photo: Rene Huemer

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Here is some bonus content originally earmarked for The Daily Greens newspaper at Mondegreen.

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Phish has been hosting large-scale festivals for 28 years; a long time, to be sure. Whether you remember checking a map to find out where Plattsburgh, NY was, or packing for Limestone, ME (“an easy drive from any direction!” according to the Doniac Schvice), or even if you weren’t born yet, a lot has changed since we first gathered as a community in the middle of nowhere. Not only has the world changed in almost every way, but the concept of a Phish festival has changed with it. In ways both big and small, going to a Phish festival today is almost, but not quite, completely different than it was around the turn of the century.

Travel

Then: When Phish festivals were hosted in remote, far-flung areas of America, the rules of “travel” were: throw everything in the car, and we’ll split the gas money. A map or travel guide in the glove compartment was crucial. You would need a reliable co-pilot who could trace a finger north/south and east/west along a paper map that was arranged in a numbered and lettered grid. Just remember: there are no blue roads; those are rivers. Waffle House and Cracker Barrel ruled the highway. If the car was full of passengers, we had to be tolerant of each other’s hygiene (or lack thereof). If it were a particularly long ride, the lack of sleep just made us more excited as we crossed state lines and approached the festival. If we were lucky, we could crash at a Best Western or a Motel 6 along the way, but couldn’t count on it. As we got closer, we would see orange highway signs that bluntly read: “PHISH FESTIVAL” with a duct-taped black arrow pointing ahead. A 3-day road trip felt like a week, but it was always worth it in the end.

Now: The advent of real-time internet access, GPS, and services like Expedia has made it difficult to make a mistake once you’re on the road. You can track down a Starbucks, get off at the wrong exit, or reserve a room at the local Hampton Inn within 5 minutes and not lose a second off your drive time. Plus, the easy access of low-fare airlines such as Southwest and Frontier has made it so that a 4-day road trip isn’t always the best way to go. Once you land, social media and rideshare has made the worry of getting a ride a non-issue. The excitement for the festival is no less palpable; it’s just that the setup is smoother and more predictable these days.

Packing

Then: When preparing for the IT festival in 2003, I remember unzipping a small duffel bag and tossing in about 6 t-shirts, roughly 10 pairs of underwear, necessary toiletries like deodorant, a toothbrush with toothpaste, and going to the bank to withdraw as much cash as I could afford. Next, my friends and I would go to the local supermarket and load up on impulse buys. On our limited budget, the food wasn’t extravagant. We stuck to the basics: bread, Smucker’s Goober (peanut butter and jelly pre-mixed in a jar), chips, pretzels, maybe some apples, and however much beer and water we could fit in the cooler (BUT NO GLASS BOTTLES!). There would be some camping chairs and an EZ-up in the trunk if they would fit. Within 15 minutes in the supermarket, we were eager to get on the road and didn’t put too much thought into what we might need later. Of course, a second pair of shoes and a long-sleeve shirt or two would be lessons we would apply to future festivals.

Now: In addition to more versatile footwear and raingear, I wouldn’t even think of leaving for Mondegreen without Tylenol and Tums. Other than what we bring with us, virtually everything one could need at a festival is available on-site. I walked into the Mondegreen General Store the other day and it was stocked to the brim with everything! At IT, the General Store was a mall tent with a floor of woodchips. It sold ice and a few scattered snacks. Now, the General Store has literal walls of OTC medication, hygiene products, six different types of taffy candy (including “Best Reds Starburst!), along with canned Gatorade, Hostess cakes, and even more that this word count won’t allow. It may sound like a silly barometer for “how packing has changed,” but The General Store really feels like it has everything. Back in the late 1.0 festivals, it was more like: “If you forgot it, you better go find it somewhere.” This is not to mention that “what we need” has completely changed since the earlier days. With “The Bizarre” at Mondegreen, it’s fun to see a “must have” poster by Jim Pollock, or a classic Rene Huemer photo for sale (and you can purchase the art from the artist in the moment!). With the ready-made sandwiches available at the Farmhaus, we can take a break from the dregs of our cooler on day 4.Finally, and this blows my mind the most, cash is a non-entity these days. That could have saved me a few trips to the bank before past festivals, and would have alleviated my worries about running out of money during the festival. My disorganized self would have loved that back in 2003.

