Salutations phellow phans,
My first show was a wonderful and magic outing. It was In Columbus at
the Polaris of 98. We were embarking on a four day run of great music that
I had only heard on tape and through word of mouth. We began our trip from
Erlanger Kentucky and headed north along the great windy road known as I75.
We were making pretty good time most of the way up but when we reached the
outskirts of Columbus and had to find our campsite we got lost.
After about an hour of driving in the wrong direction of the campsite
we finally entered from what the brochure said "Close To the Polaris
Ampitheatre", but really an hour away, campsite. We set up camp, and then
it was almost time for the show so we loaded up again and headed off.
It seemed like the longest hour of my life trying to just get to the
show. I can't really remember if the traffic was that bad, but it moved
pretty steady. We got to the gate, paid our parking fee, and then headed
onto the field of phriends. It was really close to show time now so we
drove pretty fast to find a place to park, and then set out for the gates
of the show. From the drive our friends couldn't hold their bladder, maybe
it was all the beer we consumed on the way in. But I was too excited to
pee, I just wanted to get to our seats.
We met up with our friends once again and started to our seats and
what to my surprise we start to hear beautiful music, thousands of people
start screaming and the boys start playing. They opened up with MY Friend
My Friend, and I could not believe it.
Now I have to go back aways to I Believe the Christmas of 97. This is
when I first received a Phish Album. I had been listening to this one
song, My Friend My Friend, with my buddy Adam a couple of nights before,
and my friend Mike remembered my liking of the song and purchased Rift for
me for Christmas. So in all actuality My Friend, My Friend was the not
only the first song I had heard from Phish, but the first song I had heard
in concert.
Now I didn't realize what had happened until the first set was over.
I mean the energy I experienced was amazing. We had seats for my first
show and that made it somewhat intimate, even if there were thousands of
people behind me.
The boys jammed out forever, songs like Ya Mar, Rift, Cities, Stash,
Free, TMWSIY, I loved every minute of it. I didn't want it to end. We
didn't leave our seats the whole show. I couldn't sit still during the set
break, the tension was so thick you could cut it with a knife. My friend
Jason and I pondered over what they would open up with, me not knowing many
songs said my Fav Punch you in the eye. But instead it was a phat jam of
The curtain. Which is really becoming one of my fav songs. The jammed on
and on until the set closer. We all screamed and whistled for the boys to
come back out and of course they did. But from the first notes I thought I
was going to leave my body and swim around the sky above. It was my Fav
song at the time Punch you in the Eye!! I couldn't believe it and my
friends were ecstatic for me. They were saying things like "That is what
it's all about," I didn't know what that meant at the time, but in my
perspective now it really leads me to believe that that show was meant for
me. It was planned for decades for this little guy from Kentucky, to come
see this show and become one with himself and the music around him. It was
an epiphoney. If that's how you spell it.
We did the other four shows with style, booze near the fire, Grilled
cheese on a greasy skillet, veggie burritos from a chick with a beautiful
dog. And to the lady selling Gatorade outside the first night Deer Creek,
You were sent from above to quench my thirst. I think I would have paid a
million dollars for that Gatorade, but she only charged me a buck. To all
of you at Polaris, thank you for making my Phirst Show a great one indeed.
sincerely, a Newbie, now, later, and forever. @DonDeaton