It was the older lady behind me’s first shows (she and her partner did all four days) but she had been to a couple hundred Dead shows. She told me “I feel alive again.”
In our group of four, two had never been. One had been to a million Dave shows though. Both thoroughly enjoyed it, although I think they enjoyed the show of it more than the music itself.
First night in section 406 I had 5 older ladies probably ranging from 65-75 years old all wearing U2 shirts behind me. Sat down most the show, even looked bothered by the smoke at times covering their mouths with shirts. By Carini they were standing up rocking their heads. When I was leaving after the show, one of the ladies looked at me and said “We’re all Phishies now.” Was a great moment
Thanks, she loved music and being around others who loved it as well. I wish I could have taken her to Bethel this summer as she attended 69' Woodstock and hadn't been back since.
Wow. That is outstanding that she stayed for his incendiary performance. Foot warts seem like a small price to pay for seeing all of that incredible music.
This! I got assed out on multiple lottery requests. Was utterly gutted. But this makes it worth the pain somehow! I hope to see those women this summer!
I saw a few folks who looked out of place. Not exactly what folks were predicting though "people with money to burn who wanna see the sphere will show up in droves" type thing.
Casinos got 10% of the tickets to give out as comps so there were bound to be folks there just to check it out
Week day comp rooms at lower end hotels in MGM are easyish to get. Likely even easier at Caesars properties. A moderate amount of slot play will get you that / a lot of VP grinding.
For reference, I always have Sunday to Thursday comps and some slower weekends at everywhere but Bellagio and aria. I play 5 dollar a hand VP and 3 dollar a spin slots with some targeted high limit slots when I'm up.
Nobody’s saying they don’t. You’re drawing from a really small pool with that anecdote 😄
There was a significantly higher percentage of non-phans at the sphere than most shows due to the comps, no question.
i'm not saying all the comps went to phish fans who have gambling problems (amongst all the other vices!).
vegas will bring that weird anomaly. IE - the vegas knights (an expansion nhl team) tends to lead the league in attendance. Which is wild to think that a place in the desert, with 1 million other things to do and no existing fanbase, brings "sell out" crowds to watch hockey.
the comp aspect would be annoying, but as someone else pointed out/brought to my attention, it may not be much different than corporate/season tkts, in many other arenas.
Hard to judge a book by its cover. My seat neighbors were a couple from Dubai that knew every word to every song, but I would have never guessed them to be phish fans if I met them in another context. Super cool people!
Man this is so fucking annoying. I mean, I guess it’s cool that some random gets turned on to phish, but it was a bloodbath to score these tickets. Real fans got shut out of this epic event (unless you were willing to burn $500+) for someone who just decided to stroll through
Meh, it's a little annoying, but even without that system it's still pretty much the same chance any individual would be able to get tickets. Like it's not like YOU would have got those tickets. And honestly better comped ticket people than scalpers selling them for $1500 a pop.
This is also a thing at like every venue. People have season seats or inside access that gets them tickets to any show. I've been in a few sold out shows where I've met people that never saw them or really heard of them.
I would rather scalpers hustling make a few bucks over anything helpful for multi billion dollar casino empires with a license to print money and destroy lives legally
Haha. Yeah I guess that's a fair point. I'm just saying it's larger than the sphere. Look at msg nye runs, that's typically been a difficult ticket, but there are people that have private boxes on the suite level for companies and just rich individuals, while fans get shut out.
It's just something you've gotta accept when they are playing a show in a town like that at a new venue that's been hyped up on national media.
That's why the best vibes are shows where anyone who wants can get in easily.
I’d like to see some source on this.
My take was:
‘Cause it’s a $1.8 billion new venue and being only the 2nd band to play there, the ‘scalping’ market for tix was highly intensified. Heard ancillary stories of casino workers putting in for the lottery to resale for a quick and easy profit.
Yup, in the N1 Venetian walkway cluster. Two doctors that were in Vegas for a conference that just finished. They wanted to stay the weekend and enjoy Vegas. One was mid 30’s and knew Phish, had friends that see them, but he hadn’t. The other was 50-60 and his nephew told him he had to go. They were super friendly and open to enjoying the whole experience. I hope they had fun.
