Lemonwheel Stories

Ok, So it is in between the 2nd and third sets on the first night, and we are all chillin' by the big cheese. (I think the whole festival used the cheese as a meeting place) Anyways, so Tim is facing Ben and I and we are talking about where the hell Brandon could possibly be. so in the midst of his sentence Tim trails off, starts laughing and practically falls to the ground. To which we respond "Dude, what ????????" And he says "Your not gonna believe what I just saww..." And just as he said those words we turn around to see a golfcart with about 8 people crammed on it doing doughnuts in front of the cheese. And Trey was driving !
- Paul- pjw4@acsu.buffalo.edu

In regards to all people who got some stuff stolen, think of it this way: To get great amazing things and experiences, you have to go through bad ones, like getting your stuff stolen. But hey, didnt the great weekend make up for it? IT SHOULD HAVE......................
- harry hood- harry_hood942@hotmail.com

Well lets see, how can I describe the Lemmonwheel. ....fun, wounderful, exciting, the best time of my life, I could go on about how great it was. Thanks to all the great people I met there and the stories they shrared w/ me and the music I heard and the music that played and the people that put it togeather, this is a memory that will stay w/ me forever, and I will never forget it. A few things I learned is that some of the nicest people are phish phans or dead heads, and another thing is that if you havnt seen SANATANA go see them if you get the chance, when you think its gonna be like the night before dont think to fast, bring a wool sweater to the show. and last but not least the people you meet on tour, never forget them, i certainly wont! see you in Mass. hopefully.Keep sharing in the groove
- harry hood- harry_hood942@hotmail.com

The greatest time of my life LEMONWHEEL!! I went up on thursday night and about 25 of people i am friends with from my town of ASHBURNHAM,MA also made there way. from the time we left in the winabego to monday night when i fell on my bed in total exhaution it was the most unreal adventure. though i regret taking all those tabs friday night, i never fell asleep until sunday. although being around many of my friends that are devoted phish phans before lemonwheel i never been to a show. they always told me, man you have to go to a show. because if you like them now,after seeing a show you will love them.THEY WERE RIGHT. i have listened to so much phish in the past 2 years but never went to a show. now if there is any chance of me going to a show i will be there. there is nothing in the world like a phish show. keep jammin and see you at the greek in L.A and back home to worcester. steve b. ASHBURNHAM!!!
- steve bowler- jbowler@bandai.com

I had a sick time at the 'wheel. Not having been to the Went, but having gone to the Clifford Ball, I can say it was a thousand times better in my opinion. Really just 2 little funny stories: One being that we met the STUPIDEST b#$%^ on friday night who was really obnoxious and annoying and basically everyone around wanted to kick her a$$. Luckily, she didn't come back over the rest of the weekend. The other little story is did anyone else see the "Jambulance?" Someone put white tape in the form of a "J" in front of the word "Ambulance" on an ambulance so it was the jambulance. We got a big kick outta that one. I hope everyone had a good time--it sucks people got stuff stolen--I was a victim at the Clifford Ball. In fact, we had all our beer-selling money stolen which made it interesting getting back to Colorado. Anyway, none of it this year--thankfully. See ya on Phall tour!!
- Jeff Allen- jeffreym.allen@firstunion.com

Well, I won't bog ya'll down with a review. I will say that having gone to The Went and then to the LemonWheel, Lemonwheel operated much more smoothly. Both shows were awesome, and should not be compared. Anyway, on Sunday (my third day there, having rolled into the lot on thursday night!) while wiating for the second set, I was standing on the field, near the second delay tower on Page's side. They were playing some Jazz, Charlie Hunter's Marley album I think (I don't own it... Don't know the name) and I was slowly grooving, digging on the scene and looking around. Out of nowhere came this guy, who is faceless to me now and he reached for my hand and placed in it a card. he said, "You Rock!" and then he cruised off. Looking into my hand to see what he had given me, I fell to the ground laughing. Looked again and laughed some more. Then I studied it carefully for meaning, reading each word and then placed it safely into my wallet. "What was that card", you ask? A collectors card commoratingFrank Bello of... Anthrax. You heard me. Anthrax. I look nothing like this guy, and have yet to make the connection except for that one thing. I rock.
- JOnathan- jhart@iname.com

All I gotta say is it was awesome being part of Johnny Rock's Starlight Crew two years in a row! Oh yeah, and a big high five to all my friends who waited at the gates both days in the AM and sprinted for the stage when they opened. We did it! To all those pushing and shoving their way to the front and complaining about us, you should have woke up earlier!
- Jason- jbilicki@quik.com

If you've ever even thought about calling yourself a Phish fan then you must go to one of these festivals. Lemonwheel surprassed anything I could have imagined that one band could pull off. Phish was tight (tight may not be the right word, I think outstanding fits the description better!), the people were chill, and marathon party throughout the whole weekend was crazed. Only Phish could pull off such an event as Lemonwheel. It was like an amusement park with Phish jammin' and everyone doing their own thing, taking in the great vibes however they pleased. I really wanted to write something positive about Lemonwheel because people who weren't there really aren't getting the right idea of what it was like. There were some strange people at Lemonwheel. Lots of rap and things like that. Which is fine with me. You don't know who stole your stuff. It could've been anyone! Remember, there were 70, 000+ people there. You shouldn't assume that it was the skater punk on the stage left runway who was listening to WuTang. It could've been anyone. I do feel bad for the people whose things got stolen. My friend was one of them, but these things happen. I hate reading these pages with stories about people complaining about the scene and just bummin' everyone out. I expected to go to this page and read some cool stories about what people did in Maine. Why don't you write about the sick Wedge, Reba combo that opened the 2nd set on Saturday. Or the DWD>Piper, or the incredible 1st sets of Saturday and Sunday, or the Sabotage, 2001>Wilson, Mango stretch of songs in the final set of the weekend. Yeah, why didn't you write about that? Or were you too caught up in the scene to notice that Phish touched the lives of 70, 000 people for a weekend that included 7 sets of incredible music. If you're going to just complain about Lemonwheel why bother writing about and getting everyone pissed off and worried. I'm not saying that you shouldn't be pissed about getting your stuff stolen, I would be too. But you don't have to write about and get everyone bummed out. Those of you who said your glad you skipped the wheel, just wait until you get the tapes. Just wait until you hear the high energy of Loving Cup, the vacuum solo by Bob Weaver, the intense Bowie, the beautiful Bathtub>Rift segue, the gorgeous Fluffhead, the perfectly placed Limb by Limb. Just Wait...Then e-mail me and tell me that your still glad you didn't go. Phish, if you're listening, please come back to Maine next year. And if you don't come back to Maine, come somewhere closer to New York!
- Noah- Untoot@aol.com

Like Lou Morin of the Portland harold said "it was like describing the indescribable" Lemonwheel was the closest thing to a religious experience I have ever had- I am only 15 and this was my first Phish show and true... I don't have dreads..and I am from Maine- but I defy all stereotypes because I think I got as much out of Phish's music and the whole scene as a devout follower of the band! the experience truly rocked and brought so much life to a usually boring Aroostook county that I must say a personal,very heart felt thank you to all the people for just being there and being who you are. I SAW MIKE ON A GOLF CART and that just about blew my mind.. cities was amazing and just the jamming and belonging I felt was enough for me to crave living in tent city year round! SEE Y'ALL NEXT YEAR! Thanks for the best experience of my life - dori
- Dorianna- doriannamcnally@hotmail.com

I have to thank all the wonderful people who helped make my seven year-old Son's first Phish tour with me such a success for both of us. By last summer I had attended over 30 shows, usually when Sam was visiting his Dad, and I remember thinking while at the Went that not only was he old enough to appreciate it, but that I was feeling incomplete without him. I had a gut feeling that I should combine Sam and Phish summer tour. Sam loves Phish - he sings Bathtub Gin in the bathtub. Besides which, Phish is as much about the kid in all of us as anything else. So I brought him along for the end of tour from Merriweather Post forward, and we had a phantastic time. If you saw a converted school bus painted red, that was us- we were set up right next to Deep Banana Blackout, and curled up to sleep at night to phat phunky vibes. Sam charmed all the girls with his easy confidence and played frisbee with the guys in the lot, who were happy to make room for him. If you saw a little blond guy with devil sticks, that was him - I got him a set and he took to them easily, getting free lessons from everybody. He had an amazing time - by the second day at the the Wheel, Sam was the Ace of the Base. We had brought our roller-blades and we zoomed all over, loving the colour and vibe of the place, that was pretty much at pace with Sam's own energy. We had discussed drunken people and nitrous balloons - ordinary balloons inside the concert area were fine, but any balloons in the lot were "POISON, Sam, and the people with them are sick" - and he got it, keeping his distance and poking me whenever he saw someone with one. I knew he had good judgement and so I relaxed. Only once did he get away from me - right before the first set, we were at our bus and he kept blading off and coming back, blading off and coming back. "Stay where I can see you", I kept saying. "Mom, I KNOW where the bus is" -rolling his eyes. I said, "Well, listen, I know you're cool, but I worry, so just stay around so that I can see you and be relaxed". "It's about ME, not you". But the sights and sounds, and the fun of blades, and the fact that my son is Tom Sawyer and Dennis the Menace all in one, had him forgetting about Mom and her silly concerns, and away he went, out of my sight. I stood on the bus, anxiously shading my eyes to see him, and eventually I strapped on my blades and went to find him, heading up towards the gates. I found him casually heading back toward the bus, accomanied by a cool-looking guy who was keeping up with him on an orange Executioner skateboard, one of the old kinds right out of the seventies (some of were around then ) :) "Where WERE you?" -me, upset. "Oh, Mom"-him airily-"I was with Mike". "Mike WHO?" "YOU know- Mike Gordon, the bass player". Turns out he saw Mike's golf cart and zoomed up, and hung on along with the Executioner guy and a bunch of other people. At one point, the Executioner got stuck under the golf cart, and when Mike said -"hey - the Executioner is stuck, we gotta stop the cart- and Sam sailed around and said to Mike, "Would you like to play Split Open and Melt? You guys haven't played it in a while?" Mike just looked at this ballsy kid and smiled. What the heck -they HADN'T played it in a while. Why not? "Um, sure". Well the guy with the skateboard - name of Wabe - he and Sam had made friends, and he and I had made friends, so the three of us went in to the concert together. During the first set, when they paused between songs, Wabe noticed Mike conferring with Trey, putting his hand down waist-level as he spoke, indicating short stature. "This is it", Wabe said to me."Sam's about to get his Split Open and Melt". Sure enough, they busted it into it, and Trey, laughing, said into the mike, "this is by request, for a tiny little boy named Sam." Sam freaked - and Wabe's brother Simeon (equally cool d00d) - lifted Sam up on his shoulders. Sam was the King of the World, headbanging from the waist. (It was a phatty SOAM, too). Trey spotted us and had a big grin on his face as he leaned into the jam. I thought it just couldn't get any better. Love my kid, love me, it's all the same. He's happy, I'm happy. It's that simple. But after the set, an older guy came over to Sam and said "I just want you to know, that's one of my FAVORITE songs, and I'm glad you requested it". He looked up at me, this nice gentleman with the merry eyes. He extended his hand. "I'm Trey's Dad", he explained. I took his hand and shook it, laughing. "Nice to meet you," I said. "I'm Sam's Mom."
- Katie Holloway- katphish@rift.com

in case anybody read my story posted here earlier. guess what. my bus has been called "unrepairable" i must give her up to the cruelty of the scrapyard no more orange 74 campmobile, only memories. and of course some useless service bills. tour will end a little late but never soon enough. goodbye katie-mae.
- travis- Roses_Are_Free@hotmail.com

Fiender, bring back trey to the fox, I saw your blimp and chainsaw floating at the Lemonwheel.
- Marco- Peyote@mindspring.com

Phish Please come back to the Fox Theatre in ATL for another three night run!!!!!!! Regards, Fiender
- al lettera- al.lettera@mci.com

I didn't go to Lemonwheel, but from what I've been reading about the bad shit that's been going on, I have a few comments to make: First of all, the rat bastards who are fucking up the scene probably aren't into computers and the whole Internet deal, so they are most likely not receiving the complaints. Therefore, SPEAK UP AT THE SHOWS! If you are in the lot, or inside, and you spot some scumbags doing something that you feel the large majority of heads wouldn't approve of (stealing for example)call them on it and let everyone within earshot of you hear you call them on it. I believe that enough people are pissed off about this that it would make at least a small difference. I can understand how people are getting angry reading complaints here, because 1) they agree with you but would rather keep postings in a positive light and 2)COMPLAINING DOES ABSOLUTELY NOTHING! Since complaints on the internet are most likely not reaching the intended audience (namely the fuckers who steal shit, etc.) it is a WASTE OF WORDS. How about making some suggestions on how we can solve this problem? I realize that many might not want to speak up, for fear of a physical confrontation. I know it takes guts. But if you see something and are bummed out about it and not doing anything, you are making the problem worse. So if you see some bullshit going on, instead of coming back home and writing a complaint, come back and tell a story about how you attempted to stop it. peace and cheers, dan "One way or another this darkness has got to give" -robert hunter
- dan- gobbledy@gook.com

