My first show although I had been listening for about 10 years. The impending "break-up" got me off my butt to make sure I got a show in before they were gone.

Like most, I think the 1st set was great that night and stands up over time. The size of the CDT and the intensity of the Walls really stand out to me 9 years later. And while not the typical emotional ballad, the emotion during Loving Cup was amazing. You could really look around Hampton and easily pick out the fans who had put in years, shows, and miles with Phish and were now sure it was ending.

The 2nd set - rough. Almost like a sputtering car that you're desperate to get home, to the garage, to the gas station, etc. The 1st set joyful sadness really seemed to be replaced with just sadness.

But for selfish reasons, that 1st set/2nd set high and low really did it for me as a first timer. The 2nd set was like a normal concert but with the emotional heft of everyone wanting it to be as great as the 1st set. And the 1st set was what made me realize how intense, brilliant and beautiful a Phish show can be. It made me grind away online for hours to get tickets for Camden 2009, it made me ditch work on a flimsy excuse for Camden 2010, motivated me to make sure I got to Sunday MPP 2010 after a wedding Saturday night, get to SuperBall, scramble to get Sunday AC 2012 in, etc, etc.

The merits of 1.0, 2.0, and 3.0 can be debated to death. I know I'm regretful I didn't advantage of 1.0 and 2.0 the way I easily could have. Hampton 2004 takes a lot of deserved shit but it holds a special place for me. When Phish came back in 2009, it's this show (specifically the 1st set) that is the reason for all the beautiful moments I've seen in 3.0.