Journey to Festival 8
by Taylor Hogan
We decided to make the journey to Festival 8 after having such a great time at the Alpine Valley, Deer Creek and Toyota Park shows during the summer of 2009. My first Phish show was in June ’94 at UIC and I have been addicted ever since. My parents would never let me go to out of town shows when I was younger. When Phish began touring again in 2009 I knew it was my chance to make up lost time.
We left Chicago for Festival 8 with less than 48 hours to complete the 2,000 mile drive. But that did not affect our elated state over the 3 beautiful days of jams and good times just ahead.
The first day’s drive was uneventful. It was about 2AM when we stopped for the night in Nebraska (Alaska?). I felt the first snow flakes of the coming winter as I walked into the hotel. The next day we were relieved to find just a thin layer of snow on the ground but that all changed once we began driving. Every mile we saw multiple bright orange signs stating “I-80 West Closed Due to Snow.” On the radio repeat warnings exclaimed, “Do not drive unless you absolutely have to.”
With our deadline looming like an ominous storm (and the storm looming like an ominous deadline) we chose an alternate route through Denver. But the joy that provided was only temporary; within an hour we found ourselves cautiously following 2 Colorado State Troopers on the snow packed highway. We were 100 miles east of Denver when they shut down the highway and forced everyone off the road.
With less than 27 hours until the start of Festival 8 we were stuck at a gas station in a whiteout snow storm. The 2 major highways heading West had been closed. There were warnings everywhere but we chose to ignore them. Drastic action had to be taken; our determination was on overdrive.
I turned on the 4 wheel drive as we took the first westward bound back road we saw. The heavy snow falling from the sky blended seamlessly with the snow covered landscape. You could not see more than 3 feet ahead. With a white knuckle death grip on the wheel I avoided the deep canyon drop offs on my right and left. Sweat beaded across my forehead as I noticed 10 or more cars following me and adding to the intensely stressful situation. After 2-3 hours we reached Denver and were beyond grateful to see that the highway had been re-opened.
I stopped for gas before getting on I-70. As I filled up a guy walked up to me and thanked me for safely leading the way through the back roads. I had to turn down his offer for a beer by explaining our mission to make the West coast by the next afternoon. The look he gave me confirmed the craziness of our plan.
We had more than 1,000 miles to go as we as we slowly drove across the Colorado mountains that night. It was not long before the snow finally came to a stop. Our excitement over the 3 days to come resumed and overshadowed the relief from surviving a very dangerous drive.
I was passing through Grand Junction, Colorado when I realized we would have to drive all night if we wanted to see the first set. I was no stranger to all night drives and at this point we were ‘committed’. There was no turning back.
As I drove through Utah for the first time I remember most of it as a hazy blur during the twilight hours. I stopped at a truck stop and remember thinking it was kind of…“Natural Born Killers.”
The sun was just beginning to rise in the horizon as we approached Vegas just a few hours later. The casino hotels shimmered as we passed through in the morning sun. Our excitement began to peak as we got closer and closer to the Festival 8 site. There was an intense buzz from the perilous all night drive. We were going to make it!
We arrived at the hotel around 5PM on the day of the show (I know….you probably are thinking that all the true fans camp out). My 9 (now 11) year old dog comes with us to every show so I checked in and brought him inside to get settled. The first set was just beginning when we finally arrived at the venue. The grounds at Indio are enormous and no one knew exactly where the entrance was. We were walking in a state of confused exhaustion when we bumped into some other lost souls. We helped each other find the way and made good friends in the process. We must have walked 2 miles by the time we found the actual entrance.
Phish chose an amazing location for Festival 8. The outstanding setting created a great scene. Everyone was exceptionally nice and genuinely interested in the show. And the beer selection was unreal (and very needed after the intense drive).
But it was really all about the music….each night was mind blowing. The improv jams were tight. The visual imagery was intense. We made the trip because we knew they would play their hearts out and we were not let down.
I will always go out of my way to see Phish after the once in a lifetime experience we had at Festival 8. It never gets old.
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