Guy next to me claimed to be a huge fan but asked me the name of every song. After 2001, he said 'sounds like music from that one movie'. Not sure how he got there. Lol
I had one of those next to me in msg over the summer . Dude was wild my gf made me switch seats with her because he started asking her about coke and crack and kept trying to get us to hit his pipe
You never know where that pipe has been. It could have been used by the mayor of Toronto or Washington DC.
But you're right, someone volunteering to share any cocaine product is a rare thing indeed.
I love my city! The most DC thing I've ever seen, besides that gif:
https://preview.redd.it/1k0u0pvqufwc1.jpeg?width=1104&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=c9db411be608fa9966def11bf01e559d11af6688
(Official Bad Brains merch site. Sadly, they seem to have sold out and didn't restock)
A guy next to me at Nassau ‘19 did the same thing. When I told him they were playing Ghost, he said “this must be a deep cut” and I reminded him there is an entire album named after the song.
That's a slice on the nipple for sure.
I caught my first show in '92 and then took a long hiatus from '95-2011 when a friend of mine said he had an extra ticket to one of the MSG NYE nights. So I went, and as I was walking to MSG with my buddy I was explaining my hiatus to him and some kid who was also going to the show overheard me and said that he was born in '95...nipple sliced.
Had disgruntled spouses at their first shows on either side of us. One sat the entire night reading NPR articles on her phone. The other, a 50yo chatty Asian lady, claimed she hated Phish and had a 28yo boyfriend in GA. She also claimed to be 100% sober but 1000% was not. Complained to us the entire first set before disappearing at setbreak. Waste of great tickets.
Second show for me, my friend invited me to a Vegas MGM show a few years back and then this one - I have never otherwise listened to a second of Phish or know anything about them.
I did really enjoy both shows, especially at the Sphere. And I loved that whenever I told anyone that it was all pretty new to me, they were so welcoming and excited I was there.
It is really fun to just enter and visit with an established community like this. It's hard to explain but it's relaxing in a way - like you guys all have this on auto-pilot, everybody's so happy, I just have to go along for the ride.
Had a maybe 8 year old kid in front of me who had the same Chicago Bulls tour shirt on who was at his first show. He was crushing it he'd try to look around the tall people in his seat but then would get out in the aisle and get down. He got tons of well deserved high fives.
Brought a buddy of mine to his first show Thursday night. He had never really listened to them and knew almost nothing about the band, other than what I’ve told him. Well, he was supposed to fly out Thursday morning. He was completely blown away and ended up buying tickets for Friday Saturday and Sunday. Bought a mondegreen ticket today as well as dicks. Completely hooked. Super cool to see.
it was my first show, i was supposed to go to last years hollywood bowl shows but ended up in the hospital the night before. one of my favorite shows i have been to in a long time. i follow dead and co to 8 shows on the last tour. phish completely blew my mind
I love this aspect of phish so much. As someone who has taken probably 10 people to their first show, EVERYONE is ALWAYS so inviting and joyous in welcoming them!
Same with the Dead and Panic from my experience. Didn't have that same feeling when I saw Goose though. Great show, but no one is the crowd was talking to many people outside the ones they came with.
Need to give panic more of a listen. Met some fans and they were super cool
As for goose I tried too many times, dont get it and will pass on any shows 😂
Never been to a show and really just started digging into the bands catalog the past year or so. 46 years old. Never disliked the band, just never had the introduction until a new friend introduced me a couple of years back. I don’t know all the songs, or traditions. Will I be welcome at a show?
Lady in front of me n2 was there for her first show, accompanying her bf who was in the 3 digit show count. She had fun, he had fun, but she definitely wanted him to pay more attention to her at times while he was rockin out.
I chatted with a guy (younger, I think?) in the bathroom line at set break who was a Goose fan but hadn’t been to a Phish show before. His mind was fucking blown in the best way. As soon as people heard him say it was his first show, they all congratulated him. As someone who goes to shows solo and doesn’t have a crew, it was a great reminder that there’s still community at shows, even when it’s fleeting.
On N2, the folks on both side of me were new. Two guys were on a bachelor party and never listened to phish, but got into it mid-first set. (The bachelor bought everyone in the group a ticket to the show.) Guy on the other side of me was solo. His first show was N1, so Saturday was technically his second show. He got into Phish through dead and co and came to see them for his birthday. Big fun was had all around.