I was saddend, sickend and disappointed to see a dead dog lying in the middle of the road on a hot sat. morn. I also saw at least 10 stray dogs roaming around throughtout the weekend. People... plain and simple that is cruelty to animals. Don't bring your dogs on tour and if you must for christ's sake take care of them. ...peace
- Fluff- lumpyhead98@yahoo.com

The Lemonwheel was my second outside phish ahow. What a excellent time, my friends an I spent in Maine. The People from MAine aare great, they were so willing and able to accomadate the mass of people who made it to the show. I would have to say that the Lemonwheel was a better festival than was the Clifford Ball, my other out door show.(next to one GD outdoor show at highgate vt) I am sitting at my new computer listening to the Lemonwheel MP3, it is okay. I wished i had meet more great people that I have been reading about @ the show, but.... what the hell there is lot sof life to live. My experience started at 8am when my three friends andI dropped some speedy green gel, not what i was looking for. Safe to say i was let down by a brother who said it was oustanding. That kind of shit must stop. Along with the steeling. The altenative culture that follows the phish, doesn't seem to have a generally criminal mind vib. Can anyone comment on this???? The outside shows are the most impressive to be at, All people are living well at those types of shows, the feelings of life are running freely in the fresh MAINE air. See you at the PEPSI ARENA show. Where I hope to make some new friends. PEACE.
- geronimo- gernimo@nycap.rr.com

the Wheel isnt over! at least for me its not. when all you other kids packed up and split. my '74 VW campmobile decided differently, she thought up a great scheme to keep me here in maine. as we rolled into the lots im sure a good amount of you remember us we were the orange bus that smoked all of you out (not how you are thinking)thanks to a few guys from connecticut we got into the show, thanks for the rope Gene and sons. anyway though after the show we thought we had her under control. little do we know. we leave sunday mid-day and break down again. after about half an hour. a family pulls over to help(I LOVE THE HOSPITALITY HERE IN MAINE). this guy Art Abernathy decides he thinks he is mechanically inclined enough to fix her up and calls a tow truck driver(his good friend, Jerry) and has Jerry tow her to his house where he sets me and two other kids up in his den. we make our feeble attempts to fix my bus, all fair miserably. now a week and a half later my friends are all gone home on buses now, i am still at the Abernathies house, on their computer, sleeping in their den. while their friend rebuilds my engine. they have taken me in as their child. fed me well, and entertained me duely. if it wasnt for the great attitudes of the people in this glorious part of the country i would be stranded on the road with no food, no hope, and no way to write this story on your page. if i were in indy where i am from there is NO WAY most people would extend such hospitality to drugged up kids from halfway across the country. but anyway now that all the rest of you are in your beds, with your people, remember those of us whose tours havent quite ended yet. lets hope my bus is having as good a time as me. i have a feeling she isnt.
- Travis Robertson- Roses_Are_Free@hotmail.com

I had the best time of my life at Lemonwheel last weekend!! It was so awesome! Hopefully I'll be able to attend next year, wherever it is. It sucks to hear that people had their stuff stolen. Maybe next year they will hire security to patrol the tents during the shows. I know most of you don't like police or security, but let's face it, drugs and hordes of people attract crime. There were so many hilarious things that weekend! Totally random things that I didn't find out of the ordinary. I'm going to write some down so if you saw some of this stuff, e-mail me! 1) The guys in go-carts pulling dudes on skateboards. I'm sorry, but if you hit one of those potholes... 2) The verbal abuse the guards and horseback security people took before they let us in. 3) The VERY long run to the stage. People were dropping like flies!! Some guy threw up while he was running. 4) Why did they let the horses crap at the second check point? I stood in it for 10 minutes! 5) The Wasted Guy who claimed it was his birthday. We all sang Happy Birthday to him. My brother yelled "happy birthday dear W-a-s-t-e-d G-u-y, happy..." After that, everyone called him wasted guy so he had to move. His real name was Lucas, he also said something like "Man, I''m going to go on the stage, and I'll see my face" I hope it worked 6) The guy who was sleeping (snoring) on a couch that was sitting on top of his station wagon. 7) The RV Disco Dance Party. That was sweet as hell! I was goin nuts with my funky moves. 8) The guy jamming in his red long undreware at the RV Disco Dance Party. Either you go to bed, or stay up. Don't try to do both! What was up with the Beastie Boys type of dudes goin' nuts and dancing there? I though I was at a NKYOB concert. 9)Bronze Homer Simpson head. Also spotted at other shows. 10) The guy who really wanted to hear Spock's Brain so he brought the almost life size cardboard cutout of Spock. Too bad they didn't play it, eh buddy? :( 1)Balloon Hating Guy (A.K.A Green Hat Guy). Wanted for popping all ballons within his reach. It was hilarious when we all started booing, pointing and yelling "We love balloons, We HATE you!!!" "Balloons are nice and our friends!". Oh yeah, he got really pissed if you would taunt him by shaking the balloon just out of his reach. It was so funny!! He started yelling "Come on, bring it!!" and shaking his fingers. 12) Rumors of Mister T dying. I'm still not sure if it is true. I heard someone say it so I spread it. You could say it as soft as possible and people 10 feet away would still go "What!! Mister T is dead?!" If he is (please don't let it be true) post it on this page. Oh yeah, telling people Oldie Olson from Conan O'Brian is dead too.13) Yelling a random note at the top of your lungs between set breaks on the second night to create a crazy Yemish vocal jam. It also had reminince of a Kung. People got pissed at the 30 or so of us doing it up front. 14) Solomn Sam (A.K.A Old Wise One A.K.A Setlist on Head Guy) This guy was NUTS! He kept on trying to be the comedy but failed. He tried hard, so I'll give him that. He had a flute and we kept on asking him to play it, only for him to say some weird thing like "riddle me this...."?? He was the sole source of comedy until... 15)Screech came up to the front. He was this guy who totally looked like Screech from Saved By The Bell!! He had the fro and a strange purple thing telling random story with a screechy voice. He was walking around like a robot, standing like a soldier at attention. all while people were cheering him. I yelled out Screech!! and everyone started dying! Soon there were cries of "hey Screech, mister Belding wants to see you !" and "Where's Zach?!!" He soon made a wise exit. 16) Me and other fans yelling the Destiny Chant at the top of our lungs before Sabotage and having Fans tell us to shut up. 17)Johnny Rock handing out candy, yelling for CLEAVER!, wearing a hideous shirt, on someone's shoulders. Random. 18)The guy who insisted on passing out lifesavers. I think he just liked hearing people say "man, you're a lifesaver!" 19) having Fishman kick that ball after Sexual Healing to a girl only to have a kid from across the divider beg and beg her to give it back. "It's my ball! It has bloodshot eyes painted on! I did that!" She eventually gave it to him. I heard her crying about it after the show. 20) I missed it, but my friend saw Trey riding around on a golf cart like a crazyman. I guess he was riding up against a pole, trying to get a piece of cardboard off that was stuck under the cart. 21) guy getting mugged for video taping, he barreled right by me and almost tossed me over, it was right in the middle of guyute. i wonder if he was taping during "the chase"? nick rericha I NEED TAPES OF THIS SPLENDID WEEKEND OF FUN. EMAIL ME!!!!
- Nick Rericha- spivey378@aol.com

I had a great experience there. It was my first going single, and I met alot of people. I went through the Targetsports thing from Boston, and met a bunch a great people and heard alot of stories. To the Boston guys I met, e-mail me. Thanks for the great time. About the music, it was incredible. I was at the very front both nights and I can't believe some people couldn't stay awake for that 4th set. One problem was that I had some a pair of shorts and a shirt on the whole day. Oh my god, walking the 15 minutes from the show to my tent was awful. I don't know how cold it was, but i was freezing! Next year I'm bringing a jacket or sumtin. The Beastie boys cover took me happily by suprise. And NICU and 2001 are one of my fav songs... Thanks for the memories - laTer BuZzGuy
- Daniel- buzzguy@ibm.net

Eeryone is reporting how they got ripped off at the concert and I feel totally bad about the fact, but please remember the good times. 2 years ago my tent got ripped off, but I looked at it as if the person who took my stuff, truely must've needed it more than I did. This year we had GREAT neighbors and it really helped me enjoy the weekend. I was very disappointed by the newspaper reviews of the shows. They made us all sound like idiots thanks to one little quote from a guy in Dorchester. I can't believe people would think of sneaking into such a great event! I mean, &80 for three nights of camping and 7 concerts?!! Not to mention the Garden of Infinite Pleasures. I felt greatly honored to have met the man who designed the rock garden. He was overwhelmed by the magnitude of interest in this spot. In fact this is where I closed out my weekend ... sitting around a bonfire with 6 other people I didn't know, enjoying themusic. I was more than a little upset by all the trash that was left behind. I saw empty trash barrels everywhere and yet the entire base looked like an abandoned trash heap. I'm so sorry I couldn't stay awake for the "extra set". I NEED to get that on tape! My opinion is that all this negative attitudes radiated from what we call the "Dirty White Cap Boys". These are the college guys that are there only to drink and party and who gives a *!@# about anyone else. I've been following Phish since 1991 and I still love the scene (the new friends you meet, the great trinkets you can't get anywhere else, the great outdoors, the assortment of food, the humanity, etc.) If you're ever feeling down or dissappointed at a show, come see me ... I'm the girl with the hug coupons and stickers. Hope I made someone's weekend a little bit happier!

Great Big Thanks to all that made the "Wheel" turn My hat goes off to those that put forth tremendous effort to pull off such a grand under taking, from the 'portolet people' to the gov. officials that arranged for us to be at Loring AFB. Super Job. AND thanks to the band for so much wonderful music certainly kept me on my toes. I thought the forth set added a touch of class for our 'dining and dancing pleasure'. Simply stated; the music was awesome. "Build it and they will come." All types. When you choose a city to live in, it's all there. It's all about our own choices. We each create our own karma. Some need to consider others in making choices. It appears some know and some don't. I believe the Golden Rule is agood thing, especially in a temporary city with a population equal to Portland ME. I can only hope that we will respect, support and honor each other. Those that don't might give it a try, and be suprised by what comes back. They may find it easier to live with themselves. All and all I had a great time thru the whole event and all the preparations. Thanks again to everyone involved for providing an opportunity to participate in an activity available nowhere else on the planet. Let's do it again!! Ian MacRAE
- Ian MacRAE

WOW!! - what a great weekend!!! Once again, Phish has managed to throw the coolest party I have ever been to! The Garden of infinate pleasantries was SOoooooo Cool, And the Ferris wheel! I was on it during Down with Disease. The Line was kind of long but the view from up there was so Cool! MY HIGHlites: 1) The Junkyard Drum Circle - Inside the show, between sets, there was this platform set up With Old Steel barrels, and Car Doors, and all kinds of things To bang on, and People were getting Down! you could hear the Rythems from the other side of the concert grounds. On Sunday I spent both setbreaks on the platform banging a huge rock on anything I could get my hands on! I felt like a caveman, and by the time I was done, my fore-arms looked like Popeye's, But It was So much fun! I hope they build on this idea for next year. If they make it big enough, maybe the Crowd can play a part in one of the songs next year! 2) Saturday night after the 4th set, Most of the crowd had allready headed out for the parkinglot, But I was taking in my last views of Concert grounds from atop one of the Mounds in the garden, when, All of a sudden, I saw a golf cart with like 8 people piled on to it come wheeling arround from behind the ferris wheel, and start swirving through the field. My first thought was, "Who is that maniac driving that thing?" but As it got closer, I realized It was Trey himself, behind the wheel, with Mike Riding shotgun! I ran down the mound and followed them over to Flatbread, where a few fans were still milling about. While Trey was waiting for his Pizza, one Girl told him a Joke "What do you call a jamacain with glasses? A Rasta-Foureyes" Kind of a Lame Joke, but considering I couldn't even muster Up a "Hey Trey" with out tripping over my own Jaw, I can't really fault her! The Guys at Flat bread asked Trey if he wanted to Take like 10 Pizzas back stage, but He was Like "No thanks, I wouldn't Want to make any of these guys have to wait longer for their Pies!" Talk about Class! Anyway, that little encounter pretty much kept me Smiling for the rest of the weekend. 3) The Bubble room - This is the coolest Place to hang out. I LOVE it! Hopefully Next year, they will have both sides of the Bubble maker working~! 4) Sexual Healing - I love this Song!!! Best cover of it I have ever heard. Antelope - I Was in the garden when I heard the opening notes of this song, And I broke into a sprint to the front row. I was there by the time it really kicked in. Talk about a nasty version~! Sabotage - Nice Set opener! By far my favorite Phish Cover! Bittersweet Motel - This was the first time I heard this song, but I can tell it's going to be a classic. A Real cool tune~! Harry Hood - The Lightstick Jam during this song was Sooo Intense!!!!! I was right in the middle of it, and it looked so cool~! The crowd is getting good at making the sticks look like fireworks by trowing 20 or 30 up at a time. There were SOOOO many!!! OVERALL, I would have to say that LEMONWHEEL has beat out Clifford ball as My favorite Phish show of all time! Peace Christian
- Christian Macdonald- ChrisM@Funk.Com

