[We would like to thank Your Name (@ObviousFool) aka @silasioak for recapping last night's show. -Ed.]

There is a palpable excitement on the first day of a Phish run, when the waiting is finally over and the day of the show is finally here. This is especially true of a Phish festival, a truly singular experience, and one that many in this fanbase have yet to experience. It’s been almost a decade since Magnaball, the last Phish festival to actually occur, and some of us have PTSD from the last time we were supposed to be doing this.

As I arrive in Baltimore at the crack of dawn, I’ve barely slept, kept awake by an intoxicating cocktail of anxiety, anticipation, and excitement. The day before, when my wristband arrived in the mail, some of the anxiety was replaced with goosebumps, but after our misadventures in 2018, I’m not counting any chickens before they’ve hatched, grown, and been turned into spicy chicken sandwiches.

I grab my rental car and after quick stops for snacks and coffee, I make my way towards Dover. I arrive at my hotel shortly after 9AM, naively optimistic that my room might be ready for me six hours before check-in. After a couple hours of napping in the A/C in my backseat, I return to the lobby to find Reed (@DaleCooper) and his brother Nathan (@DriftlessMN) - it turns out they’re actually staying at the hotel across the street, but by the luck of their error, I’ve found my first friends.

Their hotel room is ready for them, so I decide to stop bothering the lady at the front desk and surrender to the flow. We crack open the day’s first oat sodas and get busy reminiscing and speculating, two activities that Phish fans excel at. It’s impossible to talk about how excited we are without also talking about what led us here, and the elephant in the room: Curveball.

In 2018, the last time Phish were supposed to play a festival, the weather gods intervened and forced the band to cancel due to the turbidity of the drinking water. People all responded in different ways, and I feel so lucky that I ended up where I did, on an organic farm just north of Watkins Glen with about 100 other Curveball refugees. We had a truly spectacular weekend, eating and drinking everything we’d brought for the festival (and I do mean EVERYTHING) while swimming in a pond all day.

Others were not so lucky, and while I have (almost) nothing but fond memories of that weekend, for many (most?) it is a dark memory filled with sadness and disappointment. For Reed, he remembers being one of the first to know, and having to share the terrible news with others. But regardless of how you spent that weekend, it’s a distant memory, and one we are about to replace with a fresh Phish fest - let's do this!!

I return to my hotel to find that check-in has begun and my room is ready. In line, I run into another Curvivor who had organized the organic farm backup plan - the weekend we’ve been anticipating for 6 years is finally upon us! However, when I meet up with my next compadre, I realize that 6 years is nothing - he’d been on his way to The Great Went in 1997 when he wrecked his partner’s car and they never made it through the gates. Now, he finally gets to attend a Phish festival after seeing this band for 30 years - talk about delayed gratification!

We pop open some walking beers and make our way into the campground, just 100 yards from the door of my hotel. We walk past the line of cars being searched before parking and begin the two-mile schlep to the venue. We are surprised to see the cars being parked SUPER close together - we wonder whether some of the campsites are even 10’ wide. The complete and utter lack of shade is oppressive, not to mention the constant freeway noise…this is not the best campground.

Obviously a lot has changed since the good ol’ days of “show up and camp”, but this feels excessive. The Dover Motor Speedway holds 58,500. Firefly festival hosted as many as 90,000 in 2015. This weekend is supposed to be between 40k and 50k attendees, and I see no reason to be so strict regarding campsite sizes. This is not the only example of excessive capitalism (nothing’s shaking on Shakedown Street…) that I see here, but let’s focus on the good instead.

Our journey continues and takes us past the shuttle and tram stops, across the bridge over the highway, past dozens of pedicabs and to the gates of the festival grounds. We enter and begin to explore this wonderland that Phish has created for us.

Upon entering “The Woodlands”, we walk into a lovely shaded forest and it’s clear how it got its name. The first stop is the Ceralist Bowl, an immersive, interactive cocktail bar with art and music. We take the opportunity in the shade to smoke a doob and wait for the rest of our crew, just a few steps behind us.

After uniting our posse and sharing sufficient hugs and high fives, we decide to feed our bellies before the show begins. We wander towards the Farmhaüs, an enormous air conditioned tent with a bar and delicious crepes, courtesy of Vermont’s own Skinny Pancake. I’ve heard complaints about the beer prices, but $16 for a pint of craft beer seems to be the going rate at events these days, and it’s Zero Gravity - Another one of Vermont’s finest!

My brother Noah(@JustNoah) and I decide to scope out the concert field and find that it’s starting to fill in. We rally the troops and reunite Mike side in front of the soundboard, home base for the next several hours. As the sun continues to drop and the excitement continues to grow, we continue to speculate.

What will we be delighted with this weekend? Will they play mondegreens (songs with lyrics that are commonly misheard)? Will they play “Twenty Years Later” (it just happens to be 20 years to the day since Phish “broke up”)? Will they play “Wading In The Velvet Sea” or “Glide” (painful memories from that day 20 years ago)?

The lights go down at 7:10 and the band takes the stage. “The Moma Dance” opens the show appropriately, as the lyrics are an intentional mondegreen (the moment ends/the moma dance). Beginning with a happy, bouncy groove, this “Moma” quickly transitions into a minor funk jam. Fish pounds the toms while Mike drives the low end and Trey and Page delicately intertwine. A slight technical issue for Trey does nothing to derail the band, and they quickly recover to finish the song.

“Back on the Train” takes the two-slot and comes in with a head full of steam. Trey leads the way with a solo that has heavy “No Men in No Man’s Land” vibes - very Lowell George inspired. It is at this point that we are treated to our first bass bomb of the night from Mike. My goosebumps grow even bigger as my sternum resonates with Mike’s buttery richness.