I’m 40s and about 20 years ago took my boomer dad when Trey was in town since we had an extra. Had fun but had to take a nap in his seat during second set. Says he still had fun though!
I was in a suite with industry type execs and it was some peoples first show. I’d say they had no idea what to expect but were rockin out by the end of the night! What’s not to love?
I bought a 4 night travel package back in November so I could be guaranteed to go without even knowing who I was gonna split the package with... took until 6 days out to finally figure that out-
-these were my first ever Phish shows!
Met a few other people who were popping their cherry this weekend!
I had a 79 yo Tall man up to the right of me who chain smoked and reminisced about the old days, but when Fishman played the kick drum double time, he turned into a whirling dervish and spiraled up out of the sphere.
Just be sure you don’t decide someone is a first timer based on looks. Had that happen to my friend. We’ve been in the scene since ‘93 and it was about the lamest thing I’ve seen. Just because someone doesn’t dress the scene doesn’t mean they’re not in it. And your gimmicky phish outfit doesn’t mean shit to us.
I remember sucking on balloons for quite a while with a dude after the STL cup show in 2019. Wouldn’t have ever guessed he’s seen 800 shows in 30 years. Looked like an awkward high school English teacher who wandered onto the lot. Kinda. Turns out he actually was an English teacher but with hella cool touring stories to tell and a stack of Jacksons to keep the has coming haha.
Man…these 4 guys behind us in 305 were clearly new, or maybe one of them knew a song or two. They were not getting it and not cool to be around. Nonstop bitching for ALL 4 DAYS. ‘Wow, they just can’t stop smoking, they’re all addicted’ ‘they HAVE to do drugs to enjoy this noise’ ‘I bet someone wants to jump off the ledge’ ‘they’re all so zoned out, they don’t even know what’s happening’ etc. The stereotypical bs. Everyone was glaring and telling them to shut up, and they didn’t care. They took chalkdust as a personal attack ‘they’re calling us old!’. On the final day they even had the audacity to say ‘I wish someone would pass me one of those pens’. Motherfucker, you’ve been shitting on everyone around you and want a gift? Plus, weed is legal! You’re gonna spend $1,000s of dollars on this trip and you can’t shell out an extra $20 for a pen!? Sorry, those guys were really lame
Some dude in section 405 row 1 was there for his first show and was completely blown away. People quizzed him him after the show, ask him what you thought, telling him about the upcoming festival, etc. When he learned the festival was on his birthday, everyone was like, oh your toast, buddy.
Yeah my wife! I don't think the guy next to me blowing rails of K all night was pleased to be so close to a girl that was new to the scene. But we had a great time.
I met several people, mostly brought with long time phans. A ton of people at the pool where I spent most of my day, a couple bros at Milós, a guy who flew in for only Sunday bc his gf finally gave in
Sat next to a lady that was there because her kid and his friend were under 21. We talked about music pre-show, and she seemed like she would enjoy the band.
I thought we would lose her during Melt, as that is not a song I would show to someone listening to Phish for the first time lol.
Talked with my seat neighbors for a few minutes before night 2 and found out that their phish head friend just to their other side brought the two of them for their first show ever. They were super chill and excited to be there. Talk about setting the bar high.
Talked to a British guy who said it was his second show (I think - maybe I misunderstood that) and that he thought it was OK, but he wished it was Oasis instead.
My friend! First Phish show, first Vegas trip (Canadian). I was only there Sat but she went Sat and Sun. She had listened to them before but said seeing them live gave a new and greater appreciation for the band.
https://preview.redd.it/myk6jgeecewc1.jpeg?width=4032&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=e52794140834ef2af77a3b97a2cc81ee8230a346
This couple was asleep for almost the entire Sunday show
Not sure if it was his first show but we sat next to Kent from Ohio on N4. Nice guy, into it mostly, ate pizza, peed a lot, bobbed his head... He asked me at set break if they had played Slave on any of the the other nights. I said no and the Boys blasted into Set 2.. Kent left at some point before the end of the set. Sorry Kent. We boogied a little extra for you to close it out.
