His selflessness, his unwavering friendship and his deep care for all of us in this community makes him the Netter of the day!
Here, here! He totally sucks for getting a Sweet Adeline encore at his first show though...Ironically, my first show had a Sweet Adeline opener!<3
Of course it did, Katie. It reminds me of Miles and I sharing birthdays. Strange little confidences...Universe Twins.
Its clearly gonna be that kind of party.Nods out in mashed potatos
:::Starts making mashed potatoes:::
Happy day my friend
Congrats all!
Nice.
Shit always gets weird when Ron is around. Always.
I actually just listened to that show last night, as I've been listening to a bunch of Fall '95 shows lately, and on Sat decided to listen to Dec '95 all the way through. That Gin is a monster!
October '94 my drug buddy at the time, Pepe, got a couple of free tickets for GD at the Garden (it was part of a multiple night stand. Something like 5 or 6 shows). I wasn't even into the Dead at the time (still don't like them) but we figured it would be fun. At the very least we would score some killer drugs and hang out around the Garden (I was already taking a lot of LSD at the time). I instantly fell in love with the scene. So many people just hanging out, selling shit. Little pockets of shadiness in parking lots and behind bars. Lots of smiles and people generally just doing their own thing. It was perfect. I was the farthest thing from a "hippie" type. I was very into music at that point, but mostly Zeppelin and Grundge. Floyd was at that time my be all end all band. I was obsessed with Floyd. I was instantly in love with the vibe there though. It was so warm and welcoming, something I have never experienced before. We milled around a bit, bought some fake L from some shady looking black guy, did some whippets under a bridge. Good times. We went to the show and I had a good time, but the music did nothing for me. I spent most of the night walking around and avoiding getting hit in the face by spinners. We raged the post show scene a little before going home. All in all a pretty average night. The one thing that stuck with me this night, along with the love and vibe on lot were these Phish patches I saw on everyones back packs. I don't even know why they made an impression. Maybe because everything was so new to me, I was intrigued? Whatever it was, those images stuck, Fast forward to the next summer...
Summer '95 I was at the North Station T stop (ironically, the Gardens T stop) and I see this grungy looking kid (I think his name was Noah) waiting for the train with a back pack, with none other then a Phish patch. I decide to strike up a conversation with him (best decision I ever made) and inquired about what the patch meant (I had never forgotten about that image). He went on to gush about this band, how they were the best thing, yada yada yada. I was getting excited so I asked what album I should pick up. He mentioned (of course) they were a live band but they had just released a live album, A Live One, and it had a sick Tweezer. If I was gonna get any album I should start with that one. Sure enough, I ran out and bought the album that night. First Phish song I ever heard was Bouncing. I don't remember being blown away, but I do remember Chalkdust making an impression on me. But it was YEM that really hooked me. I had never heard anything like that composition before. I clearly remember, talking to my best friend Jamie, and putting the phone to my speakers during the "Ahhhhhhhhh, BOY!" part. He loved it too. Thus, it all really began. I ran out soon after and bought every Phish album I could find. Junta was the next album to really impress me. I found out they were playing Mullins Center sometime that fall, I think, and decided it was time to see these guys live.
My mom bought tickets for my friend Jamie and I. He had the car, a friend of ours from high school was attending Umass at that time, so we has a suite to stay in. Everything was coming together. My buddy had a shitty old school Cutless boat, with no radio. We resorted to me listening to my walkman super loud (playing Rift) so he could hear it. Smoking a bong in this beat up Cutless booping down the highway...true teenage stoners. We go to Umass hung out with Christine for a while. Had dinner in the cafeteria before heading over to lots. Wow, what a scene. In retrospect, the lot scene at Umass sucks, but being my first time, I thought it was amazing. I remember it was cold that night. We walked down every aisle in the parking lot, I bought a wood carved old school style Phish bowl (wish I still had this thing. But I lost it at a Smashing Pumpkins concert in '96. Awful concert BTW. Garbage opened and both bands sounded like garbage). I think we brought half an ounce of weed INTO the show. Straight in a bag, in my waist band. Idiots. We surely weren't gonna smoke that much and we weren't planning on selling it. We just wanted all our weed with us. Got it in though.
