Fast forward a year.  Jerry’s gone, and I decide to head out west to see some old friends and catch a few Furthur shows.  After a crazy day at Fiddler’s Green, I make the call to hang out in Colorado for a while.  There’s mountains.  I like it here. Boulder, Colorado is one of those cities that just attracts traveling/homeless/adventuresome kids.  I met some amazing people who took me in there, friendly and understanding.  They also schooled me, taught me some things that I needed to know.  As the summer was winding down, I began to hear talk of an upcoming Phish show at Red Rocks.  Almost everyone I knew there was going, and I figured I’d tag along.  I had heard some Phish before, and was intrigued.  They reminded me of nuevo-Zappa, seasoned with Dr. Demento along with a side of some good ‘ol rock and roll.   Some interesting things happened at that run, and I made some new friends.  Ones with cars, and tickets.  I was on the bus before I knew what was happening.

I saw just under one hundred shows (my count is now 101) from summer ’96 to summer ’98.  I became the man I am today for the most part.  I learned to thrive in parking lots, hotels and campgrounds.  And I fucking LOVED every minute of it.  Phish was my life for a few years.  Then, as these things usually go, I fell in love with a girl and decided to slow down.  I would catch a show here and there, and actively traded tapes, but Phish was changing too and I had no desire to follow them down the road they had chosen.   I immersed myself in bluegrass and jazz for a while.  I knew that they were on “hiatus” for a while.  And I listened to their “last” concert, Coventry, live on XM radio at work.  It was so bad, I sheepishly shut it off. I was completely embarrassed after having told so many co workers how great the band was.  Coventry may have been emotional, but there’s a damn good reason you don’t see it  on too many fans iPods.

Then came the arrest.  And the resurrection I witnessed at ROTHBURY.

Now it’s 2009, and after playing together at a friends wedding they announce a 3 night run at the Hampton Coliseum with a tour to follow.  We were on the edge of our seats…could they do it?  Would it be the same?  Better?  Different?  Hampton turned out to be a barnburner, and I knew the tour would be steaming.

And so it has been.  A few flubs here and there, but that’s only expected after so long apart from each other.  They’re playing a handful of songs a LOT, but introducing new tunes and busting out some old goodies too.  As a spectator, the biggest change has been the ability to watch the shows as they’re happening. I’m watching and listening to tonights set at Bonnaroo as I type.  Cell phones have come a looooong way.  When I was on tour, I had a pager.

Tori, Tiny E and I are heading to our old stomping grounds in the cornfields next week.  This may very well be the last show I see at Deer Creek, and will certainly be the last time I see Phish before were a family of three.  It’s gonna be a blast taking our unborn child to see so many friends, and four very special ones indeed.