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Whether its from a studio release or your first show! On studio I didn't get IT. But after walking in face melted to my first show the first thing I noticed was trampolines behind the amps. I though "huh. Weird.. someone must have thrown them on there?" Psh what a dumbass.
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Honestly, I kept asking how come no one is singing and would they stop playing those funky slow songs..naivete at its worst.
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First heard Wilson on Rock Band (I know, I know), thought it was crazy fun to play and the crowd interaction was awesome. Downloaded ALO and while it never hooked me, always was firmly on my iPod. Went to my first show and I got IT somewhere between Rock and Roll and Free.
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Hearing Free on WXRV in the early 90s. But I wouldn't see them live until 12/28/2010. Ad then I got IT and saw them 8/6/2011, 12/28 & 29 2011, and soon at DCU
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After my first DSO show I went back to a friend's place and we watched a couple sets of the Clifford Ball DVD. I had never heard any of Phish's music before and something about Trey's guitar playing really just made an impression on me. To this day I can't nail down exactly what it was, but anyway I went to my first show that summer and that was that.
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Hearing antelope on the simpsons and thinking, wow this song rocks hard
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@tvlxql9x said: After my first DSO show I went back to a friend's place and we watched a couple sets of the Clifford Ball DVD. I had never heard any of Phish's music before and something about Trey's guitar playing really just made an impression on me. To this day I can't nail down exactly what it was, but anyway I went to my first show that summer and that was that.
and the rest was phishtory.
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reba in 96 in my friends vw that as it.
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I first got really into the Dead and would occassonally listen to Phish but I used to think there was way to much going on and it could be hard to listen too. I didn't think it was bad it was just too much sometimes. That changed pretty quick.
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I remember thinking the vocals were pretty crappy... 7-29-03 was the first live show I owed, and that hooked me...
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I was on my way to a festival with some friends and we were puffin the whole way there. Friends car was playing a phish cd. I dont remember if it was story of the ghost or a mix I just remember hearing the chorus of birds of a feather a bunch of times. I wasnt really paying attention and a few hours into the ride I said "Lets put on some zeppelin".
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Winter '91 in MI, dark and cold night, ice crystals on the windows and the sound of the silent woods outside....my good friend hands me a phish tape-Amy's Farm-...finally, after hearing about them for months, sez "eh, they're OK" I scurry off to the other room, late at night, in the dark and put it on the stereo. The sound that came out was pure magical elfin musicbox. YEM. I was....changed.... and listened to that show for months.....years....still lovin IT to the Nth degree. The boys are tapped into *something*
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I was really heavy into the Grateful Dead and jam bands. I got the Roxy '93 set from the library, ripped it to my computer, and eventually listened to YEM when my friend was like,"DUDE! Wikipedia said they use trampolines during it" so I found out I had it and we listened. Honestly, I didn't like it (because my lame-ass disliked something about the grand piano).I can't remember how I decided to start listening to them over those next few months, but one night I rented the IT DVD (because I wanted to see a YEM on DVD) and the solo at the end of the Lizards made me like Phish alright. Then I listened to 12/30 one night, liked them more. The next night I listened to the NYE '11 Meatstick and it was sealed for me.
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My buddy played me the studio version of DWD around 95 or 96. I was instantly into it just because of Mike. But I figured they were just a really good 90's rock act. Then I heard Billy Breathes and realized they were more. Then I heard A Live One and realized they were god.
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First song I heard live: LlamaSold.
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brother played studio Reba when I was in 4th grade. I thought they were a comedy band.
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I was on a drive from phoenix to durango co. We were coming back from a blink 182 show. I had wanted to see blink for years and years and i finally got to see them. Little did i know that on our drive back my friend would put on the studio version of farmhouse and start a new era of my life. its funny, i can literally pin point the moment in my life where my musical tastes changed. god, am i glad he played that song.
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I ripped all of the GD my boy had and he tossed New Years 1995 and LP 6 on my ipod as well. I like PYITE and the Sloth a lot, but the lyrics of Reba made me laugh and giggle and I was sold
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first time i heard them? i think i was a freshman or sophomore in college, circa 2001. i just didnt get it. went to coventry (first show[s]), had fun all things considered, but still didnt get it. during hiatus something happened and when i saw them at fenway, it was all over. i was hooked
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@johnnyd said: and talking to the endless number of very cute, very age-appropriate girls. It seemed like 90% of the crowd was between about 16 and 20 years old.That must have been cool. Being a 3.0er, the most I can hope for is a middle aged lady buying me a hot dog because I look like her kid.
