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

[Buffalo Budd]

20 years ago today, my first.
Damn, time flies. Total game changer for me as I was a serious noob as far as Phish went. Heard ALO and maybe Billy Breathes before this. Took my then GF, now wife on our first adventure/roadtrip to this. She saw all the naked people walking around on the 2nd day and decided she might as well go topless. I was in love at that point  :mrgreen: She definitely liked the scene more than the music although she enjoyed the funk and of course the fireworks. Cities was my IT moment and I knew that I would be seeing this band til they hung it up. Looking back now, that Harpua moment was the coolest, too bad I had no clue what was going on at the time. Did this entire weekend sober although a guy in the crowd shared some fungus with me but I didn't notice it at all.


08/16/1997 (Sat) The Great Went - Loring Air Force Base - Limestone, ME
Set 1: Makisupa Policeman > Harpua*, Chalk Dust Torture, Theme From the Bottom, Punch You in the Eye, Ghost, Ginseng Sullivan, You Enjoy Myself, Train Song, Character Zero, The Squirming Coil
Set 2: Wolfman's Brother > Simple** > My Soul, Slave to the Traffic Light***, Rocky Top, Julius
Set 3: Halley's Comet > Cities > Llama > Lawn Boy, Limb By Limb, Funky Bitch##
E: Contact, Loving Cup
Comments: * - Started with the theme and Jimmy story, picking up where the song stopped last year at the Clifford Ball.
** - Theme from the 'Odd Couple' tease.
*** - Included instrumental intro.
## - Major fireworks display behind the stage as Funky Bitch ends.  We made our way to the back of the venue to watch the fireworks.

[mehead]

20 years ago today, my first.
Damn, time flies. Total game changer for me as I was a serious noob as far as Phish went. Heard ALO and maybe Billy Breathes before this. Took my then GF, now wife on our first adventure/roadtrip to this. She saw all the naked people walking around on the 2nd day and decided she might as well go topless. I was in love at that point  :mrgreen: She definitely liked the scene more than the music although she enjoyed the funk and of course the fireworks. Cities was my IT moment and I knew that I would be seeing this band til they hung it up. Looking back now, that Harpua moment was the coolest, too bad I had no clue what was going on at the time. Did this entire weekend sober although a guy in the crowd shared some fungus with me but I didn't notice it at all.


08/16/1997 (Sat) The Great Went - Loring Air Force Base - Limestone, ME
Set 1: Makisupa Policeman > Harpua*, Chalk Dust Torture, Theme From the Bottom, Punch You in the Eye, Ghost, Ginseng Sullivan, You Enjoy Myself, Train Song, Character Zero, The Squirming Coil
Set 2: Wolfman's Brother > Simple** > My Soul, Slave to the Traffic Light***, Rocky Top, Julius
Set 3: Halley's Comet > Cities > Llama > Lawn Boy, Limb By Limb, Funky Bitch##
E: Contact, Loving Cup
Comments: * - Started with the theme and Jimmy story, picking up where the song stopped last year at the Clifford Ball.
** - Theme from the 'Odd Couple' tease.
*** - Included instrumental intro.
## - Major fireworks display behind the stage as Funky Bitch ends.  We made our way to the back of the venue to watch the fireworks.

Shit was sooooo awesome. This was when I discovered putting up your tent while dosed to the gills sucks ass.

Then, a year later, we had day 2 of Lemonwheel............

08/16/98 (Sun)  Loring Air Force Base - Limestone, ME
Set 1: Ginseng Sullivan, Bathtub Gin, Rift, Punch You In The Eye, Lawn Boy, Ya Mar, AC/DC Bag, Relax, Birds of a Feather, Guyute, Possum

Set 2: Down With Disease > Piper, Story of the Ghost, Fluffhead, When the Circus Comes, Wading in a Velvet Sea, Hold Your Head Up > Sexual Healing > Hold Your Head Up, Run Like an Antelope

Set 3: Sabotage, Also Sprach Zarathustra, Wilson, The Mango Song, Character Zero, Bittersweet Motel, While My Guitar Gently Weeps, E: Harry Hood, The Baby Elephant Walk

[khalpin]

This was when I discovered putting up your tent while dosed to the gills sucks ass.

