This was my 1st show. 20 years ago today. I could write volumes about the effect that this show had on my life, but I will try to be brief.
I went into this show with absolutely no expectations, as I had never even really heard Phish before. I am a professional drummer and at the time I was in college in Fredonia, NY and gigging all around Western NY. I had a lot of friends who were Phish-heads and were encouraging me to check out the band because they felt that Phish would be right up my alley. Until this night, I had never given them a chance. I can honestly say that I was intrigued within minutes of the Jim opener, and I was hooked by the time SOAM finished.
I have listened to this recording many times since that night, so my recollections of the actual show are a bit blurry, but I remember meeting one of the aforementioned Fredonia friends during set-break and he came and sat with us for the 2nd set. He has told me many times over the years that it was extremely cool to see me get hit with IT so hard during that 2nd set. Antelope was a mind-bender, a mind-blower, a total mind-fucker. At the end of the tune I was jaw on the floor crushed. With the opening notes of Fluffhead, my buddy leaned in a said something to the effect of, "this one's gonna get you too."
and it did.
An amazing Hood capped the set and sealed the deal. I remember driving home in total silence trying to figure out what I had just witnessed. The next day I went and bought Junta, Lawn Boy and Hoist on CD, began to accumulate tapes of shows, and tried to begin to comprehend how Fish plays drums like that. The rest is history for me. 20 years later and I'm still upside down. And still don't know how Fish does a lot of the shit that he does.