[Editor’s note: He’s back, the Art Bell of Jambands.com with part 2 of the X-Philes. As with last month we encourage you to heed the words of Robert Hunter, "Believe it if you need it, if you don't just pass it on…"]

Greetings once again curious Phish phans and Jamband.com readers, and welcome to part two of “The X-Philes”. Last month we examined the origin of my theory on the Phish-UFO-Mayan connection, based on the circumstances surrounding the Great Went, and we went up through the summer ’98 Gorge shows. I have received a good deal of phan feedback, and it seems about a 13 to 1 ratio favoring folks who find the X-Philes quite intriguing versus those who think your friendly, neighborhood Stardog is a couple cans short of a sixpack. Please keep the feedback coming, as I am always interested in hearing about other phans’ cosmic experiences. This month we’ll continue along through 1998 X-Philes, from Ventura to Worcester.

July 20, 1998 @ Ventura – "Tonight We Meet Trey"
The Shoreline show on July 19th was a fun one, although couldn't come close to matching the magic that took place at that venue in '97 or '99. The July 20th show at the Ventura County Fairgrounds was another matter. My friend Captain Morgan started the day off by predicting that we would all get into the aftershow party and that "tonight we meet Trey."

With the venue being directly adjacent to the beach, we made it a point to arrive early and enjoy a nice cookout. Then I was walking around the lot passing out my newsletters when who should appear but Mike Gordon, driving around the lot in his golf-cart as he is known to do. I went right up to him and asked if he'd read the X-Philes newsletter I gave him at the Gorge. He wasn't sure so I gave him another one and asked him to please deliver it to Trey because I thought Trey knew who I was – I walked beside Mike as he slowly drove along and explained the sequence of events that had led to my "Wolfman's Brother" prophecy. I'm really not sure what he thought of all that, but felt obligated to attempt to explain. I must also make note of the fact that I was wearing my "Bathtub Gin" t-shirt, because…

That evening's show opened with a huge "Bathtub Gin", with a superphat funk jam that let everyone know the band was "on". Indeed, the whole show smoked and remains a fave to this day. The "Drowned" 2nd set opener was a gem, and getting my first opportunity to experience a "Harry Hood" glowstick combustion from the epicenter is something I'll never forget. The "Sexual Healing>Halley's Comet" double encore was quite the crowd pleaser as well.

So then it was off to see about this aftershow business. And sure enough, Captain Morgan found the Phish employee that he had befriended at the Gorge, and said employee waved about 6 of us in, even though we had no official "Dr.Zaius" pass… Captain Morgan was clearly what we call "surrendered to the flow". The Ventura aftershow party was much bigger than the one at the Gorge, and there were a lot of people in there. I was hanging around when one of my friends excitedly came to grab me and take me over to where Trey was holding court to a group of about 20 or so phans. I was/am a big Deadhead, but had never even come close to meeting Jerry. And now here I was up close and personal with Trey. It was a rather exciting moment. I should note that I was totally free of third-eye enhancement that evening. Despite that, I felt like I had ingested some psychedelia – the buzz off the great show and now being in Trey's presence for the first time was most surreal.

I don't mean to deify the man or place any kind of messianic complex on him. But all phans know that Trey just has this special sort of glow. Some even see him as a Jedi Knight, which seems an appropriate analogy. Whether he really has any extra telepathic powers or is just a person whose musical genius allows him to tune into the cosmos more efficiently than normal people, Trey seems to have special abilities that make it easier for him to "surrender to the flow". In that way, he is sort of a Jedi Master for those who follow his music, because we can learn from him and thereby increase our own ability to "surrender to the flow". Your friendly, neighborhood Stardog is also a guitarist, and my playing has improved immensely since I got into Phish.

[When I first started listening to the band, I had basically put guitar on the backburner, deciding that since I would never be as good as Jimmy Page or Jerry Garcia, why bother? (This was one of the dumbest decisions of my life, as it set back my musical development by several years.) But then I noticed something strange going on between the summer and fall tours of 1997. Despite the fact that I was not practicing much or learning new stuff, I found myself becoming a better guitarist by OSMOSIS – because of all the Phish shows I was seeing, and then listening to the tapes repeatedly. It makes sense that it would start to seep in, and it really has. Trey is a student of rock history who has surveyed all the masters. So just by listening to Trey, an aspiring guitarist is actually able to study most of the greats of years gone by as well. At any rate, my playing has become much more fluid and confident, and my overall musicianship has grown leaps and bounds in the past few years. So Trey has had a profound effect on me.]

