Who: Phish
When: September 14, 2000
Where: Darien Lake Performing Arts Center/ Darien Center, NY
With: Ben, and a bunch of other people
Of Note: Philly cheeseys, the pouring rain, not finding my car for hours afterwards, my huge fight with Ben
So, one of the questions everyone asks you when you go to college is if you're going to stay with your high school boyfriend. I remember running into some folks I graduated with a week or so before I moved to Buffalo and when they asked, I truthfully told them I didn't know. I'm not sure I made a conscious decision about the long-term implications of what it meant to stay together/do the long distance thing but, I guess it seemed like a good idea at the time?
Anyway, as I said, before, Ben found Phish. Which means that I got into Phish. So, here's the thing about me and Phish. I like Phish for their great musicianship, their crazy lyrics and their songs. Yes, I like it when Phish sings songs, not so much when they jam for hours and hours. I am probably one of the only people ever that like studio Phish better than live Phish. And yes, Hoist is my favorite album. So, there's that. Also, I actually like the music on its own and do not/have not ever done the drug thing. (Being profiled as a pothead because of my taste in music pissed me right off throughout most of college.)
Anyway, because I was in Buffalo and Ben was in Corning, we planned on meeting up at Darien Lake. I think he wanted me to come down earlier in the day and 'do the lots' but I had class and a World Civ. recitation that didn't end until 4. (This was before I realized that World Civ. recitation was largely useless.) I had no idea that I was going to hit so much traffic on the way to Darien. The 90 was backed up way past the exit and it was stop and go and stop and go. Some people came up to the car and asked if I could give them a ride to the show because their friend forgot their drugs and had to turn around. These two, however, thought getting to the show was more important. Obviously, I gave them a ride.
When I finally got to the concert, I went in to our seats and met up with Ben and 'the crew'. I honestly don't remember who else was there. Dave? Ben's friend Greg who I was not so fond of? Other people? Who knows. We had seats towards the back of the amphitheater, about 4 rows in front of where there's no covering over the seats. This became important later, because it started to POUR - like torrentially downpour rain like absolute crazy and everyone behind us and everyone in the lawn got soaked. Whenever it rains like that, the crowd always calls for 'Bathtub Gin'. The band did not play 'Bathtub Gin', much to the dismay of of the crowd.
I was excited that the band played some songs I really liked, most notably: Reba, Prince Caspian, Driver and Sample in a Jar. The covers lost me and the jams were longer than I would have liked, but musically, a very solid experience.
Personally, it was not so great. I had expressed, several times, how uncomfortable I was with Ben's experimentation with drugs. I told him that I didn't want him to do them and that I absolutely did not want to be around him if he did. He ignored me and smoked a bowl at the concert. I was pissed. When the show ended, I left them and stomped off in what I thought was the direction of my car. One of the things about Phish shows is the 'lots' - people come early and stay late and sell stuff out of the backs of their cars and blast music and tailgate harder than any other group's fans I've ever seen. I got lost in all this and could not, for the life of me, find my car. I wandered around for almost three hours, up and down rows and rows and rows looking for the old red Audi and I just couldn't find it. This was pre-cell phone and I was actually scared that I was going to get stuck at Darien Lake forever. It was hard. I cried. I also bought a Philly Cheesey and a bottle of water from the back of someone's car. That seemed to help.
I so distinctly remember standing in that parking lot, so angry at Ben, so frustrated and being lost, so surrounded by people and absolutely alone. I finally found my car. I drove back to UB. Ben showed up late that night, full of apologies and explanations.
In hindsight, that probably should have been the end of Ben and I. That wouldn't come until later.
When: September 14, 2000
Where: Darien Lake Performing Arts Center/ Darien Center, NY
With: Ben, and a bunch of other people
Of Note: Philly cheeseys, the pouring rain, not finding my car for hours afterwards, my huge fight with Ben
So, one of the questions everyone asks you when you go to college is if you're going to stay with your high school boyfriend. I remember running into some folks I graduated with a week or so before I moved to Buffalo and when they asked, I truthfully told them I didn't know. I'm not sure I made a conscious decision about the long-term implications of what it meant to stay together/do the long distance thing but, I guess it seemed like a good idea at the time?
Anyway, because I was in Buffalo and Ben was in Corning, we planned on meeting up at Darien Lake. I think he wanted me to come down earlier in the day and 'do the lots' but I had class and a World Civ. recitation that didn't end until 4. (This was before I realized that World Civ. recitation was largely useless.) I had no idea that I was going to hit so much traffic on the way to Darien. The 90 was backed up way past the exit and it was stop and go and stop and go. Some people came up to the car and asked if I could give them a ride to the show because their friend forgot their drugs and had to turn around. These two, however, thought getting to the show was more important. Obviously, I gave them a ride.
When I finally got to the concert, I went in to our seats and met up with Ben and 'the crew'. I honestly don't remember who else was there. Dave? Ben's friend Greg who I was not so fond of? Other people? Who knows. We had seats towards the back of the amphitheater, about 4 rows in front of where there's no covering over the seats. This became important later, because it started to POUR - like torrentially downpour rain like absolute crazy and everyone behind us and everyone in the lawn got soaked. Whenever it rains like that, the crowd always calls for 'Bathtub Gin'. The band did not play 'Bathtub Gin', much to the dismay of of the crowd.
I was excited that the band played some songs I really liked, most notably: Reba, Prince Caspian, Driver and Sample in a Jar. The covers lost me and the jams were longer than I would have liked, but musically, a very solid experience.
Personally, it was not so great. I had expressed, several times, how uncomfortable I was with Ben's experimentation with drugs. I told him that I didn't want him to do them and that I absolutely did not want to be around him if he did. He ignored me and smoked a bowl at the concert. I was pissed. When the show ended, I left them and stomped off in what I thought was the direction of my car. One of the things about Phish shows is the 'lots' - people come early and stay late and sell stuff out of the backs of their cars and blast music and tailgate harder than any other group's fans I've ever seen. I got lost in all this and could not, for the life of me, find my car. I wandered around for almost three hours, up and down rows and rows and rows looking for the old red Audi and I just couldn't find it. This was pre-cell phone and I was actually scared that I was going to get stuck at Darien Lake forever. It was hard. I cried. I also bought a Philly Cheesey and a bottle of water from the back of someone's car. That seemed to help.
I so distinctly remember standing in that parking lot, so angry at Ben, so frustrated and being lost, so surrounded by people and absolutely alone. I finally found my car. I drove back to UB. Ben showed up late that night, full of apologies and explanations.
In hindsight, that probably should have been the end of Ben and I. That wouldn't come until later.
Comments
Post a Comment