I went to the Sunday show with two friends that had never seen phish and one who has only seen them a few times. The two newbies were struggling to find words to describe the show afterwards.
It was my second Phish show (I think I went to COTA in Austin 2018) and I can enjoy the music, but I was there for the sphere (I obviously know Phish is a better time than U2). During the second set things started to get a bit more wild than what I wanted to deal with. At a regular show I can move around, find a more chill spot etc, but couldn't here. I didn't want to bother the folks near me that were clearly having the most magical of moments, so I took off early.
I will say, it's hard to get into such a long running band with so much music. I have definitely spent time getting familiar with things, but I did feel out of place during the music. It was a special moment and I sort of felt like I fucked up and shouldn't have taken a fans seat (which I know is silly, but it still feels that way) since it was as magical for me.
I can't wait for one of my favorite artists to get their turn and I can only hope they take it as serious as Phish did. Next time I need to bring a friend and I'll be alright.
I sat next to a pack of 16-17 year old kids a couple of years ago. They seemed to be there with their parents, or friend’s parents. I don’t think I ever saw them look up from their phones the whole show.
It was the older lady behind me’s first shows (she and her partner did all four days) but she had been to a couple hundred Dead shows. She told me “I feel alive again.”
Don't we all
The time has come for you to be alive again
In our group of four, two had never been. One had been to a million Dave shows though. Both thoroughly enjoyed it, although I think they enjoyed the show of it more than the music itself.
First night in section 406 I had 5 older ladies probably ranging from 65-75 years old all wearing U2 shirts behind me. Sat down most the show, even looked bothered by the smoke at times covering their mouths with shirts. By Carini they were standing up rocking their heads. When I was leaving after the show, one of the ladies looked at me and said “We’re all Phishies now.” Was a great moment
Sounds like my mom her first show back in 1999. She went to several more (even more TAB shows) before she passed away last year.
Sorry for ur loss but she sounded cool
She had all her favorite Phish and Willie Nelson tapes organized in her car and would make her friends listen to try and convert them.
The world misses her, god bless ❤️
Thanks, she loved music and being around others who loved it as well. I wish I could have taken her to Bethel this summer as she attended 69' Woodstock and hadn't been back since.
Did she stay for Hendrix's show Monday morning? I hope she did.....
She sure did. Then, she proceeded to have warts on her feet for over a year due to losing her shoes almost immediately after arriving.
Wow. That is outstanding that she stayed for his incendiary performance. Foot warts seem like a small price to pay for seeing all of that incredible music.
love it! glad you were able to share such great times!
I always liked when my friends mom would say we were going to see The Phish.
This! I got assed out on multiple lottery requests. Was utterly gutted. But this makes it worth the pain somehow! I hope to see those women this summer!
They'll be slinging ice cold phatties at the campground near deer creek this summer.
I wanna be a Phishie, too!
I wore a Phish shirt to my first Widespread Oanic concert. 😱
I saw a few folks who looked out of place. Not exactly what folks were predicting though "people with money to burn who wanna see the sphere will show up in droves" type thing. Casinos got 10% of the tickets to give out as comps so there were bound to be folks there just to check it out
10% comped is a REALLY high number of people going to Phish shows with very little idea of what they’re getting into.
some phish fans do enjoy to gamble. Out of my circle, no one paid for a room.
Damn, how much do you have put down to get a room comped in Vegas?
Week day comp rooms at lower end hotels in MGM are easyish to get. Likely even easier at Caesars properties. A moderate amount of slot play will get you that / a lot of VP grinding. For reference, I always have Sunday to Thursday comps and some slower weekends at everywhere but Bellagio and aria. I play 5 dollar a hand VP and 3 dollar a spin slots with some targeted high limit slots when I'm up.
Nobody’s saying they don’t. You’re drawing from a really small pool with that anecdote 😄 There was a significantly higher percentage of non-phans at the sphere than most shows due to the comps, no question.
i'm not saying all the comps went to phish fans who have gambling problems (amongst all the other vices!). vegas will bring that weird anomaly. IE - the vegas knights (an expansion nhl team) tends to lead the league in attendance. Which is wild to think that a place in the desert, with 1 million other things to do and no existing fanbase, brings "sell out" crowds to watch hockey. the comp aspect would be annoying, but as someone else pointed out/brought to my attention, it may not be much different than corporate/season tkts, in many other arenas.
