i use the term, n00bs in the most playful manner possible.

anyway.....ive been reading some of your testimonials from this weekend and it sounds like you all had a blast. "best weekend of my life", "best musical experience ive ever had", etc, etc. these are the things that ive been reading and i cannot be happier for all of you that were there, but i am especially happy for those of you that are new (relatively speaking) to phish and had never experienced one of their fests before Superball IX. youve now seen first-hand what this band and this community is all about....and no one can ever take that from you. cherish this weekend for the rest of your lives.

ps....if you are thinking that you had a life altering expericence this weekend.............you'd be right

like i said, i used the term n00b very loosely. glad u had fun, meatstick!

Even a not-so-jaded vet like me had such an experience. Incredible weekend.

Thanks, I am also very happy for myself today!

I really couldn't have asked for a better weekend. My first Phish festival experience completely blew all of my expectations out of the water.

We should do this again real soon, like tomorrow!

I understand you're being kind with the word noob and I suppose I've been listening to them for 10 years now, so I'm not sure if that makes me one or not. I couldn't make it to IT because I wasn't in the country. I've seen them quite a bit, but yes this was my first Phish festival.

Anyways, if someone can give me a good reason as to WHY we use terms such as custie or noob, then I will stop hating the terms themselves and the nature behind them. I suppose I would be slanted to say that if we call people these terms then they might be less likely to feel comfortable joining a community like Phish's. Perhaps we should be more gracious to people who are new to Phish and accept that we were all new to it at some point as well. just my opinion.

You got a problem with certain terminology Phishroc? Start a different thread about it. This one was nothing but love and expressing how happy Sloth was for all you guys to experience your first fest. Not the place to carry on your agenda IMO.

I'm pretty sure mostly everyone gets what your intent was.

@Slothberries said:

Whatever guys. I wad playing around. Everyone calls people noobs, I NEVER do. The point that i was hoping would be understood after reading the ENTIRE post is that nobody can ever call u a noob again.

Im sorry I ever mentioned it now.

Don't be sorry this is coming from the same guy who early today was mad about tipping people for bringing him beer.

@IenjoyMyself said:

Thanks dude...this was my first festival, the boys broke up when I was 16 and Coventry could've been my first festival and first shows had my parents let me go....looking back on the last two years I'm glad that Coventry wasn't my first experience with Phish.

These last two years have been full of some hard times, but mostly great times because of this band. The festival was an exclamation point on all of that. I have met so many amazing people because of Phish, and to me that's what it is all about. They have put me in the right place at the right time in so many different occasions.

So many positive things were created by both the fans and the band last weekend, and I feel lucky to have been a part of something so special.

thats awesome. this is pretty much exactly what i was thinking of when i started this.

@IenjoyMyself said:

@Slothberries said:

Whatever guys. I wad playing around. Everyone calls people noobs, I NEVER do. The point that i was hoping would be understood after reading the ENTIRE post is that nobody can ever call u a noob again.

Im sorry I ever mentioned it now.

Don't be sorry this is coming from the same guy who early today was mad about tipping people for bringing him beer.

Right. I went to him first off. And let's not forget that people have the right to NOT tip.
@slothberries let's try to not be so afraid of a little discussion, I never said that I wasn't a fan of what this person was saying, just thinking...

ps....i AM "this person"! lol

I first started getting into Phish around 2003 (I think I was in 8th grade then). I was real into Pink Floyd and a buddy of mine sent me Phish's 98 show where they play Dark Side of the Moon. I thought the covers were cool but the thing that really got me in that set was HARPUA - so funky, fresh, and happening, and he was telling a story and using it to wrap up the whole album, DAMN that was cool! I knew I was hooked right then and there but I had NO idea what I was getting myself into. The terms "Phish" and "jam band" were loosely connected in my mind but I didn't know about tour, going to shows, festivals, any of that... I just knew that the music sounded so good I HAD to have more!

So I set about downloading all the Phish I could find. I didn't know about taping or torrents (was that even a thing in 2003?) or anything so I just typed "Phish" into Limewire like I did for all my music. That got me on the studio stuff until I stumbled upon nugs.net one day and found the free stash... I believe I have listened to and downloaded every show on there, the '98 shows multiple times. The Weekapaug Groove from the Lemonwheel was one of my favorites back then, it'll be really fun to revisit that in 10 seconds when I pull up the show :-)

Anyways, I found out that Phish was breaking up on a family camping trip when I was 14 - my uncle is into jam bands and told me that this was their last show ever (Coventry). I was SO BUMMED and wished I'd gotten the chance to go. After the trip he mailed me a huge box of tapes, containing mostly Dead shows and albums but a few Phish shows as well. That turned me on to the Dead and it was the first time I really connected Phish and the Dead in my mind, and suddenly I started piecing it all together... I realized that Phish wasn't just a band you go to see, it's a band that you GO TO SEE, you know what I mean? Phish remained a staple of my musical diet for years but I became a TRUE convert to the lifestyle after my first show - Hershey, last summer! That was easily the best decision of my life.

Tour this summer was amazing. I was blessed enough to make the entire Bethel run (first night was my 21st birthday and I got miracled with amazing pavs), Holmdel x2, Darien Lake, Camden, MPPx2, and SUPER BALL! Super Ball was my first festival in addition to being my first Phish festival, so it was a double-whammy for me (I am headed for All Good this summer as well) and it was honestly a life-changing experience.

To everyone I met on tour this summer, you are all beautiful people. I am blessed and honored to be a part of this wonderful community and share this wonderful music with all of you. I hope Phish tours for a thousand years, and that we get to do every show together.

Love,

J

@forbin1 said:

damn I feel old....8th grade in 2003?

I think everyone who loves Phish is young at heart... anyways you can't possibly be old, everyone on here sounds like they are 21 from the way they write, I love it!!

Also thank you for the wish... I hope I get to rage with you at shows in the future @forbin1!

I am pleased to report that next Monday 7/11 marks the 20th anniversary of my first show, and as of that date, I'll officially and formally no longer be a n00b.

So even though I'm technically still a n00b, and having only been to 7 of the 9 "official" festivals, I hope you can grant a little credibility to me when I offer the following observation:

This weekend was the epitome of a Phish festival. Across a whole range of scales and spectrums, from the simple respect and kindness that was universally displayed, to the craziest partying that went down, to the many forms of artistic expression and utter freedom, to the friendships and relationships that were forged and reinforced, and from every little campsite jam and drum circle to THE PHISH FROM VERMONT, and finally to all the positive reactions and impressions that we left - that was absolutely, undeniably IT.

So cheers to all. Like @slothberries said, lets all cherish this one and try to remember and believe that everything that went down at WG was real. It all actually happened, and it was as good as we all thought and remember.

And to anyone taking offense at the term n00b, take a joke. Jeez. You're a fan of the band that trolled us with a Possum opener. Lighten up.

FML