Great Went Stories

Submit your account of the great went by sending your story to: andy@gadiel.com

This is a poem about the Great Went:

The Gratest place on Earth
The Great Went
A place where people love each other
and care for eachother, but dont even know eachother
Big cheese head, bouncing round the room in the port a pottys
Where am I?
The Greatest place on earth
wheres that?
The Great Went
the time of your life put into 2 days of pure bliss
ahhhhhh..... the Lemmonwheels next

you ask how the great went got its name,well since mike never answered that in
mikes corner so i will. okay here i was (this is mike talking)in the supper
market when this really crazy girl comes up to me and says "you look familer"
i was like ok and your from what planet, hello im mike from phish, so i let
it slide when i turn the isle and there she is again, so again she says to
me "you look familer" so i say back "im mike from Phish" and shes like
ya ya, i went i went, so here i am, standing in the middle of the super
market w/ a pack of nutra grain bars in one hand and a can of refried
beans in the other listening to this insain girl scream at me, "i went
and it was great", it was like one of those dreams that just keep
repeating its self, so i paid for my food and was outy 500. meanwhile
back at the phish mobile we were trying to think of a name for our last
stop on the summer tour. i couldnt get"i went and is was great" out of
my head, so i finally just had the biggest anurism ever and said "the
great went" they looked at me and said " mike that was a great anurism"
so from then on it became the great went!

i just forgot to say somthing about the went that i thought was really amazing. when we in line waiting to get in through the gate, there was this guy on the side walk that was walking and wearing a sign around his neck that said "its my birthday" so i laughed. Then i saw him again when i got through the gates, he got a ticket from someone. Through out the whole 4 days i was there i saw a couple of times and every time i saw him he was getting somthing from someone, weather it was a hug or a veggie baritto. i just think thats great when people open there hearts to a stranger and give give give. if any one saw him you know im talking about. i wounder if hell be there next year?

The Great Went was my very first Phish show and definatly wasnt the last one i saw! It was friday mourning, very early in the mouring. I headed out from maine to limestone which would origanlly take a few hours but ended up taking 5 on the way there and 7 on the way home.We got there in the afternoon before the rain, and settled in. I couldnt belive all the people, I was loving it! Im a hudge Dead fan and never got a chance to see them so i was hoping that this would be a simaler experience i dont no if it was but it sure was an experience ill never ever forget! So the rain came the next day and we had a water proof tent> It was funny cuz the minute we got there, there was a group of people trying to up there tent, every time we came back to our tent they were still there trying to set up. Finally when it started to rain they got it up. The next morning i woke up and it colapsed on them and all you saw was 4 heads sticking out!
Being at Phish last summer was one of the 3 happiest times in my life! What we do without music? I definatly plan on gooing to the Lemmonwheel! I just want to say thanks to all the people bacause they were so nice and friendly and thanks to phish for putting on a great show. This summer ill find my self a good city to live in for 4 days!

My Great Went story:

Friday night, I was strolling through checking out the scene (and quite a
scene it was) with some friends. As we casually made our way towards the
pavillion area we came across a port-o-pottie area. One was being serviced
by the pottie pooper scooper (a garbage truck fitted with a hose for
sucking out the goods). The path we were taking took us very close to this
scene of sewage disposal, and the thought of what we were seeing was so
gruesome we had to laugh. And then, just as we walked by, the hose
connecting the pottie and the truck lost its seal as it was sucking and let
out the most horrendous fart sound I have ever heard. I mean, we're
talking deep and loud and quite long. It was probably the worst smelling
fart ever as well, but we didn't hang around to find out. That was some
weekend - silly from beginning to end.

Mark Helterbrand

I definately "went"!

I saw my first show at Red Rocks in 93. Being able to travel so far a few
years later was my dream!

I met the most beautiful people! Everyone was so positive! Throught the discos
and the sets, it was so beautiful! I saw a lot of people turned on to the band
that have never even been into them before. That was what counted. Watching
people get into the groove!

Peace and Love,

Kirsten

Hey, did anyone see a guy walking around Friday night with an empty 30
pack on their head wearing it as a hat? Well if you did, that was me.

The Great Went was my first Phish concert, so I didn't know what to
expect. It ended up being the greatest experience of my life. That
shit rocked, I mean, I've never been to such a nonstop part in my life.
I even caught their disco shows VERY early Sunday morning. That was
different, but that's alright because I got within ten feet of the band
itself. I plan on going to the Lemonwheel and jamming on with the
greatest band on Earth.

The Great Went was one of the greatest experiences of my life. I
remember it like it was just yesterday....
I was staying at my sister's apartment along with her and her fianc`e
up in Maine. It was about 8:30 Saturday morning and we were getting
ready to leave. We stopped at Dunkin Donuts to get breakfast.
Every single rest area that we stopped at, there were tons of Phish
Phans.
The Went was my first Phish show. Actually it was my first show ever,
considering that I was 12 years old! And boy was it great!
The most memorable part of the show, was at the end on Sunday night.
My sister, her fianc`e, and I were sitting on the ground watching the
awesome wood structure burn to the ground. Also at the end, was the
neat guy with the Devil sticks with the ends of them on fire! That was
really cool.
I am planning to go this year. Most definitely! If it can get any
better than it was, I'd like to see!
Until I write next year, after I go to Limestone, You Enjoy Myself!

The weirdest thing happened to me at the Went. I left from Portland,ME
on thursday morning and arrived about six and a half hours later. After
only being there about ten minutes I realized that I had lost my Yankees
hat. The weekend went on and under the surcumstances, I forgot about
the hat.
Sunday came around and by that time I had had enough of the
porto-potties. I ventured away from my group to find a good place to
take a leak. I walked for about 5 minutes in a direction I had yet to
venture to. I looked around and realized that it was a good place to
releave myself. I did the deed, and as I zipped my pants up I stepped
on something. As I looked to see what it was my jaw dropped to the
floor. It was my Yankees hat! To this day I still have no idea how it
got there because it was in an area in which I never stepped foot on
until that day!
Other than the rain, it was a great weekend. I can't wait to go back
next year. If anyone has anything they would like to say please mail me
at: rudyv45@hotmail.com

i was lucky enough to make it to the went this year, and while in the
village, i was struck by this beautiful poem written in a 3-d chalk on the
side of one of the small houses. unfortunately i did not have a notebook
with me, so if you know of anyone who copied down that poem, it would mean
the world to me to have it.
phellow phan,
rob kaminski -rk334696@oak.cats.ohiou.edu

Coming from Chicago in a 69 VW, it was a long but rewarding ride to the
Went. We drove through the whole state of Maine that Friday night and
arrived in Limestone Saturday. Although the weather sucked, We all phelt
good vibes. The people of Limestone Maine couldn't believe what they
saw. We emptied out the whole town. The scene was great, and the set-up
was perfect. First set on Saturday was amazing, lasting nearly 2 hours.
>From a musical standpoint, I've attended better shows, but I am not one
of those guys who complain about a phish show because Phish on a
mediocre night still blows my mind away. The second set on Sunday was
nice with a great jam after Bathtub, an extended 2001 and a Harry Hood
during which a glow stick war erupted. I strongly urge phans to make the
trek up to Limestone for this years installation of the Great Went. And
for the teenage punks who were moshing during Harry Hood and continued
to scream during some mellow jams, please stay home!!! See ya, -Bill

Here it is Aug, 16 already and its 2:00am. My friends and I just getting our
gear set up on the grass, and pitching our tent in the rain, as fast as we
can. I has been a bit hectic on tour the past few nights, catching only one
decent nights sleep since I got to Indiana. The rain was putting a damper on
the whole party mood and I was just tired so I wanted some decent sleep. I
decided to climb in our tent around 2:30 and announced that I planned on
achieving more than 4 hours sleep this night. The rain came harder, quieted
most of the place down, and I slept like a champ, until my buddies were waking
me up at 6 because we were all soaking wet and the tent was collapsing on us.
We all headed for the car, disrobed(what we could) and slept in the car,
myself I died trying, until making out way out for the day. It was the most
discouraging thing that could have happened, and being 13 hours away from home
didnt help my enthusiasm. I actually considered mentioning a nice dry drive
home, but thought better. Little did I know that the other two had similar
ideas of forgetting our trip and turning around. It wasnt until the ride home
we started talking about what a miserable mood we were all in and how we all
wanted to go home. The beauty of the story is, as Jim pointed out on that
ride home, we all knew why we were there and we all knew how great the weekend
would be, and nobody, complained a word, even though we all wanted to.

a note to tel you of my went experience. my boyfriend and i went and had the time of our lives.Ê a high light was when, before the 3rd set opened,
we had a pad of paper we had been writing the sets down, we were sitting around talking with a bunch of phriends. we decided to make bets on what
phish would open with..no one had any money, so we decided that the one who won got to keep the piece of paper. there were about 10 people
around and we begain to take nomintions. i kept saying Halley's comet and everyone kept shootimg me down. there were many nomines, such as
bowie, contact.so at the last moment i wrote my guess down, suddenly..i heard mike, and boy was i psyched. so i went home with the paper and a
bunch of pats on the back.i felt conected to the band, it's a feeling like no other, brings you one step closer to discovering their secrets, i thought it
was a cool story, not too interesting, but entertaing. peace, Amanda

The great went was one of the greatest weekends of my life. Like many
who have since posted to this, I cannot sum it up in words -- that is
too great a task... But, like many of you, I (on the second day) was
(for the first set) dead center in front. I was on the left side of the
barricades that went from the stage to the booth. My friends and I were
playing hangman, and drawing on a pad? Any of you remember us? It
would really be cool to find someone who was there beside us. I had a
"Polar Beer" T-Shirt (signifying my residence in the second northernmost
point in the world, Point Barrow, AK). My friend had a white cowboy hat
on... I don't know. We gave a bunch of people paper and stuff to draw
on. That was really fun, waiting for the show to begin. And when it
started -- that was magnificent, being able to make eye contact with the
weirdest, people ever -- Trey, Mike, Page and good ole' Fish!