In the rain too.  That first night sucked.  Ended up sleeping in the minivan that we rented for the rest of the weekend.

[Buffalo Budd]

This was when I discovered putting up your tent while dosed to the gills sucks ass.

In the rain too.  That first night sucked.  Ended up sleeping in the minivan that we rented for the rest of the weekend.

Woke up in a puddle and spent the next afternoon at the laundromat.
It was cool though since we got to meet a bunch of heads there and hear their stories from tour.

[sunrisevt]

38 years ago this morning, I saw my little sister born.

meh

Now that's a bust out!

Here's hoping it was a smooth transition...

:hereitisyousentimentalbastard

[mehead]

This was when I discovered putting up your tent while dosed to the gills sucks ass.

In the rain too.  That first night sucked.  Ended up sleeping in the minivan that we rented for the rest of the weekend.

Oh yeah. Half of our crew was in a huge army tent. Got totally flooded out that first night.

[mattstick]

Clifford Ball was my 2nd and 3rd shows.  The daytime/afternoon set on the 17th is still one of my favourite Phish experiences...

[mbw]

Took my then GF, now wife on our first adventure/roadtrip to this. She saw all the naked people walking around on the 2nd day and decided she might as well go topless. I was in love at that point  :mrgreen:

Rule #1

[Buffalo Budd]

Took my then GF, now wife on our first adventure/roadtrip to this. She saw all the naked people walking around on the 2nd day and decided she might as well go topless. I was in love at that point  :mrgreen:

Rule #1

I'll go through all the old pics from that weekend but she wouldn't have let me snap one. Back in those days, we printed our pics at a photolab. You can't be having strangers going through that stuff.

[rowjimmy]

This was when I discovered putting up your tent while dosed to the gills sucks ass.

In the rain too.  That first night sucked.  Ended up sleeping in the minivan that we rented for the rest of the weekend.

Oh yeah. Half of our crew was in a huge army tent. Got totally flooded out that first night.

Our tent got flooded. Reached out of the tent and popped open the hatch on the minivan during the downpour and moved our not-yet soaked sleeping bags into the van. Slept there that night.
Tent dried out all right the next day, though.


Went and Lemonwheel were/are among the greatest weekends of my life.

[PIE-GUY]

I never made it up to Loring for any of the events up there. I didn't have a good time at Clifford Ball and didn't hit another Phish fest until Big Cypress.

[birdman]

I never made it up to Loring for any of the events up there. I didn't have a good time at Clifford Ball and didn't hit another Phish fest until Big Cypress.

Phish is better with money

[PIE-GUY]

I never made it up to Loring for any of the events up there. I didn't have a good time at Clifford Ball and didn't hit another Phish fest until Big Cypress.

Phish is better with money

zactly - something about spending ten of my last fourteen dollars on bunk acid rubbed me wrong.

[mehead]

This was when I discovered putting up your tent while dosed to the gills sucks ass.

In the rain too.  That first night sucked.  Ended up sleeping in the minivan that we rented for the rest of the weekend.

Oh yeah. Half of our crew was in a huge army tent. Got totally flooded out that first night.

Our tent got flooded. Reached out of the tent and popped open the hatch on the minivan during the downpour and moved our not-yet soaked sleeping bags into the van. Slept there that night.
Tent dried out all right the next day, though.


Went and Lemonwheel were/are among the greatest weekends of my life.

2nd'd

[Nedstruzz]

Clifford Ball/Went/Lemonwheel were special times for sure.  Funny how we never know it when its happening but in hindsight its so clear. 

I think 20 years from now we will all be thinking about how the Bakers Dozen was as epic as these shows.  Makes me sad for the future actually.