7.16.94

Today I'm celebrating the 14th anniversary of my first Phish show at Sugarbush in North Fayston, Vermont, 7-16-94. It was one of those "first days of the rest of your life" nights. It was also exactly half my life ago! I was 14, it was the peak of summer, I was there with my brother Travis and two dear friends. And let me tell you, we had ourselves a real adventure. Having followed Phish by the minute ever since that day, I now know what an exceptional show it was and how lucky I am to have been there.

A comet crashed into Jupiter that night, and while we couldn't quite see it in the starry sky above the mountain, the band played a rare song in time with the event, which definitely added to the excitement. They also played Harry Hood, which I'd never heard before and has been my favorite song of all time ever since.

So tonight I'll repeat my favorite annual ritual of listening to the concert in its entirety. A spiritual experience. A few years ago, the band remastered the recording and released it as Live Phish Volume 2 -- that version sounds almost as good as it did that epic night on the mountain. Gates open at 5, showtime 7:30...