Aaron Putnam
putnam@earthlink.net
aeputnam@arctic.nsbsd.k12.ak.us

I'll always remember the shooting star and the warm runway against my naked
backside, but I can't forget my cousin who spent the whole weekend running
around with the "Electrobucket" (a helmet/megaphone that is the most unique
piece I have ever seen). I am wondering how many people saw this crazy
soul running around with his siren blaring, screaming obscenities. He
hooked up with a couple of girls that had this pan full of "weird shit".
They spent the night sharing the weird shit with everyone while announcing
it over the megaphone. It was a "Weird Shit Show".

The Went was the most memorable experience of my life. Myself and 6
other friends began our trip up north from Pennsylvania on Wednesday and
arrived at the gates on Thursday evening. We camped out on the side of
the road with everyone else that night, very anxious of what was to come
during the next 3 nights of our stay in Maine. As soon as the green
wristband was secured onto my arm, I immediately felt a wonderful rush
of freedom. This feeling lasted the entire weekend! To top it all off,
both days of Phish were amazing because we were FRONT ROW CENTER both
days! It would take to long to express the feelings of joy I was
feeling, everyone should be able to relate!

S.M.
PA

Well I thought I'd pass on one of the funniest things I saw this year at
the Went. So it's day 2, and I'm standing in line waiting to take a leak
after set 1 of day 2. I thought I was smart - I jumped in a line with
all guys thinking it will move faster. Well, all the other lines are
slowly moving but after 5 minutes the person in our porta-pottie still
hasn't come out. We're all talking, confirming that someone actually
went in there, and wondering if we should check on the guy. As we're all
standing around wondering what to do, a girl walks down in front of all
the porta-potties yelling "DOES ANYONE NEED NAPKINS?!?!" I HAVE SOME
NAPKINS HERE!!!" Just then I see our porta-pottie door open a crack and
out comes a hand. After a few seconds he starts waving his hand
frantically trying to get some napkins. After a little bit the girl sees
him and runs over and gives him a bunch. When he comes out a little bit
later, boy does this guy look relieved! It's a good thing I didn't have
to go in right after him because I was laughing so hard I don't think I
would have been able to go...

Limestone. The name brings back feelings and memories of distance and
ecstacy, driving and laughter, Phish and rain, disappointment and joy,
grilled cheese and drums. The weekend compiled all into a crazy laundry
line of clothes that could only fit the Great Went himself (or
herself).
Overall, the weekend cannot be summed up overall. Too much happened,
all the way from the crazy phone lines to the insane setlists, backed by
fireworks and glowsticks and a command from Trey to get more of these,
these are cool.
Three glorious days camping side by side next to tens of thousands of
people who, though they'd never met before, all shared this strage love
for a band that would send them beyond the natural ending of I-95 all
the way up to Nowhere, USA to get to an air force base less than thirty
minutes from Canada. And what was the final total of people again? I
never knew for sure; someone should post it somewhere.
However, the numbers, I suppose, are far less important than the
tangible fact that finding my owm tent in the dark was more challenging
than finding a place to sit in the first ten rows during setbreak.
Especially when my landmark tent closed down and went home.
And I did feel a certain sense of sympathy towards the poor people who
were trying to use the phones during the great went drum circle not 10
feet away...

Sure Sure Sure, it's a couple months later, but the Great Went is still on
my mind. Being my first Phish show, The Great Went will always be with me.
My trip began at 6:30pm on friday night. My best friend and i piled into a
van drove by another. We pulled out of her ddrive way and began our
weekend of fun, friends, and ffreedom.
Saterday was great, along with the fireworks, and i heard some one ask if
we saw the shooting star, well I did. Coolest thing.
Sunday was just as good, but worse cause the weekend was over. Even though
the weekend was over the thoughts remain in my mind. And hopefuly in yours
too.
Your Phishy Phriend,
Brianne

Arrived by indirection (isn't that the only way to arrive?) after a
blueberry-filled night on Rangeley Lake . . . sounds of happy loons 1/3d
past 4a.m. Stopped off for coffee and muffins in Farm-town before
reloading supplies (and sampling MickeyD's Lobster Rolls) near Bangor.
Thence northwards, past so many friendly Aroostook dwellers. No worries
at 10 mph when you're part of a parade instead of a traffic jam.
(Thanks all for the welcome and the potatoes.)

Set up camp near TORTUGA under the auspices of Ernie within earshot of
the endless drum circle sweetness; buckled down for the wind and rain
but happy nonetheless. Met the Master down from the hills with liquid
joy. Still nothing at that point could have prepared us for the cheese
or the hardware wars (did anybody notice we were in a Strawberry
Field?) Shopping the vast former war machine mall rescued someone's
stash and were thanked in kind with crystals. Grilled cheese and sticky
green permeating the air.

12 hours and a vanilla wafer each later we were all set to go when the
chords broke through the flat gray (good canvass for dreams) air and
shocked and persuaded our souls to ignite. Ignite they did -- metronome
spirit orbiting the turntable station wagon soon to be covered in art.
Soon we would all be covered in communal art and music. Wolfman's
starting; interview's over folks. JALAPENO!

Well into the night as we deconstructed and reconstructed ourselves (boy
did those crystals come in handy -- always nice to have a place to store
your identity when you're not using it). Up all night thereafter in our
open-air living room. Lots of room to live. Simpson's sky next morning
as the clouds cleared for the grand finale. Still hepped up and rarin'
to go -- felt the communal calm gliding through the equinox air --
halfway between pink sun and pink moon. Could we have bounced any
higher? The art, y'see, isn't in the tower, or on the stage -- we bring
the art with us, and carry it around in our heads&hearts even when the
boys aren't with us. Burn away the physical manifestation and you've
got what's left to carry you through to wherever you're going, and back
again for the next communion.

The Lawn Boy

Two phriends and I drove from SC. It was a journey I'll never forget, a
mecca. We parked my red Bronco on the grass and set up a big green tent
next to it. Then we hoisted the flag. Along with serving as a land mark for
us and our neighbors, it reminded us how far we were from home. However, our
new home was Loring AFB. We met so many people. We were known by all as
"the guys under the palm tree flag." (Incidently, it's a palmetto tree.) We
slept in the rain, we cried at the Hood glow stick show, and we laughed at
how dirty we were. I have no doubt that the boys played "Carolina" for us.
We love you Phish, and we love you phans.

Todd Britton
brittont@edisto.cofc.edu
P.S. -See you in Hampton. Look for
the PALMETTO tree flag!

I had the most incredible time at The Went! I vow that I will never
ever forget that weekend. I caught that weird synth show in the small
hours of the morning and let me tell ya ... that shit was weird!
I was dancing at "the disco- Winnebago" when all of a sudden this guy on
a uni-cycle whispers to me that "the boys" were playing a "down low"
set. Really!!! (and then) Really?? ( i was skeptical) Well, I had
nothing to lose so I followed the guy and Lo and behold!!! I swear to
god I thought that I was dreaming. I stayed and listened in awe and when
it was over I had this sad feeling because so many people had misssed
it. The next morning I kept asking random people if they had caught the
"secret show" and everyone looked at me like I was cukoo for Cocoa
Puffs!!!! I know I saw it !!! Man, that was some tripped out shit.

until the fall tour

- crystal
oh yeah, i saw this girl GRILLING her pillow and all of her
clothes..started laughing...realized it was my best friend whom I had
lost in Massachusets and thought I wouldn't see again ...we had gotten
separated..bla..bla...we found each other.... coincidence? I think not

The road to Maine seems paved with dirty memories. Exit 58 brings with
it the breathless anticipation of a heavyweight title fight, heaving
contenders with fidgety hands, and all we want is blood. Who will draw
blood first? Where will the money go? But this is not a heavyweight
fight, it's a Phish show, and the players all tremble with joy, awaiting
the insignia of musical design, feigning epic dramas, their lives
deprived of real responsibility. The world of 9 to 5 was long abandoned
here. Now their only care - indeed their only passion - lye in the
setlist.
And so it began with Harry Hood. Billy Joe fell on his side,
convulsing in seizures of frantic bliss. The others circled around,
joined hands, and the chanting began. "Harry!, Harry!, Where do you go
when the lights go out?"...this curious inquiry would be repeated three
times and on the third Billy Joe rose, joining in the enthusiastic
chorus, then spinning. Arms outstretched, head to the sky "I CAN FLY!",
he shouted, "I CAN FLY!" His feet slowly rose from the ground. The
chanting grew louder as a hooded figure stepped from darkness. A
death-white hand slipped from the robe clutching a bone-handled dagger.
Alien utterances quivered from his wavering, bloodied lips. The
sacrifice was about to begin - the first of the Cannibal Barbeque Ball
(food & fun for all!, food & fun for all!)
Tired, old, frail was he, yet still there shone a gleam in the demon's
eye. He could never grow weary of this ritual. Billy Joe continued to
ascend until he reached the outline of a cloud, behind which hid the
sun, casting the perimeter in a surreal orange glow. Billy just
lingered in that brilliance and danced his heart out on the edge of that
cloud. The music turned from frantic to wistful. The crowd beamed with
smiles, their gazes fixed on that cloud and Billy's antics. Occasional
laughter would now and again fill the air, always answered by Billy with
laughter of his own.
Off in the distance a shepard made eye contact with the demon, and gave
a simple nod. With that, the demon raised his hand to the sky, drawing
energy from the surrounding mob and redirecting it toward Billy. It
reached him in a flash, and in a flash, Billy's tethered remains fell
into the hungry hands of a hundred blackened faces. Cries of joy went
up to welcome a rain of blood and flesh. The legs and arms were brought
to the pale-faced man. He and the shepard dined well that night. The
next morning began the second day of the festival. But before he made
his appearance, the shepard would go to the wall. On his knees, the
wall as his altar, he spoke slowly... "What is on your side of the
wall?" A faceless voice responded "What is on your side?" "Old
friend," replied the sheperd, "I remember when we were only boys and the
day we found eachother's voice. But please, you first, tell me about the
other side, tell me about your tangled webs of energy, your squirming
coils of exuberance, your stockpiles of enlightened, spent souls, and
tell me of your great oceans of liquid youth- how ever did you aquire
these treasures?"
There was a silence. Hours passed and no reply but the sheperd waited
patiently- silent, stoic and without a blink. After the sixth hour the
wall dissapeared, so did the Earth, the atmosphere- so did time. Do did
space, so too went his conciousness.
He understood. And so was Phish born in the collapsing of the two
worlds into one, of you into me into love, into life, into sparkle.

