Once we got the kitten out of the suitcase and our stuff packed, we flew to Las Vegas where Lisa Aiken -- equipped with camping equipment, food, and drinks for 3 people over 5 days -- picked us up and brought us to the concert site in Indio, California. We arrived at 4am. Of the three of us, Alison grabbed the most shut-eye -- about two hours. That first day, therefore, was a real marathon, but the evening's two sets of music were fabulous.The next day was Halloween. The band upheld its Oct. 31st tradition of donning a "musical costume" which, this time, was the Rolling Stones' Exile on Main Street -- complete with a horn section and backup singers. The musical highlight of the whole weekend for me was "Lovin' Cup," which Phish has covered thousands of times so that its place is solidly established in the band's canon. But "Lovin' Cup" is also on Exile, so it came up during the Halloween set -- and the place, the band, and, most especially, the guest performers, just went crazy. Out of this world. Also out of this world were 30,000 costume-wearing Phishheads. I camped with a 1920s flapper and a hockey-playing pirate. I also met Jim Morrison, the entire gang from Scooby-Doo, the 1969 championship-winning Boston Celtics, Eve (from Adam and Eve), and about 15 Jon Fishmans. What a night!
In terms of the Festival, Phish took care of everything. Foremost, holding it in southern California enabled the band to provide a rain-free weekend -- very nearly a Phish first. Festival 8 also included a traffic-free entry, soft grass to camp on, clean Porta-Potties, clean and spacious showers (that's right -- Phishheads showered!), and a certified organic Farmer's Market (we enjoyed fresh strawberries and mandarins, and we made breakfast burritos from fresh eggs and peppers). Keeping with another festival tradition started at 2003's IT festival, Alison and I began each morning by running around the campgrounds. And in addition to the Halloween set, there was another Phish first: Sunday's noon-time Acoustic Set complete with free coffee and "8-shaped" donuts. Unfortunately, the line for the morning snacks was too long. Fortunately, the line where they were giving out free Phish Food Ben & Jerry's scoops was not long, so we went there instead.
I'm not going to lie. There were times leading up to the weekend that I wondered if I'm getting a little old to be taking off across the country to follow my favorite jamband. Well, I have to tell you: I had a great time. Since 1991 they have been my favorite for a reason. They put on the best show of any band out there... and they took care of every person who made the trip. Everything was perfect. Trey, Mike, Page, and Fish: thanks. Lisa, great driving and packing. Heather, thanks for looking after our house and animals while we were away. And in answer to the original question: I'd do it again in a second.
See you at "Festival 9"!
2 comments:
Hey Mark, thanks so much for sharing your weekend's highlights and photos. So terrific and glad you had a great time. And, so smart of Phish to hold the concert in Indio (never heard of it) in southern CA! And apparently it's all about the pearls with the flapper and the pirate. Were you dressed as a marathon runner?
I was a disco star with a pbr headband
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