Phish at Magnaball, Watkins Glen, NY, Aug. 21

The sun was rising on Friday morning as we pulled into the entrance of Watkins Glen International raceway with no traffic and no hassle. That is, until they told us the ticket scanners were malfunctioning and we had to wait awhile.

Ah well, nothing to do but crack open a brewski and wait.

Sure, it was 6 a.m., but Marshall and I had been awake for almost 24 hours - he because he had traveled from New Orleans and his flights were delayed arriving in Newark; and I because I worked on Thursday, then ran, then picked Marshall up at the airport after midnight. Somehow, we managed to stay awake throughout the four hour drive upstate. It was beer o'clock for us.

Scanners finally working, we were led to a campsite that was close to the entrance, but 3/5 of a mile from the concert site. We set up our tent, downed another beer, and took an hour nap. We were too excited to get into the festivities.

Inside the concert ground, there was already fun to be had. I checked out the Phish version of "Family Feud" featuring fellow concert-goers as contestants in the Studio X tent; "Glurt factory" art installation; "Monkey Maker" performance art; cornhole beanbag tournament; and the Labratory, an artwork/hangout area with a second level deck from which to view the goings on.

I also found the M Lounge where deliciously boozy specialized cocktails were being served (I had the Cuddly But Muscular).

By the time Phish opened with "Simple" I was slightly drunk, overtired, and super-excited. They came swinging with bustouts - the first "The Dogs" since New Year's Eve and Halloween; the first "The Man Who Stepped Into Yesterday" and "Avenu Malkanu" since Jones Beach 2012 (I was there!); and, incredibly, the first "Mock Song" since its debut at the Gorge in 2003. We grooved to "Free"; chilled to "Roggae"; got a double dose of 'Rift' with the title song and "The Wedge"; and sang "Happy Birthday" to Eliza Anastasio for her 20th birthday.

All of that would have made for a perfect set, but then Phish destroyed us with what was arguably one of the best performances of "Bathtub Gin" in the song's 26 year history.

And that was just Set One.

Once again swinging for the fences in Set Two, Phish brought out heavy hitters like "Chalk Dust Torture", "Ghost", "Harry Hood", and a "Slave to the Traffic Light" closer and knocked them all out of the park. They were firing on all cylinders, crushing it over and over, bring blissful peaks, some "Rock and Roll" Velvet Underground style, yet another funky version of the new "No Men in No Man's Land" and a lovely "Waste".

By the last strains of "Slave", the temperature was in the upper 50s, but I was bundled up ("like it was December," according to my friend, Meredith) because my body was shutting down after being awake for 41 of the previous 42 hours. I could barely stand as the "Farmhouse" encore gave way to an ecstatic "First Tube" to end the show.

Marshall and I beelined it to the campsite and promptly passed out - he in the tent, me under the stars. There was partying and revelling and noise and even some fireworks going on around us, but we slept like bricks. A good night's sleep after a long day of work and travel followed by a well spent day of good fun and excellent music. The sensory overload was just beginning.

Phish at Merriweather, Aug. 16, 2015

Never miss a Sunday show, they say.

In this case, not quite. It never really took flight. After the previous four powerhouses, this one fell flat.

That is not to say it was bad. As I said in a previous post, Phish has gotten back to a point at which even the bad shows are good shows.

And when it was good it was great. The second half of the second set was mostly switched on with a well-jammed "Twist", a solid "Fuego", two surprises with a mid-set "Shine a Light" and "Sneaking Sally Through the Alley" and a stellar "You Enjoy Myself" (finally!).

Yet the first half of that set never quite hit the mark despite sure things like "Down With Disease" (bungled from the start), "Slave to the Traffic Light", and "Light".

The first set also seemed promising but, unlike previous shows, stayed firmly in first-set-land, with well-played but standard versions off tunes that had more potential. "Undermind" provided my favorite moment for its rarity and funky dance-a-bility.

It was definitely the weakest of the five I have seen so far, but certainly worth a listen down the road.