As far as first time Phish concerts go, this was kind of perfect. I've always said you shouldn't get an A+ show your first time. You can't appreciate it. No matter how much Phish you've heard before walking through those doors, being there is totally different. It's kind of like having sex for the first time. You may think f***ing Jenna Jameson your first time is a good idea, but you aren't gonna know what that really means until you get a few under your belt. This show was perfect for breaking my cherry. A very songy first set, lots of tunes I knew, some new songs. I got a Lizards AND Esther my first set and this Bowie is really good. The second set was a little more confusing. After a quick Poor Heart opener they launch into a 25+ minute Gin. I do remember being lost at times, especially when the music drops and Mike starts playing that creepy bass. I didn't know if we were in the same song, if this was planned, if God himself was gonna rise from the stage, but I was entranced nonetheless. Keyboard Kalverly didn't do anything to help my confusion, but I thought it was very pretty (probably didn't help that I was stoned out of my mind either). What is this? They're walking over the the pianos? WTF is going on? Toto, I don't think we're in Kansas anymore. Shit got weird again (for me at least) during and after Scent. By the time Lifeboy came around, I felt like I gave birth...twice. Along with YEM from ALO, that Hood was another song that really stuck with me. To this day, Hood is my favorite Phish tune. No doubt that it was ALO and this show that sealed it in my soul as being special for me. This Hood is an all timer. Another in line with the great Hoods of this era. Obviously, I didn't realize at the time just how great it was in comparison to other Hoods (I had only heard two Hoods) but it was my clear musical highlight from the night. The Cavern and encores that followed were just icing on the cake. That was it. I was o-phish-ally hooked. I walked out there knowing I had to see as many shows as possible.
My absolute favorite memory from this experience was walking out of the arena. Spellbound, twisted and in shock we all walked out to the most beautiful light snow falling. It had been snowing for some time, so everything was covered. But not obscene yet. It was that pristine, clean, white snow that makes everything look and feel clean. It wasn't too cold, it was perfect. My buddy and I walked around a bit in basic shock. We got back to the dorms and spent the night up talking, keeping her dorm mates awake to the point that we got yelled at a few times throughout the night. We didn't care. We just kept smoking weed and hanging out.
What a night. What an experience. I was totally in love with the band, the scene, the music after that night but I still could have never conceived that that one night would be a journey that would last 17 years. Take me all over the country. Meet so many amazing, wonderful people. Some were fleeting. Others are still important to me to this day. I've brought many many people to their first shows, none that I know of, are really fans on this level today. My buddy Jamie stopped going to shows in 2004. He only really went to the Great Woods shows because they were breaking up. He stopped making it a "thing" my '00. But our glory days of seeing shows were long over by '98.
Phish is a long term commitment for me. Without ever feeling like a commitment. I haven't ever really gone long without listening to them. And, easily, on average, over the last 17 years, I listen to at least one jam a day. When I was just locked up in November, those 23 days was the longest stretch I have ever gone without listening to Phish. First jams I hit up when I got home were: Dicks Light, Palace '97 Izabella and Denver '97 Tweezer. Felt so good to hear that music again.
I hope my words in some way can express exactly what the music and community mean to me. I can't help but feel that no matter what I say or how I say it, words can't do justice to how I truly feel about all of this. I have been blessed to care about something so passionately, for so long. It's rare for people to care about something, anything other then themselves so much. You guys here on this site know exactly what I mean though. And that unspoken bond we all share, is just part of the magic that lies within all of this.
Much love,
Ron
I forgot to mention... today is his Phishversay! 1995-12-05
This was my second show!! The first was the night before. If only I knew then what I know now...
!kegstanding!!!
What up ron its samey from the houseHey! Nice to see you on the nets (well, I've been seeing you around. Now I know who you are here).
Happy Phishversary to you!
