This was my only chance to see Phish in my hometown. "Why the hell are they coming here?" everyone asked. To drop one of the best shows of the year!
I went to Deer Creek earlier in the year and had a great time. The shows didn't measure up musically to my first show in Louisville Gardens, but they were good enough to keep me coming back. Rupp Arena gave me my second magical night to hang on the rafters.
Being a hometown show, I had the ticket situation figured out. A buddy at one of the local Ticketmaster sites got all of us 4th row on the floor. After seeing so many UK basketball games from the nosebleeds, this was a treat.
Around 13,000 tickets were sold for a 24,000 capacity venue. For many bands, this would be a recipe for a lackluster show. I think the out of the way feel and the HUGE energy from the crowd set the band on fire.
The first set's energy and song selection were huge (I got my second Tela of the year in 3 shows), but the real gem was the second set. The Bathtub Gin was insane. I kept asking tour rats if this was normal. They assured me that jams like this were very rare. Page was given ample time to open up and lead the band. Trey physically and musically got out of the way. He grinned from ear to ear throughout the entire jam, even fist pumping a few times. Bike kept the unique vibe going and this still stands as my favorite Fishman solo number. The crowd tried to sing the lyrics for him, but we seemed only to make it harder for him. The strong YEM and Frankenstein finished the night off with a bang. The crowd cheered loudly as we exited the arena, a first for me. "That's how you know you saw something special," a wook told me. I already knew.