I'm taking a study break, and I desperately need your help. No, not really. I don't really need your help, not in a mouth to mouth, stimulus package kinda way. I just have a bit of a decision of which I think I know the proper choice, but I'd like to put it out in front of my eyes and get some input from the two of you that read this.
It boils down to this: Phish is playing a festival ("Festival 8") in Indio, California, a scant 3 hour and forty-five minute drive from my house. It's over the weekend of October 30th-November 1, which means that includes a Halloween Show, a musical costume, a little schtick they've done four times before where in the middle of the show they cover another band's seminal album in its entirety. Past choices have been The Beatles' White Album, Velvet Underground's Loaded, The Who's Quadrophenia, and Talking Heads' Remain in Light (and in a surprise move on Nov. 2, 1998, they played Pink Floyd's Dark Side of the Moon). All Phish shows are to some extent unique, but this is both a festival, which tends to bring out some of the best of them, AND a Halloween Show, which is guaranteed to be special. I mean, it's not 1994 anymore, but this is a pretty sweet PHISH EVENT, and it's happening (effectively) in my backyard.
So what's the problem? Well, your lovin' give me a thrill, but it don't pay for no Festival 8 ticket. It's $200 (!!) plus taxes plus handling fees and whatever else, plus parking fees, plus driving to Indio, plus hotels, plus festival food prices, etc. I don't want to even line-item approximate what the total bill would run, but 400-500 dollars isn't out of the question. That's a ton of cash for a relatively frivolous venture (insert "in these trying economic times"), I'm not exactly raking in dough with my philo-lifestyle, and I'm already spending some money this weekend to go to Colorado Cup in Boulder. Phish may be fun, but not working until I'm 147 years old may be funner.
BUT, some of the Tuftsmen are making the trip. So this would be a sweet chance to not just see historic Phish, but also to hang out with the likes of Zach, Ian, Josh, maybe Elliot. Plus we could share hotel rooms / driving costs and such, so maybe that would defray a little bit of the cost.
BUT, it's a Phish festival. Indio is just off of I-10, which makes this venue a little more accessible than past venues which have had a tendency to be in the middle of nowhere and as a result of two lane country roads, featured many-hour traffic jams. There's no real telling how bad it will be, but that four hour drive could conceivably turn in to a sixteen hour one, both on the way in and the way out. Plus, the whole hectic experience of a Phish concert can be very trying on the nerves. I can only imagine that a festival would be magnified greatly in that respect, and I've often found myself at concerts just looking forward to hearing the recording of the show at which I'm sitting. I can maybe foresee myself feeling trapped in Indio once there in a sea of annoying festivalness.
BUT, this is easily my favorite band, and I haven't seen them in five years (well, no one had before March, but still). I don't really go to concerts very often (at all), and it might be good to get away from the school scene toward the end of October, just for a break. And it would certainly be an over-the-top memory / fun times, and you would get some pretty serious blogging out of it.
I've been to seven Phish shows in my life (9.25.99, 7.06.00, 7.14.00, 7.15.00, 2.26.03, 8.10.04, 8.11.04) plus one Trey show (6.14.02), and they've all been a ton of fun / musically incredible (though I fully admit my feelings of "ugh, crowds" and "I can't wait to get home to hear the recording of this live experience"). I've got a lot of live show recordings, too; in short, there's always something a little absurd about going to see them one more time. But this would be pretty huge...
My answer right now, though, is no. I just don't think I can pay that much at this juncture, as much fun as it would be. I think that's the smart, self-denying move. It's not like this festival is going to religiously change my life; I've pretty much got the Phish experience embedded in my soul already. So, sadly, no go. But here's your opportunity to convince me I'm wrong or applaud my fiscally conservative/afraid of traffic tendencies. Keep in mind that irrespective of my decision, I'll be dropping money on the recordings of the Halloween show.
COMMENT AWAY!!!!
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