Story time. I've told this a few times on here, but today seems appropriate as any day. This is gonna be a super long post. Just a heads up.tl;dr
October '94 my drug buddy at the time, Pepe, got a couple of free tickets for GD at the Garden (it was part of a multiple night stand. Something like 5 or 6 shows). I wasn't even into the Dead at the time (still don't like them) but we figured it would be fun. At the very least we would score some killer drugs and hang out around the Garden (I was already taking a lot of LSD at the time). I instantly fell in love with the scene. So many people just hanging out, selling shit. Little pockets of shadiness in parking lots and behind bars. Lots of smiles and people generally just doing their own thing. It was perfect. I was the farthest thing from a "hippie" type. I was very into music at that point, but mostly Zeppelin and Grundge. Floyd was at that time my be all end all band. I was obsessed with Floyd. I was instantly in love with the vibe there though. It was so warm and welcoming, something I have never experienced before. We milled around a bit, bought some fake L from some shady looking black guy, did some whippets under a bridge. Good times. We went to the show and I had a good time, but the music did nothing for me. I spent most of the night walking around and avoiding getting hit in the face by spinners. We raged the post show scene a little before going home. All in all a pretty average night. The one thing that stuck with me this night, along with the love and vibe on lot were these Phish patches I saw on everyones back packs. I don't even know why they made an impression. Maybe because everything was so new to me, I was intrigued? Whatever it was, those images stuck, Fast forward to the next summer...
Summer '95 I was at the North Station T stop (ironically, the Gardens T stop) and I see this grungy looking kid (I think his name was Noah) waiting for the train with a back pack, with none other then a Phish patch. I decide to strike up a conversation with him (best decision I ever made) and inquired about what the patch meant (I had never forgotten about that image). He went on to gush about this band, how they were the best thing, yada yada yada. I was getting excited so I asked what album I should pick up. He mentioned (of course) they were a live band but they had just released a live album, A Live One, and it had a sick Tweezer. If I was gonna get any album I should start with that one. Sure enough, I ran out and bought the album that night. First Phish song I ever heard was Bouncing. I don't remember being blown away, but I do remember Chalkdust making an impression on me. But it was YEM that really hooked me. I had never heard anything like that composition before. I clearly remember, talking to my best friend Jamie, and putting the phone to my speakers during the "Ahhhhhhhhh, BOY!" part. He loved it too. Thus, it all really began. I ran out soon after and bought every Phish album I could find. Junta was the next album to really impress me. I found out they were playing Mullins Center sometime that fall, I think, and decided it was time to see these guys live.
My mom bought tickets for my friend Jamie and I. He had the car, a friend of ours from high school was attending Umass at that time, so we has a suite to stay in. Everything was coming together. My buddy had a shitty old school Cutless boat, with no radio. We resorted to me listening to my walkman super loud (playing Rift) so he could hear it. Smoking a bong in this beat up Cutless booping down the highway...true teenage stoners. We go to Umass hung out with Christine for a while. Had dinner in the cafeteria before heading over to lots. Wow, what a scene. In retrospect, the lot scene at Umass sucks, but being my first time, I thought it was amazing. I remember it was cold that night. We walked down every aisle in the parking lot, I bought a wood carved old school style Phish bowl (wish I still had this thing. But I lost it at a Smashing Pumpkins concert in '96. Awful concert BTW. Garbage opened and both bands sounded like garbage). I think we brought half an ounce of weed INTO the show. Straight in a bag, in my waist band. Idiots. We surely weren't gonna smoke that much and we weren't planning on selling it. We just wanted all our weed with us. Got it in though.
As far as first time Phish concerts go, this was kind of perfect. I've always said you shouldn't get an A+ show your first time. You can't appreciate it. No matter how much Phish you've heard before walking through those doors, being there is totally different. It's kind of like having sex for the first time. You may think f***ing Jenna Jameson your first time is a good idea, but you aren't gonna know what that really means until you get a few under your belt. This show was perfect for breaking my cherry. A very songy first set, lots of tunes I knew, some new songs. I got a Lizards AND Esther my first set and this Bowie is really good. The second set was a little more confusing. After a quick Poor Heart opener they launch into a 25+ minute Gin. I do remember being lost at times, especially when the music drops and Mike starts playing that creepy bass. I didn't know if we were in the same song, if this was planned, if God himself was gonna rise from the stage, but I was entranced nonetheless. Keyboard Kalverly didn't do anything to help my confusion, but I thought it was very pretty (probably didn't help that I was stoned out of my mind either). What is this? They're walking over the the pianos? WTF is going on? Toto, I don't think we're in Kansas anymore. Shit got weird again (for me at least) during and after Scent. By the time Lifeboy came around, I felt like I gave birth...twice. Along with YEM from ALO, that Hood was another song that really stuck with me. To this day, Hood is my favorite Phish tune. No doubt that it was ALO and this show that sealed it in my soul as being special for me. This Hood is an all timer. Another in line with the great Hoods of this era. Obviously, I didn't realize at the time just how great it was in comparison to other Hoods (I had only heard two Hoods) but it was my clear musical highlight from the night. The Cavern and encores that followed were just icing on the cake. That was it. I was o-phish-ally hooked. I walked out there knowing I had to see as many shows as possible.
