Interesting facts that validate the way I've felt since Dick's 2011. One thing that was not mentioned but which I think contributes to the hype around Dick's for many is the camping - for those of use who have made it a tradition to camp in year's past (sniff), DICK'S is not just about the shows - it's about the whole package (get it?). The daytime shenanigans (I'm looking at you Camp Slip N' Slide) and mini-shakedown, the free wineballs, the popsicle guy, ROLLING DOWN THE HILL, the awesome shower trucks and food trucks to keep you shiny and sated, the steady pre-game loosening that may involve a thunderstorm or two and likely entails making at least 5 new friends, the eventual gearing up and walking of a whole 2 minutes to the venue where all the hotel-dwellers are just arriving...aaaaah, such a special, unique pre-show feeling. Then the shows (I'll let the stats speak for themselves - there is ALWAYS at least one night of fire and the vibe just plain rules)...then BACK to the campground for the real shenanigans. I would just like to express how unbelievably fun the late night campground scene is (was?). My friends and I have spent countless hours discussing what it is exactly that makes the CG so damn fun every year and have decided that really it's just because everyone tries really hard to have as much fun as possible (and Phish fans are fairly good at having obscene amounts of fun). The Dick's CG is basically an ongoing social experiment where everyone tries to bring/ have as much fun as they can, and improves on it just a little bit every year. Hippy Tug of War? Fox vs. Bear? The Disco Wagon? THE GLOW STICK DICK?!!?!?!? ROLLING DOWN THE HILL?! Anyone who has camped for a few years is familiar with these legendary activities (yes, the glow stick dick is an activity...well, a lifestyle really). I think that part of the Camp Dick's magic is it's size - not too big, not too small, but juuuust right...it's like a quaint wooded village hidden away from the bustling metropolis that is the venue - once you enter those gates, you know you're safe. No nitrous mafia? no cops? no problem! Not that camping at full-on Phish festivals isn't fun - it is - but something about the size of Camp Dick's combined with the fact that there are so many people who have made it a tradition (at this point half of the people I know who've camped for five or more years even make it a point to get the same spot) just make it a really special experience (the super chill security guards help too), which underscores the fact that it's not the size that counts but how you use it.

Anyways, not to get overly nostalgic about this, but for a lot of folks this year's run is already starting at a severe disadvantage due to the cancelled camping. It's a huge bummer, and for those of us who spend all year looking forward to how we're going to make CAMP DICK'S even better, the weekend just won't be the same. That said, at least the shows are still happening (THANK GOD), and at least we now have the scientific evidence to support our expectations that Phish will more than likely crush. Let's make some lemonade, people! See you all there!