12, 13, 20 years ago we were .....

[WhatstheUse?]

Don't ever lose that feeling boys.

I simply can't imagine how great it mustve been. I've seen a lot of shows and have had a lot of fun doing it. But I'm aware that it's different. I've listened to it all... to have BEEN THERE for Fall 97 (or summer 97... or fall 95 etc) is just something slightly different. Relish in it. Think about it. Re-Live it in your mind. Don't take it for granted.

That was a a specific time and place of greatness that will never occur again.

[mattstick]

There was a lot less info around too, like you didn't walk out of the show and know the setlist unless you wrote it down.  You probably wouldn't see email or the internet until you got back home from tour.

I vaguely knew that Phish had played Boogie On Reggae Woman in the 80s when they played it at 12/7/97, but you knew it was special.

[VA $l!m]

great posts today.
i agree with most everyone's thoughts.

11-21, 22, 23 were the shows i saw for Fall and they still feel like 3 of the best days of my life.
Hampton was basically nirvana for me from start to finish including the whole scene.

WE stayed @ the on site HOliday inn and it was seriously popin'.
i remember tanks in the lobby and everyone walking around giving out mescaline in the hallways.

ME and my girl had just started going out and were in madly in love, still in heat,
After the first show we fucked in a room where about 20 heads were crashing, lol.
we tried to be quiet, butThe next morning my friend Ed says:
"How many Phish heads does it take to crew in a light bulb?"
-"None, their all too busy screwing in crowded hotel rooms".
:-D  i'll never forget that.

That vibe in the MOthership those two nights tho... sheeesh, maybe it was teh droogz, but man...

[ph92]

There was a lot less info around too, like you didn't walk out of the show and know the setlist unless you wrote it down.  You probably wouldn't see email or the internet until you got back home from tour.

I vaguely knew that Phish had played Boogie On Reggae Woman in the 80s when they played it at 12/7/97, but you knew it was special.

Man I almost wish it was that way. I know I was too young for the tape game. But I did my fair share of archiving and burning discs (didn't get an iPod till I got a job). I just remember it was a more "in tune" feeling when I was still doing that. Now it's just too easy, hop on Phish.net during setbreak etc. Almost takes some of the fun out of it.

But I will always cherish everything about this band, the culture. I just love it, even if I did miss the boat, I'm having a pretty good time these days.

Appreciate the responses though, I always dig hearing stories from you guys. A good way to get a glimpse of what it was like.

[emay]

Yeah I remember doing a lot of B&Ps not only for Phish but for GD and Bob Dylan tapes, etc.

I think one of the big reasons I found this group was all the bt.etree.org downloading and seeding I was doing for every/any phish show I could find. A lot were up'd by people on this board or part of the mass upload projects on this board that had a link to the thread on this board.

Its def a lot different now. My old laptop crapped out so I have all my PH and music on scattered Harddrives now. I use the library off there to listen to the shows I want at home. But mostly, its streaming from Phish for shows in FLAC but I would only really listen those at home too).

[Buffalo Budd]

I used to B&P tapes all the time in the mid 90s til probably 01ish.
I only started using the internet for setlists and shit in maybe 99.
So every show was just a new experience with no point of reference for myself. I'm sure there were more tech savvy people on here that were well prepared going in. I'm also a noob compared to a lot of the folks on here as I only started seeing Phish in Summer 97.
I do miss that sense of wonder and freshness though when you had no point of reference or cell phone, etc. Everything was word of mouth or what you scribbled down on a pad of paper.

[Marmar]

Y'all aren't in this pic because you didn't stay for the next day... but this is from that trip. That's my Granny Becky in the middle.

That's a 90's guy/girl ratio right there.

Also, the only two shows I saw Fall 97 tour were Denver. Both nights were great. Then again, so was what I saw in Summer 97 and December 97. Not sure it seemed over the top exceptional at the time – just very f'n good.

I often wonder for you old timers. When you were seeing them in the years that are now known as "the best years" 94, 95, 97. Did you guys think they were slaying it? Was it how we see it now? Or is hindsight 20/20 now that 2.0 and 3.0 happened?