HELLO-
my name is chris calarco and i am 19 years old and i'm a student at
trinity college in hartford , ct. lets see....i caught it late. real
late. like this past summer . i was dumb before. lots of friends always
listened but i always tried to be a bit different and listen to other
music. about a year and a half ago i bought RIFT. i listened and it was
real good. loved sparkle, silent, mound, rift etc...at my foundation i
love pop music to an incredible extent, hence the connection to the more
'poppy' songs. so for a while i stuck with that , heard the occasional
bootleg as backround music and knew phrases like "bag it, tag it.."
"harry. harry . where do you go..."
anyways, this past summer i saw them in london at royal albert for
my firsat show. as far as the grand scale of shows go i don't believe it
will remain in anyone's memory very long but i fell in love. i couldn't
stop moving , i couldn't stop bobbing, couldn't stop dancing on the way
to work the next day(i worked there for the summer). reba stayed with me
for days. they played hood which just openbed me up to the single
greatest piece of music i have ever heard. never in any xperience have i
heard anything like it.
so immediately i called my brother ( a rather large head himself)
and told him to grab me a ticket for pittsburgh and buffalo and i would
meet him there when i returned home. when i got to pittsburgh (with a
friend) we were stuck in so much traffic that it was impossible to find
my brother. ao - we found some other friends spent the show with them
and it was incredible. sleeping monkey, of course which i had never
heard - blew me away. a heavy metal ballad basically! golgi was great,
little horse-silent which got me going. wilson was top and overall just
great. found my bro after the show, a great hug, and then we trekked to
buffalo for a most incredible show. fluffhead kicked my shit like
crazy. billy breathes was beuatiful , a wonderful hood that send
shivers through my spine. i literally could feel my body being cleansed
of any negative things as they were playing. surges of electricity would
not let up and i wanted to cry i was so happy. sparkle was so fun to
hear after all, and then kesey came out and things were strange, but it
was fun. then "because the funk was too deep" instead of mockingbird
they went into camel walk which apparently is real old school and had me
raving. all in all a constant smile
then we "went" 18 hours starting at 130 am up to limestone. a
wonderful experience, the ride was so gorgeous it was indescribable.
never have i seen such a setting. anyway, the people i was with were
such good friends and i had such a great time the whole time getting
there, i couldn't have felt better.
first set being two hours long i was blown away. when the sun came
out during theme it was too much. it was like we were being helped by a
higher power. then they busted a crazy you enjoy and i loved every
minute. the ghost was great, real funky! page's coil solo, which i've
been told was subpar was awesome for me. when the set ended , i only
couldn't believe that i still had five more sets to go...my smile
continued. then opening with wolfmans was a dream come true and i
grooved hard to it, simple and julius rocked great but this set was all
about slave. for the ten or so minutes i truly felt like i was at the
center of the universe. i had lost my brother and friends in the hustle
and bustle so i kept thinking, "i hope they are loving this as much as i
am", it was wonderful. during set break i kept thinking, "i can't
believe i am here. there are all these things in this world. and i get
to be here!" i kept thinking of all the time i dismissed phish and how
stubborn i was. it was a great feeling though, to be a part of such a
communal experience.
third set, halle'y comet-basically one of my faves and come on it was
unreal, i was prancing around with all the trippers and it was quite a
scene. cities was unreal, just incredible, and lawn boy was lawn boy! i
love loving cup and it ended the night wonderfully.
the wedge killed me as an opener and water in the sky is a great
ditty for the daytime. but is simple all about the second set. i mean a
half hour disease that melted into some kind of sonic mish-mash of wahs
and wahs and other stuff, straight into the most ridiculous bathtub gin
in the world. i mean , i think i was floating it killed me. i just got
the tape and i don't even have words for it. then a 20 minute 2001 that
had me leaping as chris rose the light. i found myself enjoying every
breath that came out of my body and loving hugging all my friends, it
was superb! the art jam- as the audience passed the band art across was
unreal. fishman was keeping time and all those hands were such a
wonderful sight. then when fishman nailed the opening beat to hood , i
lost it. i started jumping up and down and saying, "are you kidding me?"
"they can't be playing this" i dont know what else to say, i grooved to
the moon when trey had chris shut the lights off and it was too much. i
really dont understand how trey wrote hood. it somehow encompasses every
emotion i have ever felt and dangles it in front of me. it was like the
song was my hearbeat and i was living it. when they busted "thank you
mr. miiiiiiiiii" i think i was crying. never in my life...
apparently they were coming out for another set which was a tad
ridiculous for me to believe at that point and we all chilled and talked
and thought about what they were gonna play. i said"i hope they play
nicu", my bro: 'they wont open with it but they might segway into it."
so they open with buffalo bill which was cool shit and then segway into
nicu. once again i lost it. the melody in "would you please.." is some
of the best pop stuff ever. it is unreal. everyone turned to me when
they started and just wanted to dance. we grooved and i smiled, just as
happy as ever. guyute was ridicuous also, what a fabulous song, as each
passing song cam along i couldn't believe they were able to play all of
these tunes. it was awesome. i love dirt, one of the new ones, i love
treys guitar that is in tune with the chorus. and then the circus ,
caspian brought me back to my bon jovi days as they closed the show
arena rock style, wailing guitars and headbanging!! phish can be any
band in the world and be better then them all.
anyway! sorry for ebing so long winded but it was the best five days
of my life and i'm going to hartford and the three worcester shows in
nov. i can't wait to experience it again. i got it man. i love them and
haven't stopped listening since midd august. life is grand. unreal is
all i can say. much love to all-chris

I want to start off by saying that the went was my first Phish show -
and what a way to start! It was hands down the biggest party I have ever
been too. I went with a friend from school (Auburn if anyone cares -
war damn eagle) my best friend, and three "friends of friends" that
became friends after the went. we all loaded up into the back of my
pickup and left from Newport RI on thursday afternoon for the ten hour
drive. we took turns driving, sleeping, and getting delirously bombed
on the way; and it didnt stop for four days. The positive energy could
be felt runnung up and down your spine as soon as you realized that it
was about to begin. I cannot wait until my next show, hell maybe I'll go
on tour next summer, who knows? Anyway I have never before in my life
experienced such a powerful feeling of freedom. I found something that
I may search the rest of my life for. My hats off to the band because
without them all of this could not have been possible. "I did not how
empty my soul was until it was filled"
Rappy

Well, I have had a long time to think about exactly what went down as we
made our trek way up north to Limestone. Eighteen hours after Darien
and a bad, bad mood brought on by rain certainly didn't help things any.
I have read countless thoughts from people on the vibe of the weekend,
the good music but most importantly, WHAT THE ART SYMBOLIZED! Well, if
you ask me, they could have only burned up that hunk of wood for one
reason and one reason only... the art was compensation for the fact
there was no Mike's Song>Hydrogen>Simple>(Insert favorite Phish tune
here)>Weekapaug! That explains this mammoth obstacle, the fact they
called it "Our" art, the fact they burned it and, the way they boogied
off stage with no Mike's! That's my thoughts anyway...

WOOD -

"...She said it isn't who it would be if it wasn't who it is..."

Virginia Beach totally wet my appetite, I knew that night that three weeks
later I'd be groovin'. When it came time for Burgettstown I was ready- that
Gumbo sent me spinnin'. Then at Darien the Prankster bit blew my mind- but the
Camel Walk did it for me. And then we Went.
Getting there was hell- I'm not gonna lie- I never want to be in a Grand
Wagoneer again. We smoked too much and ate too little and I couldn't stop
falling asleep every half hour. But we got there, two o'clock Saturday morning
we were setting tents up in the pouring rain ready to pass out again....
Woke up around noon and my feet felt weird, so did my arm. That's when I
realized we had set our tent up over a ditch and it was flooded. We were now
wet, cold, hungry, hung-over, couldn't shit comfortably (did you see those
johns?) and we were1000 miles from home. I got kind of cranky. Then I bought
nugs.
I had lunch, nugs, and a 22oz Taddy Porter- life was better in the afternoon.
Then came the first set, I was midway back from the stage- and I had a
goo-ball (dank). I chomped it with nothing to drink and it was so thick and
gooey that I couldn't chew it too well. The stickiness was lingering when Trey
said "goo-balls" in Makisupa. That's when I ran away.
I don't know what I was thinking, I was just way too high and getting
light-headed in the crowd so I ran away from the stage, and as I ran- my
vision went white and hazy and I was bumping into people and almost fell on my
face but then I stopped. They were playing Harpua. I sat down and some guy
puffed down with me during PYITE, that's all I recall from the first set. That
and the fact that it was looooong.
So my friends and I missed the beginning of the second set, we saw from My
Soul on (Rockytop was a giggle). We made up for it by crossing the mud and
getting real close. During the break we got closer. My friend Abe and I were
four or five rows back when they came back out. Awesome set- just plain cool.
Got really fired up by the Funky Bitch and we could see the fireworks through
the curtain behind the stage- couldn't hear them though, all we could hear was
them ragin' -very nice moment.
Went to the Wagoneer and passed the hell out- no way I was sleeping in the
tent again. When I woke up the next morning I cracked a window and smoked a
big phat nugget bit by bit by bit.
"Beautiful Day" I said as I peed on the tire. "Yeah" said a guy walking past-
I noticed he had a balloon- then I heard where he got it, a tank was about
twenty feet away, ya'll know what happened then.....
So I ate the boomers as the first set started, we had waited about an hour
and a half and I deliberately didn't drink anything all day because I didn't
want to lose my spot...Front row (allright, second row) and by the first set
break I was flying. That story thing on stage flipped me out, but the glider
was so very cool.
My spiritual moment came during Harry Hood. The whole second set was killer,
the endless Also Sprach lifted me to somewhere, but being in between the band
and all those glow sticks, on a beautiful night, with the boomers surging
through me, and Phish playing Hood on a lightless stage was so magical that
it's just indescribable. As it was happening my only thought was "I'm gonna
try for the rest of my life to describe this and will always end up saying
'you just had to be there'"
Third set was phat, it just flowed, (Buffalo Bill!!!) but that Hood is
forever etched in my mind, that and the glider spinning dizzy in the sunset.
The drive home= me driving the Wagoneer for twelve hours from Portland to
Baltimore, I-95 the whole time. "I'm past sleep deprivation, just don't talk
to me" But the sunrise let me know that all I had just experienced wouldn't be
forgotten, and I started thinking about the Phall tour.
I just had to get it out -Billy

do our phaithful phriends have some kind of connection with mother
nature or what? i wasn't at the show in virginia beach but the stories
trickled down about leroi and such, as well as the RAINBOWS! THEN in
raleigh, just the next night, i'm sitting there during the intermission
wondering why in the hell there is a small monsoon in my town? the
rolls of thunder just egged on everybody-an incredible vibe! in maine,
the rain friday night, followed up by the foggy,groggy day -only for the
sun to come out in full strength right after the guys started playing!
THEN-the amazing sunset sunday night that made the glider so much cooler
b/c instead of a white tail spin, the sun's bright coloures reflected
off of the tailspin and made it pink! i don't know, but i find it an
amazing thing...later, meg***