It really did seem like he was radiating this angelic light, and everyone just wanted to bask in it for a little bit. A number of musical topics were discussed, including Trey mentioning how they had just found out that they got MSG for 4 nights for New Year's. Someone else asked where did the title of "Roggae" come from and Trey answered, "reggae… rogaine… roggae." (More on "Roggae" at the end of this page.) I waited until there was a pause and then asked Trey if I could ask him a question about the Great Went. He said sure, and so I said, "ok, tell me that you know about the documented UFO incident at the Loring Air Force Base". He said that he did, and that in fact he had "reams of information" about "the Loring UFOs". I then asked if the dates had been consciously set up to align with the 10-year anniversary of the Mayan Harmonic Convergence and he quickly answered, "oh yeah, yeah". One friend thought Trey was humoring me, but I and others felt his tone was totally sincere. I attempted to probe the nature of the "Wolfman's Brother" situation in Portland by asking him if he'd heard of the Phunky Bitches. He responded no, and that he was not a computer person. (although it is known that some in the Phish organization are.)

Those were the only questions I was able to get in there, but it felt pretty good to receive some acknowledgement. I did wind up kicking myself for having given the last newsletter on me to a kid after the show, leaving me without one to give to Trey. But I had delivered them to Mike Gordon and Chris Kuroda so I thought this run of shows was turning out to be pretty triumphant. And musically speaking, the best was still to come.

7/21/98 @ Desert Sky The Cosmic Barnburner

My friends and I weren't even sure if we were going to this show at the beginning of the week, and in fact my PB pals did not attend. But after the greatness of the Ventura show, there was no way my traveling pals and I were passing this one up.The musical quality of this show has been well documented, and some phans cite it as the best Phish show they've ever seen. I find it difficult to pinpoint any one show for that honor, although this one certainly is one of the greatest of all-time. The band was just smoking from start to finish. Of particular note are the epic and sizzling versions of "AC/DC Bag", "Fluffhead", "Tube", "Cavern", "Antelope", "Mike's>Simple>Bittersweet>Groove", "Funky Bitch" and my vote for the greatest "Ghost" ever, which featured a monumental jam that segued into an 11-year bust-out of “She Caught the Katy”.

I had an epic mystical experience at this incredible show, and while some of it does relate to the X-Philes, much is of a more tangential, personal nature. One of the universal revelations I had was that angels and demons are real beings, and that they can incarnate as humans on Earth, and that that's part of what's going on behind the scenes in planet Earth's struggle for true freedom. (Sort of like as depicted in the Al Pacino/Keanu Reeves flick, "The Devil's Advocate" or the episode of Chris Carter's "Millennium", written by the brilliant Darrin Morgan, in which a foursome of demons disguised as humans sit around a table at a diner discussing the ways they get people to damn their own souls.) These thoughts occurred to me during “Cavern”. Those interested in the rest of my experience that night can email me for an expanded review of this most cosmic evening.

Return to Loring Air Force Base – The Lemonwheel – August 15-16, 1998

I wasn't able to do the cross-country tour again like in 97, but there was no way I was missing any of the cosmic fireworks at the good ol' Loring Air Force Base. I didn't turn up anything quite as significant as what went down at The Great Went, but there were several cosmic moments of note. Of course, the festival was once again marking the anniversary of the Mayan Harmonic Convergence. By holding their summer tour-ending festival on the Harmonic Convergence anniversary dates for the third straight year, I feel the band was continuing a subtle effort to tune the Phish Nation into the message of the Mayan calendar – that message being the momentous transformation opportunity that approaches in 2012.

The Lemonwheel was also the first great convergence for the burgeoning Phish internet group known as the Phunky Bitches, who had their own little section set-up at the campground. There were many PBs who were looking forward to finally meeting me (and vice versa), after having listened to me tout the Phish-UFO-Mayan connection all year. The Lemonwheel was sort of where I became "Stardog", because even though most of them knew my real name, whenever I would meet a new PB, they would always greet me with "Stardog!" (since it was my email name.) I met a slew of PBs that weekend and it was great fun hanging out with em during the second day's show.