Hey, I'm a Phans from Italy. Obviously I wasn't in Maine for Lemonwheel but I LOVE THIS BAND ! We,ve got a little Phans community here and I've met so many great people at my italian Phish show so I hope nobody ruin all that beautiful scene because us and the band can make this world smaller ! please keep smilin' !
- Luca Mazzocchi- lumaz@galactica.it

I had a blast! How about Electric Blue and the Kozmic Truth in the parking lot jamming after Set 4 on Saturday night! Phish was once again a great time and everyone was friendly. Nothing but positive things to say from my end and great pictures and memories for a life time!!!
- Brian- fschradermonroe@compuserve.com

Lemonwheel was my first Phish show ever. My cousin got me into them about a year ago and I had ben looking forward to this weekend for ' about as long. Thanks to everyone who made this such a cool experience. I had been praying since January to get Divided Sky. to the guy who sold me the shrooms, you need to measure your eighths better, i got a little gipped, but what can you do. So any way, there I sit, me and my 5 friends in between sets 2 and 3 of day two, sound asleep in the garden, thinking there it would take a miracle to get me up and dancing again then, boom...SABOTAGE. Trey's got that whiny Adrock voice down pat. thanks guys. see you in Worcester, MSG, and points east.
- Mike Leo - m.leo@sap-ag.de

Lemonwheel was my first Phish show ever. My cousin got me into them about a year ago and
- Mike Leo - m.leo@sap-ag.de

I've been seeing phish for about 5 years now, and i think I think that they just keep getting better. The lemonwheel rocked. Fortunately none of my shit got stolen. What can the people who are there for the music do to keep the trash off the scene? Does anybody have any suggestions?
- Cris- cris_mullen

Well, the Wheel was a whole schwenk-load of fun.Despite the fact that people got stuff yanked outta their camp sites, it was a truly comunal weekend for most. The band kicked down hard, and this year did the late night thing in a way that everyone who wanted to could enjoy. The forth set was an awesome hi-lite, that could be enjoyed by all who wanted to stay, instead of just the lucky ones who happened to be awake. Apparantly news reporters were incapable of 'getting' what was going on there. It seems that every year the band improves and refines the 'giant' show concept and makes it more their own and more enjoyable for all. Thank god it's a million miles away in Maine or there would be 150,000 people there and a much higher idiot/asshole factor. The key to the experience is the same as any other phish show; hang with yer people and be open to meeting and helping new people, and don't do things in Maine that you wouldn't do anywhere else (you wouldn't leave yer lifes possesions in a tent in New York City, don't do it in Maine) Heres hoping that the band continues to present music in an envirionment that is uniquely there own, and one helluva lotta fun!! Heres to next year!!!
- ENORMO-MAN

Well after reading a good majority of these retrospective posts regarding the Summer finale Phish threw down for all of us in Maine, I felt obligated to share my thoughts. Keep in mind I am merely a sucka from NY with ties to the grilled cheese mafia that wants to share a few stories, don't take any offense .... your'e probably a sucka as well. An extra large hug to those responsible for creating the little green puffin' tents at the back of the field. It's as if someone gave you the perfect Christmas present, something you didn't ask for specifically, but fitting nonetheless. The improv set....!!! I was thoroughly disgusted by the Bangor Daily News article, but the reporter was just one of many who made it more special for those who stayed to melt with the music, fitting for the ring of fire/ wax bit. Anyone who wanted could walk up to the stage, smile, and revel in the fact that they were witnessing yet another historic moment of this summer tour. It was like peeping in through the keyhole of a room where Phish were "just playing instruments." More on the improv set. On the way to Maine we were joking about how cool it would be if after the show on Saturday a movie (such as Austin Powers) were shown for all of us tripped out suckas, or maybe a string of say each band members favorite Simpsons episode, but who the fuck need a television or video screen when you have a band that is capable of bringing a large amount of people together for the sake of getting down!!! Finally, for those who had stuff stolen, that really sucks that someone spoiled your weekend and yes it is a tough lesson to have to learn, especially in Maine when some asshole steals your entire tent, come on kids. What the fuck? But you know what, you can't even think about it and you can't make sweeping acusations about who walked off with your stuff, because none of it will bring it back. Material possessions are, after all, only as valueable as you want them to be. There will always be brighter days. Last thing I promise. Everyone needs to kick back with a valium, lighten up and recognize that Phish threw down some really SICK FUCKIN' Shows this summmer. No one should feel cheated as far as the music is concerned, and if you do go home, or go crawl in a K hole seriously. Every tour has its moments, but this summer was every night. I saw seven of the shows (Col->D.C., Vernon->Wheel) and was blown away each time a little bit more. You could tell the band was havin' fun freakin' everyone out. Which is why I don't think I could have handled it this summer. Too much molly, too much emotion, too many lose-your-shit moments. It sure as hell beats the typical Ghost Taste Theme Dirt Dogs Stole Things show of 97.... but I digest.... mmmmm... Wishin' I had used my ticket to Va. Beach instead of kicking it to my friend Frank, but hey, I probably would have gotten bashed in the head for swingin' grilled cheese, and then the mafia would have stepped in lead by Shady Dave and things would have gotten Mad Fucked UP! It's like that song Roget (Rah * Get, kind of like Rock It) "If life were easy, and not so fast, I wouldn't think about the past..." Peace to all those I met over the summer, especially Guy, "GET Fucked Up!" If you'd care to solve some mysteries and uncover the conspiracies I have partially worked out with a team of sleuths, send some mail and make me smile.... SUCKAS.... Stop the Drunken Violence, YO! Creepin', Peepin' and keepin' it Real... Pete Moss Bandit3@netacc.net
- Pete Moss- Bandit3@netacc.net

Well, the whole weekend was incredible (goes without saying). Sucks that shit was stolen, but I found MANY more phriendly people than not. Thank you to everyone who helped me look for shoes after I lost mine (right after Cavern, too)- especially those folks on the 3 Eternal Destinies of Man bus. The scene, like everything else, has its problems, but it is still the Phish scene, and almost everyone is still willing to lend a helping hand. As for the glowsticks, I like them. Just don't throw them at the band (DUH). And WHOEVER HAS THOSE OBNOXIOUS LASERS PLEASE STOP!!!!!!!! THE BAND OBVIOUSLY HATES HAVING LITTLE RED LIGHTS ALL OVER THEM!!! I really fail to see the entertainment factor in what can only be described as an effort to annoy not only phans, but the wonderful band that we all came to see. WHAT ARE YOU THINKING?? The weekend was a blast anyway (Sanity! Ya Mar!!). The only thing missing was the Makisupa I was sure was coming after being searched by the pigs a record 4 times on the way there. And no The End, either. Oh well, I definitely can't complain about Sexual Healing. Well, I'll see ya all next tour! - THING 2
- Abigail- abigail@ece.nwu.edu

Well, after the great bust of 98 in Burgettstown (really, please don't ask) and arriving to Vernon in the middle of Weekapaug, Jessica and I made it to Limestone, via Canada -- after all we had nothing to hide since it's all in an evidence locker in Washington, PA. After totally stumping the dog at customs (just b/c there isn't any evidence doesn't mean it doesn't smell like there is :-)), we enjoyed the beautiful landscape of Quebec and New Brunswick (where we were searched again with a dog, albeit one with a little less sniffing ability, b/c we offered to help a phellow head on the side of the road -- orange VW bus). Ahh, Maine...It's always better the second time around and this was no different. After a month of touring, getting to stay in one place for 4days is a major blessing. This story is already too long yet I've barely scratched the surface. So, the wknd had this to offer myself and my dear friend, Jessica...I won at Phishopoly, banking on Cities, since they played it that evening. I still haven't used the sparklers I won yet. We managed to foil a thief, who tried to make off w/ a beautiful hand blown bong right in front of us and the kind folks who were selling. He ran, but the man behind the table was able to run faster and he nabbed him and the bong, sans slide. He was selling em real cheap and he offered to give one to us even cheaper b/c of our help. Are there kinder souls in the world than at shows? I wonder Thanks too to the kind souls at the fimo booth. For they let us (and many others) partake in the creative process of their art. And finally, I've been seeing phish since the late 80s and what they did at the end of the first night was something that I never could have dreamed up. My reasons for supporting phish are vast but primarily their devotion to playing great music and always taking chances. I can't wait to listen to the tape of that set every night. It was emotional, it was intense, it was spiritual. Magic moments is music like that don't come across very often. To those who were there, I hope you really listened to what they played and how they played it. Crescendos are great and so are fast furies of loud intense music, but some of the most awe inspiring notes are the ones barely heard. Keep it coming guys...
- Corey Lareau- cmlare00@pop.uky.edu

So there we all were. Right in the middle of the 2nd set on Sunday (coincidence they opened that set with DWD two years in a row, I think not). Anyway, when they drifted into "Velvet Sea" out of "Circus", I was allready sitting down. As the beginning of the song began to flow out of the speakers I laid down on my back with my eyes closed letting the music and the whole scene just creep into my soul. When I opened my eyes I saw the most beautiful sky (complete with shooting stars from a meteor shower) I've ever seen. The combination of that sky and the melodic dreaminess Phish was creating made me melt into the earth and become part of IT for about 5 minutes. It was about the same feeling as during the Gin jam from last year's set II. It DOES NOT matter what song they are playing (for those of you that base your opinions of the show on setlists), if you open up yourself and allow your mind to roam free and concentrate on nothing but the music and the air around you, Phish will give you the greatest feeling in the world (even if they're playing Bouncin)! I know what Mike Gordon meant by "bridging the gap between awake and dreaming" and I'm glad I've learned how to do it. Whether I like it or not, my life was forever changed the moment I was at my first show. It's been such a positive change that I will allways be there whenever possible. And I will always cherish and love every show no matter WHO is there and no matter WHAT they play. - brandon
- brandon- fichera@udel.edu

we see many shows and some of us have the time of our lives.....all because of phish....they ask one thing of us....just one thing....no nitrous...get it out of the lots!!!...please....crackheads ...crackheads
- mistrminor- mistrminor

All I have to say is stop creating a bad vibe for those who have never seen a Phish show. So people got ripped off...oh well. We got broken into at Great Woods in 95 and missed Sugarbush...we were bummed but got over it. I mean what do you expect when u have 70k people there...with society as it is today there is no-way u can have 70k and have nothing go wrong. Lighten up, Phish treats us better then any band has ever treated anyone before. Let's all be thankful for there genoriosity! Phish On! --Skip-- PS POTSY, JC, SQUIRM, BARKER, SCOTTY, SPRAGUER, FLEEMAN, KAHUNA, AND LUDE....YOU SUCK! LOL See ya in LA, VEGAS, ALBANY, WORCESTER!!!
- Skip- globdel1@san.rr.com

Well all i really have to say is thanks.... thanks first off to the people of Maine and most the northeatern seaboard for being so patient most of all to the locals of Limestone We love yall and will be back next year.... to the band for being sorta humble and giving the fams something more than a show...... and to the rest of yall..... what a really good buzz. to quote a guy from the crowd if anyone can prove to me they are happier than I am at this point ill give them 50 bucks lastly to all yall who got robbed, sorry i needed all that stuff for an art project just kidding - this band proves that money and fun shows can go hand in hand speaking of which - id like to say thanks to all thhe customers of Red juicy ripe jersey fresh tomato and grilled cheese's - they got home nicely thats it fer me
- gary stanley- gary@halo6.com

Just a quick note: It was a fun party. I stayed sober and got to meet some really cool people. PJ -- keep the campaign going and you will become God someday. Walt and Rich -- see you guys in St. Louis. Johnny Rock -- put your clothes on and gimme some more candy! CLEAVER!! But seriously folks, just because you're not a tour-rat, dirt-surfer, or a wookie, does not mean that you're just there for the party. We gotta just get past this dirtier-than-thou attitude and we'll all get along. The Wheel was a great time with some great music (how about that sexual healing, huh?) brooks
- Brooks Williams- muddshark@hotmail.com

Hello People, Well I must say that looking in retrospect at Lemonwheel, I'll say it was a great weekend, but not as good as The Great Went. I'll agree with some of the other stories that there was a bit of a different scene going on than last year, but you got to take everything in stride, especially when there's 70-80,000 people around. The highlight of the weekend had to have been the last set and the finale, but the finale at the Went ie. burning art sculpture was unbeatable. The only negative thing I experienced was when a guy I knew took 10 hits of acid(he says by accident) and went crazy during the first set on Saturday, but he's ok, just lost a few brain cells. See you guys next year in Maine.....
- JC- original6@hotmail.com

I had a great time at Lemonwheel and I can safely say it was an experince I'll never forget. The only thing that bummed me out (besides people getting ripped off and the disgusting toilets) was the over use of glow sticks and laser pointers. I must say that I enjoy an occasional glow stick war, but it seemed that people were trying to get them going, practically every other song. I personally like to concentrate on the music and the light show that the band provides. Glowsticks seemed to be a continual disraction last weekend. And for those you who insist on throwing them directly at the band, please don't come to shows anymore! Every time Page got hit by a glowstick he looked at the crowd and shook his head. All it does is distract them from their awesome jamming. I don't think I need to say anything bout those damn laser pointers, please leave them at home for your parents to play with! Phish Phorever! PK
- petr- pkopper@yahoo.com

Just a quick note...