Sleeping Arrangements

Then: This was as basic as it gets: one camping spot per car. You park where the attendants guide you, construct your EZ-up, pop your tents, and you’ve got your home for the weekend. You introduce yourselves to your neighbors, explore the festival, and hope that the campsite over there won’t be blasting EDM until 5am (unless that’s your thing).

Now: Beginning with 2011’s Superball, fans had the opportunity to pay a bit more for “Glen Close” camping, which offered larger camping spaces, shaded areas, and close proximity to the stage. Since then, Phish and their associated event planning companies have offered hotel and off-site travel packages, family camping, glamping, daily tickets, shuttle buses and more. For Mondegreen, I have friends in The Full Monde (who can’t stop sending pictures of their setup), Glen Close camping (who love to talk about how close they are to the venue), Family Camping (who brag about the spotless bathrooms and quiet nights), GA camping (the OG classic), and friends staying offsite, to have all the creature comforts they want. It’s gotten somewhat complicated, but it’s also allowed fans more options than ever to fit their individual needs.

Location

Then: From the beginning (let’s use The Clifford Ball as the starting point), it was clear that Phish wanted to be away from everything when hosting their festivals. Plattsburgh isn’t too far from Burlington, VT, but it’s basically a small college town. The roads to Limestone, ME and Oswego don’t have the infrastructure to support a 60,000+ person event, and we all saw what happened in the rural Vermont town of Coventry after severe rainstorms. For better or worse, a Phish festival was an adventure to nowhere, as you camped out at the smallest dots on the map. Plus, you would likely sit in 20+ hours of traffic to get in. There was something mystical and extreme about going to see Phish at one of these locations. Add in the context that GPS and cell phones were rare or unavailable, and it felt like we were truly off the grid.

Now: Since 2009, Phish festivals are more accessible than ever. The Empire Polo Grounds in Indio is as mainstream a location as possible. Watkins Glen is a short 30-minute drive to Ithaca, and a 90-minute drive to Syracuse; both NY State cities with commercial airports. The Dover Motor Speedway is just minutes off I-95. Although Phish Inc. has done a great job creating our own insular world during Mondegreen, it should be noted that there’s a Buffalo Wild Wings and a Wawa less than a mile from the entrance. In the festival, we’re on a different planet. Outside the festival, we’re very much located in the real world. Although Phish’s modern festivals lack the isolated charm of Limestone or the Everglades, they are better equipped for large crowds and events. These days, that’s a tradeoff I’ll happily take.

The one thing that’s remained constant from 1996 to today is the fans’ expectations and love of the band. A Phish festival is not a preordained event; it only happens when the circumstances line up (the circumstances surrounding Curveball taught us that). Ever since The Clifford Ball, a Phish festival is not to be missed. A Phish festival is when our ethereal community becomes tangible, and we realize JUST HOW MANY of us there are. Family reunions are held, dreams come true, and they’re often when the band plays their best music and their best jams. It’s when a “secret set” becomes the stuff of legend. Looking at Phish history as a long continuum, the festivals are the large touchpoints. Mondegreen is already shaping up to be the touchpoint of Phish in the 2020s, after a landmark summer tour. Whether you’ve been on board for 30 years or just found out about the band yesterday, we are all lucky to witness it in real time. Phish festivals will continue to evolve, and we, as a fanbase, will continue to evolve with them.

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Brian is the host of the Attendance Bias podcast where fans tell stories about their favorite Phish shows. He lives in Forest Hills, NY.