Cosmic things were afoot at the Lemonwheel even before the first day's show. Everyone was abuzz about the band having played the Grateful Dead's "Terrapin Station" a week before and there was a lot of activity going on in the lots the night of the 14th. My friend Bekah and I, and a 100 or so others, were watching Deep Banana Blackout play that night. DBB was funking it up pretty good, and it was really cool to be in an environment where a band could just set up their gear, start jamming, and draw a crowd.

So we're chilling towards the back of the crowd when I notice a strange blue light in the sky. It was a pinpoint of light, like a star, except that it was a sapphire blue color. I pointed it out to Bekah, who initially didn't think much of it – she was grooving to the tunes. A few minutes later, I notice that the blue light has re-located to the other side of a bright star. Okay I thought, then it surely is some type of craft. I point this out again to Bekah, who is still not that interested, and then the blue light starts moving toward the bright star. I say to Bekah, "ok, if that is a normal craft, it will appear to pass right over that star, because its headed right for it." She agrees. But as the blue light approaches the star, it starts moving in an arc, around the star, and then stops and hovers next to it!

"That is an extraterrestrial craft," I said. At that point, Bekah was inclined to agree. I lamented the fact that the entire crowd could see it if they would just look up, but they were all too entranced by the music to notice. What can ya do?

For the most part, the Lemonwheel simply recreated the Great Went's cosmic vibe, and it was a real treat to get to go back to Loring and do it all over again. The band did provide an extra treat when they delivered an ambient 4th set on night one… a set that fulfilled their summer tour posters' cryptic message, which said that the band would play in a "temple of fire". Indeed, they had a candle making tent and used those candles to light up the stage for the 4th set of ambient jams. Perhaps the band hoped to have a better chance of spotting UFOs in the sky without the stage lights on. Ultra cool…

The second day was just a smoking Phish show, with a particularly excellent third set. Another cool cosmic thing I picked up on was that due to the northern latitude, Sirius, Orion, & the Pleiades all became visible at night. These are constellations which normally cannot be seen in the USA during the summer… which is just another factor in what makes the Loring AFB such a cosmic hotspot. I didn't see any UFOs while Phish was playing at the Lemonwheel, but I'd bet others did. I already knew our hipper ET visitors were there anyway. Still, the UFO I saw in the lot the night of the 14th was quite intriguing. And more cosmic synchronicity was on the way in the fall.

Roggae = Made-to-Order X-Phile Material

Before moving on to the Phall '98 X-Philes, I must make note of the cosmic lyrics of "Roggae". The lyrics do most of the talking for themselves:

ROGGAE

the circus is the place for me with bears and clowns and noise
I love the shiny music that descends from overhead
Gordan knew the moment when the stars all turned around
but from that vantage point I frowned

if life were easy and not so fast
I wouldn't think about the past
I can't forget to turn the earth so both sides get their share
of darkness and of light

so now I wander over grounds of light and heat and sound and mist
provoking dreams that don't exist
a circus of light where dreams can take flight
in the peacefulness dreaming dreams bring

The lyrics clearly seem to hint at the musical circus that is a Phish show. What I find of particular cosmic interest is the third and fourth lines. Page sings, "Gordon knew the moment when the stars all turned around", and then Mike responds, "but from that vantage point I frowned." Which leads me to wonder – what did Mike know when the stars all turned around? This seemingly points to the mystical experience that Mike had at an early gig in 1985, which he mentions in The Phish Book. (And if not that one, it still clearly seems to reference a mystical experience of Mr. Gordon's.) The big question is what did Mike grok, and why did it make him frown? Something cosmic and mysterious is being alluded to here. Woe is me for getting another chance to speak with Mike at the 9/19/99 Irvine aftershow and not thinking to ask him, "Mike, what did you realize when the stars all turned around and why did it make you frown?" Next time our paths cross, that will be my question!

Hollywood X-Phile : “Deep Impact”

And finally, before moving on to the Phall '98 X-Philes material, I must make note of some strange Phishy synchronicities that popped up in the May 1998 Hollywood blockbuster, "Deep Impact", a film about a comet having a cataclysmic collision with Earth. The first thing to know about this film is that it was executive produced by Steven Spielberg. Spielberg's 1978 film, "Close Encounters of the Third Kind", has long been rumored to have been based on a real UFO incident, from files fed to the filmmaker by then-President Jimmy Carter as his way of keeping a campaign promise to get UFO information out to the public. Spielberg was also the executive producer of 1997's "Men in Black", which I feel was also filtering down some deep cosmic truths in the camouflaged guise of a wacky, summertime blockbuster – basically getting at the cosmic reality that we are not alone in the universe and that we are going to learn this soon. So I feel the evidence is there to suggest that Mr.Spielberg is tuned in to some cosmic info that the rest of us are not privy to.