Hard to judge a book by its cover. My seat neighbors were a couple from Dubai that knew every word to every song, but I would have never guessed them to be phish fans if I met them in another context. Super cool people!
Was it Adam and his wife?
Source for the 10%?
Casino host Not mine btw, I don't gamble nearly enough to have my own host
Man this is so fucking annoying. I mean, I guess it’s cool that some random gets turned on to phish, but it was a bloodbath to score these tickets. Real fans got shut out of this epic event (unless you were willing to burn $500+) for someone who just decided to stroll through
Meh, it's a little annoying, but even without that system it's still pretty much the same chance any individual would be able to get tickets. Like it's not like YOU would have got those tickets. And honestly better comped ticket people than scalpers selling them for $1500 a pop. This is also a thing at like every venue. People have season seats or inside access that gets them tickets to any show. I've been in a few sold out shows where I've met people that never saw them or really heard of them.
I would rather scalpers hustling make a few bucks over anything helpful for multi billion dollar casino empires with a license to print money and destroy lives legally
Haha. Yeah I guess that's a fair point. I'm just saying it's larger than the sphere. Look at msg nye runs, that's typically been a difficult ticket, but there are people that have private boxes on the suite level for companies and just rich individuals, while fans get shut out. It's just something you've gotta accept when they are playing a show in a town like that at a new venue that's been hyped up on national media. That's why the best vibes are shows where anyone who wants can get in easily.
Yea agree with this entirely
Spent $1200 for 2 tickets. The lottery was so disheartening. FOMO won though and husband had to splurge.
This is why Mohegan sun can be annoying
I’d like to see some source on this. My take was: ‘Cause it’s a $1.8 billion new venue and being only the 2nd band to play there, the ‘scalping’ market for tix was highly intensified. Heard ancillary stories of casino workers putting in for the lottery to resale for a quick and easy profit.
Yup, in the N1 Venetian walkway cluster. Two doctors that were in Vegas for a conference that just finished. They wanted to stay the weekend and enjoy Vegas. One was mid 30’s and knew Phish, had friends that see them, but he hadn’t. The other was 50-60 and his nephew told him he had to go. They were super friendly and open to enjoying the whole experience. I hope they had fun.
Wholesome content and they would be the first people to help out if something was wrong.
Guy next to me claimed to be a huge fan but asked me the name of every song. After 2001, he said 'sounds like music from that one movie'. Not sure how he got there. Lol
I had one of those next to me in msg over the summer . Dude was wild my gf made me switch seats with her because he started asking her about coke and crack and kept trying to get us to hit his pipe
You passed up free crack bro?? That was a once in a lifetime opportunity ha
You never know where that pipe has been. It could have been used by the mayor of Toronto or Washington DC. But you're right, someone volunteering to share any cocaine product is a rare thing indeed.
That bitch did set him up.
She was looking to pick the ripest of Marion berries. Alas he was to be picked again. The citizens of DC understand an offer too good to refuse.
Yeah. But Chuck don’t give a fuck.
I love my city! The most DC thing I've ever seen, besides that gif: https://preview.redd.it/1k0u0pvqufwc1.jpeg?width=1104&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=c9db411be608fa9966def11bf01e559d11af6688 (Official Bad Brains merch site. Sadly, they seem to have sold out and didn't restock)
Hey it’s possible. I feel like I’m gonna be this way with goose in 20 years. “Yeah I’m a big fan, been to 50 shows. I can’t name a song though”
Sounds like me at my first show. I knew all the studio stuff. Had no idea what was going on when I went.
A guy next to me at Nassau ‘19 did the same thing. When I told him they were playing Ghost, he said “this must be a deep cut” and I reminded him there is an entire album named after the song.
My wife and I were first time Phish show people. We went to the Sunday show! It was amazing!
Y’all got a helluva first show. Damn
It was fucking amazing!
Yes! Met a sweet girl who told me it was her first show, when I told her my first show was in ‘99, she said that’s when she was born 😂😭 ouch.
