My first ever show! I can't say I was into Phish at the time, but had recently started listening to Live Phish 19 (With the Giant Country Horns). Didn't know much of anything about the band besides that my brother followed them all around the country every summer. So I am away at college (SUNY ALBANY), and my brother tells me Phish is playing Albany, he already got me a ticket, he will buy my beers.. drags my by the collar to the show. I still thank him for that.

The city of Albany closed down a city block in front of the Pepsi for the show. I was instantly hit with the energy, the vibe, of an all out Phish lot party, and I loved it. There were constant cheers for no good reason, other than we were about to see Phish. I had a blast playing with the fact that while it would be calm, I could yell, and thousands of people would join me. When stash hit I was had no idea about the phan claps, so when that part hit for the first time, and everyone did the first clap clap I lost my mind. What the hell just happened? How did everyone know to do that? Guyute was next, I wish I knew at the time how lucky I was to catch that on my 1st show.

If I wasn't hooked on the Phish experience yet, the start of second set addicted me for life. Tweezer came out with energy that even super noob me could see the energy coming from the band, to the crowd and feeding right back to the band. 2001 made me fall in love with CK5. We were in the upper levels a section or two forward of the stage (still one of my favorite places to watch a show), seeing the lights pan out over the crowd with the musical climb of the song, blew me away. Out comes Jeff Holdsworth, and what do I know about what it happening besides the crowd is going nuts, and my brother looks like his head is going to explode... He filled me in after on who this guy is, and why it was monumental that he played with them. A Jimi Hendrix cover for an encore had me smiling ear to ear.

Walking out of the show, I looked at my brother and commented on how insane that was and that it might have been the best time I ever had in my life. This was a special show right? They can't all be like this? Thats when he told me it was special because of Jeff Holdsworth, and would always be special because it was my first show, but musically, it was an average show at best... Thats when my head really exploded... this was a feeling that I could keep coming back for! I was in.