Stop yelling at me if I voice my opinion that I had a bad experience at the Wheel!! Consider *me* telling *you* how to make sure it doesn't happen to you!

Could you imagine what it would be like if nobody said a bad thing? no, you can't, and I didn't think you could.

Finally, let me remind everyone:
When I went to my First 50 shows (1990-93), there were no "Tourscum". And the whole scene was us college kids and "frat" people.

So you people who feel you might not belong cause you are clean cut, hold a job, and look like you just got out of chemistry 101... don't worry!!! Your kind was here first!!! BE PROUD!

Oh yeah, great time, not the best song selection, but, man... what a great time!
- Jessica- allmansgirl@phish.net

Probably the best Phish show I've ever seen, it was incredible musically. I did notice the repeats from Vernon, but they made up for it. How about that moma dance? and sanity, etc.! So much trash was dissappointing, I found myself picking up glass bottles for recycling a few times. Its too bad that some people can't pick up after themselves. Luckily there are clean up crews, otherwise these slobs would ruin it for everyone else (if Phish was not invited back). Also hearing about the tents stolen/broken into sucked. I did not have a problem with that this year or last year.For the most part though the scene was great, I met a lot of great people (including all my phunky bitches!) and had a great time. I already can't wait for next year! Tia ><}}*>
- Tia Bennett

Hey. I had a **great** weekend at the Wheel. Sad to see a VW bus on fire along the way, hope everyone inside was okay. I thought the shows were great. The crowd has definitely changed!! Sorry to hear a lot of you guys got ripped off, being from NYC I sort of expected some of that would go on. But, All Things Considered, I will definately go back next year!! Hope to see yall there!
- Meredith- trifekta@hotmail.com

I'M AN IDIOT, but I got away with it! I need to preface this story by explaining that my car contents were stolen two seperate times en route to the Lemonwheel. Forty CD's, $1,000 in car stereo equipment, etc., but the golf clubs made it! As a result of this, I was determined to leave my car unlocked at the lemonwheel as an act of defiance of evil forces. No way I get ripped off here, (I had new stereo equip and cd's at this point), by my phellow phans! Alas, my car and campsite went unmolested over the weekend, which, apparently, is something to brag about. Anyway.... To address the issue of thieves and bad vibes at the lemonwheel, it would seem to me that the solution is simple enough: Move the show! Move it to the middle of fucking Montana or something, where punks from Boston aren't a relatively short drive away. I must say I would be glad to drive anywhere for this past weekend because I've never had a better time. I drove from Atlanta, which is well over thirty hours away and it never occurred to me that it wasn't worth it because Phish is magic--- the Michael Jordans of music and what we can now witness at a Phish show is nothing short of epic. Specifically, the music is so tight now, and the meanderings in "Tweezer", "SOAM", etc. are now wholly listenable and groovy. The talent it takes for these guys to start, stop, change and continually re-invent songs is mind-boggling. If any of you were asked by someone for your zodiac sign at the Wheel, that was probably me. I asked over eight-hundred people and if you want the results, E-mail me. It was sick fun to talk to that many people, but it still didn't get me laid! Anyway, back to the music. Highlights for me were: "Cities"---a bonus as far as I was concerned because it was so late in the set, they coud've easily quit right there. Alas, we were treated to an extended version, complete with custom lyrics referring to the "Garden of Infinite Pleasures" and the city that we were in, and indeed had built. "Slave"---perhaps the best Slave ever played, but frustrating because the spectacle of all the glow sticks were so distracting. "Loving Cup"---positively searing! a truly great song done with justice and then some---this may have been Phish's all-time peak if not for the "Halley's" that followed. Mind-blowing! In fact, the entire Sat. third set was da bomb. "Bowie" was hotter than Va Beach, as if that's possible. NICU is the coolest song going and I love Brian and Robert, (Hate Bittersweet and Roget, funny how opinions differ, isn't it?). On the flip side, I was sorry to more or less miss Sun. first set because I felt like I was in the eleventh round of a twelve-round fight. I got bogus X the night before, (thanks asshole), and ended up dosed a little harder than I had planned. This had me out of synch for the rest of the weekend. Never underestimate the importance of good buzz-planning, kids! Got my first Guyote ever, (26 shows), though, and they tell me the Possum was hot. I kid about not being conscious, but it was amazing how many people were not on both days. I must wonder how many "man-songs", i.e. number of passed-out people for each song played, were missed. I also wonder about other numbers, e.g. the total weight of pot smoked on the entire site, gallons of beer drunk, etc. But, I digress. The best part of the exhaustion was that at least the chatter among non-fans was greatly reduced on Sunday. The last set Sunday was a disappointment, which means it was only fucking awesome by any other band's standards. "sabotage" was a great call to kick energy into a moribound crowd, but I must suggest that the band as tired as the crowd because every song on the rest of the list seemed lackluster, except for a really kicking "Character." The "Hood" was entirely predictable, but gave me goose-pimples neverthless. The show-ending, pyrotechnic extravaganza had me alternately cursing the bogus X dude and myself for tripping last night, thus dulling tonight's excursion. The elephant walking away was spectacular, but I can't believe I'm the first on this page to mention the fireworks spectacular. I mean, it was probably $100,000 worth and as good as any display, (I'm 33), I've ever seen. The afformentioned "Garden...", for those of you that wonderd what the big deal was, was a tripper's paradise. All the shadows, and the simplest things are extraordinary when you're tripping balls. Not to mention everybody else in the rocks or the catapillar share your state of mind. This was probably the best place to trip---ever! Hint to those with the problems with the scene: talk to the cool poeple only, of which there may have never been a larger assembly of in history! Or, dwell on the negative, see if I care. May I suggest that we start a letter-writing campaign, (snail mail---far more effective), to get this thing moved to Montana, and therefore away from the N.E. city punks that ruined a potentially perfect time for so many. Please drop a line to Phish at: P.O. Box 4400, Bultington, VT---it might do the trick. To sum up, the weekend was bliss and thanks to the greatest band of our time---Phish! Garrett Phillips: GPhil34380@aol.com P.S. If you happen to be the beautiful Aries with the glow-sticks applied to your hands that I was dancing with at the mobile home before I went back for the fourth set Sat., I'm the tall Gemini and I'd love to hook up with you!!! 05406-4400.
- Garrett Phillips- GPhil34380@aol.com

- Garrett Phillips- GPhil34380@aol.com

Talk about a good weekend the whole scene was beautiful so much happining so many people so many good vibes everyone on the same plain you could feel the energy it was electric. The concert area was set beautiful it was like landing on another planet. The time and effort that was put into setting it up was very well thought out. Tent City was a blast so many people working for the same common goal,to have a magical weekend and magical it was, it was one of those times that you wished it would never end. The freeness and open spirit really moved the mind and soul. The band had a kickass groove going, again you could feel the energy, very high powered put that together with the outerspace glow stick war and the smoking elephant firework display it truly was magical. The strip was great all your needs and necessities were very well taken care of,if you needed it and didnt bring it with you it was there. Food and beer and earthy delights flowed like a rolling river all weekend long the action and energy never stopped or slowed down. MY best memory of the weekend was seeing the look on my daughters face when she saw my picture on the front cover of the sunday morning paper. It was a beautiful way to end the summer. THANK YOU FOR A REAL GOOD TIME.
- lemforder MIKE

All kidding aside here people, the wheel was a fucking blast. I was so upset when, on my way home, I picked up a copy of the Bangor Daily News. I forget what the title was , but it was along the lines of, Largest Phish Walkout Ever. THe article went on to explain how the improv. fourth set was pointless and thus, in turn, scaled the largest phish walkout since their first gig at the ROTC dance when THriller was put on over them. I have two words for the bangor daily news and especially the reporter who wrote this pile of dung article. BULL SHIT!!! THis, completely unexpected fourth set was phish at their best. WHen does a crowd of 70000 plus get an opportunity to listen to phish practice what they have have been doing for years, let alone anyone. We were given a wonderful opportunity to see how the band comes up with alot of their songs, through this thing called imporvisational jamming. I, myself am a musician of all trades, sing, play guitar, trombone, sousaphone, bongos, etc. Basically anything I can get my hands on that makes any sort of noise is music to my ears. This fourth set, was unprecedented in theb history of the band and might verywell spurr more of this, not only with phish but with other millions of extremely talented musicians. Yes, another thing. Yes, they certainly did play many songs from the vernon downs show, but who cares. I for one was pleased to be a part of history. I don't think that phish has ever, check ZZYZX for the official call, but when was the last time Mike's Groove was played in back to back sets, II-Vernon and I-Lemonwheel 8/15??? I would be willing to say never. Songs like ROget, Tweezer, that kickass Gumbo, Antelope, Reba, GIn, SImple, Fluffhead, Sanity (or insanity, shall we say), Divided, the list goes on and on. IMHO, lemonwheel kicked went's ass. Anyway, i am quite upset with the Bangor Daily News, I mean, come on here, they must have spent thousands of extra dollars for this weekend on people, and on the production of extra issues of this paper for this weekend. WHy? SO that phans can purchase this as a souvenir from an excellent fun-filled weekend. And then what do they give us? A shitty article? I don't know. If anyone would like to trade, I'm always up for it. Have a great time, and get psyhced for a phatty fall tour, three night WORCESTER!!!!!!
- Collin P. Ely- zookness@yahoo.com

I just want to start off by saying, that it sucks that people had stuff stolen. When I went to the Ball a few years ago, my cusin's buddies who were staying with us had their stuff ripped off. It really sucked. We were fortunate to have brought a little travel lock for the tent this year. I did not see any fights but I did see people who looked out of place. I saw all the homeys and the obvious dealers who came only for money and the people who came simply for the party. It is unfortunate these people have to ruin it for the rest of us. I mean people might not think I fit the "Typical" Phish- Head by my appearence. For those of you who have been seeing the band for a while, I admit that you might think I'm just some suburban colledge kid who just came to party. That could not be anything further from the truth. Looks shouldn't matter too much. If people are acting cool like the majority of the true fans and they are obviosly into the music, these are the people who are the true devotees.So, let's just be thankful we went for the music. Anyone who is reading these postings and taking time to post them, is obviosly concerned about the scene and a true fan. But I really love the band.I've been to 12 shows so far and I plan to catch the last five shows of the fall tour and the entire New Year's Run. I don't go for any reason other than to let the band mezmorize me show after show. But, this was the first time I saw a lot of people who were not digging the music. I truly went for the music. I'm not going to complain or shit on the people who went to Lemonwheel for reasons other than the music. I just think all of us who can say we went for the music and to see the four guys we love most, that we are lucky in that we appreciate the band and everything they do. Maybe next year we learn a few lessons and we won't have to have any negative stories and discussions.
- Tim S.- jjsullivan@snet.net

