While I knew phish.net existed from quite early on, I didn't check in online until about 1998. All my early Phish Phriends came through trading tapes.

The first tape I heard was Gamehendge while sitting in a friends dorm room at UNC(Northern Colorado) in September 1991. I couldn't believe what I was hearing - I was hooked.

However, I passed up my first two opportunities to see Phish at CSU on 11/2/91 and 12/31/91. I finally got my act together and saw my first Phish show on 3/14/92 at the Roseland Ballroom in NYC.

Up to that point, with the help of a few buddies, I'd managed to collect about 2 dozen tapes. But none of those tapes had Harry Hood on them - so at the Roseland I was clueless when they started playing Harry. I went Over the Rainbow that night.

There was something magic about trading tapes, making friends, seeing this amazing band who most of my old friends from Long Island had never heard of. 20 years later and I'm still good friends with my original Colorado Phish friends.

And thanks to phish.net and other online forums, I have a whole new set of companions to share the continuing magic of the Phish trip.

And I still play the occasional tape...just for fun...