Full set list:

Set 1: Golgi Apparatus > Undermind, Julius, 555, Nothing, No Men In No Man's Land, Stash, David Bowie > Possum
Set 2: Down with Disease[1] -> Slave to the Traffic Light > Light -> Twist, Shine a Light, Fuego > Sneakin' Sally Through the Alley > You Enjoy Myself
Encore: Backwards Down the Number Line

Phish at Merriweather Post Pavilion, Aug. 15

OK, so it figured that the day after I pointed out that the first sets have been far from bland or ordinary, the opening of tonight's show was rather non-descript with standard (but good!) versions of "Simple", "Glide", "Roggae" and "Limb By Limb". "Buried Alive" and "McGrupp and the Watchful Hosemasters" were nice treats, but things stayed grounded until Halloween 2014 bust-out "Your Pet Cat" got sandwiched in a "Big Black Furry Creature From Mars", a portent of things to come...

...but not before a misplaced "Horn" led into the excellent new song "Blaze On" and an exemplary "Run Like an Antelope".

Segue lovers got their fill in Set II with "46 Days -> Bug", and "Steam -> What's the Use (gorgeous) -> Steam -> Piper (best jam of the night) -> Tweezer -> NO2  -> Tweezer", between a "Halley's Comet" opener and a sub-standard "Walls of the Cave" closer.

"Sleeping Monkey" included some Trey chatter and "Tweezer Reprise" brought down the house with its high peaks and bass bombs.

You do not have to love segue-fests to appreciate the high-quality second set (and end of the first), but it helps. And Phish keeps on bringing the energy and surprises as we gear up for Magnaball.

Phish at Walnut Creek, Raleigh, NC

In which the band effectively washes away the stink of the last time they were here (6/25/00, the worst show I had seen until Coventry) and continues to destroy all doubts about whether they can still bring it. Consistently.

As with the Mann shows, Phish also reminds us that the first set is not merely a warmup. Even my least favorite song ("Yarmouth Road", which everyone else seems to like), and a mellow oldie for which I still have a soft spot ("Bouncing Around the Room", which everyone else seems to dislike) sounded fresh and spirited.

There were none of the new songs tonight, but the slowed-down funk version of the "Llama" opener suggested that anything old can be new again, even if "Chalkdust Torture" didn't quite break open the way it did last week. But do not ever count out a first-set "Maze", as it rocked the house tonight. "The Moma Dance" funked, "Waiting All Night" chilled, "Devotion to a Dream" popped, and "Lawn Boy" lounged. A fiery "Wolfman's Brother " gave way to surprise set-closer "Suzy Greenberg".

The second set was very different from Wednesday, but no less powerful, though the less-than-stellar "The Wedge" opener was no indication. However, things picked up with the endlessly danceable "Golden Age" and "Tube", a precise and flowing "Reba" and a hard rocking "Mike's Song". The segue into "Ghost" was weird, but the song ended up being a highlight, with Chris Kuroda's light show doing visual wonders.

"No Quarter" was a crowd-pleasing treat (and it sounded huge) and "Weekapaug Groove" would have ended the set nicely. But the most rocking, face-melting "First Tube" I have ever heard knocked it out of the park.

The "Farmhouse"  encore fell flat, but it was followed by an insanely kick-ass "Fire" (and so what that Trey screwed up the words to that and "Golden Age"?)

Maybe it was a case of "had to be there", but I think something very special went down tonight in Raleigh.

Phish at the Mann, Philadelphia , Aug.12, 2015

Solid, exploratory, consistent.

Throughout tonight's show those were the best words to describe Phish's performance.

If the first set consisted only of "Stash" and "It's Ice", with thier ebbs and flow, Set I would have earned that description. But a tight "Free" and a thoroughly danceable "Birds of a Feather " served to drive the point home. Elsewhere, "The Line" and an extended "Cities" jam kept things totally interesting.

The second set was not for the uninitiated - five songs with twisting, turning jams throughout a classic yet fresh "Bathtub Gin" ("blew my mind," said a nearby reveler), the new "No Men in No Man's Land" (get it? No MANN's land?), and a hairy "Twist", which went so far off that when Trey returned to the riff it was surprising and a bit jolting.

"Scents and Subtle Sounds" featured the intro part (lasr played at Super Ball IX in 2011?), which was crazy enough, but no one could have possibly forseen the deep, dark jam that followed. And to top it off with a beautiful , happy "Harry Hood" and a "Loving Cup" encore provided about as much joyful bliss for which one could ask.

Night Two of the Mann was my second show of this tour, and while very different than the previous night, it proved that Phish is capable of back-to-back greatness. More to come on Friday in Raleigh!

