The FAQ is currently in the process of being updated in the new system. We apologize for any inconvenience, and will be updating this page as soon as possible.

If you are new to Phish or to the Phish.Net, welcome! You may referred to as a "newbie". That's not meant derogatorily, and letting folks know that you're a newbie lets them know that you may need help finding tapes or tickets. This page is intended to help you, the "newbie", to learn about Phish and to surf your way about (and communicate effectively within) the Phish.Net.

Just in case you don't already know, Phish is a band from Vermont, with ten official albums, plus unofficial and single releases. Their performances are often classic, and are known as much for their antics as for their music. Phish descriptions, history, and biographies are elsewhere.

Don't overask: Hundreds of questions have been asked many times. Although they're not all resolved (and although things change), answers to many of them are housed in the Phish.Net FAQ, and in other Phish.Net resources, such as the Helping Phriendly Book. Here are a few key things to keep in mind. (Later, you'll probably also want to find out about general netiquette and some common abbreviations and acronyms.)

Many lyrics and songs have been rehashed many times (particularly the lyrics to You Enjoy Myself and Antelope, the story behind Harry Hood, the title of 2001, and the story of TMWSIY/Gamehendge.) You are, of course, not discouraged from discussing or interpreting songs, but if you're looking for a factual answer to a question that's likely been asked before, you'll probably get a faster answer (without any sarcasm or criticism) if you check the FAQ (e.g. the songs and music section) first.

Current info: Before posting to ask about tourdates or official ticket information, be sure to check the Phish.Com Tourdates pages. This is indisputably the best place for current, correct, and complete information; any other resource is suspect and may be out of date, incorrect, incomplete, or fabricated.

For tickets, your options are the venue box office, mail order, and Ticketmaster. Relying on scalpers or ticket brokers is a great risk, and many tickets sold in the lot are counterfeit, so going to show without tickets is a bad idea.

Want stuff? Asking for things publicly on the net is called "grovelling", not necessarily a bad thing in limited doses, but you should know that there are other ways to start looking for tapes and tickets.

For tapes, you'll especially want to know about tape trading and tape trees. You'll want to avoid bootlegged CDs; many high quality tapes are in circulation, often better than what's on disc, and without paying out the nose supporting greedy intermediaries. Instead, seek out blanks and postage arrangements to get started. (Once you start actually trading, you'll want to have clean deck heads, avoid dual/dubbing decks and high-speed dubbing, check your input levels, and set your recording levels.)

"When I first jumped off, I had a bucket full of thoughts."
-- Phish, "Get Back on the Train"