“Wolfman’s Brother” follows and delivers the first major highlight of the night, and Mike’s new bass is the star. Earlier this year, Mike got a new Serek that is the same length as the Modulus he played for many years. Armed with this beast, Mike continues to drive the backbeat with a dexterity the Modulus could not provide, and a richness that was missing on the shorter Serek. The jam is inspired, with Manteca teases and a decidedly Allman Brothers feel. Page and Trey continue their masterful conversation as Fish carries the band into a classic rock peak. A major key shift brings them back to the end of “Wolfman’s.”

Son Seals’ “Funky Bitch” comes next as the first cover of the night and features a blazing solo from Trey along with more Mike mastery. It’s followed by “Roggae”, a much needed breather after so much fire early in the show. Perfectly placed as the sun sets behind the trees and we all breathe a sigh of relief, this is a gorgeous and delicate version with Mike fluttering along with Page and Trey like birds of a feather.

“NICU” arrives as the second mondegreen of the night (and I see you) and is a standard and short version. “A Wave of Hope” follows and wastes no time getting into a dark, crunch groove and I notice a bit of the “My Sharona” baseline from Mike (a musical Mondegreen?). Now that the sun is setting, it’s time for Kuroda to shine. My last Phish show was at the Sphere, and while I have zero complaints about that experience, I was ready for some CK5 time.

This could’ve easily closed the set at 75 minutes, but the band launches into “Sand”. This is peak Phish - Fishman locks into the pocket as Mike continues to wow with his inventive lines. I also love how Trey manages to stay in the same key throughout the lyrics…I know that’s not easy…way to go Big Red!

Setbreak begins and we are reminded that setbreaks at festivals are unlike any other setbreak- you don’t get to ride a ferris wheel and experience immersive art every day!

The band returns to the stage after a relatively brief (30 min) setbreak. Set II opens with “What’s Going Through Your Mind?”, a new Trey song that Phish debuted with Billy Strings just last week. When they played it with Billy, I thought it was a little strange to be debuting a new song with a guest (and even letting him sing some of it). This version, however, SLAPS.

The vocals from this song are reminiscent of Peter Gabriel’s “Games Without Frontiers.” (Many thanks to Reilly, I was having trouble placing the resemblance until now) The band wastes no time taking the jam into type II territory with some outstanding Rhodes work from Page. Mike continues his relentless assault on the record for most bass notes played in one show, and we are reminded that 2024 Phish doesn’t let up. After over 20 minutes of barn-burning rock and roll, we are treated to a super smooth -> into “Chalkdust Torture” that makes my heart sing.

The “CDT” jam starts as a major bliss jam until Trey takes a hard turn into a minor key. This brings the band back to the end of “CDT” only to deliver yet another buttery alligator mouth (->) into “Light”. I normally find the beginning of this song to be a little jarring, so I’m grateful for the smooth segue. This jam covers some serious ground in just 11 minutes, beginning with uplifting, harmonious riffs, and evolving into a full-band dissonance party - more dark Phish please!

I hear what I think are the opening chords of “Twenty Years Later”, but instead, it’s “Prince Caspian”. A friend next to me groans, and I remind him what happened last time Phish played “Caspian” at a festival. To be honest, this song has become a total jam vehicle in recent years, and this version is no exception. Page retains his moniker of “Chairman of the Boards”, tickling the ivories like Elmo, and Mike drops a “Sneakin’ Sally Through the Alley” tease as he continues to demonstrate his wizardry. The crowd attempts to inject a chorus of “woos” without any help from the band, but thankfully it doesn’t last. I’m all for indulging Trey when he’s feeling it, but in the words of George Clinton, “if it don’t fit don’t force it.”

An abrupt ending to the “Caspian” jam is immediately forgiven as the band launches into Talking Heads’ “Crosseyed and Painless,” the second cover of the night. This is a relatively short version at under 10 minutes, but not short on the goods. Mike continues his campaign for president of Mondegreen as Trey does his best Adrian Belew impression.

“Lonely Trip” provides another perfectly placed breather late in the second set, and is a gorgeous version - every time I hear this song I love it more. “Everything’s Right” arrives to close the set, and while it takes a minute to get going, it delivers a driving peak filled with exuberance.

The first song of the encore is “I Saw it Again”, a silly, dark, rock tune, making its second encore appearance of the tour. It’s clear watching Trey grin that this band is having FUN! “Possum” follows and is a standard type I version which showcases Fish’s driving rhythm. Trey does a great job of opening up the space for Page to shine as Mike keeps winning at bass.

After two 90-minute sets, I did not expect another encore, but Phish just didn’t want to stop playing. “Slave to the Traffic Light” arrives to close the show and is a patient, delicate version, fading into bliss and climbing into one of the greatest peaks in the Phish catalog.

As the house lights come on, the crowd begins to thin, and we make our way to the Heliograph, the enormous stage at the back of the field where the Flying Mojito Brothers are spinning some dance tunes. We visit the cardboard box City Hall and marvel at the inventiveness of the construction, and it dawns on us…nobody is kicking us out of here! Unlike every other show where the music ends and the party has to move on, we’re here for three more days!

As I walk back to my hotel to receive my DoorDash delivery, past nitrous tanks and sketchy looking patty melts, my heart is full. This was a phenomenal opener to the weekend, and with six more sets, I can’t wait to see what else they’ve got in store for us. Welcome to Mondegreen; the magic has only just begun.

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