Countdown to Phish: Day 17

The Ticket Game = The Faint of Heart Need Not Apply

Phish tickets. Wow. A lot has changed since those shows in the 80's when tickets were 5, 7, 10 dollars; venues were small theaters on college campuses or pizza joints in Burlington; crowds were small and innocent. By the time I was old enough to go, the demand for Phish tickets was just beginning to match the capacity of the venues they'd play. And that's when you have yourself a Ticket Game on your hands.

I'll never forget the first time I played about 15 years ago: sitting on the kitchen floor in my PJ's on a Saturday morning frantically dialing the TicketMaster digits over and over into my parents' brand new touch tone phone. Two hours later, I finally broke through the busy-signal barrier and scored a ticket to see Phish at the Boston Garden on NYE 1994-95!

I learned the ropes of mail-order just in time for the next tour. I'd follow every step to the letter, decorate my envelope in hopes of better seats, send it through the mail slot with a kiss for good luck. Mail-order was the sweetest ritual of tour with the most delightful reward at the end of a long wait: an envelope stacked full of crispy Phish tickets in all colors of the rainbow, their perforated stubs just waiting to be ripped at the gate of each venue. Inside of each mail-order return envelope were the keys to a treasure map; following it would determine the course of an entire summer rock and roll roadtrip.

Times have changed, Phish has grown exponentially, and the demand for tickets is on par with the hottest national acts. What makes The Ticket Game even more challenging is that Phish attracts their fans to multiple concerts -- people from all over the world are all competing for the same ticket in Long Island, and again in Asheville, again in St. Louis...location doesn't even matter. If the band is playing, 100,000 + people want to go, and it's a jungle out there!

As stressful as The Ticket Game is, I still enjoy the hours of planning and strategy that goes into it, and the rush on the actual day. Maybe it takes me back to that memory in my parents' kitchen, or maybe I enjoy the camaraderie of it all, making sure that all my friends get into the shows.

These Hampton shows sold out in a matter of seconds. Right now, according to Rolling Stone, it's the "hottest ticket on the planet". People are trading iPhones, cars, drugs, posh hotel rooms, SUV's, sexual favors, vacation rentals, you name it. Auctions are peaking at $1500 a ticket on ebay, it's crazy!

Our crew is almost covered. As each ticket arrives in the mail, a wave of relief and excitement washes over me. Thank you from the bottom of my heart to the people who have helped us get Hampton tickets (you know who you are!) There is nothing like actually holding a colorful piece of cardstock that says Phish on it. Another key to a spectacular treasure box that we can open in 17 days....