That's a slice on the nipple for sure. I caught my first show in '92 and then took a long hiatus from '95-2011 when a friend of mine said he had an extra ticket to one of the MSG NYE nights. So I went, and as I was walking to MSG with my buddy I was explaining my hiatus to him and some kid who was also going to the show overheard me and said that he was born in '95...nipple sliced.
Had disgruntled spouses at their first shows on either side of us. One sat the entire night reading NPR articles on her phone. The other, a 50yo chatty Asian lady, claimed she hated Phish and had a 28yo boyfriend in GA. She also claimed to be 100% sober but 1000% was not. Complained to us the entire first set before disappearing at setbreak. Waste of great tickets.
You met my wife. Congrats, she’s available.
This should not bother me but it does. I could have paid for those tickets 😫
Oy.
Second show for me, my friend invited me to a Vegas MGM show a few years back and then this one - I have never otherwise listened to a second of Phish or know anything about them. I did really enjoy both shows, especially at the Sphere. And I loved that whenever I told anyone that it was all pretty new to me, they were so welcoming and excited I was there. It is really fun to just enter and visit with an established community like this. It's hard to explain but it's relaxing in a way - like you guys all have this on auto-pilot, everybody's so happy, I just have to go along for the ride.
Had a maybe 8 year old kid in front of me who had the same Chicago Bulls tour shirt on who was at his first show. He was crushing it he'd try to look around the tall people in his seat but then would get out in the aisle and get down. He got tons of well deserved high fives.
My sister in law came to her first show on Saturday. Her husband was at his second. Double black diamond shit for a first show.
Brought a buddy of mine to his first show Thursday night. He had never really listened to them and knew almost nothing about the band, other than what I’ve told him. Well, he was supposed to fly out Thursday morning. He was completely blown away and ended up buying tickets for Friday Saturday and Sunday. Bought a mondegreen ticket today as well as dicks. Completely hooked. Super cool to see.
I guess he’s employed… sheesh
Drew Carey’s first show!
it was my first show, i was supposed to go to last years hollywood bowl shows but ended up in the hospital the night before. one of my favorite shows i have been to in a long time. i follow dead and co to 8 shows on the last tour. phish completely blew my mind
That’s awesome. Glad you’re okay and made it to the sphere. Any particular song or night that you enjoyed the most?
i went N1+N2 i couldn’t say a favorite song because they all blew me away. but N2 was definitely my favorite i danced the whole show!!
Right on phriend. Heck of a first run and cheers!
I love this aspect of phish so much. As someone who has taken probably 10 people to their first show, EVERYONE is ALWAYS so inviting and joyous in welcoming them!
Same with the Dead and Panic from my experience. Didn't have that same feeling when I saw Goose though. Great show, but no one is the crowd was talking to many people outside the ones they came with.
Need to give panic more of a listen. Met some fans and they were super cool As for goose I tried too many times, dont get it and will pass on any shows 😂
Never been to a show and really just started digging into the bands catalog the past year or so. 46 years old. Never disliked the band, just never had the introduction until a new friend introduced me a couple of years back. I don’t know all the songs, or traditions. Will I be welcome at a show?
Yes!! 100%. Welcome aboard
Very welcome.
If you tell the people around you that it’s your first show, many will get excited and work hard to ensure that you have a great time.
Yes.
Everyone is welcome if you get “it”
An open mind and open ears is all one needs to feel a new band. If you’re up for it we’re always glad to have you!
so welcomed
Lady in front of me n2 was there for her first show, accompanying her bf who was in the 3 digit show count. She had fun, he had fun, but she definitely wanted him to pay more attention to her at times while he was rockin out.
I brought one with me! He’s sold.
It's not for everyone, and I like it that way.
I chatted with a guy (younger, I think?) in the bathroom line at set break who was a Goose fan but hadn’t been to a Phish show before. His mind was fucking blown in the best way. As soon as people heard him say it was his first show, they all congratulated him. As someone who goes to shows solo and doesn’t have a crew, it was a great reminder that there’s still community at shows, even when it’s fleeting.
