The Story of the Phish
I think, that I just very well might have seen the best concert of my life, this past weekend. A Saturday night in Atlantic City, just before Halloween. I had just turned $5.00 into $6.85 at a slot machine. There was magic in the air. With my winnings firmly in grasp, my girlfriend Alli and I headed for the exits of the Trump Plaza. The Boardwalk Hall was right next door. I had received these tickets, to the best concert of my life, through the Phish lottery system. I’ve been sometimes blessed, but more often spurned, by these lottery ticket attempts in the past. This time I had won the golden tickets. We headed through the outside gates and onto the floor of Boardwalk Hall. I had never been there before, and the feeling was nothing short of awe inspiring as we walked closer and closer to the stage.
I have gotten close to the stage at a couple other Phish shows, but never like this. The anticipation for the show to begin, grew in our little hearts, like a blossoming lotus flower. We had just a hundred minutes to wait. Time crept by. The floor was sticky. The front of the crowd was growing more dense with every passing moment. There is no one sitting anymore. The crowd cheers and you know it’s gonna happen any second now. Finally! Here they come. Page, Mike, Fish, and of course Trey. There’s a indescribable connection that Trey has with the crowd that’s unlike any other frontman I’ve ever seen. And he’s grinning from ear to ear when he comes out on stage. I know this one’s gonna be special.
The first notes of Kill Devil Falls plays and it’s on. The crowd starts moving immediately. Trey’s solo ends the song, and I notice him wiping some drool from the side of his mouth. It’s to be expected.
Cavern is next which drifts into Foam. Then comes Guelah Papyrus. There’s a very quick and massive glow stick war that explodes forth, during a break in the song. With a huge smile on his face, Trey watches the glow sticks slowly move ever closer to the stage. They soon start hitting the stage and they were hitting me as well. Trey begins to try to catch one. He succeeds and throws it back into the crowd. The song continued on. As did the rest of that glorious night. But the fun, truly, was just beginning.
Here is a video of said glow stick war
Chalkdust Torture was next, and although I’m a fan of the song, I’ve heard it so many times, live, that I’m a little indifferent to the song at this point. Well, this one was different. This Chalkdust broke the Led out. Whole Lotta Love. They played it and teased it all night long. This was the first time though. The crowd went completely insane. In addition to Whole Lotta Love, we heard other Zeppelin classics such as Heartbreaker, Ramble on, Thank You, Stairway to Heaven, and of course, the often covered Good Times Bad Times. Whole Lotta Love was our only taste of Led in the first set though. At set break, Alli and I moved towards the back. We’d had enough of the blinding awesomeness that is Phish up close.
The second Set was when the rest of the Led came out. Alli and I admired the rest of it from behind the soundboard, where the sound was much better, and so was the light show. Good Times Bad Times signaled the end of the show. Of course, they’d have to end this epic set two with one last Led Zeppelin song.
Now let me explain this to those of you who aren’t familiar with the masterful musical wizards that are known as Phish. What happened this one Saturday night in late October, was not a commonplace event. This wasn’t something that you would think would happen. Sure, Phish plays alot of shows. And sure they pull alot of crazy shenanigans. And sure they’ve played alot of covers over their years. And sure, they cover a full album by a different band, every 31st of October. But this was the 30th of October. And this was Led Zeppelin. My 16th time seeing the Phish. A Saturday, unlike any other. From a band unlike any other. Thank you.
Set 1: Kill Devil Falls, Cavern > Foam, Guelah Papyrus, Chalk Dust Torture -> Whole Lotta Love > Chalk Dust Torture, Ha Ha Ha, Walk Away, Wolfman’s Brother -> Undermind > Bathtub Gin, The Squirming Coil
Set 2: Tube > Possum > Tweezer -> Heartbreaker -> Ramble On -> Thank You -> Tweezer -> Stairway to Heaven, Halley’s Comet > Also Sprach Zarathustra > David Bowie, Show of Life, Backwards Down the Number Line > Good Times Bad Times
Encore: Sleeping Monkey > Tweezer Reprise
Nice write-up and review. This was my 16th show as well and it was definitely a magical night. I was supposed to be in section 116 but some girl asked if I wanted to trade my seat for her floor ticket. I said goodbye to my buddy and his girlfriend and worked my way up to the soundboard for the first set and then I got pretty damn close to the stage during the second set. What a great show.
Thanks. Appreciate it.