My absolute favorite memory from this experience was walking out of the arena. Spellbound, twisted and in shock we all walked out to the most beautiful light snow falling. It had been snowing for some time, so everything was covered. But not obscene yet. It was that pristine, clean, white snow that makes everything look and feel clean. It wasn't too cold, it was perfect. My buddy and I walked around a bit in basic shock. We got back to the dorms and spent the night up talking, keeping her dorm mates awake to the point that we got yelled at a few times throughout the night. We didn't care. We just kept smoking weed and hanging out.
What a night. What an experience. I was totally in love with the band, the scene, the music after that night but I still could have never conceived that that one night would be a journey that would last 17 years. Take me all over the country. Meet so many amazing, wonderful people. Some were fleeting. Others are still important to me to this day. I've brought many many people to their first shows, none that I know of, are really fans on this level today. My buddy Jamie stopped going to shows in 2004. He only really went to the Great Woods shows because they were breaking up. He stopped making it a "thing" my '00. But our glory days of seeing shows were long over by '98.
Phish is a long term commitment for me. Without ever feeling like a commitment. I haven't ever really gone long without listening to them. And, easily, on average, over the last 17 years, I listen to at least one jam a day. When I was just locked up in November, those 23 days was the longest stretch I have ever gone without listening to Phish. First jams I hit up when I got home were: Dicks Light, Palace '97 Izabella and Denver '97 Tweezer. Felt so good to hear that music again.
I hope my words in some way can express exactly what the music and community mean to me. I can't help but feel that no matter what I say or how I say it, words can't do justice to how I truly feel about all of this. I have been blessed to care about something so passionately, for so long. It's rare for people to care about something, anything other then themselves so much. You guys here on this site know exactly what I mean though. And that unspoken bond we all share, is just part of the magic that lies within all of this.
Much love,
Ron
@bostonron said:haha didnt want to say it but who else is on here from the houseStory time. I've told this a few times on here, but today seems appropriate as any day. This is gonna be a super long post. Just a heads up.tl;dr
October '94 my drug buddy at the time, Pepe, got a couple of free tickets for GD at the Garden (it was part of a multiple night stand. Something like 5 or 6 shows). I wasn't even into the Dead at the time (still don't like them) but we figured it would be fun. At the very least we would score some killer drugs and hang out around the Garden (I was already taking a lot of LSD at the time). I instantly fell in love with the scene. So many people just hanging out, selling shit. Little pockets of shadiness in parking lots and behind bars. Lots of smiles and people generally just doing their own thing. It was perfect. I was the farthest thing from a "hippie" type. I was very into music at that point, but mostly Zeppelin and Grundge. Floyd was at that time my be all end all band. I was obsessed with Floyd. I was instantly in love with the vibe there though. It was so warm and welcoming, something I have never experienced before. We milled around a bit, bought some fake L from some shady looking black guy, did some whippets under a bridge. Good times. We went to the show and I had a good time, but the music did nothing for me. I spent most of the night walking around and avoiding getting hit in the face by spinners. We raged the post show scene a little before going home. All in all a pretty average night. The one thing that stuck with me this night, along with the love and vibe on lot were these Phish patches I saw on everyones back packs. I don't even know why they made an impression. Maybe because everything was so new to me, I was intrigued? Whatever it was, those images stuck, Fast forward to the next summer...