First off the Great Went was probably the best time of my life. I have many
stories from it, but I'll tell you about one. After waiting in line for what seemed like
hours on Saturday to get in they finally let us in. So me and four of my friends I came
with decided to sprint from the first gate all the way to the stage. This was harder
than I expected, but we were going to a Phish show so pain really didn't matter. We got
about two or three rows from just left of center stage and I was exhausted. I hadn't run
that far since the mile run in gym class (about two years ago). We were there for about
a minute before people started filling in. About another minute later we were suronded
by so many people and some were just pushing there way to the front, a practice I never
understood at a show. So me and my one friend, Chris decided to get out of the middle so
we would be able to get more air because it was so hot there. We moved over to the left
more and back some. We ended up right in front of a huge mud puddle, which we used to
keep people from getting in front of us. At this point I noticed a nice couple lying
on the grass. The guy didn't look like he was feeling good. Then Chris and I started
talking about what they might open with. Since it was closing in on 4:20 I went with
Makisupa, but thought Trey might throw in the "Woke up on 4:20, DANK!!!" line. Well as
you know they opened with Makisupa minus the 4:20 line. Then they played more music and
then Ginseng Sullivan came. At this point the couple that was lying down started dancing
to music in the mud puddle. They did this for some time and they were just having a
blast. They danced in the mud for most of the whole song. It was a reall cool thing to
witness. So the reason I wrote this was to show that even if your exhausted or not
feeling good or whatever, you will always be guarenteed to feel good once the music
starts. Take it easy everybody and stay cool.

"On Fire and Art" by Jeremy David Goodwin gilmour@gwis2.circ.gwu.edu

What is basically the best thing you would want to have happen at a
Phish
show? (1) An amazing, inspired, Hose jam. (2) Some kind of
acknowledgment
from the band that there's something special going on. To me, this is
pretty much the goal at any Phish show I attend.
The jams speak for themselves, for the most part. The
acknowledgment from the band can come in different ways: song selection
(My Old Home Place opening Day Two of the Ball, Back in My Hometown in
Vermont, Divided Sky opening Red Rocks, Harpua Reprise at the Went, etc)
or even verbal acknowledgment ("Vermont is the best state in the union"
at
Sugarbush '94, "People ask us what our favorite room to play in is, and
this is pretty much it" at Hampton '96, etc). On 8/17/97 II, we got a
combination of both Phish ideals (Hose and acknowledgment of the special
nature of the audience<->band relationship) that is probably
unprecedented.
First, the amazing jamming of the set. Although I'M NOT calling it
this presently, it could easily, justifiably be labelled
Dwd->Jam->Gin->Jam->Penn, 2001->jam->2001->Jam->Hood (Personally, I'm
satisfied with Dwd->Gin->Penn, 2001, Art Jam->Hood). That was
communication enough. But then, Trey pretty much said Exactly what one
might want him to say from the crowd. It's usually a treat to hear
"We're
really having a great time, man", like at the Ball. But at the Went Trey
explicitly listed the things that make the Phish phenomenon so
emotionally
and aesthetically rewarding in a way that he's touched on in interviews,
but never to this extent on stage. In the explanation of the Art, he
said
that "We always come onstage and jam and we don't know what's going to
happen", and that the audience was a big part of that. And when he said
"I'm just going to take this thing down off of this thing back here and
if
you could just pass it over to there, there's people that will take
it...", I honestly don't know if the promise of band->audience
communication could have been fulfilled to any greater extent.
There was the excitement that something new was happening ("this
is the debut of this new idea"), and an explicit, verbal acknowledgment
of
the Feeling that is central to the Phish experience.
Because of the fulfillment of the Hose and the Communication, I
think 8/17/97 II might be the closest thing to a Perfect set that there
is
(yet).
There were a few more elements to the Beauty. The wood
sculpture,
and the catapault-like thing next to it, was on the grounds all weekend.
My friends and I wondered what it was, and talked about it more than
once.
One of the illustrated, creative maps on sale in Went Central included
the
sculpture, and so I was convinced that it was something important. When
Trey explained the whole deal, and pased down the art, it was like a
curtain had been pulled, and the beautiful joke revealed. The genesis of
the communion between band and audience had been latent the whole time,
unbeknownst to us. It had been latent the whole time.
Sure, there was an element of the self-congradulatory among all of
this. A rock star casually mentioning that his band, in effect, had more
guts and artistry than anyone else. But I think this is justified, as
any
survey of the Phish oeuvre will reveal. And there's nothing hard about
the
audience applauding itself. But again, this is justified.
During Hood, when the glowstick fiesta got going, there were
repeated surges of applause. We were applauding ourselves, the event,
and
the band. It was probably the peak of the Phish experience to date, for
the reasons I've explained above. I remember the firework-like effect of
the glowsticks, as the audience contributed its artistry to the band's
music. The effect of turning off the lights was to create a giant Mood,
in
which the band and audience simultaneously grooved to the Vibe in the
Atmosphere. I turned my back on the band and watched the stars and moon
for much of the jam. The band was no longer the focal point of the
event:
the music, and the energy, was. It seemed like the line between
performer
and audience had been erased, and we were all Surrendering to the Groove
around us.
As Tweezer Reprise faded into a very evil mesh of feedback, ala
the Ball encore, the catapault-like structure I had wondered about was
lit
on fire, and slowly arched towards the art we had just worshipped, and
set
it aflame. This completed the perverse beauty of the event: just as the
seeds of this wonderful communion between band and audience were latent
the whole weekend without our knowledge, so was its very destruction.
The
destruction of the art was latent as well. The creation of the art was
irrevocably linked to its eventual destruction.
As soon as this process began, there were lots of shouts of
approval from the crowd. This made me very uncomfortable. If they had
just
cheered wildly for the art two hours ago, how could they immediately
cheer
its destruction? I had images of bonfires and mobs, and it made me very
uneasy. It semed like a very violent act to follow such gentle beauty.
I was never confused about the band's motives; it seemed (and
seems) obvious to me that the band was making a kind of Dyonysian
statement that one should live in the moment and experience beauty for
its own sake. That the power of art is in the power it offers to achieve
transcendence in the moment, and should not be recorded and analyzed in
the future. Art for art's sake.
However, if that is the band's philosophy, then I must ask Trey
if
he isn't glad he has the chance to experience Stravinsky in 1997. It
seems quite clear that the natural outgrowth of the idea expressed in
the
Creation and Destruction of the Art is that Phish should have no taper's
section.
This is of course a very literal interpretation of the idea that
I
think they were expressing. One can champion the importance of the
"moment" without completely shunning the idea of preserving art, and
lifting it from the transient nature of its creation. I doubt that Phish
would argue that there should be no books, written or recorded music, or
photographs.
Eventully, I think one can get a pleasant feeling from the
burning of the art by taking its less distressing implications as the
focus. By burning the art, the band emphasized the fact that each
performance is a new piece of artistry, that is meant to achieve the
effect of Beauty each particular night. The wooden artwork, as symbol
for
the Relationship between band and audience, was not meant to be the
penultimate expression of this relationship, but "merely" the piece of
it
that came together for those two particular shows. It was burned down
not
to negate its importance, but to (almost literally) make room for the
next
piece of Art to be created, at the next show.
Sure, they allow taping and do make albums, but these are mere
outgrowths of the focus of the Phish experience, which is Each and
Every
Particular Show, as it happens. That, I think, is that the Art at the
Went was about. And I'm comfortable with that. However, as I remarked to
C
after the show, "I guess it's now apparent that these Festivals have to
end on a very unsettling, disturbing note". Further evidence that the
Phish experience is not only about the creation of joy, but is often
complex and multi-layered.

just remembered this story and maybe, this person will read it and
write me back!

saturday night at the show, me and my friends laid down a tarp that we
used to kind of take up room, to have space...but of course we were
happy to have people sit with us and utilize the tarp..

anyway- we were all dancing ang having a great time and since we had
this tarp down, a path was laid down that like a million people used
trying to get out of the crowd, or nearer to the front. this guy that i
had actually seen previously, but not talked to came dancing by like no
other down this little path making his way towrds the stage (fishman's
side). he sees me dancing there and took out a camera, and at this
point i stopped dancing and was laughing at him b/c he had hair bigger
than mine! i have huge, curly red hair and this shit gets HUGE. mine
just flops around, but this guys was a brown afro! he motioned to keep
dancing, so i did and i looked up and he took a photo of me! he was so
cool-he just danced right on by! so if that guy is reading this or if
anyone has seen a picture of a dancing redhead with huge hair...write
me! mmmurph2@unity.ncsu.edu