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My first impressions were in college in NC, around 2006/2007. My friend was a serious head from RI. With Phish being deep in the thick of the hiatus, they were not exactly popular among college kids in the South. I knew of them, and had heard them at some point in HS, but the first time I was really exposed to them was by this kid. He played me the studio D. Sky and the studio My Friend My Friend. I thought they were the noodliest, weirdest band ever. Like the guy above me, I thought they were a comedy band.
But a little bit after that, we were chilling in his room and he put on the still-new Live in Brooklyn DVD. I can still remember what it was that turned me onto Phish then... it was the Free funk jam. I remember just being floored by it, and when Page/Fish drop out and it's just Trey and Mike... that's when I knew these guys were legit.
Funny end to this story. My friend left after our freshman year to go back to school at URI. My Phish fandom took off extensively and I became a full Phish addict over the next few years, with over 100 gb of shows and what not circulating on my computer. So of course when Phish got back together in 09' I was ecstatic, and I caught a ton of shows that year. Well, my friend comes back into town towards the tail end of 09' when we were all seniors to party for a weekend. I basically tell him how grateful I was that he turned me onto Phish and how it really changed my life.
Well, my friend just laughed and said something like: "Dude, I saw Phish at Hartford this year. They sucked! It was so crowded that I could barely see the stage! I saw Hot Tuna a few weeks ago and they were way better." I was floored, and I literally speechless. He then offered to GIVE ME all his Phish stuff because he didn't really listen to them anymore. It kind of broke my heart a bit.
Random story I know, but it still burns to this day.
But a little bit after that, we were chilling in his room and he put on the still-new Live in Brooklyn DVD. I can still remember what it was that turned me onto Phish then... it was the Free funk jam. I remember just being floored by it, and when Page/Fish drop out and it's just Trey and Mike... that's when I knew these guys were legit.
Funny end to this story. My friend left after our freshman year to go back to school at URI. My Phish fandom took off extensively and I became a full Phish addict over the next few years, with over 100 gb of shows and what not circulating on my computer. So of course when Phish got back together in 09' I was ecstatic, and I caught a ton of shows that year. Well, my friend comes back into town towards the tail end of 09' when we were all seniors to party for a weekend. I basically tell him how grateful I was that he turned me onto Phish and how it really changed my life.
Well, my friend just laughed and said something like: "Dude, I saw Phish at Hartford this year. They sucked! It was so crowded that I could barely see the stage! I saw Hot Tuna a few weeks ago and they were way better." I was floored, and I literally speechless. He then offered to GIVE ME all his Phish stuff because he didn't really listen to them anymore. It kind of broke my heart a bit.
Random story I know, but it still burns to this day.
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My first impression of Phish was that they were not very good. Same with the Grateful Dead. I talked shit on both of them because I played music and thought I knew everything about anything musical before actually giving it a try.
I eventually smoked weed.... and all of that changed. I started listening to a lot of Jazz and Classic Rock. Real obscure shit like Primus as well. My buddy had a bunch of Phish albums on his computer so I put them on my Ipod. Phish just sat on my Ipod for a while. I liked first tube, and free studio versions. It was Stash from ALO that hooked me. It's funny because I talked about this kinda in another thread but the "maybe so, maybe not" montra really describes phish, life in general or anything for that matter perfectly.
Because regardless of what you think about (insert anything)... is IT true????? Maybe so, Maybe not
Any way on a side note. I'm playing a show tonight at my College in PA, and it should be very interesting. Were are the only band playing that has any similarity to Phish, and I hope to some day to be playing for all of you. Listening to and learning about Phish has helped me through a lot of hurtles in writing music and someday real soon I'm sure we'll all be sharin' in the groove. I'm gonna try to record tonight's show and get it online for download some how. If it takes a long time to get it up on here I'll definitely have copies of some of our music at AC. For Free of course.
I eventually smoked weed.... and all of that changed. I started listening to a lot of Jazz and Classic Rock. Real obscure shit like Primus as well. My buddy had a bunch of Phish albums on his computer so I put them on my Ipod. Phish just sat on my Ipod for a while. I liked first tube, and free studio versions. It was Stash from ALO that hooked me. It's funny because I talked about this kinda in another thread but the "maybe so, maybe not" montra really describes phish, life in general or anything for that matter perfectly.
Because regardless of what you think about (insert anything)... is IT true????? Maybe so, Maybe not
Any way on a side note. I'm playing a show tonight at my College in PA, and it should be very interesting. Were are the only band playing that has any similarity to Phish, and I hope to some day to be playing for all of you. Listening to and learning about Phish has helped me through a lot of hurtles in writing music and someday real soon I'm sure we'll all be sharin' in the groove. I'm gonna try to record tonight's show and get it online for download some how. If it takes a long time to get it up on here I'll definitely have copies of some of our music at AC. For Free of course.
