Nughuffer Stories

12/28

Patchouli wafted through Miami like gale force winds as hippies invaded the city to close out the last four nights of 2009 with a Phish NYE run.
Travelers hoping to enjoy a nice, relaxing holiday with their families in
South Beach came to a rude awakening when phans from across the country gathered for the holy grail of headidum.

When someone burned me the Billy Breathes album a few years back, I despaired over the fact that I would most likely never get to see this band live. Well, after six years Trey finally got his shit together and reunited with his phamily, sounding more polished and stronger than ever. With a new studio album and a recent series of sold out shows including three nights in Hampton, Red Rocks and the Gorge, Phish is on fire.

Headies rejoiced when the world's biggest jam band announced they would be returning to Miami for an NYE run to close out the decade. From the lot to nitrous hill to kick-ass after shows, a Phish run is more then just a show. It is the ultimate crunchy experience. I've done a ton of the corporate festivals (Suwanee is a place I visit multiple times a year), but nothing could have prepared me for this. Bottom line, Phish studio albums don't have shit on a live show, they just don't.

The guys opened up night one with "Sample in a Jar" from the album Hoist. The first set started off mildly with a comparable mix of old and new songs, ending with a riveting improvisational "Possum" that set the American Airlines Arena off.

During the second set the guys stepped it up a notch as they busted out classics like "Mike's Song" and "Contact" as well as new favorites such as "Light." As a whole though, they kept it relatively mild the first night and the sets were only a prelude to the nastiness to come.

The fabulous array of after-shows to choose from kept Miami bumpin' until the wee hours of the morning. Post show dread heads clad with glow sticks and balloons poured out into the streets in search of some get down, after party debauchery. We headed to Tobacco Road to see the Ft. Lauderdale local Heavy Pets. Their tight-nit, rock, funk fusion was a perfect way to close out the first night of the run; those guys wail.

Set I:

Sample in a Jar, NICU, My Soul, Roggae, Undermind, Bouncing Around
The Room, Poor Heart, Stash, I Didn't Know, Beauty Of A Broken Heart,
Possum

Set II:

Mike's Song > Light > I Am Hydrogen > Weekapaug Groove, Alaska,
Backwards Down the Number Line, Makisupa Policeman > Harry Hood > Contact, Character Zero
E: First Tube

12/29

In true progressive fashion, night two of Phish was even more ridiculous than the first. Set one busted out stops such as "Golgi Apparatus," "Maze" and "Wolfman's Brother." However, set two of night two was undeniably one of the best sets of the run. Page was on point, Mike was flawless, Fishman didn't skip a beat and Trey absolutely shredded phan favorites during this spectacular performance. During a seemingly never-ending, flawless improv
jam the guys played "Tweezer" straight into "Prince Caspian." Then "Gotta Jibboo" flowed right into "Wilson," then returned to "Gotta Jibboo" into "Heavy Things." It got pretty ridiculous. An encore of "Sleeping Monkey" back into "Tweezer Reprise" was a face-melting, worthy jam. I looked over to my left and saw an older woman slow clapping and sobbing. Even the worst of Phish haters (and I now you're out there) couldn't deny that the performance was fucking sick.

After I scraped my brain up off my seat and my jaw off the floor, I ventured out with some friends to the White Room to see a kick-ass, late night set by Boombox. The packed out White Room was poppin' off while the Alabama based, DJ/producer duo spun an eclectic mix of rock, house and psychedelic until 6 am. Only post Phish in Miami is it acceptable to rock your blue blockers on the dance floor until 6 in the morning. Those lights will get ya man.

Set I:

Golgi Apparatus, Maze, Driver, The Connection, Wolfman's Brother, Ocelot, Reba, Access Me, The Divided Sky, Cavern
Set II: Kill Devil Falls, Tweezer* > Prince Caspian, Gotta Jibboo > Wilson Gotta Jibboo > Heavy Things > Also Sprach Zarathustra, Slave to the Traffic Light
E: Sleeping Monkey, Tweezer Reprise

12/30

While my first Phish experience was only scheduled for the first two nights of the run, I decided around 6 am on Wednesday that this simply had to go another day. After about an hour on the phone canceling my train that was scheduled to leave in a couple hours, I was all set for my third night of Phish. I spent $50 on a ticket in the upper tier. Not the best view, but plenty of dancing room for what turned out to be one of the sickest sets I have ever seen, hands down. Previously empty seats were filled by night three and the arena full of sprightly phans young and old. The energy was immeasurable.