**oh my goodness-i just found the page for went memories and i am telling
the truth when i tell you guys that i am sitting infront of my computer now
with a few tears of joy in my eyes...maine for me was so important...i had
taken summer school all summer :(, dealt with the roommate from hell all
summer, and had a few good friends move away, so i am sure all of you
reading this could see why i needed the went experience, this being only my
2nd phish show...***the best part is further down the page, if you don't
have time to read all of this now, scroll down and start reading from "we
set up camp..."
**it all started at 4:20 AM (and you know what that means :>)on friday
morning when me, cheryl bond and angela kennedy-2 people i couldn't see
myself doing this without-left their home in northampton, mass to go to
maine. we saw the sun come up, and with it's light we saw constant
reminders of our goal...car after car with phish stickers on it! we had a
couple hand made signs that we put up in our car-a gray neon with nc
plates-and never have i ever felt so safe on a road trip...we pulled into
loring, turned off our car at 4:20 PM friday afternoon-now how is that for
good timing?
**we set up camp right under the sign for camp 6B with the kids that we had
met and passed a j to on the road: AARON, JOHN, FORREST, JEREMY, COLLEEN,
JESSICA, and RUSS...we were bubbly with intoxication by 5! me, angela,
cheryl and aaron went rooting around and found the most amazing drum circle
ever...it grew with the exponential rate of bacteria (i am a biology major
at ncsu), as my eyes blinked and it's number went from 8 to 24! the roar
would come over the crowd and the hairs on my arms would stand on end...
**that night the rains came, as i know most of you know...i woke up it 3:45
AM to check on everything, as did the others in my tent, we utilized the
little hanging pocket in most tents that i dubbed the "stash pocket" and
were all back to sleep within the hour!
**i had an experience not like my travel companions whose faces i didn't see
until at least 11:30 AM...i awoke easily at 7:20 am saturday to walk around
the camp and see what the rain had done...i came back to my tent, found the
stash pocket and indulged myself! later we went to the show-sat on
fishman's side and loved it! i met a great little guy from new jersey-DAVE
and we danced a good long time to the melodious tunes we had all driven long
hours and miles to hear...i went to bed early that night-i was pretty spun!
**the next morning, i woke up to the sounds of "whose got my bud?!" i
thought-it's 6:05 AM-i'm awake and i haven't met those guys yet, so...i
yelled out-"i do! i'll be right over!" i went over to find that the coziest
tent in all of limestone was next door! had a blast with thise guys, went
on my walk and came back only to hang out with more neighbors. **this is
where i learned the most! i was sitting down talking to some guys and
finished a bottle of so-co with one, and another little guy came walking
up...i beleive his name was GREG-he was from pa. we watched one guy pass
out after being up all night, but befor he did, he had offered greg a beer
out of a cooler he had STOLEN from someone's camp. greg wanted a beer so
badly, but sat there and debated for soooo long on whether or not to crack
it open...he did finally, took a sip and said it tasted "tainted" and that
he couldn't beleive he had opened it. he told me about deercreek and how he
had helpd a girl get a miracle there, and how he himself got one later-just
goes to show what goes around, comes around! we talked for a long time, and
i must say that despite the fact that the went was only my 2nd show, i felt
like i had been doing the tour thing forever after talking to him...i have
done lots of research on phish, so definitions for terms he used weren't
necessary, but i felt sooo good after our conversation, and all the people
that i tell my tales from the went to, i make sure to tell this one...he
plans on buying a few extra tickets to the next couple shows he goes to, so
if you get a ticket off a guy named greg from pa-tell him meg rom nc says hello!
i saw so much there and i was soo happy to have such a long weekend to
experience it all. sunday night was great as angela and i were super close
to the stage on page's side, took lots of pictures, and met lots of
people...we left after the show, and i was on my plane home from boston at
5pm sunday...i started the school year a day late. until our paths cross
again, may the sights and sounds of our weekend get away to maine fill you
hearts and souls with the beauty their membrences bring to mine! your
phriend in phish-meg*** mail me-mmmurph2@unity.ncsu.edu

I have a fabuluos story about our experience to the Went. Myself and
a few friends from school (Penn State) decided that we would like to
follow Phish for their last three tour stops. Since none of us had a
car large enough for seven Phishheads and our gear we decided to rent a
van from Rent-A-Wreck. That was a big mistake. Our first misshap
occured before we even left the driveway for the Pittsburgh show. We
were all excitied to see the show and when we jumped into the van and
tried to start it, nothing happened. My friends dad had to jump us and
off we went. O.K so we had one little problem and there would be no
more right? WRONG!! The van made it all the way to Darien Center
without a problem. The show was great and after it was over we were off
to the Went. Somewhere in the middle of New Hampshire we heard a nasty
noise in the engine of the van. Next thing we know the damn thing
wouldn't come out of second gear. We pulled over to ask where the
nearest garage was and the guy told us to turn around and go about two
miles. When we put the car in reverse nothing happened. It wouldn't
move!! We had to push it backwards and when we got it turned around we
made it to the garage. We got really lucky because the guy at the
garage was one of the nicest people I have ever met. He told us that
our transmission had blown and that it wouldn't be fixed for at least
three days. We almost hit the floor. He helped us find a new van from
another Rent-A-Wreck which was thirty miles away. When we finally
arrived there we saw our next machine. It looked like a Phat ride and
it was only a couple of years old. We were so excited and we finally
were off to the show. But wait the problems continue. We stopped in
Bangor Maine to pick up some Beer and other essentials at around 8:00 PM
on friday. When we came out of the store to try to start the car, not a
damn thing happened. No noise, no movement. We were extremely pissed.
After we found some phatty phishheads to give us a jump we were on our
way again. Finally, 28 hours after we had left Darian Center we made it
to the Went. Our troubles didn't stop there. After the three best days
of our lives we packed up the van and were ready to go. There was only
one problem, I wouldn't start. We had to push the thing backwards to
get to our neighbor and they gave us a jump start. We were on our way
agian. We decided to camp in a small town in Maine on the way home.
The next morning when we got up the damn thing wouldn't start agian.
This time a jump start didn't even work. We had to call a Tow Truck to
come and save our asses. When it finally arived the man in the truck
told us that our gear shifter wa messed up and that you had to slam it
forward to start the car. When we finally arived back home we kissed
the ground at Penn Stae because we never thought we'd see it again. We
were sure we would be trapped in New England forever (Not that that
would be a bad thing). The moral of this story is "Never rent a
Rent-A-Wreck".

Write me back and we'll chat about our experience AT the
Went.
Taboot,
-Trevar

Since so many people have talked about the shows, and no words could
ever describe the feeling I get when I think about them, I think I
should clear something up about the disco bus.
THIS WAS HiLArioOUS!! After seeing the show and loosing my car for an
hour, then finding my car, my friend, and my other friend who we lost in
Plattsburg, and a bottle of Southern Comfort, we decided to move our
tents. By 2:30 Am I was pretty loaded and decided to walk around and
try and find a drum circle. So here I am walking with a half empty
bottle in one hand and drum around my neck when a guy on a golf cart
yells "The Phish are down there!!" So I ran down and started beating my
drum and am listening/laughing to this total CRAP of music and totally
loving it and then, as about five people have begun a drum circle, all
on my drum, I look across and see my other friend who we also lost in
Plattsburg. So we lauged and got drunk, and supposedly (I don't
remember because the bottle was gone) I put a curse on anyone who would
dare to insult Mike. I'm pretty damn smart when I'm drunk.

We started planning the Went in January. Reserved the RV in May. Had
enough room for 10. Eleven Went. From the Big Apple. Rainy Saturday
morning watched "UpinSmoke", ate cereal, cooked amazing breakfast
burritos, and watched the lines to the portajohns grow longer. Though
most of us slept in nearby tents, we all crammed in there that morning.
Was consistently blown away by the masses visible in all
directions...and the clouds, yow! The boys really got their groove on.
How 'bout the lights?! Hood was yummy. RVs are really the way to go
sometimes. See you at Albany and NYE (walking dist. from my apt.) YES!

I read one of your Went stories from JP from NY. I think I happen to be
the guy stumbling around with his eyes closed between sets. I only freaked
out for a little while and recovered to catch the third set. I'm glad
somebody got a laugh at my expense.
-Marty
I am interested to find out if it really was me, e-mail me
mwm152@psu.edu

I had an awesome time, like always.... Phish played awesome,like always
And,like always, my idiot pack of friends, we were camped in C1 right at
the right side show entrance, did many idiot things.. including Krause
falling asleep while walking at 4 am and snoring in the morning and
waking himself up because he was blowing bubbles in the pool of water in
his tent from the rain.. Jayne got married I think.. Ragney showed.. and
we all got naked for some dudes picture.. that was fun.....

The Great Went turned out to be the best weekend of my life, sooooo good.
I just want to thank Phish, everyone who was at the show and all of the
people who live in Limestone who were so happy with all the excitement.
I have to say that the Harry Hood and glow stick toss was probably the
peak of the weekend (i threw one) I'm so sure that the band completely
loved it. Another great part was on Saturday when the sun started to
come out about 10 min. into the 1st set. I also want to thank Dave and
Wayne from Iowa, the shit through a goose guy, "mo man", creamed corn guy
write me!!! Cameron and Brendan from New Jersey, Dave from pittsburgh,
Blake from NY, Matt from Alaska, the jolly green giant, Ron, and Andre
with the Dr. Seuss hat that couldn't find his home. any of you write me
to say hi! Upon realizing that we had brought WAY too much food my
friends and i decided to give it all away late sunday night, so if you or
anyone you know was approached in your car by 5 hysterical girls with a
shitload of food, creamed corn, tomato basil soup, quilted northern
toilet paper or was blessed in your car by falling raisins write me to
say hi. Also you guys with the green vw bus who were so kind to shelter 2
soaking wet girls on saturday morn. Another cool thing was i totally
called makisupa opener, we were sitting in our tent sat. morn. to stay
away from the rain and i randomly guessed makisupa, i almost shit in my
pants when they started playing it, that, and the sun coming out, AND the
4:20 opening definately set my good vibe for an awesome weekend.
mariel FRDSCHLIB@HSLC.ORG

One other really cool thing that i forgot to mention. Did anyone besides
my wife and I see that killer shooting star( part of the Persiad meteor
shower) right when the lights were going down during Harry Hood?!?!! It was
my wifes first shhoting star! It means alot to know she saw it during such
a great experience. Thinking about that and the whole Hood lightstick show
plus the fact that 65,000 people (give or take a few certain people) can
still spiritualy bond and reach that "point" where words arent needed gives
me hope that the scene isnt turning to shit. Put 60,000 of anyone together
and some bad things will happen. But that shooting star was so cool.
Surrender to that phlow...let the love grow.
troy
feemilli@tng.net let me know if you saw that shhoting star....

