Every Phish fan has their favorite year of the band's long and storied career, and will argue to the death why they feel that specific year stands as the group's greatest.  For some it's the feisty year of 1993, or the energetic and explosive 1994 tour, and some will even argue that the tight yet loosely woven shows of 2011 rank as their all time high.  But for many, it was without a doubt the body of work heard during 1997.

I have to admit, I am not an avid Phish follower. I don’t travel to see them, I haven’t bought an album since Farmhouse, and I hadn’t really enjoyed a live show since Greensboro ’03, but this show reminded me of all the things I had forgotten.  I love running into all kinds of people I haven’t seen in years in the parking lot. I love the range of music blasting from the cars parked early for tailgating, and the folks selling all kinds of stuff from food and beverages to art and jewelry.

Though Phish has released a large, strong collection of concert DVDs over the years, the bulk of them were filmed during their peak years of the 1990s where the norm was the old format of standard definition.  Muddied colors, blurry camera movements, and sub-par audio couldn't quite do the show the justice it deserved.  Not any more.

Strong winds from the west blew across a dirt parking lot… people tuck their heads, pulling their hats tighter to their skulls as they struggle against the wind, walking towards a dusty, rock strewn patch of earth… getting closer, t-shirts and the tarps they are laid out on struggle to stay grounded as their owners try to protect their wares from the dust… Girls in ruffled tutu’s and fishnet stockings are re-thinking their outfit choices in light of the chill the wind brings with it- but dust and wind are commonplace occurrences for these veteran Colorado concert goers… rocks brought along

Maryland’s Merriweather Post Pavilion is surrounded by trees.  The stage itself has exposed wood, helping the venue to visually blend in with its’ surroundings, if not aurally.

The Grateful Web was on-hand at this weekend's Phish shows up in Saratoga Springs, New York, taking pictures, videos, etc.  Last night's show was a big hitter, smoking Saturday night's show.  During 'Brother,' the Phish kiddos came on stage and jumped into a bathtub just in front of

What do you get out of attending a Phish show? What do you get out of attending MANY Phish shows? Why do you see live music performed at all? Surely you’ve fielded this question before; I know I have. A relative looks at you quizzically, or maybe it’s a co-worker... “You’re going out of town to see them, AGAIN?” They’d say, incredulously.

2009 has been one helluva year, hasn’t it?

We all started out in January, with the electric energy of a pending Inauguration of Barack Obama as President of the United States.  And we also had the knowledge that Phish was gonna tour again.  I for one, recall standing outside on NYE, and holding my hands wide to embrace what was ‘next.’

Have you ever had ‘make-up sex?’And I mean the ‘grown-up’ kind – full of the peaks and valleys of intimate knowledge of the other, with an understanding of the significance of the recent pasts’ dissonance… It’s sex with the knowledge that one nearly lost this person, and is lucky to have retrieved their relationship from the brink. Sex with someone you LOVE - or maybe ‘loved’ in the past. Sex that’s like physical history in action and re-action - with all the emotional lights left on.