With two nights down, night three found the guys FULLY back in the swing of things.  For the non-believers it sounds ridiculous, but by night three of the run I finally understood why this band is the greatest jam band of our generation. They make magic. They created a new generation of free spirited music lovers who come together and stand united like no other genre of music can. Phish is not just a show; it's the holy grail of the heady experience.

Set one opened up with "Soul Shakedown Party" and set the bar for the night. The rules were out the window by this point. The madness to ensue included one of the most eclectic set lists in Phish history (so I was told by my veteran Phish phriends.) Halfway through the set a playful Fishman announced that he needed a little help performing the "Vacuum" solo. The crowd erupted when Fishman pulled out of the crowd a young fellow named Rick wearing a shirt identical to his own.  Not only is Rick's life undoubtedly changed for ever, but he also killed that "Vacuum" solo. He now has the single most bad-ass story ever to tell his friends. Way to go Rick, kudos to you buddy. The first set busted out stops like "Jesus Just Left Chicago," "What's the Use?" and the always crowd favorite "Tela." I couldn't have prepared myself if I tried for the set to come. It would prove to be the single most amazing show I have ever seen in my life, period.

Set two just happened to contain my personal mental set list that I wanted to hear. I called it the night before when I canceled my train back to Tampa in the midst of a debauchery filled all nighter (sorry mom). I knew if I stayed another night they would play a train song, and they sure as shit did. Trey came out with "Get Back on the Train" a few songs into the set and my trip was complete (both trips for that matter.)  Whether you're an experienced vet or this was your first run, such as myself, the second set brought about a whirlwind of emotions that at times was utterly overwhelming.

"Get Back on the Train" flowed into the beautiful ballad, "Wading in a Velvet Sea”, and the crowd lost it. With eyes closed and overwhelming joy running rampant, the feeling only strengthened as the guys went into "Free." Trey's guitar sang, Gordon was killing it. The music seemed to take on its own form of interpretive dance and float throughout the arena, giving every patron their own personal hug… at least that's what I felt. The set closer, which happens to be one of my favorites, brought me back to earth and set it off.  Balls to the wall, silly ass dancing is perhaps my favorite thing to do in life, and when they closed out with "Run like an Antelope" I did just that. After the set encore "Frankenstien" I couldn't even speak. I sat back down in my chair and tried to get a grip on the monumental week of music I had just experienced. It was life changing.

Three nights into the run Phish had officially made Miami its bitch and we were absolute putty in their hands. As much as I wanted to stay another day, I found solace in my last night in Miami having just witnessed the set that I did. Magical is the only word to describe it. After a quick visit to Phish out hill, I laid in the grass with my shiny red balloon and sat there for quite some time recapping the magic I just saw. I conquered my first Phish run; in fact, I made it my bitch, to say the least.

Determined to keep the rage going on my last night, I piled in a cab with some phriends and headed to the Vagabond for what became one of my favorite shows of 2009. Old school jammers Particle provided a funk-filled, dance-all night get down until 5:30 am. Eoto was playing to a sold out crowd just a few doors down which I'm sure was also stellar. However, nothing paired more perfectly with the greatest jam band of all time than closing out my trip with a late night Particle set. Those guys are on point.

On the walk back to my hotel my shit eating grin was cheesier then ever. For me, my first Phish experience can only be summed up as Epic. Earlier that night I had a conversation with a phriend about life. One of those spun-out rants that you think is super intellectual at the time. We decided that you either get "IT" or you don't. As I looked around downtown Miami I felt it. These people get it, Phish gets it… what other group of people comes together like this? I spent the last $30 to my name on a concert tee that day. My lovely phriends who happen to be seasoned vets at this game said that I earned it. That shirt is my trophy, I earned it fair and square. It's more than just a tee shirt, it's a representation of this incredibly unique and wonderfully phantastic lifestyle.

Set I:

Soul Shakedown Party, Runaway Jim, Jesus Just Left Chicago, Dixie
Cannonball*, Stealing Time From the Faulty Plan, Corrina, What's the Use?, Tela, Gone**, Rocky Top, Chalk Dust Torture, David Bowie

Set II:

Sand, The Curtain With, Lifeboy, Get Back on the Train*** > Wading
in the Velvet Sea, Hold Your Head Up > Love You**** > Hold Your Head Up, Free, Boogie On Reggae Woman, Run Like an Antelope
E: Frankenstein*****