Summer '95 I was at the North Station T stop (ironically, the Gardens T stop) and I see this grungy looking kid (I think his name was Noah) waiting for the train with a back pack, with none other then a Phish patch. I decide to strike up a conversation with him (best decision I ever made) and inquired about what the patch meant (I had never forgotten about that image). He went on to gush about this band, how they were the best thing, yada yada yada. I was getting excited so I asked what album I should pick up. He mentioned (of course) they were a live band but they had just released a live album, A Live One, and it had a sick Tweezer. If I was gonna get any album I should start with that one. Sure enough, I ran out and bought the album that night. First Phish song I ever heard was Bouncing. I don't remember being blown away, but I do remember Chalkdust making an impression on me. But it was YEM that really hooked me. I had never heard anything like that composition before. I clearly remember, talking to my best friend Jamie, and putting the phone to my speakers during the "Ahhhhhhhhh, BOY!" part. He loved it too. Thus, it all really began. I ran out soon after and bought every Phish album I could find. Junta was the next album to really impress me. I found out they were playing Mullins Center sometime that fall, I think, and decided it was time to see these guys live.
My mom bought tickets for my friend Jamie and I. He had the car, a friend of ours from high school was attending Umass at that time, so we has a suite to stay in. Everything was coming together. My buddy had a shitty old school Cutless boat, with no radio. We resorted to me listening to my walkman super loud (playing Rift) so he could hear it. Smoking a bong in this beat up Cutless booping down the highway...true teenage stoners. We go to Umass hung out with Christine for a while. Had dinner in the cafeteria before heading over to lots. Wow, what a scene. In retrospect, the lot scene at Umass sucks, but being my first time, I thought it was amazing. I remember it was cold that night. We walked down every aisle in the parking lot, I bought a wood carved old school style Phish bowl (wish I still had this thing. But I lost it at a Smashing Pumpkins concert in '96. Awful concert BTW. Garbage opened and both bands sounded like garbage). I think we brought half an ounce of weed INTO the show. Straight in a bag, in my waist band. Idiots. We surely weren't gonna smoke that much and we weren't planning on selling it. We just wanted all our weed with us. Got it in though.
As far as first time Phish concerts go, this was kind of perfect. I've always said you shouldn't get an A+ show your first time. You can't appreciate it. No matter how much Phish you've heard before walking through those doors, being there is totally different. It's kind of like having sex for the first time. You may think f***ing Jenna Jameson your first time is a good idea, but you aren't gonna know what that really means until you get a few under your belt. This show was perfect for breaking my cherry. A very songy first set, lots of tunes I knew, some new songs. I got a Lizards AND Esther my first set and this Bowie is really good. The second set was a little more confusing. After a quick Poor Heart opener they launch into a 25+ minute Gin. I do remember being lost at times, especially when the music drops and Mike starts playing that creepy bass. I didn't know if we were in the same song, if this was planned, if God himself was gonna rise from the stage, but I was entranced nonetheless. Keyboard Kalverly didn't do anything to help my confusion, but I thought it was very pretty (probably didn't help that I was stoned out of my mind either). What is this? They're walking over the the pianos? WTF is going on? Toto, I don't think we're in Kansas anymore. Shit got weird again (for me at least) during and after Scent. By the time Lifeboy came around, I felt like I gave birth...twice. Along with YEM from ALO, that Hood was another song that really stuck with me. To this day, Hood is my favorite Phish tune. No doubt that it was ALO and this show that sealed it in my soul as being special for me. This Hood is an all timer. Another in line with the great Hoods of this era. Obviously, I didn't realize at the time just how great it was in comparison to other Hoods (I had only heard two Hoods) but it was my clear musical highlight from the night. The Cavern and encores that followed were just icing on the cake. That was it. I was o-phish-ally hooked. I walked out there knowing I had to see as many shows as possible.
My absolute favorite memory from this experience was walking out of the arena. Spellbound, twisted and in shock we all walked out to the most beautiful light snow falling. It had been snowing for some time, so everything was covered. But not obscene yet. It was that pristine, clean, white snow that makes everything look and feel clean. It wasn't too cold, it was perfect. My buddy and I walked around a bit in basic shock. We got back to the dorms and spent the night up talking, keeping her dorm mates awake to the point that we got yelled at a few times throughout the night. We didn't care. We just kept smoking weed and hanging out.