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Let's not talk about it.
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@DanceTheJig728 said:
Then the band matured, learned to improvise, and grew in depth and breadth...and Farmhouse was what convinced me to give them the 2nd chance that let me realize that now The Phish was *really interesting*.
As with '66 Dead, the proggish early Phish silliness is much more charming from the perspective of knowing what it evolved into.
I first got really into the Dead and would occassonally listen to Phish but I used to think there was way to much going on and it could be hard to listen too. I didn't think it was bad it was just too much sometimes. That changed pretty quick.Similar experience for me, but it wasn't because too much was going on. It sounded too gimmicky, forced, and basically like a bunch of prep school hippies trying to be like the rock stars they idolized...who by contrast actually were cool.
Then the band matured, learned to improvise, and grew in depth and breadth...and Farmhouse was what convinced me to give them the 2nd chance that let me realize that now The Phish was *really interesting*.
As with '66 Dead, the proggish early Phish silliness is much more charming from the perspective of knowing what it evolved into.
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@RR1994 said:
That is seriously one of my favorite phish moments of all time. Pure insanity..... and I can hear it in my head right now in an empty quite room.
But a little bit after that, we were chilling in his room and he put on the still-new Live in Brooklyn DVD. I can still remember what it was that turned me onto Phish then... it was the Free funk jam. I remember just being floored by it, and when Page/Fish drop out and it's just Trey and Mike... that's when I knew these guys were legit.
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@dscott said:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q8qXs1gyJto
To be fair, some of us think the proggish early Phish sound is much better than what it evolved into. For some reason your post made me think of this jam:
As with '66 Dead, the proggish early Phish silliness is much more charming from the perspective of knowing what it evolved into.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q8qXs1gyJto
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@PosterNutsack said:
@RR1994 said:Another funny tidbit. The next day after hearing this song, I asked my friend "what song was it that had the crazy funk breakdown?" He wasn't sure, and neither was I, so I borrowed his DVD and had to search to find it. But I literally had no idea what song it was, or where in the song it was. So I basically had to watch the whole first disk to get to that point, because I believe it was near the end of the set. I was basically even more in love with Phish before I found where it was. I remember being in shock by the time the Curtain with was over. That Curtain is another one of my all-time most memorable Phish jams.That is seriously one of my favorite phish moments of all time. Pure insanity..... and I can hear it in my head right now in an empty quite room.
But a little bit after that, we were chilling in his room and he put on the still-new Live in Brooklyn DVD. I can still remember what it was that turned me onto Phish then... it was the Free funk jam. I remember just being floored by it, and when Page/Fish drop out and it's just Trey and Mike... that's when I knew these guys were legit.
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@RR1994 said: 
You're not alone, though. A friend who grew up in Burlington + played in an indie band loved their '80s club shows, but lost interest when they started to "noodle."
@dscott said:If you thought of '94, you were thinking at least 2 years of evolutionary explosion later than I was.To be fair, some of us think the proggish early Phish sound is much better than what it evolved into. For some reason your post made me think of this jam:
As with '66 Dead, the proggish early Phish silliness is much more charming from the perspective of knowing what it evolved into.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q8qXs1gyJto
You're not alone, though. A friend who grew up in Burlington + played in an indie band loved their '80s club shows, but lost interest when they started to "noodle."
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@dscott said:
@RR1994 said:Oh, haha. Yeah, I assumed you were talking about the 97/98 sound, as opposed to the 93-95 sound. My bad. FWIW, I too assume that pre 93' can be a little too... I don't know how to describe but I know what you mean. I just assumd you meant 93-95 vs. 97-98.@dscott said:If you thought of '94, you were thinking at least 2 years of evolutionary explosion later than I was.To be fair, some of us think the proggish early Phish sound is much better than what it evolved into. For some reason your post made me think of this jam:
As with '66 Dead, the proggish early Phish silliness is much more charming from the perspective of knowing what it evolved into.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q8qXs1gyJto
You're not alone, though. A friend who grew up in Burlington + played in an indie band loved their '80s club shows, but lost interest when they started to "noodle."
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Whoa, that last post turned out kinda weird.
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the harmonies and the perpetual heart of it all... Im not sure who it was that gave me the inkling into their live performances but I remember thinking, "i want to hear that". Being 2005 made it strange in that I had no real hope that phish would play again... So I bought live phish 14 and just listened. Phish shows took an idyllic image in my mind for those first moments of exhilaration and amazement...