Hey, great time at the wheel, long drive home to Ohio, but so worth it. Sanity, Divided Sky, Bathtub Gin, Antelope, where does it end? Love to get there next year, but the real world beckons. And, thank you, Phish for that amazing gift set on Saturday night. As for the scene, we can only control the quality of our own actions. I had a great time, and met very kind and generous people (thanks to our neighbors for all their help with my tricky stove). We should have the sense to put our stuff somewhere safe, but a tent is another story. The karmic wheel spins away... Peace to everyone who made the weekend so phat, and thanks to the band, it was unreal. -Hoke
- Hoke- hokeiw@muohio.com

Hey there, just reading all of these 'stories' about heads not wanting people who 'don't appreciate' Phish to be there, and folks who think they can walk all over some of the nicest people I've had the pleasure of meeting at previous shows, I am sensing a huge rivalry brewing. I wasn't able to attend this year but I am promised to go next year, and I don't want to see fights breaking out between the 2 'groups'. What I'm saying is if you want to confront other groups of people...do it peacefully! We all want them (phish) to continue playing at this venue and I'm afraid if these rivalries continue then it will effect these tours and venues. Thanx
- Jeff- St.stephen@mailexcite.com

OK, so I'm finally in Maine. I look back to the first shows in Portland and at the Gorge. I remember what it was like to have my good friend Mike with me on the west coast. Now it's just me and my rider, Josh. Josh and I are becoming friends, and the east coast has been a lot of fun. The setlists have been terrific, and I keep finding more people I know at the shows. So, back to the Lemonwheel. Or the Moneywheel as some of the kids like to put it. Josh and I decided to head up to Maine early like many of the kids on tour. We arrive around 11 PM the day before the campgrounds were SUPPOSED to open. They charge us ten bucks and say we can stay the extra night. We drive on. More checkpoints and BS. Then we have to present our tickets. I don't have one yet. But the box office is open 24/7. No problem, right? I have no cash. But I have a credit card. No problem right? They don't take Discover. I'm screwed. I send Josh in and set out walking for the nearest ATM (the ATM on sight didn't open until the next morning). I hitch a ride with some local kids who are joyriding and drinking the BEAST (of which I managed to score a few cans -- thanks guys!). They took me to an ATM, and it ate my card. NO CASH. But the locals can sneak me in. They know that base like the back of their hands. Well, almost. We hop a little fence and walk for about ten minutes. Success. The campground. Now, where is Josh, and where is my car? The temperature is a brisk 30-something, and I'm wearing a t-shirt and no shoes at all. I search that idiotic parking lot for three (3) hours in the dark. No car. I reason that Josh and my car are where I left them. But then I'll have to sneak in again. I leave. Sure enough. My car! Josh - asleep in my car! I pile stuff on top of me, and Josh drives us in. The next day I sold beer enough to get a ticket, and that is how my weekend began!
- Judd Kaufman- funkyjk@aol.com

I've been reading the posts on this section ever since I got back to Cincinnati from Limestone, and I must say I'm shocked to read all of the sour remarks about the show. Granted, I haven't been on the tour nearly as long as a lot of you guys have (my first show was Deer Creek, 1996), so I can't really compare the scene that I know to the scene that I read people describing back in 94 and 95. Nevertheless, I am saddened to read that people had their things stolen, and am thankful that I wasn't unfortunate to have that happen to me. Although, if it did, I probably wouldn't attend a similar concert in the future, and will be much more careful in future instances that I'm camping with Phish. It's a shame that people will spend 75 bucks for a ticket just for the party and the opportunity to steal other peoples' things. If anyone is reading this that stole someone's things, I'm not going to reprimand you or anything because you'll probably just laugh in my cyberface. But please be aware that the little boy named Sam that requested Split Open and Melt has more maturity than you do, and you should consider taking up a meaningful hobby that will perhaps give some sort of value to your life. That being said, let us have our fun, enjoying a great band in a great venue without having to lock up a cooler in the car if we want to check out the scene for 20 minutes. It's just silly-- Vic
- Victor Harrison- harrisvb@flyernet.udayton.edu

To all you BITCH ASS complaining Phisheads Shut UP! Didnt you enjoy one of the best six sets of music Phish has played in a while???.... Ah yes. Iam truly sorry your stuff got stolen mine did too!!!1 But please this is 1998 not 1968. Not everyone in the World is a KIND BRO or SIS. Suggestion next year LOCK YOUR SHIT UP!!
- Bob Weaver (Niho)- Nihoo2@aol.com

So, if you encountered or observed the bald guy in the parking lot on Sunday night between the second and third set wearing green shorts, a purple anorak and Tevas; thanks much to everyone that helped me calm down during a seriously bad trip! A really big thank you to Dan and Matt and the Jersey crew who adopted me and got me back in for the third set where we found ourselves next to...the elephant! Great time, great sets. Missed the large video monitors a bit at first but found it made us rather nomadic between sets. Seee you all next year?
- Sean Casey- fathead@priosys.com

i had the best time of my entire life at lemonwheel. people getting ripped off: i feel for you. but next time do what we did, lock up all your stuff in the car. when you have that many people who like a band they can't all be good folk like you and me who are there to listen to the music (a concept that seems lost on many drug crazed stoner freaks). the fourth set saturday night was the most incredible thing i've ever experienced. that the guy siad below, if you drove up there (8 hours for me from southern NH) you had to really want to be there. and if you were in front the whole time (like me again) you really had to be there. i also stayed up front for the fourth set as most people left. hey their loss. anyone who left during the fourth set is totally fucked up in the head. that fourth set is what phish is all about and if you aren't there to focus on the music, you shouldn't be there. hey i don't give a shit if i'm being close-minded. i think it is absolutely fair to say that the punks with the sideways hats with the lip rings were the ones who fucked the weekend up for some good people. and i do think the situation merits judging a book by it's cover. but hey like i said best time of my life. oh yeah and to that girl who i was talking to friday who came up to me and said "finish this with me they do a forbin's, then a narrative then a __ yeah (in unison) a mockingbird". you made my day. i wasn't sure about the scene but for some reason when you said that everything was chill. thanks alot all of you good folk for the best time of my life. Peace! BTW the staff there was excellent!!!!!!!!!!
- The Funkmaster- =0)

I have to thank all of the people that moved their stuff; tents, stoves, dogs, friends, tent stakes, etc., so that my wife and I could move our stuff; tents, stove, picnic table, GREEN HONDA PASSPORT, and set up our camp site next to our FAMILIES campsite on FRIDAY nite. Thank you very much, this truly made our weekend perfect!!! p.s. the shows were X-cellent !!!!!!
- Eric Nelson- ENphish@aol.com

Well, let me begin by saying I will forever be a fan of this incredibly talented band. They completly blew me away this tour and I even got to thank Mike in Burgettstown. Now as for my LemonWheel experience. I went to the Went last year and had the time of my life. The scene was kind as were the kids I met. I had heard of people getting robbed but really thought nothing of it. Well, after the first nights show, I returned to an empty space where my tent once stood. That's right, they took my whole damn tent. I slept in my car because I had nothing left to sleep on or in. Why do these people come to our shows. I wish the band would only sell tickets through Mail Order to eliminate alot of these bunk kids and locals who only show up for the party. We all need to get together and force these types of people out of our community, and I'm sure you all know which people they are. Now as for the shows. I was glad to hear them break out Sanity for the first time since 10/31/96. The way Gumbo flowed right into it made them a great combo. It was nice to hear Strange Design right after that rippin' Bowie. The ambient jam that proceeded the 3rd set was something that I will never want to forget. I laid my head down and let the boys treat me to the most soothing sounds I've ever felt. I noticed that just about everyone broke for the gate after the 3rd set and IMO that suited me just fine. Phish dosen't do thing like that often and I was fortunate to experience them doing a totally unrehersed jam just for us. The 2nd night I was real bummed about having my entire tent stolen, but I told myself to forget about it and enjoy the last show for a couple of months. Well, the first set was long and had a really nice Bathtub->Rift. Gyute,Possum to close made me hopeful that I could salvage a good time out of the weekend. I really like what they have done with the Ghost and Fishman(Bob Weaver) is the best! Sabatage was nice for all the people who didn't hear it at Merriweather, but I hope they take this song out of the rotation alond with Bittersweet Motel. The highlight of the 2nd night for me was WMGGW. Played to perfection and was a great way to close out the night. The Hood encore was very standard and I'm personally getting tired of the glowsticks. The elephant jam at the end was great with Fishman playing his trombone for the first time in what seems like forever. Glad they didn't set him on fire. I'm hoping that we can all see that this community is being tainted by kids who really don't belong at the shows. I know that everyone has a right to be there, but if they are causing a problem, we should take it apon ourselves to point these people out and make it so uncomfortable for them to be there that they won't come back. I know we can pull together and stop all of this bullshit. Also, we all need to get some kind of petition or something together and boycott VA Beach forever!!!! Police brutality and fines for selling grilled cheese is ridiculous. We need to spend our money in a community that will except us and not abuse us. Please let me know if you'd be interested in setting up a page just for this purpose. Thanks alot and I'll see you all this Fall. Be kind,
- Little Mike- mmartian32@aol.com

I brought a small camping stool with me into the show. When I got to the first check gate, I was informed that I could not bring it in with me. When I asked the storm trooper why, he stated that it was a liablility for Phish because someone could trip over it and sue Phish. After pretending to put it off to the side and sneaking past him I realized something. For these guys to be so worried about tripping over a chair you would think they would have refrained from letting those crazy people in the yelow robes run up on top of the dirt mounds with a real chain saw swinging it around and cutting up the tree. Did anyone else see that. I thought that was rather ironic. Incidently those chairs were absolute life savers. I was so tired from jumping around and found great relief from bringing the chairs into the concert.
- RC- ronsplace@juno.com

I'd like to say that you Phish fans who think it abnormal for a bunch of rap-listening "punks" to show up at a Phish concert ought to get a grasp on what it means to be open-minded. I don't like the word open-minded, but in this case, it's the most appropriate. I read a couple Lemonwheel stories scrutinizing the Phish "scene," and what I read was appalling. Phish, or any band for that matter, should be listened to and liked by any one who wants to do so. The big difference between the six shows that I attended this summer and the other shows that I have attended previously was the integration of an amalgam of people. I saw people who have been pre-recognized as gothics, as hillbillies, as rapsters, as jocks, and, of course, as Phish-heads or hippies. Phish concerts have turned into a diversified communion of people who, either directly or indirectly, like Phish, and/or want to be a part of the "Phish-mania" sweeping much of the continent and the globe. Who cares if people are going to see Phish concerts because it's cool and, obviously, because there are a lot of drugs and people can have the chance to dissipate themselves for a night, or two, or a week. I find it quite dissappointing that many of the people who go to Phish concerts, and claim to be open-minded or sorts, can't find it in their Open-mindedness to accept people who might cater to drastically different musical genres. I certainly sympathize with the fans who returned to their campsites to find missing articles and disturbed surroundings, but that's no reason to assume that these "other people" are any more guilty of the crimes than the "fellow Phish-phans" who have been following people for years. I just wanted to comment on some of the responses that I read and try to look at the situation from a different angle.
- Mark Fennister

I expected to have an amazing time at Lemonwheel, and I had an even better time than that. Yes, there were some sketchy people on the scene. And yes, I was bummed out by stories of people getting robbed by the rats and busted by the pigs. Yeah, there were people near me who screamed out the lyrics and talked loudly during the jams. Yah, I was cold at night. Yup, the drive was a bitch. Uh-huh, the port-o-lets were nasty. Okay, Phish didn't play everything I wanted to hear. And they may have played a few things I didn't ask for. I don't care. I had an amazing time. I bonded with old friends and made a few new ones. On Friday I walked by myself through the fields and put my life into perspective under the August sun. On Saturday and Sunday I had my mind blown by Phish for 6 sets and 1 Ring O' Fire jam. I had a great time. And not only were the people of Maine terrific hosts (again), but they deserve the tourist revenue that they received from this concert. I hope that Phish decides to return to Limestone.
- tofu pup- stephen@el.net

It never ceases to amaze me! Everytime I read show reviews all I read are complaints. Phish did this.. they didn't play this... bitch, bitch bith bitch bitch........Phish is an incredible band, we all know that, so lets just enjoy ALL the music they created for US. Phish doesn't owe anything but thanx to the phans. And to all of you had had things stolen, you should know better than to keep things lying around. Next time lock it up! Now that I got that out of my system, lets talk about the show. I have no complaints whatsoever. It was such a beautiful weekend for a show. Phish played so well considering how long they've been on tour. They played with great energy and enthusiasm. How bout' that sick Bowie! Sabotage was nuts to! All six sets were sick as hell. I like that last song they played, Baby Elephant Walk. I hope the boys return to my home state again next year for the tour finale. See ya'll this fall.
- HARPUA- rudyv45@hotmail.com