What a night. What an experience. I was totally in love with the band, the scene, the music after that night but I still could have never conceived that that one night would be a journey that would last 17 years. Take me all over the country. Meet so many amazing, wonderful people. Some were fleeting. Others are still important to me to this day. I've brought many many people to their first shows, none that I know of, are really fans on this level today. My buddy Jamie stopped going to shows in 2004. He only really went to the Great Woods shows because they were breaking up. He stopped making it a "thing" my '00. But our glory days of seeing shows were long over by '98.
Phish is a long term commitment for me. Without ever feeling like a commitment. I haven't ever really gone long without listening to them. And, easily, on average, over the last 17 years, I listen to at least one jam a day. When I was just locked up in November, those 23 days was the longest stretch I have ever gone without listening to Phish. First jams I hit up when I got home were: Dicks Light, Palace '97 Izabella and Denver '97 Tweezer. Felt so good to hear that music again.
I hope my words in some way can express exactly what the music and community mean to me. I can't help but feel that no matter what I say or how I say it, words can't do justice to how I truly feel about all of this. I have been blessed to care about something so passionately, for so long. It's rare for people to care about something, anything other then themselves so much. You guys here on this site know exactly what I mean though. And that unspoken bond we all share, is just part of the magic that lies within all of this.
Much love,
Ron![]()
@Mr_Incompletely most of this thread are in House. @cupucakus is Katie (she bailed). House started from .net. Some House members just don't post here much anymore.Hi Sami!
FWIW, I didn't "bail" -- I took a leave of absence
@conradjohansen said:@bostonron said:haha didnt want to say it but who else is on here from the houseStory time. I've told this a few times on here, but today seems appropriate as any day. This is gonna be a super long post. Just a heads up.tl;dr
October '94 my drug buddy at the time, Pepe, got a couple of free tickets for GD at the Garden (it was part of a multiple night stand. Something like 5 or 6 shows). I wasn't even into the Dead at the time (still don't like them) but we figured it would be fun. At the very least we would score some killer drugs and hang out around the Garden (I was already taking a lot of LSD at the time). I instantly fell in love with the scene. So many people just hanging out, selling shit. Little pockets of shadiness in parking lots and behind bars. Lots of smiles and people generally just doing their own thing. It was perfect. I was the farthest thing from a "hippie" type. I was very into music at that point, but mostly Zeppelin and Grundge. Floyd was at that time my be all end all band. I was obsessed with Floyd. I was instantly in love with the vibe there though. It was so warm and welcoming, something I have never experienced before. We milled around a bit, bought some fake L from some shady looking black guy, did some whippets under a bridge. Good times. We went to the show and I had a good time, but the music did nothing for me. I spent most of the night walking around and avoiding getting hit in the face by spinners. We raged the post show scene a little before going home. All in all a pretty average night. The one thing that stuck with me this night, along with the love and vibe on lot were these Phish patches I saw on everyones back packs. I don't even know why they made an impression. Maybe because everything was so new to me, I was intrigued? Whatever it was, those images stuck, Fast forward to the next summer...
Summer '95 I was at the North Station T stop (ironically, the Gardens T stop) and I see this grungy looking kid (I think his name was Noah) waiting for the train with a back pack, with none other then a Phish patch. I decide to strike up a conversation with him (best decision I ever made) and inquired about what the patch meant (I had never forgotten about that image). He went on to gush about this band, how they were the best thing, yada yada yada. I was getting excited so I asked what album I should pick up. He mentioned (of course) they were a live band but they had just released a live album, A Live One, and it had a sick Tweezer. If I was gonna get any album I should start with that one. Sure enough, I ran out and bought the album that night. First Phish song I ever heard was Bouncing. I don't remember being blown away, but I do remember Chalkdust making an impression on me. But it was YEM that really hooked me. I had never heard anything like that composition before. I clearly remember, talking to my best friend Jamie, and putting the phone to my speakers during the "Ahhhhhhhhh, BOY!" part. He loved it too. Thus, it all really began. I ran out soon after and bought every Phish album I could find. Junta was the next album to really impress me. I found out they were playing Mullins Center sometime that fall, I think, and decided it was time to see these guys live.
