Last night I was shaking my funky bad self to the sounds of Galactic at the Portland Waterfront Blues Festival. Great show, Galactic gets downright dirty!! I was lucky enough to meet up with a bunch of Phish heads in the audience (who recognized my STFTFP shirt) and we were all grooving together i the depths of their funky pocket. I had not met these folks before and barely said any meaningful words beyond how good the music was tonight and how good Phish sounds this tour but I felt as though they instantly became my family. What a beautiful buzz.

Late into the set, some random drunk fool starts dancing on one of my new phriend's girlfriend. His dancing wasn't overtly sexual or tasteless, but still awkward and misplaced. I can see the GF is visibly uncomfortable and the BF is becoming agitated... then I noticed, so was I. I had known these folks for no more than 100 minutes and I had the instinctual urge to protect this girl and jump in at a moment's notice. My ears were on the music but my eyes were on the drunk guy, the GF and her BF - waiting for his move that might cross the line. There was fire in my soul and love in my heart.

I am not standing here on a soapbox telling you what a class-act I am and how I am such a nice guy - as there were hundreds of other girls getting credit-carded by other drunk buffoons that evening that I could not care less about. But this was not those other folks, these were Phish heads. These were people with whom I share a very special connection, no matter the time we have shared together nor will share together in the future. No matter what, I bonded with them instantly and subsequently (subconsciously?) thought of them as family and was prepared to treat them, talk to them, and protect them as such.

Nothing happened, as the rest of the group and I circled the wagons and formed a physical "barrier" between the awkwardness and the coolness. The show ended and we all went on our separate ways which awesomely and coincidentally enough was to a Phish cover band called Lawn Boy that was playing a late show in downtown PDX (not The Lawn Boys mind you; Lawn Boy is Portland's Phish cover band and they absolutely rage, light show and all). This situation just reaffirms what we all experience with Phish and Phish fans -- we are a family, not just a random cavalcade of obsessive groove-junkies (perhaps that's what makes us family lol). In any case, I love being a part of this unique, passionate, and truly beautiful family unit that Phish has helped us create.

We are lucky, Phish heads, don't ever forget what we share with each other and why we share it.