Sitting on my lawn chair, dead tired from 5 exhausting sets of dancing, I thought "nothing can get me up now, I am just going to sit the last one out." then out of nowhere comes friggin SABOTAGE. Are you kidding me. I almost shit a brick. Both shows were unbelievable. The selection of tunes, the rythim, the flow, the timing, it was all on. That is tough to do 6 sets in a row, and what else can you say about the ending. I LOVE PHISH.
- Ron Cochran- ron_cochran@hotmail.com

Hey all, I found a hat lying on the runway at Lemonwheel. If any of you guys lost a hat, or know sombody who did, describe it to me, and I'll send it to you. Take Care, Ryan PS - Had a good time, nothing stolen, no rain, and sanity - SANITY!!!
- Ryan- burtonry@hotmail.com

WELL I WENT TO THE WHEEL AND I THOUGHT IT WAS decent compared to the other shows i saw this summer. OHIO,ALPINE,AND VERNON WERE HOT. THE WHEEL WAS NOT. IT WAS COLD. THE GARDEN AND ELEPHANT WERE MUCH BETTER THAN LAST YEARS SCENERY. THE SCENE NOW SUCKS... IF I HAD A CROOKED VISOR ON MY HEAD, AND A LIPRING, I WOULD BE DRUNK AT A SHOW TRYING TO START A FIGHT TOO. I GUESS IN THAT CASE, YOU CAN JUDGE A BOOK BY ITS COVER.
- joseph jensen- jensen76@msn.com

I thought the Lemonwheel was amazing. I could probably write about three pages about my experience there, but that would be too much. The sky was so big, the herb was so dank and the band was, as usual, unreal! I'd really love to thank you guys if you read this, you made my summer. But one of my favorite moments of the weekend and of my life was friday night when they pulled out that crazy Simple jam, with the big blue sky behind them and slow breeeze rolling through, I thought that I'd died and gone to heaven, so many other tunes blew my mind but I can't think of anythinge else to write.......so hadios my fellow amigos and I'll catch you all, same time, same place, next summer...
- Matt Kitchen- mlk64605@marauder.millersv.edu

I was much more satisfied with the Lemonwheel than with the Great Went last summer. I didn't mind the repeats as much because the high points of the show were so high. Bathtub Gin was great but my personal fave was the Split Open and Melt that I have been hankering to see and hadn't for 2 years. I've been touring Phish for about 6 years and was thouroughly satisfied, especially by the 4th set on Saturday night. I mean, if you were at the show, youi had to travel a long way to get there, so you had to really want to be there. If you were at the front of the stage the whole show, you had to really, really want to be there. By the time the free form jam started, the only people around me were there for the music. The other attractions were fun and all, but I drove the 600 miles to northern maine for the band, and aught else. To all the people who left for the last set just didn't get what was going on. That was the closest I got to hearing one of their famous spontaneous jam sessions. HEY BOUCHET! HOW IS YOUR PORTA-POTTY GIRLFRIEND?
- Keith Seeger- k_seeger@yahoo.com

I can't believe so many people had a bad time at The Wheel. I went and yes, i saw numerous people who didn't even know where they were, and yes, the guy I was with got his cooler stolen, but we still had a great time. Just like at the MD show when the huge fight broke out after the show, it's a PHISH show!!!People are supossed to get together and have good time listening to the 4 guys that we all love.You people are forgetting the reason why we make the trek to the northern most part of maine. and again, yes, the glowsticks get old fast and there were many of the same tunes played, but WHO CARES??? It's PHISH! and I loved it. I was very pleased to get Sanity and Yamar along with many other infrequent songs while I was on tour. My only dissapointing moment was when they opened day 2 set 3 with Sabatoge, i feel they played it excellent in MD and they should've left it at that, for all those that attended the MD show. Other than that, I great time. I met all sorts of wicked cool people and got to hear my favorite band play for two days in a very tolerant environment. peace, Ryan
- Ryan- forbin420@hotmail.com

Plain and simple the LEMONWHEEL was awsome, me and my friends had a great time. I'd like to thank Phish and everybody that put it together, it was worth it. Plus Columbue through Vernon was fun, every show had it's highlights.
- Dan Nikesch- X97nikesch@wmich.edu

Hey now... Lemonwheel was magnificent. I arrived Thurs. night around 10:30pm to find Hypnotic Clambake playing already. Great way to start. Got a good campsite, never had anything stolen, cool neighbors for the most part... Highlights for me: 1) The junk music stage inside the concert area After the first day, it was shot... people were beating the hell out of it. But even after the guy dismantled the whole thing, people were still finding things to drum on. Awesome. 2) Phish's 4th set of ambient improv was very nice. I'm glad they did it on stage this year rather than putting it on a truck... I missed the flatbed jams the last 2 years. 3) Hypnotic Clambake played in front of their RV after Phish's 4th set Sat. night/Sun. morning. They played till around 3:30am, took a 20 min. break and played till almost 5:30am. (They were also playing Thursday night when I arrived, and most of the day Fri. and Sat... if you missed them I feel sorry for you- they rock!) 4) The food- Mmm... flatbread. 5) The people- maybe I'm blind, but I didn't see many assholes at all this year. Definitely less than last year. 6) Monday morning drug sales... there were bargains galore as everyone tried to get rid of their remaining stuff to avoid driving home w/it. Ounces of pot and shrooms were going for less than 100 bucks! Can't wait for next year...
- bill- billhowe@flare.net

The best weekend I've had in a long time. The people of Maine really made us feel welcome. I know we spend a lot of money up there, but they seemed very genuine people. Phish and everyone else involved with the production did an excellent job setting up the event and concert grounds. The garden of infinite pleasantries was beautifully done. Overall scene observations. I have never seen so many good vibes at a concert. Sure there were obviously a small percentage of people there just to rip people off, unfortunately they will always be there. It would be nice to have everyone in the crowd be as in to Phish as most of us are, but we all had a first phish experience and learned many lessons at shows. I like the fact that there was not one security guard on location. Everyone that was working had safety shirts on, and there was only a few police to keep order at the front gate. I personally had a spirtual weekend, encountering many kind souls, sharing stories, concert observations, and just generally having a good time. Couldn't have picked a cooler location for this type of festival. I feel for all those that missed the ring of fire jam, it was what every phish fan had been waiting to here for many hears. It was Phish from the core, no lights, no pressure, no restrictions, no limits. Ultimate bliss, I laid down and melted into the lawn for the near one hour journey. They could have released this type of jamming in an album and made big dollars on it, but instead they gave it to the fans, and blasted it across the airwaves for anyone to grab hold of. Thank you Phish, thank you Maine, thank you fellow fans, IT WAS REAL!!! Mark
- Mark L- mark@ori.net

I have to say that the Lemmonwheel was the best phish show I have ever been to. I cant explain how great the music was. We left 3 o'clock friday morning and got there about 8. We were very lucky because we didnt hit any traffic at all on the way there or way back. I am very sorry to here about all the peoples things that got stolen. Some of our food was stolen and the people next to us got there Devil Stix stolen. We left Monday afternoon and arrived home around 6. Palmyra was our destination and we reached it saftly. I just want to say thank you to all the phish phans and to phish for the making the weekend great. Jeff if you read this e-mail me soon. I hope you had a good a good as well as every one else to. I realy thought it was neat how the inside of the concert area was set up, it just added to the good time. If any one has tapes of the Lemmonwheel e-mail. I'll send blanks and every thing, see you in Mass. for the fall tour!
- lyndsy- lyndsy-a-c@usa.net

My weekend started off great when, as I was walking into the concert venue for the first set, I ran into my friend who had two backstage passes for me! (He knows the band from way back). The biggest pluses about VIP hospitality at Lemonwheel were the $1 beers (Magic Hat, Otter Creek, Sea Dog, etc), the clean(er) port-o-potties, and of course the extremely nice people you meet. (Bumping into Mike Gordon was pretty cool too). We also were treated to a couple private shows by the fire jugglers. That in itself would have made the weekend, but then of course there were the shows. My personal highlites were the show-stopping Gumbo, the Bowie intro, Bathtub, Birds of a Feather (I said Goddamn!), and the Clifford Ball-conquering Fluffhead, among countless others. The venue setup was MUCH cooler than the past two years, imo, and all the time/money the band put into the design and makeup of the Garden of Infinite Pleasentries really made the weekend magical. Ethan White

My wife and I drove the 1000 miles from Detroit to Lemonwheel via Canada. We got to our tent site about 1:00 Friday afternoon. The people of Limestone were very friendly and happy to see us: it seems that the phans have made a good impression! We camped close to the stage in section 2C. All of the people camped near us were very friendly. There was a lot of wind Friday afternoon, and we had trouble setting up our canopy tent. We had to go to our car after setting the canopy up, and when we returned we found the guys from the next tent holding up our canopy to keep it from blowing away. This kind of stuff happened all through the weekend, this is just one example. I had a great time meeting people, playing my didj in drum circles, dancing to the many bands set up in the parking lot. I did not hear of anyone in my area being ripped off. My overall opinion the crowd was that they were mellower and better behaved than at the Went: there was much less trash on the ground and fewer sloppy drunk people staggering around. I think that Phish put a lot more effort and money into setting Lemonwheel up than the Went. The port-a-johns were much cleaner, there were more bands playing in the evening, and the Garden of Infinite Pleasantries was cool. It was hard work just to explore it all! Phish played well. My favorite parts were: 1) the ambient jam (4th set Sat), 2) Reba,Gumbo > jam > Sanity (2nd set Sat) 3) DWD > jam > piper. I felt that I got my money's worth and more. The only down side: I recorded the whole thing off the FM station, only to find lots of bursts of static ruining my tapes. The only tapes that sound good are from the sound check (lots of blues jamming plus a few tunes like dog log)
- Ken Wilson- wkwilson@concentric.net

Well this weekend was definatly a great one. Generally speaking of course, my friends got their coolers ransacked wich had their food and beer in it for the weekend. Plus the amount of people that just come up to the show for the scene and the partys, is extremely disrespectful to phish. I brought two friends up with me to the concert, because I thought that they too were phish phans. But, the went to the first set on Saturday and that was it. I attended all of the other sets by myself, which wasn't bad, shit happens. I think that the biggest bummer about this weekend was to hear that that dude ended up dying in that accident on I-95, that was the biggest thing that I didn't want to happen this weekend. Well, if there is a concert next year, like The Great Went and Lemonwheel, I am all over it, and I'll catch you all later. Peace.
- Aaron- bigrooster69@hotmail.com

WHAT IN THE HELL IS GIONG ON IN GAMEHENGE? WHY DONT THE COPS FOCUS ON BUSTING THESE SCUMBAGS STEALING BASTARDS, INSTEAD OF TRYING TO BUST PEOPLE FOR SMOKING NUGGS????????
- - dazed @ confused

well, everyone's been talking about the stealing and scum at lemonwheel. well they were there and sorry for everyone who got things stolen, but it was the most fun I've had in years. It just means that next year everyone will have to be a little more careful w/ their possessions. cause w/ a band this big people like that will be there and things like that will happen. The highlights of the show were Reba, it was very long and intense. Same with Gumbo, I've never heard such a long Gumbo. Sanity was crazy, I'm sure no one expected that. The slave was great, it had an incredible glowstick war. After that all the glowstick wars were pointless and old. You can only pull of one war a show. Sabotage was phat they surprise me with their ability to play the beastie boys. The bowie intro was lmost too long. it must have been at least 10-15 minutes. I also had the coolest experience. My friend was working on the art at the show and i was with when her boss asked her to go back stage and prty on sunday night after the encore. so she said I could go. we went bakc and drank a few beers at the beer tent. while I was there trey flew by on his golfcart with like 6 or 7 people on and he ran right into the fence of the beer tent. He must have been pretty trashed. we just sat there laughed our ass of and drank. was a great time and I'll be back next year. p.s. blame it on doherty!!!!
- bubba scubba- walfred0@aol.com