Now when I speak of the strange, Phishy synchronicities regarding "Deep Impact", I am talking about things that happen in the film:

#1 – the spaceship that the US government sends out to try and destroy the comet is called "The Messiah". The captain of the ship, played by Robert Duvall, is named Spurgeon "Fish" Tanner… So The Messiah is captained by a man named Fish. Even if that were the only Phishy item in the story, I would still find it most intriguing. But there’s more.

#2 – the comet in the story is discovered by a kid with the last name of Biederman and an astronomer with the last name of Wolf. Hence, Comet Wolf-Biederman. Recognize anything Phishy there? Take out the Bieder and you've got "Wolfman".

#3 – In the story, the government creates underground bunkers designed to save one million people. It is specifically mentioned that these bunkers are dug in "limestone caves" in Missouri. Yes it's Missouri and not Maine, but the mention of "limestone" on top of those first two items seems Phishy.

#4 – On top of all that, the day that the comet hits Earth is August 16th – one of the Mayan Harmonic Convergence dates, and the one that is part of the Clifford Ball, the Great Went, and the Lemonwheel!

I know some people think I'm really reaching here, but Siriusly, I find it very difficult to view these items as a 4-way coincidence. I think Spielberg knows something about these cosmic Phishy matters, and I think he was dropping some clues about it in this flick. A flick whose purpose was to suggest that there may indeed be some serious cataclysms between now and 2012, but that whatever happens, it will NOT be the end of the world.

Phish at the Fillmore, October 15, 1998

As most phans know, this show was both one of the most anticipated and one of the most disparaged in Phishtory. The scarcity of tickets for the 1200 capacity historic venue had rumors of tickets going for as much as $1000. While the show had its moments, most in attendance were inclined to label it as a letdown overall. I was lucky enough to secure a spot as an usher that night. The musical highlight may well have been the opening “Ghost” which had quite an intensity, as if Trey sought to conjure the many ghosts of rock and roll history that so pleasantly haunt the Fillmore. The first set was well played, while the second set just seemed to lack energy for some reason. The only thing I could note on the night as Sirius X-Phile material was that the show had somehow fallen on the 10-year anniversary of my first Grateful Dead show!

Phishing on All Hallow's Eve in Las Vegas –
October 30-31, 1998
The fall tour started on October 29th at LA's Greek Theatre. Decent show with a great "Reba" and encore of the Beatles' "Something", but otherwise nothing to write home about. However, from the moment the band hit the stage at Vegas' Thomas & Mack Center the next night, there was an electrifying vibe and an outpouring of X-Philes related vibes. A "Wilson" opener always resonates to me, because of the instant connection with my theory about Gamehendge as parable for the modern world. When "Meat" led into "Scent of a Mule", a jolt of electricity shot through the crowd as Mike Gordon unleashed his tale of extraterrestrial visitors to Earth who deem a Southern home nicer than their UFO. The placement of the song so early in the show seemed quite apropos, considering the nearby proximity of the infamous Area 51.

The rest of the set was pure old-school Phish, with great versions of "Antelope", "Guelah", "Lizards", and "Cavern". It was also quite a treat when Trey announced that they'd been told it was the 15-year anniversary of the band's first gig, so they thought it would be fun to play the first song they ever played, "Long Cool Woman in a Black Dress". The vibes were nothing short of electrifying. Any set with "Wilson", "Lizards", and "Scent of a Mule" is clearly a "Stardog Special". Great stuff. The second set got off to a very cosmic start when Trey teased the opening notes of the original Star Trek theme before launching into "Stash". When "Stash" segued into "Manteca", the energy seemed to raise the roof. When "Manteca" segued perfectly into "Tweezer", the place went ballistic. And then when "Tweezer" segued into "NICU", the same. This was just a great old school Phish show, period. The band was primed and ready for the big event the next night. The suspense was intense – what album would the band don for their "musical costume"?