My mom bought tickets for my friend Jamie and I. He had the car, a friend of ours from high school was attending Umass at that time, so we has a suite to stay in. Everything was coming together. My buddy had a shitty old school Cutless boat, with no radio. We resorted to me listening to my walkman super loud (playing Rift) so he could hear it. Smoking a bong in this beat up Cutless booping down the highway...true teenage stoners. We go to Umass hung out with Christine for a while. Had dinner in the cafeteria before heading over to lots. Wow, what a scene. In retrospect, the lot scene at Umass sucks, but being my first time, I thought it was amazing. I remember it was cold that night. We walked down every aisle in the parking lot, I bought a wood carved old school style Phish bowl (wish I still had this thing. But I lost it at a Smashing Pumpkins concert in '96. Awful concert BTW. Garbage opened and both bands sounded like garbage). I think we brought half an ounce of weed INTO the show. Straight in a bag, in my waist band. Idiots. We surely weren't gonna smoke that much and we weren't planning on selling it. We just wanted all our weed with us. Got it in though.
As far as first time Phish concerts go, this was kind of perfect. I've always said you shouldn't get an A+ show your first time. You can't appreciate it. No matter how much Phish you've heard before walking through those doors, being there is totally different. It's kind of like having sex for the first time. You may think f***ing Jenna Jameson your first time is a good idea, but you aren't gonna know what that really means until you get a few under your belt. This show was perfect for breaking my cherry. A very songy first set, lots of tunes I knew, some new songs. I got a Lizards AND Esther my first set and this Bowie is really good. The second set was a little more confusing. After a quick Poor Heart opener they launch into a 25+ minute Gin. I do remember being lost at times, especially when the music drops and Mike starts playing that creepy bass. I didn't know if we were in the same song, if this was planned, if God himself was gonna rise from the stage, but I was entranced nonetheless. Keyboard Kalverly didn't do anything to help my confusion, but I thought it was very pretty (probably didn't help that I was stoned out of my mind either). What is this? They're walking over the the pianos? WTF is going on? Toto, I don't think we're in Kansas anymore. Shit got weird again (for me at least) during and after Scent. By the time Lifeboy came around, I felt like I gave birth...twice. Along with YEM from ALO, that Hood was another song that really stuck with me. To this day, Hood is my favorite Phish tune. No doubt that it was ALO and this show that sealed it in my soul as being special for me. This Hood is an all timer. Another in line with the great Hoods of this era. Obviously, I didn't realize at the time just how great it was in comparison to other Hoods (I had only heard two Hoods) but it was my clear musical highlight from the night. The Cavern and encores that followed were just icing on the cake. That was it. I was o-phish-ally hooked. I walked out there knowing I had to see as many shows as possible.
My absolute favorite memory from this experience was walking out of the arena. Spellbound, twisted and in shock we all walked out to the most beautiful light snow falling. It had been snowing for some time, so everything was covered. But not obscene yet. It was that pristine, clean, white snow that makes everything look and feel clean. It wasn't too cold, it was perfect. My buddy and I walked around a bit in basic shock. We got back to the dorms and spent the night up talking, keeping her dorm mates awake to the point that we got yelled at a few times throughout the night. We didn't care. We just kept smoking weed and hanging out.
What a night. What an experience. I was totally in love with the band, the scene, the music after that night but I still could have never conceived that that one night would be a journey that would last 17 years. Take me all over the country. Meet so many amazing, wonderful people. Some were fleeting. Others are still important to me to this day. I've brought many many people to their first shows, none that I know of, are really fans on this level today. My buddy Jamie stopped going to shows in 2004. He only really went to the Great Woods shows because they were breaking up. He stopped making it a "thing" my '00. But our glory days of seeing shows were long over by '98.
Phish is a long term commitment for me. Without ever feeling like a commitment. I haven't ever really gone long without listening to them. And, easily, on average, over the last 17 years, I listen to at least one jam a day. When I was just locked up in November, those 23 days was the longest stretch I have ever gone without listening to Phish. First jams I hit up when I got home were: Dicks Light, Palace '97 Izabella and Denver '97 Tweezer. Felt so good to hear that music again.