Phish at the Mann Center, Philadelphia, Aug. 11, 2015

This show had almost everything for which one could ask.

For some exceptional jamming, how about that "Ghost", or maybe the "Slave"-like coda to "Fuego". You want some deep funk? Look no further than "Sand". Bust outs? May I direct your attention to the third "Skin It Back" since 1988? You say you like neat segues? How about the way "Martian Monster" wove in an out of "Skin"?

In between, things were kept interesting with a tight, focused mid-first-set "David Bowie", preceded by a quiet "Dog Faced Boy" and followed by "Farmhouse". "Axilla" and "46 Days" rocked the joint to no end; "Backwards Down the Number Line" and the "Julius" encore brought the big climax.

There were no clunkers here. "Scent of a Mule" showcased Fishman's Marimba Lumina, "Taste" and "Vultures" were tighter than ever, and opener "Crowd Control", "2001", and "Cavern" kept the good times a-coming.

The only things the show lacked were any of the brand new songs, but they will come soon enough.

Fresh off several face-melting Midwest shows, Phish returned to the Northeast for the first of my eight shows this year in a big way. If tonight is any indication, it is going to be one hell of a tour.

Sprint for Soldiers 10K

I won this race.

I wanted to get that out of the way first because it was one of the many things that did not go the way I had hoped or planned. That was just a happy accident. Not much else went well for me during this race in Tarrytown, N.Y., on the grounds of the beautiful Lyndhurst Mansion. 

I know what you are thinking - "Daniel, are you really going to complain about a race that you won?  What more do you want??"  (That is pretty much what my mother said.)

Truth be told, what I wanted was to run the race for which I trained (that old mantra again).  I wanted to run hard, give it maximum effort and be proudly spent at the end.  I wanted to feel confident and triumphant as I increase my race distances post-injury.  No PR necessary, just a positive feeling that I got something good out of the hard training I put into it.

Instead, on this hot, sunny Aug. 2, I was faced with a challenging course (mostly trail with four big hills), a small field, minimal course markings, and bare-bones staffing. 

Because there were so few runners, I planted myself at the front of the start line.  The beginning was too easy - downhill on a paved path...but then, what was that turnoff with the cones to my left? Was that where the course went?  Did I already blow it? 

The guy behind me saw my hesitation and shouted, "Keep going straight!"  Knowing I was going too fast down the hill, I pulled back a bit and let the kid pass me.  Figuring he knew where he was going, I followed his lead.  After a steep, crushing uphill, the kid led us off the paved path and behind a building to the dirt trail. 

Prior to the race, I jogged part of the course, so the one thing I knew was location of the first mile marker at the start of the trail, and somehow, we had missed it - we entered the trail too far into it.  I knew something was wrong, but what could I do at that point?  I continued along the rocky, uneven trail toward the turnaround point and hoofed it back along the trail and past that first mile marker we missed earlier, followed by an uphill that led back to the paved path. 

The kid and the other guy near us all continued to the finish - they were doing the 5K.  I had no idea of my pace (there were no other mile markers), I was alone in the lead for the second loop, my spirit was crushed by the wrong turn that would provide an inaccurate result, my legs were burning from those two big hills, my mind was psyched out at the prospect of having to do those hills a second time, and the fatigue I felt was more like the 20th mile of a marathon rather than the usual muscle-shredding feeling of short races.

Going much slower on the second loop, I was at least able to appreciate the view of the Hudson River on this clear day and followed the paved path up the hill, in *front* of the building, around to the dirt turn-off that led to that first mile marker and back on the trail.

Pushing through miles five and six along the trail, I was fading quickly. I knew I should go faster. I thought I COULD go faster. Instead, I grunted and groaned as my back ached and my legs refused to increase their turnover up the last hill and into the finish, where the clock said 38:15.

Knowing that was wrong, I found the second place 5K guy - he had a GPS watch and said we accidentally sliced off 3/10 of a mile with that wrong turn. So with some extrapolation, I'd say my time was around 40 minutes, which is about a 6:30 pace. That is far, far off from 6:17 for which I had trained.

So yes, I won. But it felt hollow because sometimes the only person with whom I compete is myself; and in that race, I lost.

But I am not disappointed. I gave it my all, continuing to push past my injury. Plus, with the money going to the Wounded Warrior charity, it was for a good cause.

I guess my mom inadvqrtently had a point. What more could I want?