I was hoping to read some fascinating personal accounts of Lemonwheel, but it looks to me that more people had a bad time than a good one. I, for one, had a weekend to remember. Murphy's Law seemed to give us a break as any potential mishaps seemed to pass us by. After driving 18 straight hours to get to Limestone, we found a great camping spot, our tent was built quickly and strongly, the weather beautiful, our neighbors extremely nice, music great, etc. etc. This contrasts what occurred to me last year as everything that could have gone wrong, did go wrong (though a great time was had nonetheless). What stands out in my mind is the wonderful people I met. Having just returned from Australia a month ago, I brought my didgeridoo I had purchased there. I sat down in various sections of the base and simply played it. Many awesome people approached me and were very considerate as they asked me about the instrument and listened very patiently as I talked about it and played it for them. I become extremely excited when I was asked to join a drum circle and jam with them. A LOT of new friends were made throughout the entire weekend and I really can't wait to see them again at the next show. I guess this is my testimony defending the scene and sharing a bit of hope that it is not as "doomed" as some believe.
- Aaron Richardson- arichard@bu.edu

I wasnt @ Lemonwheel and would have love to have been there. Loved it! But my heart goes out to all who got ripped off. Sorry guys and gals. Somebody always has to ruin the fun. The karma dose will be highly negitive running their way next time. The sad part is, those people will never "get it". They will forever feel that they are owed something. I trust that Phish will hear of the bad parts of this event as well as the good and make arrangements to weed out the bad apples. I hope.
- jake- jacoby@hotmail.com

wasn't phish tour so much better before furthur ended? good scene up until about kansas, that's when all the crooked hat fucks showed up playing rap and ripping people off. didn't go to the wheel but i feel sorry for you guys who got ripped off.final note-i know thier are people whos life is tour no matter what but please do not come to phish shows and talk shit about my boys and while ripping everyone off. you think those dreads mean something but they don't mean a fucking thing to me, go back to furthur.
- morgan lester- travis.lester@colorado.edu

Saturday--one of, if not the, best shows I have ever seen. Reba, Gumbo-->Sanity was classic, and Mike tore the shit out of Bowie. Fourth set was surreal. I just laid down, closed my eyes, and enjoyed. Sunday--pretty disappointing for me. Nice old school Bag with the speed up ending, and a great second set minus Circus and Velvet Sea. Third set was weak, and the predictable phatty glow stick war #5 of the weekend Hood encore had me walking for the exit. I thought it was pretty funny that the most enthused the crowd got the entire weekend was during one of the numerous glow stick wars or during Sabotage, not during the first Sanity in almost two years or a sick Weekapaug intro. I did meet a ton of down people, though, and I will definitely go back. If you see someone throw a glowstick at the band, please throw one directly at their head for me. Give those things a rest!!!
- Harry Balls- idratherbe@aphattyglowstickwar

EXTRA...EXTRA...EXTRA...EXTRA...EXTRA...EXTRA... I was really saddened by all of the reports I have just read about those that had a bad time in Maine because of all the wasted people wandering around. I was there, I saw it too, but I also expected it. Granted, my tent was left alone, so I do not have that unfortunate point of view to reflect from. But I also locked my valuables up in my car. I saw all the wacko's who took a wrong turn at Syracuse and thought that they were still following the Ozzfest tour, but I also had the week of my life following the band that I love more than life itself The Lemonwheel was a magical success for phish and all of their people. Both in the music and in their scene. It was six and a half sets of incredible tunes, some of which I had heard a few days prior in Vernon, but that again was something that didn't bother me all that much. I was in Northern Maine watching Phish perform to me in the middle of nowhere, and loving every minute of it. Someday in the not to distant future I am going to get my degree in English Communication and be on my way into the wild and crazy real world. And I know that in five years I am going to give anything to be back in the middle of nowhere watching the four guys i so love do their thing. Some people had their time ruined by people who were too wasted to know what they were doing, and that is too bad. The only thing that really hindered my weekend was listening to people complain about something so trivial. Just look the other way from those who upset you and maybe you will happen to catch a glimpse of the real reason that we are all there... the stage. See ya at MSG!!!
- Erik Boucher- bouche57@potsdam.edu

my memories of the "wheel" will forever be tainted by the scene i returned to on sunday night. after dealing with people al day long to keep our front and center position about 30 feet from the stage, we returned to find that our tent had been ransacked! you name it they took it. whats going on? the scene seemed so much worse than even a year ago. kids are running around caring nothing about the music and everything about getting wasted. i don't think i will ever return to see the band i love play because it doesn't seem worth it. the music is so great but when you go home violated the way so many were this past weekend I just doesn't add up.
- jason- jeb38@cornell.edu

First of all, sorry to all those that had a bad time this weekend. If you had shit stolen, next time lock it up in your car. I hate to say it, but scumbags are a reality on tour, but you can avoid them with a little common sense. Anyways, I had a fantastic time. Good vibes all around, some solid sets (even though I think there was definately better playing at some stops on the tour, the music really was almost just like a soundtrack to the nuttiness of the the whole festival, which is what I think Phish intended. Trey might have even mentioned something about that.) It was just very special being away from all the crap that is the USA (sorry, but if you have any sense at all, you'd move north to Canada away from that mess), and in a place that we (the band and us the phans) can create an environment so strange, temporal and unique. I think those that are complaining didn't open their eyes to see how special the whole thing was. Culture and fun were readily available and indistinguishable, which is something really unique in North America. See you next year. Bring yur smile and your common sense.
- mathias- mathias_and_me@hotmail.com

WAS THE LEMON WHEEL THIS WEEKEND?????
- dm

My heart really goes out to anyone who had their tents ripped apart or stolen or had anything taken from them.

Sad thing is, there is nothing that we can do about it.

Unless, The Grateful Dead go back on tour during the very same weeks as Phish to keep them TourScum *off* the Phish tour.
- Josie

Got back from the 'wheel and had only a decent time. The scene was completley out of control. Stealing, the drugs, and the glowsticks were just out of hand. However, the music was only average. I very much enjoyed the 1st day but I imagine if you went to Vernon, you were getting pissed. The 2nd day was lame. The 3rd set can only be described as bad. Only saving grace was a Mango Song(but not a good). Sabotage and Hood are songs that I hope are never played again(hood until the glowsticks stop). Oh yeah, I hope I never hear another Bittersweet Motel. Highlights were Loving Cup, Divided Sky, Cities, and Sanity.
- Jacob- bwolk@superlink.net

In the five years I've considered myself a phan, I have never heard such horrible accounts of a phish concert experience (not including the music, of course). All of this talk about people having their possessions stolen while at the concert leaves a sick feeling in my stomach. What happened to the loving, caring community phan base which I remember always existed? Who are these people to come into our scene and screw everything up? I think as a community it is our responsibility to make sure the scene is one of nothing but phun and relaxation. I wasn't at Lemonwheel, but did'nt you need a ticket to even get into the parking lot? If so, that means phans paying big bucks for the tickets were also doing this bullshit. It is up to you as a phan to do your part in preserving the integrity of our beloved phish scene. Discourage people who are have no intention of going to phish shows to enjoy the music to even go to the lot. If you see people up to no good, tell 'em to screw off or get the cops to take care of it. If your not a part of the solution, then you are only part of the problem. See ya on the fall tour.......
- PK- pkain@dist214.k12.il

Lemonwheel was tight, and the scene was generally good, but I'd love to find the dickhead that took my board. I guess I'm not the only one who had shit stolen either. This does not bode well for the scene. It's too bad that people take advantage of the trust that you give them. peace, Andy
- Andy Scott

This was my first festival with phish and I have to say I wasn't dissapointed. The music was incredible and the goo balls...well what can I say about the goo balls except manific. One thing I noticed though was that the coverage of the fourth set in the local newspaper was not inspiring. Instead of concentrating on the actual act of playing a free-form fourth set (unheard of in today's mainstream scene), the reporter lets us know that during the fourth set, more people left the concert area than ever before at a phish show. This just lets me know that there are a lot of people out there, including people in the media, who really don't have a clue what phish is trying to do. This was such an original approach to the end of an evening that I didn't know if the show was over or just getting started. I love the spontaneity in that. Who cares if people left. It was an improv jam and some people really needed to get warm and comfortable. I was hoping that maybe phish would open the show on sunday with the same free-form music they were playing the night before but they didn't. Oh well, it was still a good show on sunday. For me, this bands always seems to hit their high point the night before everyone expects it (ie: 12/30/97), but Im not complaining.
- ezah

Lemonwheel was the greatest show Ive attended. I found a ride late Monday night who picked me up after Starlake. We picked up my girlfriend and went off to the show. Arrived at about 10:00 pm on Thurs. Had a great time dancin at the disco. Saw Mike- missed Trey and Fish :( But the music was incredible!! For the 3 years Ive been seein shows Ive ALWAYS missed Reba. It was the song that turned me on to them. After I heard that they played it at Starlake I figured Id be waiting another year. But I heard it and it was HUGE! Great friends, food, fun. Tooooooooooooo many tanks there. And why was gel easier to find than buds?? oh well... loved it
- bill- dnaungks@aol.com

(the message below got cut off at the top) Wow, just got in from a 22 hour drive from Limestone to Ohio with 4 people in a Honda Accord. I saw star lake, vernon, and the wheel this summer. Needless to say, and honestly, it was the best phish I've ever seen. I thought that each of the ten sets had definitive highlights and great music all around. However, one thing that bothered me was the first SET of the wheel included a 5 songs that they had just played the show before. And I think they ended up playing 7 songs just played in the show before. This, regretably included a mike's song ->
- bt- turns@bright.net

All my story is that there were non stop nuggets, and 4:20 always treated us so kindly! Plus I got to see this one really cute girl, again that I meet at the atlanta show! :) timmy-o
- Timmy-O- someone@nowhere.com

I have been reading all of the posts and it touched a nerve. I have just moved from philly to Tampa and this is my first summer tour without a show in about 3 years. The scene has gotten so much worse then when I first started seeing the band. When I went to the Clifford Ball I met some of the nicest people around and we had a great time but I have noticed in the last few shows that the scene is not like that anymore. We need to appreciate this because for some of us this is the one true outlet from all the bullshit we encounter on a daily basis. Lets hope that all the troublemakers and ticketless people will fade away and we can once again fully appreciate the phish experience
- Robert Coupe- robert_coupe@jabil.com

best weekend of my life. this was the only phish show i caught from this tour and i was not disapointed - to say the least! i don't have the setlist on me so i won't go into detail about all the songs but i will mention a few highlights. Divided Sky - beautiful. this was the first time i'd heard this in person and it's always been one of my favorite songs and this version was pretty sweet. The Horse>Silent In The Morning/Rift - hey i love the newer stuff as much as anyone but i'm a big rift fan as well. when i heard those opening strains of the horse from trey saturday night set II i almost died right there. I just love that song, and when page came in i cried. beautiful Bittersweet Motel - definitly one of my favorite new songs, i hear this was written specifically for this tour and i love it. very nice. Strange Design - i would have never guessed they'd play this. i'm sorry. i think the reason i loved it like i did was it was such a suprise. it's not a real jam oriented tune but what the hell you know. i get a little peeved at folks who want phish to play every single song for 40 minutes at a time. people that expect them to come out and do mike's groove for an hour every set. come on, it's songs like strange design and any fishman tunes ect that make phish great. they throw in variation. it would get a little tiring listening to six + sets of total funk. phish understands that they need to touch all corners of the musical realm in order to truly put on a show. The 4th set - fucking NICE! we were all talking about how we were going to find the secret flatbed jam this year and everything how we were going to have to walk around all night to find it and i was tired man i didn't want to follow a flatbed truck around all night but i knew if phish was playing i would be there. so this was a huge blessing that we were all able to just relax and chill to the lovely ambient jam. myself, i am very into experimental music and brian eno ect so i loved this. Ghost - i'm not sure if i like the new intro better than the old one, but it seems like this tune, which i first saw on 11/28/97 worchester, has changed for the better. i like how it turned into a really quiet jam towards the end. very nice. Halley's encore - what more can you ask for. it's halley's comet for christ sakes. There's alot more i could mention but i don't want to ramble on. Despite what i've heard from others i thought the scene was pretty damn cool up there. When a band is that big there are going to be assholes there, no use in denying it, but i was fortunate enough not to run into any. I used to think alot of the time when people have trouble at phish shows it's their own fault. But now people getting robbed? what the hell is that?!?!?!?! I heard three people died this weekend. One guy overdosed on something, obviously his own fault and something that is ineveitably going to happen when you have that many people being irresponsible and using dangerous drugs, but these two other stories i will not forget. apparently one guy strangled his girlfriend, and another guy who was telling a jerk (who was breaking things) to mellow out and the nice guy got punched in the head and died on impact. so here's a message to any of you motherfuckers who don't care about phish and go for the "good times": fuck off. none of us want you here. if you don't care about phish please stay away because there are alot of us that are actually there TO LISTEN TO THE MUSIC! WOW WHAT A CONCEPT! Now, nobody take this the wrong way i love the dead really i do but there are some older deadheads there who don't know what's going on. I have a feeling that when dead tour ended some people just couldn't re-join society so they got recycled back into phish tour. like those old guys with the white hair in tye dyed pajamas. come on, we all know you could tell me what gamehendege means if you're life depended on it. The scene can be fun if you know how to have fun. it's that simple. i had my mandolin and my guitar the whole time and enjoyed many great jams with several fine musicians. drum circles are always a blast as well. and if you just stop and talk to people and really have some nice open conversations, as opposed to the usual uptight party-jargon, you can really leave maine feeling fullfilled and renewed, as i did. Thank you all for the time of my life. -Bob
- Bob Peterson- bpeter4893@grolen.com

