On October 29, 2013, Phish will make their debut performance at the Sovereign Center Santander Arena in Reading, Pennsylvania. I know what you are thinking. “If it is their debut performance, how can we step into a yesterday that doesn't exist?” Well, in the first place, Reading has played an integral role in both the history of Phish, my life, and my relationship with Phish. Secondly, while Phish has never played in Reading, and the venue itself was only constructed in 2001, it was built atop the rubble of the Astor Theater.

The Astor Theater is a venue with its own rich history; the ghosts of which are sure to be lively as we make our way toward the feast of Samhain. Originally designed by architect William H. Lee and constructed in 1928, its intended purpose was a 2,478 seat Art Deco movie theater. The Astor Theater opened October 3, 1928 with an opening night program that included dedication of the theater, an overture performed by the Astor Concert Orchestra conducted by Vincent Kay, a Movietone newsreel, vitaphone presentations by banjoist Eddie Peabody, comedians Shaw and Lee, Larry Ceballos’ Under Sea Revue a stage presentation by the Circus Follies, the feature film Street Angel starring Janet Gaynor and Charles Farrell, and exit music for a film, in this case “Angela Mia,” performed on the Wurlitzer Cathedral Organ. What a night! The Astor was in use as a movie theater through 1975, with its final days as such being of the X-rated variety. After going out of the movie business, the Astor Theater experienced a brief but undeniably awesome period as a music venue with 31 performers gracing the stage from late 1975 through 1978 that included Hall & Oates, Billy Joel, Kansas, the Charlie Daniels Band, Jeff Beck (with the Jan Hammer Group), Bonnie Raitt (with Johnny’s Dance Band), Hot Tuna, Jerry Garcia Band, Riders of the New Purple Sage, Phoebe Snow, Rush, Barry Manilow, Blue Oyster Cult, and Todd Rundgren. The Astor was placed on the National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) in 1978 but despite renovation efforts led by Red Skelton, the theater fell into disrepair during the 1980s, was subsequently razed to make way for the Sovereign Center in 1998, and delisted from the NRHP in 2000.

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