Well folks, I've been wearing this smile for two weeks now. What a Great
experience! I guess what I want to say most of all is thank you to Phish and
Co., the state of Maine and all the wonderful folks between our I95 exit and
the entrance to paradise. I could have never imagined such a fine welcome. I
rolled through the towns around 8:00pm Friday and all along the way were
locals out on the streets waving and honking. It was quite a special feeling.
For me, it set the tone for the whole weekend. It turned out to be the best
weekend of my life. The music, scene and people were all wonderful.
My take on the Harry Hood exhibition is as follows... After seeing Pink
Floyd on their last outing I became convinced that I had probably reached my
visual pinnacle. That is, what in the hell could top lasers,
surreal video, explosions, and a mirrored ball the size of a Cadillac (all on
cue I might add!)? Harry was much better than that and more! All those flying
glow sticks and ropes were beautiful. I've tried to tell people about it but
there aren't words to describe what several thousand glowing objects look
like flying through the air for five minutes. It was amazing and , best of
all, it was ours. It was sort of like our spontaneous treat for the band and
crew. The band really appreciated it too! Here is exactly what Trey said at
the end of Harry Hood: "Alright, we're gonna take another break and then
we're gonna come back and play more. So keep throwing those things up in the
air because it looks amazing and... I have no idea... Go get some more of
those things man.... We'll see ya in a little bit."
Once again, Thank you oh so much to Phish and Co., and the fine folks of
Northern Maine. We hope you'll have us back next year!!! C'ya at New Year's.
Blaine
chinacat@lex.infi.net

Wow, what an amazing weekend it was. But the first night (friday night)
sucked for me! We parked and got out of the car and proceeded to set up
camp. We brought all our gear to section 3B and pitched our tent. We laid
down a tarp and just put the tent on top of it. So, later that night when it
started to rain, the tarp served as sort of a bowl, and all the rain
collected on it, and rolled right under the tent. Meanwhile, at about 5:00
am, I wake up because I am sleeping in an inch of water. My two buddies had
mattress pads, but I neglected to bring one, so I was screwed. My only pair
of shorts are soaked, I am wet and shivering, so I leave the tent to go dry
off/sleep in the car. Much to my surprise, when I open the tent door, I see
my tape case that I left out overnight, OPEN, and all my tapes that had just
been rained on for about 2 hours. The J cards and labels were ruined, but
luckily the tapes were fine for the most part. The show later that day,
however, made up for the whole fiasco! ;)

Phish is a great band, they are very talented and put out a vicious vibe.
But, I'm sorry to finally say that the scene has gone to complete and utter
shit. There are a lot of great people out there who go to shows but these
people are doubled, even tripled by those who don't care. These people are
just there to party. They trash everything and don't have the respect to
clean up or be courteous to others. Frankly this frightens me. I guess this
is not a new point, many have said it for years. Fans need to look at
themselves and wonder if they are doing all they can to keep the scene clean,
peacefull, and harmonious. Your probably saying that this guy is just another
complainer about how the phish scene is going. I guess this is just the way
its going to be from now on. Enough of that. The Went was cool. When things
were peaking and stuff started to burn something funny came to me. What the
band and the fans made was art. Add a PH and you have phart. That was a
preaty nice phart, it was huge. After the first night I decided to stroll up
to the front of the stage and check out this tours rig. As I stood there
there was this girl and she was complaining about how the whole night was
ruined because the encores were dissapointing to her and didn't end the show
well...to her. The funny thing was that some people agreed. I said excuse me,
we heard some great music tonight that we can appreciate. She said, and I
quote, "Fuck that." Tension...Release...E-Mail me if you want
atozzerspa@aol.com...Tension...Release... Oh yea, another story. You know
before DWD mike and the band get sort of spacy and then they start the actual
song. Well, during this spacy part this guy next to me called the song,
incorrectly. I recognized it and said DWD and when they went into it this guy
turns to me and gives me an entire, unlit marjuana cigarette. He must have
been suficiently kited already and he said that it was mine. So that was
cool. Take it easy.
- Your friend Rob
(anyone please contact me)

Hey all-
I like that- "The Great Went......the rest didn't". That's good. To the
guy who had his stuff stolen===> that really sucks. I wish that all people
of this sort could be weeded out. In the midst of a great time of friends
and music, posers stealing your goods is not good.
About the show though......wow.....Makisupa was really a great opener. I
remember hearing the music begin, and then seeing the crowd some to life,
swaying back and forth. Okay, here's the thing about Phish.....they are
entertainers. They don't just go on stage and jump around and scream. They
ENTERTAIN. I went to the show before New Year's this past year. The
speakers went out (no, it wasn't on purpose). Instead of announcing, "sorry,
we are having technical difficulties" and just standing there, the Fab Four
got creative and pretended to jam, and soon, the speakers were back up.
Along these same lines are the things that happened at LAFB. The fireworks
were awe-inviting. The glider was spectacular. It was really great when
Trey passed the mural down, and we all crowd-surfed it back. I myself
must've thrown those light-sticks literally about 15 times. They just kept
coming right to me. Thanks to whoever brought those...and next year, let's
all bring ten each..... They "Burning of the Mural" was a great closer.
Almost too great seeing as it accompianied Phish offstage.
Thanks Phish and all Phish Phans for a great time..........thanks to those
citizens up there who let me stay at their house (Jay and Gene, you're
awesome).

Jeremy<><
JarsfoClay@aol.com

The great went was awesome, even through the rain the tent my friends and
i rented stayed completely dry, though because of the raindrops we all
dreamt of pop corn popping and chickens pecking at our heads,
unfortunatly our friends in the next tent over had a canvas tent with
only a ratty blanket and needless to say got soaked. on sat. when the
sun started to come out as phish was playing i got choked up and we were
so close i swear trey looked at me, it was so beautiful, and then the
next night with the lavender sky and glider.

Went to the Went and didn't want to come back. Such a great time. My
highlights include: almost pooping in my pants at that montrousity of a
2001. I thought the stage would take off. Just when I thought they
would wind it down BAM ! they would bring it back. I couldn't believe
it. Another was CITIES. I feel silly saying this but it was my first
time hearing ever. I knew it was a Talking Heads song. This song ruled.
Talking about passionate, dramatic, deliberate, gut renching singing by
trey, I was in a blown away. So much so I was trying to sing the along
w/ the refrain even though I didn't know the words. Another moment
when, after SIMPLE, trey teased odd couple and then looked over at
fish. He kind of shrugged his shoulders and nodded his head as if to
say 'oh well lets have fun with this'. they played it out for a minute
or so....rockn'> into MY SOUL. Real improve!

I was on of the few who got to see the weird disco concert put on by
PHISH at 2:30 am between the two shows. They were only out for about
twenty minutes. Fish seemed to be the leader of the outfit. They all
had keyboards (Trey and Page were right next to each other with Fish and
Mike on the left and right respectivily) The mics had odd robot sounds
in then which distorted the vocal sounds. Then they all started saying
"shake your booty". Page was drinking a bootle of Budweiser the whole
time too. The music was so odd too, actally it was horrible. Nobody
was dancing they just kept saying "what the fuck?!!!" It was all set up
on the far left of the concert gate area. There had to be less than 200
people there. I took picture and they came out good too, but I don't
have a scanner and this is a friends computer. One guy taped it too,
but I don't want the tape, it was that bad. and if anyone missed it,
Trey did announce it at the end of Funky Bitch. Bye now, Mike Palmer,
1249 Revere Rd., Yardley, PA 19067

What a Great time. My newlywed wife and I along with Are buddy Brian got
in to "camp" just as the Saturday morning 4 am rain hit(after a drive from
Long Island). Being from Florida, Angie and I were quite chilly. All that
Went away as the first light of day set in and the vibe kicked back in.
After some tasty hot chocalate to warm our bones we checked the scene,
bought some warmer, dryer clothes and the rest was a blast. Great first
night first set. Kinda expected the Harpua finish...(!) Sundat was just
that. SUNday, yeah! Nice sets. Wow those lightsicks were the coolest. It
will never happen like that again. One of those moments!. Great ride home.
maine is so beautiful and so different than Florida. Spent a day kickin on
Long Island, than the flight home to Florida,work and school. definatley a
Terrific Honeymoon!!!!------ Troy

set the gearshift for the high gear of your soul
http://www.tapetrading.com/lists/f/e/feemilli@tng.net.html

Both nights my friends and I stood pretty close to the stage on Page's
side-I will always remember the Hood when the ligtsticks were flying
like crazy-Where did all the lightsticks come from? Did Phish provide
them or were they just thrown into the mix by random fans-also, what
about that guy with the big torch thing that was shooting fireballs
into the sky? That was probably the coolest thing I have ever
witnessed at a show, or anywhere else. One funny thing for everyone
in my area on the 2nd night-does anyone remeber the guy who was
stumbling with his eyes closed through the crowd between sets? I
wonder if he ever made it out of Maine alive-JP from NYC

Thanks to Phish, Maine, Nature, and all their inhabitants for a Great
weekend. Being my phirst phish show, I was in for a treat.

The glowing celebration was a sight to be seen and remembered. I can only
hope we did not put too much of a strain on the land, the band, and the rest
to not do it again next year.

By the way, did anyone get ahold of an extra bumper sticker or shirt -- I
seemed to have left without one. Silly me.

Until next time...

*****News Flash*****
After a weeks worth of relishing a residual high from the Great Went I
received some very disturbing information from a taper buddy of mine. THEFT
at The Great Went. His camp was completely removed by some asshole. Nothing
was left but the money in his pocket & the shirt on his back. Moreover, 2
other groups I spoke with experienced the same dilemma. Unfortunately, this
could be a problem next year as well. Please lock all your valuables in
your vehicle. It's sad when you cannot trust your fellow man. Thievery is a
despicable act. I wouldn't piss down a thieves throat if his guts were on
fire. Next year, be on the lookout, but have fun. Peace, Mo Man.