Halloween 1998 – The Velvet Underground's "Loaded" Alludes to a "New Age"

My friends and I convened at Quark's Bar at the Hilton for pre-show libations, Quark's being a replica of the Star Trek Deep Space 9 space station bar. With people walking around in full Klingon and Ferengi regalia, it was quite cosmic.

I find the pre-show excitement of Halloween shows to be right up there with NYE shows, nothing else quite like these special events. Like 1996 in Atlanta, phans received "Phishbills" announcing the costume. This year's would be the Velvet Underground's "Loaded" album. I was not too familiar with the album except for the classic "Sweet Jane". But I trust the boys, so I figured we were in for some pretty good music. In retrospect, that is quite an understatement. There were fantastic costumes all around, including one fellow dressed as South Park's "Chef", who was receiving much love from everyone. There were also many phans who appeared to be members of Star Trek's Starfleet Federation (including yours truly), which seemed most appropriate in light of the previous night's Star Trek tease.

The "Loaded" set was nothing short of one of the most phenomenal in band history – the album was a revelation to me, such a diverse collection of rock and roll gems. "Sweet Jane" got the crowd revved up, and then "Rock and Roll" brought the house down, featuring an extended DwD-ish jam. The set was becoming one of those transcendent moments that resonates through the ages. But the most mind-blowing moment of the set from the Sirius perspective was undoubtedly song number five, "New Age". By the time they had built to the crescendoing chorus, it was a borderline religious moment:

"Something's got a hold on me and I don't know what
Something's got a hold on me and I don't know what
It's the beginning of a new age…"

I could scarcely believe it- here I had been, for over a year at this point, working to raise awareness about the Phish-UFO-Mayan connection – information which I feel indicates humanity is approaching the onset of a new age of harmony in the post-2012 era… and that Phish are musical prophets of this new age… and now here they were singing about it verbatim!!! I was elated. I purchased the "Loaded" CD a couple days later and it has been a fave ever since. Once again, thank you Phish. The cosmic vibe was only increased once more when "Wolfman's Brother" appeared yet again in a key set-opening slot, opening set three and going into a very spacey section, with a scary Halloween-type dark jam, with much glowstick action. Very cool.

I didn't go to the next show in Salt Lake City unfortunately. I had gone to the show at the E Centre in 97, and while I had a good time, didn't deem it a venue I really needed to return to in 98. Like most of the Phish-Nation, I wound up kicking myself for that when the news broke of the band's trick or treat performance of Pink Floyd's "Dark Side of the Moon" before a half empty arena. I have no specific cosmic explanation for this stunning bust-out, yet feel that we will probably eventually learn of some truly cosmic evidence pertaining to it.

Hampton Comes Alive November 20-21

I was not originally scheduled to see these shows as I was supposed to be at the Ohio State-Michigan game. But when #1 ranked OSU was upset by Michigan State two weeks before, I decided The Game was tainted, and that it was a sign from God that I should go to Hampton instead boy was I glad I did! The shows were instantly acclaimed by all in attendance as some of the best they'd ever seen – maybe not the hugest jams, but such high-energy, party time Phish. The band concurred and released the two shows in their entirety as the "Hampton Comes Alive" box set – I felt incredibly blessed that the unexpected twist of fate took me there to share in the groove.

Many of my Phunky Bitch friends said they couldn't help but think of me the second night when the band opened with "Wilson>Big Black Furry Creatures From Mars"… and with those going into "LawnBoy" and "Divided Sky", it is one of my fave shows of all-time, a clear "Stardog Special"… It was my first trip to Hampton, so I was quite pleasantly surprised to discover the way all the hotels are lined up on that one row, and an arena that looks like a spaceship what a fun cosmic party vibe all the way around! I was thanking the cosmos all weekend. And Worcester still awaited.

November 27-29 – Strange Things Afoot in Worcester

The Worcester Centrum holds a special place in your friendly, neighborhood Stardog's heart, because it is where I had the "it" moment – the revelation that Phish was channeling the same cosmic vibes as the Grateful Dead, back at the historic 12/29/95 show during the "Bathtub Gin". I was also there in 97 for some very cosmic moments. Most people think of the 11/29/97 "Runaway Jim", which was great, but the 11/30/97 show was one of the most cosmic I've ever seen… particularly with the extended "Wolfman's Brother", the metal "Sanity" with lights out mayhem, the "Stash" that visited numerous extraterrestrial landscapes, and the stunningly kickass Band of Gypsies' "Them Changes" encore that saw Trey channeling Jimi to the max.

