"Summer of the Phish"

The Summer before I entered my freshman year of college was unlike any other. With high school behind me, a few friends and I planned a road trip around the North East seeing a few bands that we adored as well as a a plan to see a few music festivals. The band that we centered our trip around predominately was Phish. This Burlington Jamband had reformed after a five year which seemed permanent break-up for their first tour since their last shows at the Coventry festival in 2004.

This band was more than just a band to us. Having been a Phish head throughout my high school career I yearned for the day that I might finally witness the magic that I had been told of by generations before me was the pinnacle of a perfect Summer. For Phish was more than just a band to me it was the blood that ran through my veins, the glimmering hope inside me and the net to catch me if I ever fell. It was more than a year ago today that the news of a reunion in Hampton, Virginia was upon us and these four men would be on stage to rekindle a flame that many thought had died long ago. Only this time I would be there to witness it.

To my own dismay personal distractions (i.e:graduating high school) stood in my way from being there to see Phish reunite. Instead I waited idly in front of a monitor to see a set list unfold as I gritted

my teeth in frustration to what could have been. But my summer would soon kick into "the high gear of my soul" when I made my first stop at Hunter Mountain's 5th annual Mountain Jam music festival.

Mountain Jam was a time when me and my buddies could blow of the steam that had crowded our eyesight for the four years of our high school careers. It was a magical time filled with the shredding guitar licks of Warren Haynes and the timely southern jams of Allman brothers. The Grateful Dead once wrote, "I spent a little time on the Mountain"- New Speedway Boogie. And that was just what I was doing.For three days I was given the responsibility to have no responsibility and I enjoyed every minute of it. But the best was still yet to come, in just one weeks time I would be at the Jones Beach amphitheater seeing my favorite band of ll time. Soon I would enter Phish's magical land of Gamhenge.

The Jones beach run came and for the first time ever I saw them...Phish. I was only but a slave to the music, arrays of feelings washed over me as I began to realize where I was going and what I was doing. I was entering college and about to grow into the man I would become and it was these moments of my summer vacation that I cherish greatly. For lack of a better term this was it!

At this point I would like to address the fact that although the Jones beach run was good there was still more to come. In Hartford, Connecticut I was going to see them for my third time with a more extended amount of my friends in a latter string of their summer tour. Now keep in mind phish had been broken up for five years, so in other words Jones beach was just a warm up. I drove up their with our destiny's unbound for what was about to unfold before our eyes. I watched as the lights of Chris Kuroda captivated me as the music swayed in turned me every which way. From what was evident it was to be what "phans" call a "Gamehengde" night!

For those who are wondering what a Gamhenge night may be it is a set list that takes some of the songs the band had written for the guitarist Trey Anistasio's senior project at Goddard College. These songs tell the tale of a magical land that our pro-tagonist Col. Forbin entered that was enslaved by an evil tyrant known as King Wilson. We won't go deeper into the story but I strongly encourage all to find a audio of "The Man Who Stepped Into Yesterday".

But as the set list unfolded excitement and emotions ran high among the crowd. We all asked ourselves what these four magical wizards had up their sleeves. Then a song that hadn't been played in over ten years was brought to our ears. "Icculus", the song that told of a legendary man who lived atop a mountain in Gamhenge was played. I was captivated by the words coming out of Trey's mouth. He addressed certain aspects of media in our generation, stating that we are slaves to machines such as Iphones and video games. He then went on about a certain aspect of the nostalgia of his childhood, stating that he was around for the invention of pong. The audience was so captivated by every motion and word made, his sense of humor on the matters of technology in our generation brought fourth a charisma of great energy among the crowd. For me this song brought forth new feeling of completion as well as a recognition of a new milestone in my life. I knew that in a few months time that I would be back to my studies only this time in a new place with new people. Although this fact was frightening in one not it was also comforting in another. I had graduated with a 3.8 and had made it to a milestone where I was off to uncover the new life that lay before me. It was during this song that I turned to my friend Jack and said, "We did it dude. We're here and we're doing it! He smiled and nodded his head and went back to the groove that the entire audience was sharing in.

Looking at the whole crowd from the lawn as we all witnessed the magic was something beautiful. We were all one organism sharing in an experience that people will tell about long after this band has ended. I'm proud to say that I was there in Hartford, and I saw the magic.

Months later I moved up to Burlington and began what was my new life. I've grown and I have matured into the man I am today. I cherish the fond memories as my last Summer as a high schooler and will never forget the day that I reached a new milestone in my life. All that's left to say now is... I'll see you on the road this summer guys!