What a weekend. We got off of I95 at 3:15AM, Saturday morning. My friend in the back seat looked at the time and with a smile said, "We're going to get to the Lemonwheel at 4:20." As the clocked transformed into those magic numbers we were just pulling in the lot. It was great! The not so great part was that after leaving at 2:40PM on Monday, we did not get back into Boston until 4:20AM Tuesday morning. I had to stop four times on the highway to nap, but we made it back safe and sound, no speeding tickets, arrests, and the new clutch I bought for my car on Thursday in Schenctedy NY worked great. (It blew on the the way back from Vernon.) One more story. Walking back from the second set Saturday. There's a guy vending and was so specific about what he wanted I laughed for an hour after. I still get chuckles about it right now! Vendor, standing on skateboard: "Phatty veggie burritoes for dank indoor hydro buds." I hope he got what he was looking for, I know I certainly did all weekend! Thanks for an incredible weekend. Reba and Fluffhead were enormous.
- Chris- cgallag420@iname.com

Damn these boys can play!!! The six sets were incredible!!!. I could have done without the ambient set but I went to sleep anyway. Other than getting my tent ramsacked during Sundays Show (screw you assholes) it was great to see so many different people young, old, white, black, Phisheads, non-Phisheads all enjoying three days of Unadulterated Mayhem!! (Hi-lites: Bowie, Slave, D. Sky, PYITE) The drive home SUCKED ASS!!...(11 hours out of Maine) but it was all worth it . See ya all next year !!! More Porta-lets PLEASE!!
- Bob Weaver (aka Niho)- Nihoo2@aol.com

i get the impression some out there feel that the band or the scene or I owe you something... i don't get it...somebody let me know what the hell is going on!!!
- aaron mccarty- amccarty@ucla.edu

well, it's 12:07 am on early Tuesday and I just got home from the wheel. we started driving after the show on Sunday night, and considering I live in Ohio, it took us about 22 hours. But, hell, it was worth it. The beginning of the show confused me and that's something I'd like to post about. In the very first set of the wheel they managed to play 5 songs from the night before, including a mike's->simple which they had JUST played in their last set of music at Vernon. So I was slightly dissapointed at that. Does anybody have an idea why they would do such a thing? However, I'm definitly not going to be picky because all in all, the boys released six great sets into the air and musically it was a very powerful experience Some may be confused on just what they did at the end of the show. Well, on Sat. afternoon many fans made candles at a booth inside the base. Before the fully improvisational 4th set, they lit the candles on stage and jammed to it. They then took the flames from theirs and the fans candles and lit a Buddist shrine onstage for the rest of the show that weekend. So on Sunday night, after a great Hood encore they took the flame from the shrine to a mysterious wire which sent a fireball shooting around the stage (pretty slowly actually) and over to this giant elephant about 200 feet back from the stage by the bathrooms everyone had wondered just what the hell was doing there. It then shot fireworks out and raised its mechanical trunk and let out a phatty cloud of smoke and walked off. Spectacular to say the least. Oh yeah, the whole time Fishman was playing a song on the trumpet. Then they busted into "Baby Elephant Walk" a tune I immediatly recognized from the "Dancin Homer" episode of the Simpsons. This had to have something to do with why they played it I'm sure. They also let a lot of fireworks of during this whole schindig. So if you missed the Lemonwheel don't fret because I heard the vibe among Limestoners was really cool about everything. I heard them remark on the Maine NPR that they fans were "well behaved" and only a handful of arrests were made. See you this fall in Chicago!! :)
- brian turner- turns@bright.net

I didnt see lemon wheel this summer , but I did catch 5 shows this summer. portland, the gorge and maryland were some of best summer shows I have seen in the last 5 years. The vibe from the music has kept the good karma flowing for the most part. There are definatley good people who care about there fellow phans out there and if you dont get out! a good example of this is when I lost my keys at the gorge and some phan said "hey man are these your keys..bro? I was so glad he helped me out! This is what the good karma is all about and definatley what the band would think was awsome about the people they play there heart and soul out too. Anyway , we all are lucky that we have phish and lets give a little back ..ehh
- tom- javersa@gate.net

Ah shit man, we was like sitting on the ground and I like got one of those Big Ones and started to show all the puppets standing around that I had one of those big Ones, and then like we was smokeing on a big one and I asked one the shows ushers if he wanted to share my Big one, when all of a sudden he reached for my joint.
- Mean Gene the Dancing maching- Gene@Gong-Show.com

JUST A QUICK LITTLE OBSERVATION; I DID NOT ATTEND LEMONWHEEL AND I AM NOW GLAD THAT I DID NOT. SURE THEY DID SOME GREAT SETS BUT ALL THIS BULLSHIT OF PEOPLE GETTING RIPPED OFF IS GETTING OUT OF HAND. I USED TO GO TO SHOWS TO TAKE IN THE SCENE AND THE SHOW BUT NOW I JUST SHOW UP, GO TO THE SHOW AND LEAVE. THERE ARE SO MANY INCONSIDERATE ASSHOLES SHOWING UP NOW. ALL THESE PEOPLE THAT KEEP SAYING, DUDE WE HAVE TO KEEP THE SCENE CLEAN AND WHAT NOT, THEN DO US ALL A FAVOR, STOP SHOWING UP W/OUT TICKETS!!!!!!!! AFTER THE STARLAKE SHOW THERE SEEMED TO BE AS MANY PEOPLE OUTSIDE AS THERE WAS INSIDE. IF YOU WANT THIS GREAT THING TO CONTINUE THEN STOP BEING INCONSIDERATE AND START TREATING IT RIGHT. IF YOU DON'T WANT TO THEN GO RUIN SOMEONE ELSES GOOD TIME. THATS ALL FOR NOW!!!!
- DAVE

First of all, I did have a great time, the first night encore, awesome. Loving cup and man more. As I was reading other stories, they amazes me that how reckless people are and that they actually went to a show with US! How can we PREVENT this? During the glow stick war, many people tried to hit some of the band member and i was speechless. What are they trying to prove? I really hope that the only true fans will be in Worcester......opps, shouldn't have said that, now the reckless fans will see this and want to go and perhaps runin all three nights. P.S-point beams SUCKS!
- Pi- Pharpua@hotmail.com

Hey, puffing in the green domes all day Sunday! What a time. The fouth set was incredible. Infinite pleasentries abound. This was much better than last year, and more fun than the Clifford Ball (because I knew what I was doing). Roumors floating about high gate for next year. Don't change the venue, they know what they're doing. Watch out in the woods. Lots of landmines. Thanks TACO MAN. --Doughboy the Wonderdog
- Todd- DOUGHBOY@EARTHHLING.NET

I came all the way from PA and it supprisingly only took 12 hours . I went with two friends on thurs. morning and we were going to meet 6 other friends fri. afternoon . what actually happened was we got there before them and we met MIKE and while we were talking to him on his golf cart labled mike with duct tape my friend Dan spotted me . Mike was extemely nice and very cool and calm. and the concert jammed out
- pat burns- cruncher@postoffice.ptd.net

I hope everyone had a great time at the wheel. I wasn't able to go, but i'm definetly getting it on tape. I just want to say something refering to some things i have seen at shows. i'm tired of people coming to shows for other reasons than phish. i say we should let these people know that there not wanted here. I'm one of the kids that go see phish. i'm 14, have seen 5 shows & love phish more than any thing. i think everybody should write to phish and ask them to play as far away from big cities as possible so only true heads would make their way to go see them c-ya this fall in albany and new haven
- Mike- fnb2547@erols.com

Hey All, The Phish scene is getting pretty crazy...lotta people there for the party but they never bothered me. Musically Phish are changing and I got that experience first hand this weekend. My highlights were the Gumbo>Sanity and Strange Design along with the phat fourth set. As far as I'm concerned Trey & Co. pulling off the "4th" set Saturday night with all the candles is why I love this band and probably one of the sole reasons I won't be able to pass up going next year. Peace - Nicholas
- Nicholas Kelly- pipeline@nbnet.nb.ca

A lesson to be learnt: Never lose faith in Phish. After a disappointing Saturday (for me personally - most LOVED it), I asked myself the questions: "Am I sick of these guys? Am I too old for this?" Sunday answered my questions. And the answers were negative to both questions. The smile was from ear to ear on Sunday, and my faith was restored. They truly did not disappoint. The setlist is even better than it looks.
- Jon Selig- seligjm@mcmaster.ca

OK, just got back in R I from the Wheel! Had a great time. I thought the Garden of Infinite Pleasantries was a sweet addition to the concert area inside. Really cool and alot of fun. I remember enjoying Saturdays sets more than Sundays but that Sunday 1st set was very sweet! I was a bit disappointed with the normal setlists since I was ready for some more mind blowing covers after witnessing the Maryland and Virginia Beach shows the weekend before. Or some tunes I hadn't heard in a while. Instead, they played pretty much the same songs that they had played the last few shows except for a few gems like Sanity and While My Guitar... Anyway, one thing that I was really displeased about was the thievings that went on while everyone was in the show Saturday night. I came out to find my cooler gone. My little sisters purse got robbed right out of her tent and another area where some of my other buddies were got totally raided and ransacked! Tents were gone through and some entire tents were even stolen with all the peoples belongings in them. Others were just sliced open with knives. I see this becomming more of a problem as Phish gets bigger since I noticed alot of punk kids there this weekend who, you could just tell, weren't there for the music. It really is too bad that people have to be like that!!! Other than that, the weekend went sweet. Plenty of Grade A K-Nugs all over the place as well as whatever else you may have wanted. The thieving situation may make me rethink next year though, especially if somehow, one of their songs of that Story of the Ghost CD makes it big (god forbid). There are too many kids going to the shows who could really care less about the band or the music and that will get even worse with a hit song on the radio. Let's keep our fingers crossed that they don't cross over that much or else the whole scene is gone. It might be anyway! Much different people experience compared to the Clifford Ball two years ago. Everyone was so much more true at that show! Peace!
- Steve- Shamples@aol.com

I'm glad that I didn't make the 24hr trek to Maine this year.. With the rain last year, and the unsea sonabel weather last year.. the Went left a bad taste in my mouth.. Now mind you I'm a huge phan, But if this is suppose to be a climax of the whole summer, then why cant they do something really spectacular.. a GAMEHENGE maybe.. I though for sure that after seeing that there were not any GH songs played the first day.. I figured that it was a shoe in for the next day.. Boy was I relieved PYITE was played the next day.. See ya in Vegas baby
- Vinnie P

I'm back from the long journey from Limestone to Boston. All I have to say is that the 4th set on Saturday night was a gift from above. Can you imagine playing 4 full set and at the end to still not only sound great but enjoying what your were doing. I have never seen a band be on the same level as everyone else as these guys. I'l felt like everyone was just one big happy family. Anyway without gettin to sappy. I thought the music was great, I especially liked Possum and Sanity. If anyone has the broadcast email me. Bye
- Jon O- jon.otoole@rykodisc.com

Just arrived home in Boston after an 8-1/2 hour ride(with a few stops). Saw a few bad accidents on the road early this morning. People passed out on sides of highways, rest stops, etc... Did not see any free coffee available for tired drivers. My obervations - Great weekend, great music, bathrooms were disgusting & very disappointed in the lack of trash recepticles both in the concert & camping areas. Fun time but the camping was too for me.
- Rich- richardgoldsmith@home.com

probably traded your tent for phattty nuggz.
- tour-rat- CLF@dank.com

Didn`t your Mother ever Tell you Never trust the TOUR RATTS
- Duck Dank- dankwiu@hotmail.com

Myself and my girlfriend were having a great time until we came back to our tent after the first set Sunday and found someone had stolen it. We packed up what wasn't taken and left. We will never to go to another camping show. So I just want to say Thanks to the asshole who stole our tent, I've never been so disappointed with people in the five years I've been going to see Phish.
- Jason T. Lydic- Omegajay@aol.com

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