When we were coming back from the first night of music, we wandered into
the small town like area that phish had constructed towards the rear of
the concert grounds. And as I approached the clocktower, I heard some
sort of beat which I had assumed had been a group of people on the other
side of the clock tower playing some drums. It turned out to be everyone
inside the clocktower beating on the side of it in a really neat groove.
Welp, my friend and I joined in the madness and I'd say this had gone on
for about half an hour before some "safety" guards came over and evicted
us all..what a blast..

Decided after having missed the Clifford Ball last year that I would be at
the next such Phish event; my friends concurred. When I found out it was in
Maine, that was a bonus 'cause my cousin/little brother type lives there and
I never get to see him, so I sent him money for the ticket and we arranged to
meet there by message board. There were, what, 75,000 people there and not a
very large (yet very full and very wet message board) and when I saw that, my
hopes of finding Sean quickly sank. Decided the only way it would happen is
if Great Spirit (or whatever you wanna call It) ran us into each other (got
real tired of staring into every face wondering if it was his).
Danced my ass off at the Saturday concert -- really liked the 4:20 start of
Makisupa : D -- and came close to forgetting how sad it was gonna be when I
didn't see Sean; that night dreamt he found me and recognized me by the
birthmark on the back of my knee (haven't seen each other in well over a year
or two and looks change all the time); next day sat in the Agora (message
board/commissary/etc area) watching others reunite and enjoyed the first
sunshine that weekend until I felt like no longer sitting there and walked
back to my campsite way up at the edge of Corleone by a different runway than
we had used before. Sean found me about halfway up ... recognized me by the
birthmark on the back of my knee. My friends loved him, I loved his friends,
and to think... Phish brought us together : D
He wasn't a big Phan before the Went ... he may well be now -- know that he's
already asking me for the boots : D
Thanks for a real good time

I heard someone say, "The Great Went ... the rest didnt't". Well that
may be rubbing it in to all those unfortunate souls who couldn't make
it, but nonetheless it was definitely GREAT! My crew was convinced that
we left had left earth for like 4 days and entered another world. I
have never felt such a good vibe shared by so many people. Anyone who
took a long look around themselves on Sunday night between the 1st and
2nd sets could not have missed what I consider to be the most beautiful
scene EVER! The combo of the crowd, the sun, the moon, the clouds, and
that PHAT glider was phenomenal! Limestone Rocks! To all those who
couldn't make it - DON'T ever miss it again!

The most endearing memory of the went I have, was on the second night
during "Harry Hood", when one of the light sticks landed on stage. Trey
picked it up, and chucked the little 4 and one half inch piece of
plastic in to the crowd. It bounced off of some fan three rows ahead of
me, flew over my head, was dropped by someone, and rolled to my feet. I
flew to the ground and picked it up. I was orgasmic, as you would
suspect, and bounced up and down with joy, waving my prize at Trey.
This is what made my day: Trey saw me and how excited I was, and gave
me a little head nod and finger point. For at least one second there
was an actual connection between us, and forever solidified my love for
this band. The people around me were great, in that they didn't beat me
up (I was annoyingly hyper) and that they were happy for me.

Thank You Trey and Phriends,

Will Northrup

Great party...enjoyed the celebration to the fullest. A great shot
in the arm for our economy, greatest boost since the departure of the U.S
Air Force.

The locals were somewhat skeptical about the whole event in the
beginning but with the turnout for the concert and the attitude of all
concerned we loved it. Were impressed by the friendliness of the phish
phans and by the locals. I should,t have been surprised by the locals as
they were just giving you a big Aroostook County welcome.

Next year they will do it all over again, only better. Personally
it was my first (rock concert) being of the age 59 it was fun, my wife
thought so also. We both worked in one of the beer gardens for the Caribou
Kiwanis Club so we saw quite a few phans.

Thanks for coming to the county and here's hoping that it happens
again next year.

Limestone residents - Bob and Marilyn King

I am a "local" from Ft Fairfield and I gotta say that having watched
tens of thousands of PHISH PHANS come through our town I was VERY
impressed in you all very much! Everyone in the whole county is talking
about the show, mostly the fans. there are article after article in
every newspaper and TV news channel in the state and they all say the
same thing, the fans were GREAT...PLEASE COME BACK!!

Hello, My name is Jon. I attended the Great Went just a couple of days ago.
It was great, The first day Phish blew me away with their first set I was in
Heaven the whole weekend hanging out with people who love Phish just like I
do.
Last year I attended the Clifford Ball which I loved too. Except I
wasn't totally involved with Phish and bootlegs. Through last year I
collected several boots. And grew to love the music, the way it captures
you and you just start wiggling to the great music.
Phish's new song didn't let me down or anyone I know, they where just as
great as the rest of the songs. Dog Stole Things was cool, and so was Limb
by Limb. I think its great to have a band out there who really care and even
pick out pieces like the symphony after the first set on the second day at
the went.
I am also extremely proud to live in the same town as Phish

Once again another tour has ended. Excuse me while I wax poetic. The soul
of the Great Went was concocted of high energy & good karma. Although the
daily grind has started again, the memories of the Great Went will linger
forever.
Lets give a warm thank you to, first & foremost: Phish, the City & people
of Limestone. Also thanks to, Susan, Trissa, Wayne, Mark, Maryann, Sparkle,
Mike, Josh, Fred & co., the lobster truck, hempenale beer, aurora borealis,
the "creamed corn girls", "shish & shrooms", the paint pavilion & all the
great people who made this wonderful event a colossal wet dream.
Also, those of you who felt let down by the 3rd set of day two, I
understand why. But, "Circus" was an appropriate encore if you realize the
meaning. The band looked kind of tired during the last set as well. Anyway,
Fall tour starts soon, yeeha. "Mo Man"

I have always been a Dead fan. When Jerry died, lots of tour time died
with him, but I never listened to Phish because people always compared
the Dead with them, and I could stand no comparisons. Well, thanks to a
great friend who played me a Phish Phry last December...man, what have I
been missing! Just got back from the Went and it looks like I can go on
tour again. These four guys (special nod to Trey) are among the very best
musicians around today. And when Trey stands there rocking back and forth
with his eyes closed, his mouth open and his fingers tripping all over
that fretboard, that is as close to a religious experience as can be had.
Thank you, Juan, for that first Phish Phry, and thank you Phish for
feeding my music jones. Can't wait until MSG New Years shows!

I was at the WENT - it was my first Phish experience.
I had been to several Dead shows before but still didn't know what to expect
for Phish. The collaborative art project, glider, city inside the show,
ect.. all added to the atmosphere. Unfortunately I wasn't too happy with the
lot scene after Sunday's show... even though there were many kind folk to
hang with, several so-called fans were trashing the place (throwing glass
into the air for fun, justifying it by saying they dond't need to give
respect to a military base...., come on??!!) and lots of people had things
stolen, including my DRUM!!! Traffic sucked coming home, luckily I didn't
have to go as far as many.... but all in all it was worth the trip there to
check it all out and dance the night away.
I am interested in the web site address for the guy who took the naked photo
- can you help me out??
Thanks, Jen
Edafton@aol.com

We were in Lorring for The Went.
We were also very lucky in that we were able to hook up with all of our
friends in their respective
winnebagos before the show in Presque Isle. We caravaned up on Friday Night
@8:00 P.M. & were
escorted to the farthest NorthWest point in the parking lot, which was the
closest area to the entrance
possible.
We circled the Winnies & began the festivities!
In our Winney we had the Disco Ball & PA System.
That's our background which is probably necessary for understanding my
interpretation the
The Great Went.

The Theme from the fist night, I think we can all agree on was Disco.
With the general Funk they gave us, Trey's reference & then the actual
Disco longbed Jam it's clear.
Night 1 = Disco.

Night Two had a fire theme. In fact I beleive that the theme was
Inferno. With the burning of the tower, etc. I think we can definetely
agree.
Only problem was how come they didn't give us a Fire as an Encore?
doesn't really matter anyway.
Night 2 = Inferno.

Put it all together, and what did we have.

The Great Went to the Disco Inferno.

Just one man's interpretation.
-C

The Theme from the fist night, I think we can all agree on was Disco.
With the general Funk they gave us, Trey's reference & then the actual
Disco longbed Jam it's clear.
Night 1 = Disco.

Put it all together, and what did we have.

The Great Went to the Disco Inferno.

Just one man's interpretation.
-C

I went to the great went and I have a whole new perspective about phish
now. I love the band the show, etc. I didn't really know where I was I
guess I experienced a sensory overload, They had the nicest set
everything seemed to phlow along well.The glow stick's were cool. I'll
have to say Trey Anastasio is the best lead guitarist to my knowledge,
The Went was the BOMB!

I went to the Ball last year and maybe it was the "magic" that comes
with the 1st annual anything, but I got a different vibe this year.
Don't get me wrong, I had a blast-- loved it. Maybe it was the weather
(Maine gets cool), or maybe I'm just getting old. I don't know. What I
do know is that if there was a roof over the venue, they would have
blown it off. The music went right to my spine, and it appeared to
physically "rip" through the air...Unbelievable! While the first set
(Saturday) was a treat because it never ended, the 3rd probably took
the cake for the weekend.

I don't want to analyze each song but some favorites; maybe you agree:
Odd Couple Jam, My Soul, Cities, Limb by Limb, Llama, Taste, NICU, Funky
Bitch (of course). I hate to say it but I think they sampled something
strong before the 2nd set on Sunday. Down w/ Disease and Uncle Pen
seemed off. Then again, I may have been off.

I only have a couple things to say about the "scene". I don't care what
people do, or what they're on, or how they party, or anything like that
(as long as they're not assholes-which there weren't). If I did, I
would be a hypocrite. But, I am concerned with the amount of "stuff"
that was around. Man, by Sunday it was a buyers market- couldn't give
it away. I just dont want that stigma attached to the band. I guess,
though, since nobody was causing trouble I should just shut up. I would
have liked to see a more friendly, interactive group of partyers, that's
all. Overall impression: "thumbs up".

my brother renamed the festival after Friday night's rain to the Great Wet.

