a very PHISHIN' new year!

When Phish is in town Kevin and I will be there.  Phish's New Years runs are always pretty amazing.  This year Phish decided not to do a fall tour so it was clear that we would be in for some pretty epic New Years shows. 

We went 4 nights in a row.  It was the absolutely incredible but so exhausting.  Kevin and I have decided we are getting too old to hang like we used to... sad but true.

Phish always does something amazing on New Years Eve.  Last year a ton of Broadway dancers danced to the song Meatstick on stage while Phish soared over the crowd in their hotdog from the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame (this must sound so weird to someone who doesn't know Phish, haha). 

(pic from last year)

This year a dozen people on the floor got hoisted up in the air and danced around.

These 4 shows brought my show count is now up to 25!  Can't wait for the next one!!!

Superball IX

"We've got the biggest balls of them all." -Phish

Phew I know this is super late, like a month late but oh well life has been crazy over here okay.  This past July 4th weekend was definitely one of my top 5 weekends ever!  It was the first Phish festival I have ever been to.  I have been to music festivals before but never to a festival where only one band played.  It was awesome!!!  

Shippy picked up Kevin and I on Thursday evening, we loaded up his parent's Cadillac and hit the road for Watkins Glen, NY.  We made a stop at Walmart in Binghamton, NY to stock up on food, water, ice, beer - ya know the essentials.  We were anticipating crazy traffic trying to get into the festival because 60,000 people were expected to show up.  Lucky for us we didn't have to wait at all, they barely searched our car.  We drove through and started to set up our camp site amongst all the other people arriving.  Our neighbors just so happened to live in Saratoga Springs and one of them was from St. Louis, small world!  By the time we had our camp site set up and were relaxing/chatting over a couple of beers the sun was starting to come up.  So we did the responsible thing and just decided to stay up for the rest of the night, I mean you can't sleep in a tent once the sun comes up anyway. 

We spent our days lounging in our camp site hanging out with our neighbors, my brother Merrick and my cousin Will and wandering the festival grounds.  It was hot hot hot out but it felt so good to spend the whole day outside in the sun.  All together Phish played 8 sets over three days: 2 Friday night, 1 Saturday afternoon, 2 Saturday night, 1 at 2am on Sunday morning and 2 Sunday night.  By the end of the weekend I had seen my 21st show!!! 

It truly was one of the best weekends I have ever had.  Getting to spend that time with Merrick and Will was absolutely the best, I truly have been blessed with the best family in the whole world!  It makes me so happy that Kevin and I both share this love for Phish, we make the best team and I love him more than anything.  I cannot wait to marry him!  And Shippy, oh man Kevin and I love him, we have the best time together!  I am so lucky to be surrounded with the best friends and family anyone could ask for!!!

*I took all the photos from our awesome neighbor Ralph A. Dee*

Phish at Bethel Woods was EPIC!

This Memorial Day weekend Kevin and I headed to Bethel, NY for 3 nights of Phish at Bethel Woods (the site of the original Woodstock).

We stayed at the most hilarious "country club" I have ever seen - Kutchers Country Club.  It was seriously straight out of the Shining.  I am pretty sure the place has not been touched/updated since maybe the 70s.  It smelled moldy and everything seemed a little damp - kinda gross I know.  They even have a "night club" called The Deep End where they have disco parties after midnight... hilarious.  We will definitely stay there again if Phish decides to play at Bethel Woods in the future!

The first night we met up with Merrick (my little brother for those of you that don't know him).  We headed into the venue with the massive crowd of people and picked a spot on the top right.  Bethel Woods is an incredible venue, almost like a SPAC on steroids.  

 (so many people!)

 It was such an amazing opening night and it makes me soooo happy that Merrick got to be there too (I love him so very much!)!!!

The second night we got to meet up with Ciccone and Kristen (YAY!!!!!!!)... oh man I love raging with these two.  

 Hightlight of the second night was definitely, without a doubt the Harry Hood and David Bowie they played in the second set.  They were only one song apart.  I about died.  My two favorite Phish songs of all time, in the same set, only one song apart... someone pinch me! 

On the third night we were joined my Merrick again and our two cousins Will and Will... bloodcouch!  I love seeing shows with my family, it is the best:)  We even did a little synchronized dancing, yay!  

 Third night highlight was the whole second set, it was out of control.  Phew every single song was amazing, love love loved it all.  Thank you Phish for giving us such a great three night run!!!

I know some people don't understand why we go see the same band so many times, but I absolutely love that Kevin and I get to do this together.  We love Phish so much and sharing that passion is the best.  We are really looking forward to our first Phish festival, Super Ball IX, on 4th of July weekend.  We will be joined by Shippy, YAY!!!  I will hit my 20th show in the middle of the festival, I can't wait for many many more shows to come!!! 

a little new year's run with Phish

Kevin and I rang in the new year with a Phish's 3 night New Year's Run.  It was AMAZING!  We returned from a great week in Montana and went straight to the first show, well not before we dropped our bags off at home.  Each night we started at Foley's, a bar on 33 St b/w 5 and 6 avenues.  Our friend Mike, we know him from Genesis, is the manager there.  The whole routine felt so silly by the third night, total deja vu.  

The first night was incredible.  We didn't think it could get any better but trust me it did:)  Some highlights include (ummm everything, haha) Citites, Halley's Comet, Maze, Golgi Apparatus, Theme From The Bottom and Tweezer + Tweezer Reprise.

 The second night was New Years and boy what a show it was, eep I still get giddy just thinking about it.  Highlights were... the incredible Meatstick to ring in the New Year!!!  They brought 50 Broadway dancers, dressed in clothing from around the world, to do the meatstick dance on stage.  With all the people on stage I didn't even realize that Phish had left stage until there was a huge cloud of smoke just below us to the left and Phish came riding out above the crowd in a giant hotdog while red "meatstick" balloons rained from the ceiling... ummmm AMAZING.  They borrowed the hotdog from the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame for the show.

Other highlights were teasing Auld Land Syne during Ocelot (first set), First Tube encore, Ghost, Weigh, Piper, Free, Slave to the Traffic Light... I could list every song from the show haha.

The third night I couldn't believe we were actually going to a Phish concert again.  This night felt more mellow probably because we were pretty tired.  Phish certainly didn't go easy on the last night.  They played so many amazing songs!  Highlights include Tube, Divided Sky, Reba, Crosseyed and Painless, Makisupa Policeman, David Bowie and the Fee and Frankenstein encore.  

I am so bummed that it is over and cannot wait for Phish to announce their next tour.  We will be there!

good old phamily phun!

On Saturday (6/19) morning Kevin, Alex, Max and I loaded up our rented Chevy Traverse and hit the road for SARATOGA!!!  I have to say that Saratoga Springs, NY might be one of the greatest places I have ever been/lived.  Since graduating from Skidmore in 2007 I haven't been back nearly as much as I would like and I am hoping that will change over the next few years.  We got to stay in Northwoods (the new on-campus apartments that we lived in our senior year) and even had to get our own keycards made, hahaha.

Kevin and I absolutely LOVE Phish.  It is so much fun to love Phish the way Kevin does and be able to share the same excitement at every show we see together.  Last year we saw 7 shows together, it was amazing.  The two we the weekend before last brought me to 11 shows total and Kevin to 14 shows total.  We rode over to each show in a trolley, isn't she a beaut!

 Both the shows were AWESOME!!!

It was such an amazing weekend and I am so happy that I got to spend my birthday weekend with my phamily and phriends!!!  Thank you to everyone who made my birthday weekend so special.

Can't get enough good old phamily phun!