Im glad I can go see them now.
Im glad I can go see them now.
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My first was when picked up "A Live One" from the record store I worked at because I met this chick in my neighborhood that was way into Phish. I had heard good things over the years so I had to give them a shot. So my first song was Bouncin' and I must have played that double cassette album on a constant loop for that whole summer! Instantly hooked!
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Around 2004, I going from FL to NJ in a buddy's car. He told me to put some music on. I dug through his CDs and found livephish (don't remember which one, but probably Vol 1). Asked him WTF is this... PHISH band? sounds stupid. Put it in and thought they really suck at singing. A few songs in, I started really enjoying it. After I got home a few days later, I asked a bunch of college buddies if they listened to Phish, but none of them did. I downloaded some songs and enjoyed them but didn't get too deep. I also listened to a lot more grateful dead.
Come 2009, I found out they were playing together again, but I lived in Houston and didn't get a chance to see them. 2010, I lived in Albany and they came to SPAC. It was beautiful. The Bowie + glowstick war turned my world upside down.
Come 2009, I found out they were playing together again, but I lived in Houston and didn't get a chance to see them. 2010, I lived in Albany and they came to SPAC. It was beautiful. The Bowie + glowstick war turned my world upside down.
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April '89. Nightshift Cafe, Naugutuck, CT. 12 people in the audience. First song: "Good Times, Bad Times." And I thought, "Oh, a cover band." Three minutes later... POW. Never looked back.
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Literally upon the first time I heard Phish I knew Id eventually become a huge fan... everything made sense from day 1. It wasnt until I delved deep into the phishery that I realized I was completely obsessed and there was no turning back....and I couldnt be happier.
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I thought they totally sucked the first 20 times I heard them. When I think of the great shows I missed(I was offered, and refused, tickets to Halloween '95) because I hated hippies in high school, it makes me cringe. I finally caught the bug in the spring of '98 when a friend gave me Rift, Junta, and a tape of 4-2-98. And then after I saw them for the first time(Alpine '98) I was totally hooked.
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A friend apparently played a YEM for me one time and I said it was cool, but wasn't really conscious of who/what I was listening to. The first Phish I can remember, hysterically, was the Junta Icculus. And I really thought it was about the funniest thing I had ever heard. Got A Live One and Billy Breathes off some massive hard drive of music that was my dad's, and boom. It still took a while for things to sink in, poppier songs like Character Zero or Chalkdust were the first things to get me hooked, and then it all followed. Good times.
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i remember some summer camp counselors i really idolized in the late 90's/early 00's talking about phish, so i was familiar with the band for some time before i actually heard them. i remember one of my counselors leaving camp early one year to attend IT (i believe) in '03.
i started listening to studio stuff a bit in high school. i distinctly remember putting farmhouse (ha) on a mix cd for my best friend for her bday senior year. i was like aw yeah, its phish, this great band! i loved that song. oh, how little i knew...
so, after hiatus, i was pumped because it meant i had the chance to see them live! it was my junior year of college when i finally had the funds/means to get to a concert. i remember sitting on ticketmaster online that morning and literally praying to get tix... and then i did! so me and one of my good buddies hopped on the train to AC from philly on 10/29/10 with a box full of doobies, and no idea what we were getting ourselves into...
suffice to say that that night was THE turning point in my life. everyone around me was psyched for me that it was my first show and they were doing their part to make it VERY enjoyable... they started with the star spangled banner and i was like uhh... and then i just remember... when ocelot started... and that solo trey did a little less than 3 min in... i started tearing up! i got it.
been lucky enough to see them seven times now, feeling very blessed for those opportunities. what a lovely band we have.
i started listening to studio stuff a bit in high school. i distinctly remember putting farmhouse (ha) on a mix cd for my best friend for her bday senior year. i was like aw yeah, its phish, this great band! i loved that song. oh, how little i knew...
so, after hiatus, i was pumped because it meant i had the chance to see them live! it was my junior year of college when i finally had the funds/means to get to a concert. i remember sitting on ticketmaster online that morning and literally praying to get tix... and then i did! so me and one of my good buddies hopped on the train to AC from philly on 10/29/10 with a box full of doobies, and no idea what we were getting ourselves into...
suffice to say that that night was THE turning point in my life. everyone around me was psyched for me that it was my first show and they were doing their part to make it VERY enjoyable... they started with the star spangled banner and i was like uhh... and then i just remember... when ocelot started... and that solo trey did a little less than 3 min in... i started tearing up! i got it.
been lucky enough to see them seven times now, feeling very blessed for those opportunities. what a lovely band we have.
