well, i have to admit that the story i'm gonna tell actually didn't occur on my first experience with seeing phish live... it was during the same week, though.......
i have a very good friend in boston (he's actually the same person who got me to really appreciate phish in the first place) and he and i agreed that my first week of phish would be during the summer '99 tour while they were on the east coast.anyway, to keep a longer story not as long, my first show was the second night at great woods - excellent show, but nothing that left me walking away wishing that i could follow the boys for the rest of my life. the story i want to tell is about the first time i really understood what it all meant... only a couple days after the great woods show, we were off to drive to upperstate New York - the Oswego weekend. i had no idea my whole perception on life was about to change...not only were the people who i camped with incredibly cool and entertaining,the pot and alcohol abundant, and... man, i could go on forever... but, the whole scene really was like everyone had told me -- a community, a family, built up of the most incredible people i've ever met. jesus, what words can express the music... euphoric. the last night of the oswego weekend, i popped up with my surprise -- i had five pills of excellent extacsy and decided to give the extra four to the
people i was camping with. this was my FIRST TIME doing exctacsy...    anyone who's done the drug at a phish show must realize that this experience was better than the best sex i've ever had. hearing "FREE' live for the first time and the peak of my rolling, it's understandable that i turned around, looked at the beautiful ocean of people behind me and am quoted to have said, "i understand it all now... i know why they're here and why i am too... this is what they meant by extacsy". needless to say, the second i got back to boston, i was on the phone, making sure i wasn't gonna miss any shows near me, in chicago, during the rest of the tour. and, ever since then my life has had a new guaranteed pleasure. what can i say... thanks boys. New Years was the best night of my life.    
:)

Peace,
Tanya

back to phishtales page
email me your story