On Saturday morning my brother and his friend went out to the woods to take a
shit.
Twenty minutes later they come back and say, "Look what we found." They pull
a bomb out of the back pack. On the side it said "BOMB, PRACTICE", and some
guys name on it, some government serial numbers on it, and a date (June 1990
I believe). It is about 2.5 long and is painted orange. The front is oblong
and looks like a bomb should, what ever the hell that is. There is a shaft
leading out of the front connected to a tail, wihich is square. There were
no explosives in it, nor had there ever been. It just was a bomb comma
practice.

For me and my friends, The great went was an amazing chance to live life to
the fullest...and let our minds and troubles free from everyday hassles.
On occasion, we'd actually forget why we were there, "fun" was the word of
the weekend!
So much fun!
Our spirits were lifted higher then ever, and it kept going ...........
The trip there was long, but what did we care? We were going to see Phish
!!!
We had so fun camping, hanging out, meeting lots of people, talking,
bonding....etc.
I am of the opinion that for that weekend, we, the Phish phans, owned our own
little town, no police (no need for them acually, very laid back)
The tents were set up (in where I like to call "the Suberbs)
And we all ventured into the "City" to party, meet people, play some drums
(which was amazing)!
Then, the show!!
Yay!!
Luckly, my friends and I were able to be in the very front both night, yet
had enough room to dance =)
Phish was on!!!
Amazing!!
The smile didn't leave my face the whole weekend, it was truely a magical few
days =)
One that I cannot fullt decribe in this essay........but those who were there
get where I'm coming from.....and for those who didn't go can look forward to
many more Summer getaway from the band such as this for years to come!

Peace!
~~~ John (Abb Bm@aol.com)

Here is the "Great Went" in my own words. Or should I say "Didn't Went".
Had I planned things a little better nine months ago I would have Went......
and had a swell time taboot (taboot). Yes, on August 1st at 3:02am, my wife
gave birth to our second child, a strapping baby boy named Christopher. Well,
there's always next year, right? Until then.
Peace all!
Rob Grego
Burlington, VT

Upon reflecting on the most rockin' musical event of my life, there is one
thing that concerns me. This is the amount of garbage strewn throughout the
Loring Air Force Base. Obviously when you gather that many people in such a
concentrated space (without adequate disposal areas) you are going to have
this problem. My problem with this is that many of the people who were
responsible for this garbage, would also be the FIRST person to criticize
others in terms of their littering habits. I myself was at the show and I have
littered. This is not something I'm proud of, but I wouldn't need some person
who plays some sort of superficial role to tell me what to do. I mean I live
in New York City and even on its worst day has never been as dirty as it was in
Limestone.

Basically my point is that people should be going to these shows to rock and
hear music that is absolutely legendary. The types of things this band does
should be exalted.

The whole Scene is so ridiculous, people who obviously don't need to sell
anything set up shop just to be part of the crowd. Phish fans should drop the
ideals of the predecessors (The Dead) and move on a create their own ideals.
This isn't the seventies anymore and Jerry ain't no Trey. People should
remember that what's really going on here is MUSIC.

Hey I don't mean to come off so strong, but people should ride the funk train
and carve a name out for themselves. Not follow in the footsteps of the past.

Phish itself is too original for its followers to conformists. We should lead
and not follow. (unless of course its the Black Traingle)

We were among the lucky members of the Bangor Symphony Orchestra (aka
Great
Went Orchestra) and crew who were treated to the time of our lives on Sunday.
Everyone involved with the Phish organization was super to work with, from
Phish to organizers, techies, caterers and gate keepers, and we were treated
like royalty all day long.
We were amazed at the number of people on the concert grounds, and so
thrilled with the great response the musicians received for their
performances. As we walked around the village during the day, listening to
the Partridge Family over the speakers and all the live performers playing
throughout the grounds, we were especially impressed with the art. Not just
the art booths, but the cheese house, the trees, the corn field, the suds
house, the giant clothes line ... everywhere we looked there was something
captivating and fun.
Probably the scene that will be forever etched in our brains was the
glider
soaring overhead while the full moon rose in the east, and the sun set
against a brilliant pink sky in the west, as the string quartet performed the
beautiful "Claire de lune".
We really hated to leave ... and hope that the next chapter of the
Phish
festival will be held in Limestone again ... with the Bangor Symphony
Orchestra invited back to play whatever Trey wants!!
Thanks to everyone for giving Maine's northern symphony orchestra this
incredible experience!
Susan & Kate and all at the BSO
www.mint.net/symphony

These shows were amazing! I kept thinking, "I can't wait to get these on
tape!"

Mike really screwed up the words to "Rockytop", and Page and Trey were
laughing at him, as was the crowd!

"Slave" was much like Va Beach, much mellower than in shows past. I
noticed Fishman using mallets instead of sticks. Could this be part of
the reason?

One of my favorite moments was first night, set III, during the Halley's
Comet > Cities > Llama, all three of those were rock solid jams. I've
never heard a Llama like that one! Cities gave me goose bumps! That was
the first time I'd heard it. Also, how about the little Fishman solo
during Limb by Limb? Fishman rocks!

What Trey said before passing the art down was really cool. For those
who weren't there, he said "We've always felt like there's this
incredible artistic energy between the four of us, and between all of
you, and that we all participate in the creation of something spontaneous
and sometimes incredible. We never know how it's going to work out from
night to night, but it's a spontaneous creation." Then he went on about
how the artwork was a physical manifestation of that idea, etc. Later,
during Harry Hood when everyone was throwing the glowsticks (it didn't
seem like a "war", more like a celebration), it ocurred to me that we'd
just given a perfect example of what Trey had said. The crowd was an
active participant in the music. And I think that what Trey said after
that backs this up. Very cool. Too bad this won't translate on the
tapes. I'd love to hear exactly what he said if someone who taped can
send this in.

The Glow Stick Incident reminded me of NYE, when we were all throwing the
balloons up onto the stage. It was the same kind of feeling.

ASZ had an amazing light show, moreso than usual. It was almost as if
Chris was taking a solo.

I think "Scent" went back into a "Dirt" jam during the duel.

When the house music came back on after the encore, and the tower fell
over burning, they played "Disco Inferno."

Dave P.

First and foremost I would like to thank the gracious people of Limestone.
They made the experience that much more enjoyable. I would also like to
offer my condolences to the friends and families of the few who didn't make
it home due to car accidents.
The ride up was great and really got our crew of 7 pumped for the show. The
rain sucked but we humans don't melt. Day two offered us the most fun. We
stationed ourselves to the right of the stage, about even with the sound
board. " The Weight" was awesome. I've never seen PHISH do this one live.
I've always liked the song and just knew the band would jam it live. The
mud man came around the time "bouncin' " started and by the time Trey
started the solo this mud guy lost his mind. I never thought I would
witness a person eat the earth. This guy was taking bites out of the
ground, literally. He would throw himself face first into the mud and take
a huge bite. He would then rip a piece of ground out, shake it in his mouth
the way a dog would and throw it. Okay so all you cynics out there are
asking yourselves', "why didn't you help this poor soul out". My statement
to you is he looked like he was a man on a mission. Besides the person that
tried to help ended up in the mud too. The good news is I saw him later
that night clean as a whistle.
The ride home took us double the time, yet I look forward to next year's
installment. Hope to see many of you again. Thank you.

the great went was a awesome good time. not only did phish set a great
mood, but the fellowship was much more than expected.

the airforce base was quite large and made walking to the concert area an
ordeal, but it was worth it.

i missed the saturday night sets II and III due to Brian catching the
stomach virus that was going around the tour, so our evening was spent in
the onsite hospital :(, but i did make it back in time for the fireworks
and contact and loving cup.

on sunday the shows were very mellow. i was tired from the long trip to
the airforce base, so i was not very tolerant of the extremely long jams.
i would have prefered if they had played on friday and saturday.

being from atlanta, the cool weather was much enjoyed.

overall- it was a great experience!!!

shannon

Imagine this : you're walking down a sunny strip, surrounded by colors, kids
selling homemade food and jewelry, beautiful naked bodies leaving the nude
group-photo shoot that walk casually along side you, catching an occasional
whiff of some KB, hearing yells of "Whose got the buds? We've got the oil!" ,
and great music that lasted all afternoon and night to put you to sleep in
Phishland. It was one incredible, beautiful weekend that I will never
forget. I live in Georgia and I never see scenery like that. The weather on
Sunday was absolutely phantastic, & the people were all so phriendly. Phish
began to play at 4:20 on Saturday which was phine with the kids because
everyone was celebrating 4:20 all weekend long! The music just pulled me
around and made me dance in ways I didn't think my body could move. I really
felt like I was one with something and it was so amazing. I mean, the
spirituality I feel from Phish and all the phishheads is so groovin.
I want to live with them all! Man, whoever is interested in starting some
kind of Phish/Deadhead community let me know! We can all do shit to help
each other out. I noticed a lot of trading going on at the show also. I
think it is totally possible to live in harmony with others if everyone does
a small bit to help. I am totally for living in total phish-bliss! All of
you who Went, imagine all those kids in a big phucking family. Not all tents
and that jazz, but we could build houses and grow food and share, and trade,
and SMILE! I think it'd be great.. I'm probably dreaming it all up but man,
if anyone starts or hears about something along the lines of phish/dead heads
beginning a commune or anything, let me in and I'll do the same for you!
Until the next show!
Keep Phishin' and Smilin'! *** lovely RITA meter maid

There was this foam thing...i stepped inside a bubble factory. It was phat.
It was like a little wooden house that had a built in fan thing that blew
foam and bubbles all over. It was crazy!
***Hey - If I can get hold of a scanner, I can send some really cool pictures
that my friends and I got of the crowds, the people, the scenery (in Maine
and on the way to Maine from Georgia), & all kinds of pictures. Where do I
send them to if I can?

During the intense rain bursts on Saturday morning, I sat in the car
constructing a large sign to be posted on the message board between the two
camping areas. Around noon, I biked over and duct taped it on. It was low
to the ground and read:

"MAYOR
LOCKWOOD"

Shortly thereafter I hooked up with the Mayor.

Did you see my sign? Gr8Went97@aol.com

The Great Went Page
Andy's Phish Page

hits 8/24 3:45 pm