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In high school my buddy and I went to UMASS spring fling concert to see Mighty Mighty Bosstones and the Beastie Boys. Phish was in the lineup but I had never even heard of them. I kept asking what's up with all these hippies especially with this one werido looking hippie. We actually left during the middle of their set and returned later for the Beastie Boys. It wasn't until the fall of that year my buddy went to UVM and came home one weekend and played a phish tape for me (5.13.92, which literally was the next night after my "1st show" 
. It was the YEM from that tape that got me hooked and I haven't looked back. Btw, I saw that weirdo hippie dude multiple times during my early years of going to shows.
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At some point in high school I became aware that a band called "Phish" existed. Not really knowing they were all about the live performance, I read reviews of their studio albums and picked up Picture of Nectar. I played that through a couple of times but things never really clicked. My only impression was "well, this is...weird." That CD went on the shelf and I kind of forgot about it.Fast forward three or four years. At that point I was in college and for whatever reason decided to give Phish another try. I did a little more reading and decided SS&P would be a good place to start (again). When I got home from the record store, I kicked back, turned out the lights, put my headphones on, and just listened. When the Wolfman's jam really got going, it felt like my brain was exploding into the atmosphere. When Taste finished, I remember saying to myself "wow, I've gotta be careful with this album, this is really powerful stuff." For the next month or so, I saved Phish only for special occasions.
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I thought they were really weird dudes who probably played dungenons and dragons in wizard outfits and read Tolkien. I thought they were oftly wordy too.Then I thought - f*** these weirdos can play.
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It seems like at the time I was primarily into classic rock and DMB (I know, but at least it was their peak years). I don't exactly know why, but I picked up Billy Breathes, started listening to it, and actually liked it. Went to my first show, and despite the wretched sound quality and the hot, asphyxiating air quality in the nosebleed section, thought it was alright. I actually didn't know any of the songs they played, which was somewhat disappointing, but there were several that I immediately liked anyway. Later, I came to know them as Golgi, PYITE, Tweezer, Simple... The scene seemed strange, but fun. The hippie grease, literally two inches thick on the floor, was pretty nasty and permanently stained the baby blue corduroy ruffle of the patchy flannel skirt I'd specially sewn for the occasion. And the red beans and rice I bought in the lot turned out to be kind of gross. Hey, it was an experience!
But I guess I was intrigued. As I got more and more into Phish, I just loved them more and more. And for me, that's kind of a rare quality in a band. (Often, before too long, enough is enough.)
My husband was a harder sell. What eventually hooked him was the Junta album. He seemed to especially enjoy the offbeat storytelling of Esther and Icculus.
Of course we both became full on phreaks. =)
But I guess I was intrigued.
As I got more and more into Phish, I just loved them more and more. And for me, that's kind of a rare quality in a band. (Often, before too long, enough is enough.)My husband was a harder sell. What eventually hooked him was the Junta album. He seemed to especially enjoy the offbeat storytelling of Esther and Icculus.
Of course we both became full on phreaks. =)
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Whats Phish? Anyone want to buy a fly fishing rod?
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Somewhere along the line in my pot smoking adolescence, my hippiesque friend and I were sitting around smoking cigarettes and being lazy when he decided to show me a song called Run Like an Antelope. Being a huge Hendrix fan I was floored by the guitar work and found that I too may be able to one day grasp the concept of Phish. Since then I discovered the Dead, psychedelics, and a wee bit of soul and my life hasn't been the same. Needless to say it really was Phish that drastically shaped me to who I am today, or something like that.
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I didnt really get it at very first, then i heard ALO hood, and now here I am in the company of you fine pholks.
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i remember being afraid to get into phish.. intimidated by their vast repertoire, i was finally introduced by a college suite-mate who graciously provided me with SOTG and Billy Breathes, both of which got me hook line and sinker. after that it was one album after another, until i finally felt ready to tackle their live material. its been said here several times already: naivety at its finest.
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@RR1994 said:
Foam > Moma any day of the week
@dscott said:just gonna say i prefer proggy Phish over funky PhishTo be fair, some of us think the proggish early Phish sound is much better than what it evolved into. For some reason your post made me think of this jam:
As with '66 Dead, the proggish early Phish silliness is much more charming from the perspective of knowing what it evolved into.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q8qXs1gyJto
Foam > Moma any day of the week
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@SlamboMartinez said: Being a 3.0er, the most I can hope for is a middle aged lady buying me a hot dog because I look like her kid.I'm bringing this shirt for you to Scenic Ridge
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