Random by Lee Boykoff
"I saw Phish in '88!" I often hear people brag about the
"intense" experience of seeing Phish before they got big and I wonder
what motivates such a statement. Many try to prove that they are "real"
fans and in some way superior to the rest of us. While I find this notion
absurd, I am actually curious as to what it would have been like to catch a
show at Nectars. Would it really have been the ultimate Phish experience?
What is the best time in the evolutions of a band to see a show? Surely no
one can claim that Phish had reached the peak of their musical
performance while still in their early twenties. On the other hand, I
constantly hear complaints about the size of current venues and the extent
to which the current scene has grown out of control. Personally, I hate
sitting in section 435. So where does the medium lie? At what point is a
band experienced enough to put on an intense professional show and not so
big as to necessitate binoculars at stadiums and a green crew to lesson the
bands negative environmental effects on surrounding communities?
This brings me to Strangefolk. I believe that 1999 and 2000 will
ultimately be viewed as the greatest years to see our band. Who could
imagine more beautiful venues than The Flynn Theater in Burlington, the
State Theater in Portland, The Capitol Theater in Portchester, The
Fillmore in San Francisco or The Crystal Ballroom in Portland, OR? Brag
all you want about catching Strangefolk at Granny Killiams or Club Toast.
Those of us who were there know that these are not the heavens people
make them out to be. The heavens are here. The heavens are
now. No one can tell me that Strangefolk was better in '94 than they are
now. They didn't have the experience. They didn't have the material. On
the other end of the spectrum, no one can claim that the boys just don't
write songs like they used to (Phish) or that they lack the intensity and
energy they once had (criticism of the Dead in the 80's and 90's). They are
still writing great material, they are still performing with intense energy,
they are experienced enough to put on INSANE shows and they are doing
it for $12 bucks a pop in small theaters that foster high energy yet
intimate band-audience interaction. You don't have to mail order, you
don't have to wait in line at ticketmaster and you don't have to sit in
section 497. I seem to be ranting on, which is not my intention. I would
simply like us all to sit back and appreciate what we have right here and
right now. A brilliant band at (from this fan's perspective) the peak of
their evolution. For while the band may grow both musically and in terms of
popularity, I do not feel that the Strangefolk show going experience will
ever be as magical as it is right now in 1998, 1999 and 2000.
See you in December!
Lee Boykoff
