Well it was fun.
The locals were all really nice, you know like
curious and interested and happy at the business in the stores.
It looked
like the Phish organization had prepared them fully,
lots of special signs
with "Welcome Phish phollowers" and Welcome Phisheads etc.
The place was hugomoungous, very similar layout to the Clifford Ball
last year (I guess a military airstrip is sort of like a strip mall).
More
campsites then last year which was nice.
Pat and I set up our tents, were
were about a mile walk to the main gate of the show.
Matt and Andy (both of
whom were in Vegas last Dec.) slept in the car,
luckily we were close to an
aisle so it was easy to find.
My plane got into Boston by 1:30AM, we left from the Airport and went
straight up.
We missed the turn for Presque Isle where Parissa and Joe and
Alex and Lori were.
We got to the place at around 10:00, Pat hopped out to
buy his ticket, then we parked.
It was overcast on Saturday, threatening to rain. When the show started
the clouds parted for a while.
Very big place, two video screens and three pairs of speaker stacks so
that sound was all the way back.
Lots of fun stuff to do inside, bouncer
thingys, little village to explore, and stuff.
Not enough porta potties, and I held onto a roll of TP for dear life,
but all was well.
Three full sets of music, I would have sworn I had no
energy left after the second set
but come third set the music brought it out
of me.
Andy and Matt were together for all the sets, but Pat and I and
them pretty much went our own ways to our own spots during the music.
We
met back up at night at the car. Quick rain storm then it passed.
I didn'nt go to the Disco on Sat. night but I guess the band showed for
a little while.
Fireworks during third set on Sat. Throwy glow stuff on
Sunday, an odd couple jam, burning creation to top it off on Sunday.
Sunday was pretty weather, got my face sunburnt. I stood with Andy and
Matt on Sunday first set then went our own ways.
I never did see Parissa
and Joe but I guess that Matt ran into Parissa and Alex on sep. occassions.
We stayed until about 3:00 in the parking lot and then drove down to
Boston so that I wouldn't miss my flight.
I decided I don't like East Coast
city driving
( a left onto a one way street in downtown Boston, along with
no lanes, lots of horns and jaywalking freaked me a bit).
Nice time overall, the music was, well you know great.
Marie
Later,
Alex
I just got back onto e-mail today so I haven't been able to relay show
news.
But to tell you the truth, I'm still getting over being stunned,
overwhelmed, bowled over, etc., etc., etc.
and haven't been able to write
anything without getting goose bumps.
The shows were INCREDIBLE!!! And the scene was very intense.
The number of
people was very overwhelming but surprisingly,
there was a good vibe
throughout the whole two days.
Because the air force base was located in
such a remote area of Maine,
the surrounding towns welcomed us with open
arms.
There was absolutely no tension whatsoever between towns folk and
phans.
No riots, deaths, fights with police...nothing.
For a crowd of
75,000 people, it was really amazing.
The shows itself were outstanding.
It seemed like Phish wanted to reward
people for making the hike all the way up there --
and boy was it a hike.
Interestingly, on the bus from Boston to Bangor,
I sat next to two guys who
had traveled all the way from Belgium to see the show.
Now that's
impressive! Anyway, back to the shows...
the first set on the first day was
1.5 hours long.
That's just to give you an idea of how much music we
inhaled that weekend.
But the jamming was an entirely different
story...
they got into some grooves that were just endless --
I have to say
that they played the best I've ever seen them play at times.
My favorite
set was the second set of the second night --
Down with Disease, the best
Bath Tub Gin I've ever heard (both on tape and live),
Uncle Penn and the
best 2001 I've ever heard (on tape and live),
then a ripping Harry Hood to
close it. Wow!!!
The 2001 was long, long, long and quite funky.
But all the
sets were like that.
Side attractions included an awesome aerial show,
the Bangor Symphony
Orchestra playing between sets, trampolines,
a human sized maze of corn and
lots of crazy and fun phreaks running around.
The set breaks were long
enough to enjoy all the sights and sounds.
My only complaint for the whole weekend was the porto potty situation.
For
75,000 people, there were 500 stalls. And no one came to clean them out.
DISGUSTING. I've never seen anything so gross.
Going to the bathroom was an
experience unto itself. Toilet paper became a valuable commodity.
Although
we had set up tents, we opted for the hotel
simply for the blessing of a
nice shower.
They broadcast the show on the local radio station.
Joe managed to sneak in
his box so he could tape the show during the show off the radio --
so he
has both shows all on tape,
except for a ripping YEM jam when things got a
bit confusing there.
We now know why tapers are so uptight.
Anyway, you
will get to hear for yourselves how great the music was
(tapes will be
coming your way soon).
Even after listening to the tapes in my sober state,
I can honestly say that it's some of the best I've seen.
I highly recommend the experience -- it's well worth the time traveling and
the expense.
I hope they do this again next year.
Until then, we'll have
Vegas to enjoy.
~Parisa
Boy was the Great Went fun.
By the way, do you
know where the title "Great Went" comes from?
Picture an airstrip. Picture another one parallel
to the first, and another.
Say, 3 miles long?
Put a stage at one end,
with a huge wood rectangle
about 1/2 - 3/4 mile long by about 1/4 - 1/3 mile
wide around it.
Put alot of portapotties along the
sides, put in a little cornfield,
a bunch of little
castles, some with soap bubble machines in them,
some
covered in mirrors, some like swiss cheese, add a
few mini observation towers,
a whole lot of little
green fabric cones (4 foot?) with lights at the bases,
4 or 5 bouncy floor inflatable thingies, can't
forget the port-a-pottie plaza
with the tub in the
middle, beer tents, blah blah blah.
Thats the stuff in the wood rectangle. Then, you leave the
rectangle,
and for the 2 miles up the airstrips you put
cars.
Between the strips, you put tents. So all in all,
there is at least 2 miles long
by aboout 3/4 mile wide of
people camping. 80,000 people.
Biggest city in Maine (and
as Trey said, "We're a lot cooler than Portland, too.")
I bet I walked at least 20 miles.
Our tents were near the
end (opposite of stage) of the runway.
6 sets of Phish. All good. Highlights?
Maze Wedge Cities
Loving Cup Theme from the Bottom
Harpua Bouncin Scent of
a Mule Much more It was all good.
During the weekend, they were constructing a large (60 foot?)
tower of wood.
Doing this during the super gusty winds of
day 1.
Anyway, around the wood box, there was pieces of plywoo
d
that you could paint on if you wanted (Flatbread free art).
They took alot of these and put them on the tower,
and then
PAge and Trey both did some on stage,
and then they passed
the bands piece over to the tower,
through the audience. That's
right, a roughly 4' x 8' sheet of plywood
being passed through
a crowd of 80,000.
Try that at a Rolling Stones, or even a Dead
concert.
They "hoist"ed theirs up, and so it sat, illuminated.
This was 2md set of day 2. Then at the end of set 3, they (we)
torched it. Very cathartic.
Met good people there. People from Morgantown WV and Fredricton,
New Brunswick are the ones that stick out in my mind.
Was definitely in my own movie. Did not really hang with Marie
or her friends Matt and Andy that much,
but I am pretty sure
they understand where my head was.
All in all wow. Get the tapes.
More later,
~Pat
PS "Great Went" comes from "Fire: Walk With Me".
A line from
Jacques Renault at the Roadhouse.
PS Those going have fun at High Sierra - I will be at Burning Man.