So I've had some peak moments there, and the Centrum was becoming something of a tradition. The first night was a fun show (and recently officially released by the band), with an especially rocking 2nd set, with all the "Wipe Out" segues, and the huge "Mike's Groove" and "Antelope." The third night also gets much acclaim, with the "Layla" and second set that featured a "Bathtub Gin" and a "YEM", and it was great too. But for me, the middle night was the most cosmic affair of the weekend.

My lodging for Friday night had fallen through at the last moment, but I was fortunately taken in by the CK5 crew and related PBs, a most fun and hospitable bunch. Sean Orzol and Heather "Heater" McLaughlin were giving me a ride back into Worcester on Saturday when Heather asked if I thought we could get a "Tube" tonight. I said, "I don't know, they did play it a week ago in Hampton". Then a short while later, we passed a building whose name was something like "the Massachusetts Biomedical Technology Research Center." I pointed it out and said, "there's your Tube right there, that's where they're doing the biomedical, tubular Down with Disease-type research".

That night's show opened with "Gumbo" and then "Down With Disease>Tube"! Something cosmic was in the air. A jamming "Foam" would not be seen again until 12/11/99. "Moma Dance" and "Split Open and Melt" were hot but the second set was where the Sirius cosmic connections would flow.

"Julius" opened, and then into "Wolfman's Brother" – ever since the 7/15/98 "Wolfman", the song has always brought an extra cosmic vibe into any show for me. That led into an intense "Timber Ho" that had a spacey jam that took me back to the 11/30/97 "Stash"… followed by a ripping "Loving Cup" that just rocked the house like nobody's business. And then one of the most epic versions of "Scent of a Mule" in Phishtory took the show to another level, especially when Mike went into a bass jam/solo with some extra-curricular cosmic activity. Fishman had been wearing a Viking helmet all tour, and now Mike donned one as well for the "Mule Dual". The crowd went wild and I could only imagine the ritual significance.

When the band got to the conclusion about our hipper ET visitors…

They walked into her cabin shack, they had never seen a southern home
And they liked it, better than their UFO
They liked it, they really liked it
They said, "Here's a place of elegance
Here we shower ourselves in lightness
Here's a place of elegance
Here we shower ourselves in lightness

the Centrum was launched into pure intergalactic Phishtasy! And like "Foam", this song would also disappear until 12/11/99 somewhat strange… A "Prince Caspian" with a huge solo by Trey followed, and then a smoking "Crossroads" that had me pondering some deep metaphysical concepts about the origins of rock music, and the role therein of angels and demons. The "Tweezer" that followed was quite a surprise coming that late in the set, but a most welcome one. It got really cosmic and is one of my all-time favorite "Tweezers" – it's not as hard-rocking as say the 10/30/98 Vegas version, but it had a very unique ambient, spacey section that I dubbed "the Mothership Jam", during which I had a revelation that the song is partially reflecting Trey's experiences on the Mothership during one of his ET contact encounters! I thought the "Tweezer" would surely end the set, but we were then blessed with a rip-rocking "Cavern" that also had me pondering many deep cosmic concepts, much like the 7/21/98 Desert Sky version. I grokked a deeper cosmic truth about the song reflecting some of the cosmic reality that Douglas Adams' "Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy" alludes to – that Earth is just one part of a cosmos teeming with life, and it’s a cosmos that has a lot of wacky stuff going on. But unlike the "Hitchhiker" series, I also grokked that Earth is under a sort of intergalactic quarantine right now, as we approach the end of the Mayan calendar in 2012.

Later that evening as I was walking back to my hotel, I came upon a strange scene on a city sidestreet – there was some kind of odd electrician activity, meaning that there were city electricians on the street doing some kind of work on the wires overhead… well after midnight. The thing that really tripped my conspiracy detector was that I spied several black cars parked along the street, with FBI or Men in Black looking types sitting inside observing the electricians. I grokked a very strange vibe… and while I couldn't quite place it, I sensed that something was not kosher with this scene. I was tempted to stay and investigate further, but had friends to meet back at the hotel for mandatory post-show libations. The 11/28/98 show remains a memorable one.

Next Month NYE 98 @ MSG and X-Philes 1999