I hope my words in some way can express exactly what the music and community mean to me. I can't help but feel that no matter what I say or how I say it, words can't do justice to how I truly feel about all of this. I have been blessed to care about something so passionately, for so long. It's rare for people to care about something, anything other then themselves so much. You guys here on this site know exactly what I mean though. And that unspoken bond we all share, is just part of the magic that lies within all of this.
Much love,
Ron![]()
This guy! Big thanks to @bostonron for inviting me in, but unfortunetly I haven't met enough of you yet. That will soon change
@bostonron said:You bailed. But it's ok.@Mr_Incompletely most of this thread are in House. @cupucakus is Katie (she bailed). House started from .net. Some House members just don't post here much anymore.Hi Sami!
FWIW, I didn't "bail" -- I took a leave of absence
@cupuscakus said:She bailed.@bostonron said:You bailed. But it's ok.@Mr_Incompletely most of this thread are in House. @cupucakus is Katie (she bailed). House started from .net. Some House members just don't post here much anymore.Hi Sami!
FWIW, I didn't "bail" -- I took a leave of absence
Oh my god, stop quoting that whole thing hahaha.You started it, meatball. BTW, you haven't answered me on FB yet. Are you coming this weekend?
Tim, we met briefly at the .net meet up last year.
I do recall that, we were standing next to eachother at the bar and I was trying to look all cool ordering my Coke, then we made a quick joke about Frizz and parted ways. Hahahaha
@conradjohansen said:I know I did haha. Shit, forgot, tried to do it earlier but it "failed" then I forgot. Not sure yet. Are you going? I know you were on the fence.Oh my god, stop quoting that whole thing hahaha.You started it, meatball. BTW, you haven't answered me on FB yet. Are you coming this weekend?
/I've met Tim
@bostonron said:Whats with the leave of absence anyways@Mr_Incompletely most of this thread are in House. @cupucakus is Katie (she bailed). House started from .net. Some House members just don't post here much anymore.Hi Sami!
FWIW, I didn't "bail" -- I took a leave of absence
@bostonron said:I don't think I spent nearly enough time with people I wanted to at that meet up. I was distracted.Tim, we met briefly at the .net meet up last year.
I do recall that, we were standing next to eachother at the bar and I was trying to look all cool ordering my Coke, then we made a quick joke about Frizz and parted ways. Hahahaha
@bostonron said:I'll definitely be there. My on the fence thing was a result of being drunk and cranky one night. Other then that, I have fully intended on going since day one. It was all I really thought about during November. I would LOVE for you to be there. P@conradjohansen said:I know I did haha. Shit, forgot, tried to do it earlier but it "failed" then I forgot. Not sure yet. Are you going? I know you were on the fence.Oh my god, stop quoting that whole thing hahaha.You started it, meatball. BTW, you haven't answered me on FB yet. Are you coming this weekend?
/I've met Tim
@conradjohansen said:I'll try to be there.@bostonron said:I'll definitely be there. My on the fence thing was a result of being drunk and cranky one night. Other then that, I have fully intended on going since day one. It was all I really thought about during November. I would LOVE for you to be there. P@conradjohansen said:I know I did haha. Shit, forgot, tried to do it earlier but it "failed" then I forgot. Not sure yet. Are you going? I know you were on the fence.Oh my god, stop quoting that whole thing hahaha.You started it, meatball. BTW, you haven't answered me on FB yet. Are you coming this weekend?
/I've met Tim
/realizes no one but you 3 will see this
@bostonron said:@conradjohansen said:I know I did haha. Shit, forgot, tried to do it earlier but it "failed" then I forgot. Not sure yet. Are you going? I know you were on the fence.Oh my god, stop quoting that whole thing hahaha.You started it, meatball. BTW, you haven't answered me on FB yet. Are you coming this weekend?
/I've met Tim
Hahaha me and you bumped into eachother a bunch this summer, night one and 2 of AC on shakdown post show. Then after SPAC 2 I was walking out of the pavillion you were leaning on the fence, I think we were both a little spun that time Hahahah
You must be logged in to leave a comment!

Back to Forum
Oldest First
Newest First
<3