I know for me personally 94 and 97 and 95 are some of my favorite tours. But nothing brings me as much joy as this past summer. Yes it's cause I was at the shows. But it also has to do with the fact their playing is totally different. It's a totally different band

You only knew that it was good....sure, some nights had you shaking your head in disbelief but for the most part it was just GOOD.....you could sense the rise, but you still felt like part of a "secret group" that was lucky enough to be able to see and be a part of this amazing music.....the crowds were SO quiet, everyone was hanging on every note....the lot scene was way more chill as it was fairly wook free because the Dead were still around....

No one had a crystal ball....we didn't know that we'd be looking back 20+ years later going "holy shit!" at some of the stuff that at the time was just another moment in time at a concert....again, there were those rare occasions when the show was just ON from start to finish that left you walking out of the venue with a melted face but there was always this expectation that the next night would somehow top the previous night....be it in terms of playing, setlist, antics, etc...

[ytowndan]

I vaguely remember watching the Vegas '00 stream at a friend's house and thinking how great the future will be, catching glimpses of what we now call "couch tour."  Of course the future of Phish was less certain then, but I never really doubted the hiatus would be anything more than a much needed break. 

And now that we're here, I find myself nostalgic for the more simple times.  I guess the grass is always greener... 

Though now that I think about it, the romance would last for about 10 minutes before I would remember just how much of a pain in the balls tape trading was.  So much effort, so much money...  Live streams and LP SBDs are so much better.   

[Superfreakie]

but there was always this expectation that the next night would somehow top the previous night....be it in terms of playing, setlist, antics, etc...

This is the key right here. Now, I walk out and in to shows wondering more how they might let me down. Having done some epic runs (December '95 (except NYE), much of Fall '97, summer '99 etc...) I would leave shows going not only "wow, that epic", but as well I was giddy with excitement knowing they were going to try to top it!! These thoughts would actually give me butterflies. And I'd continuously have butterflies walking into shows. That's not to say they haven't done it recently. I felt that a little of this during the Baker's D, and Magnaball for the drivein set.

And, yes, there were many nights that I walked out of a show believing it would not be topped, and sure enough most if not all of those nights now rest in the pantheon where I knew they belonged upon exiting.   

[Caravan2001]

It seemed like every year they would continue to top themselves.  As time went on, I would always think "They can never top this...." and they always do. Sometimes there would be lulls, but then bam, out of nowhere, they would outdo themselves again.  Case in point, Halloween '14.  I would rank that experience up there with NYE '95 or any of the classic heavy hitters.  But that's just me.  But when they were knocking out sick show after sick show in those prime years, you would always leave a show thinking wow, I can't believe they keep getting better!  How could that be?!?

[ph92]

Yeah I remember doing a lot of B&Ps not only for Phish but for GD and Bob Dylan tapes, etc.

I think one of the big reasons I found this group was all the bt.etree.org downloading and seeding I was doing for every/any phish show I could find. A lot were up'd by people on this board or part of the mass upload projects on this board that had a link to the thread on this board.

Its def a lot different now. My old laptop crapped out so I have all my PH and music on scattered Harddrives now. I use the library off there to listen to the shows I want at home. But mostly, its streaming from Phish for shows in FLAC but I would only really listen those at home too).

Yep for me it was etree>SHNfam Hub> Paug. I am forever grateful for those years I spent so entrenched with B&P (CDs/DVDs :hereitisyousentimentalbastard) and archiving. Let me finally meet some people with shared interests.

[mattstick]

I think one of the big reasons I found this group was all the bt.etree.org downloading and seeding I was doing for every/any phish show I could find. A lot were up'd by people on this board or part of the mass upload projects on this board that had a link to the thread on this board.

Early days of this board I put "a week4paug.net request" in the torrent comments to drive traffic here...

[birdman]

I think one of the big reasons I found this group was all the bt.etree.org downloading and seeding I was doing for every/any phish show I could find. A lot were up'd by people on this board or part of the mass upload projects on this board that had a link to the thread on this board.

Early days of this board I put "a week4paug.net request" in the torrent comments to drive traffic here...

That's how I find this place

[antelope19]

Ah, so it's Matt's fault.  :|

[PIE-GUY]

Ah, so it's Matt's fault.  :|

STFU, Neely!