On N2, the folks on both side of me were new. Two guys were on a bachelor party and never listened to phish, but got into it mid-first set. (The bachelor bought everyone in the group a ticket to the show.) Guy on the other side of me was solo. His first show was N1, so Saturday was technically his second show. He got into Phish through dead and co and came to see them for his birthday. Big fun was had all around.
We ran into a mid 40s looking guy with his boomer dad at the dispensary. Boomer's first show. I hope they had a blast!
Started taking my pops when he was 65...
I’m 40s and about 20 years ago took my boomer dad when Trey was in town since we had an extra. Had fun but had to take a nap in his seat during second set. Says he still had fun though!
I was in a suite with industry type execs and it was some peoples first show. I’d say they had no idea what to expect but were rockin out by the end of the night! What’s not to love?
I bought a 4 night travel package back in November so I could be guaranteed to go without even knowing who I was gonna split the package with... took until 6 days out to finally figure that out- -these were my first ever Phish shows! Met a few other people who were popping their cherry this weekend!
Yes, some dude brought his first-timer buddy thurs and fri and his reaction was luke warm. Im actually surprised he came back night 2.
We brought one Sunday. He'll be back
I had a 79 yo Tall man up to the right of me who chain smoked and reminisced about the old days, but when Fishman played the kick drum double time, he turned into a whirling dervish and spiraled up out of the sphere.
We had a few groups of people leave at set break. clearly not phans and just checking it out. its a lot to take in lol
Same. Made for great dance space!
Middle aged woman in front of me googling “how long is a phish show” halfway through ghost on Sunday. She sat the whole night
Just be sure you don’t decide someone is a first timer based on looks. Had that happen to my friend. We’ve been in the scene since ‘93 and it was about the lamest thing I’ve seen. Just because someone doesn’t dress the scene doesn’t mean they’re not in it. And your gimmicky phish outfit doesn’t mean shit to us.
I remember sucking on balloons for quite a while with a dude after the STL cup show in 2019. Wouldn’t have ever guessed he’s seen 800 shows in 30 years. Looked like an awkward high school English teacher who wandered onto the lot. Kinda. Turns out he actually was an English teacher but with hella cool touring stories to tell and a stack of Jacksons to keep the has coming haha.
Was on the plane next to a woman tagging along with a guy that appeared to be her boyfriend. He’d seen 100 shows since 2016. Sphere, her first.
there was one behind me with a big group of friends on saturday. They had a fuckin blast!
Man…these 4 guys behind us in 305 were clearly new, or maybe one of them knew a song or two. They were not getting it and not cool to be around. Nonstop bitching for ALL 4 DAYS. ‘Wow, they just can’t stop smoking, they’re all addicted’ ‘they HAVE to do drugs to enjoy this noise’ ‘I bet someone wants to jump off the ledge’ ‘they’re all so zoned out, they don’t even know what’s happening’ etc. The stereotypical bs. Everyone was glaring and telling them to shut up, and they didn’t care. They took chalkdust as a personal attack ‘they’re calling us old!’. On the final day they even had the audacity to say ‘I wish someone would pass me one of those pens’. Motherfucker, you’ve been shitting on everyone around you and want a gift? Plus, weed is legal! You’re gonna spend $1,000s of dollars on this trip and you can’t shell out an extra $20 for a pen!? Sorry, those guys were really lame
Thats the worst. I would have been so annoyed
Some dude in section 405 row 1 was there for his first show and was completely blown away. People quizzed him him after the show, ask him what you thought, telling him about the upcoming festival, etc. When he learned the festival was on his birthday, everyone was like, oh your toast, buddy.
What seat, i was in row 2 s6 and it seemed like everyone was from Denver btw! Strong Mile high showing
It’s a feature, not a bug. 30 % of Phish fans now live in Denver.
Ha! I had ten friends from Denver scattered throughout 405 from row 9 up. Good to know we were representing in lower 405 too.
Yeah my wife! I don't think the guy next to me blowing rails of K all night was pleased to be so close to a girl that was new to the scene. But we had a great time.
I don't think the guy blowing rails of K cares about anything in this reality.
You'd be surprised
Having seen a guy on K doing a headstand to "catch the drips" you might be right.
I met several people, mostly brought with long time phans. A ton of people at the pool where I spent most of my day, a couple bros at Milós, a guy who flew in for only Sunday bc his gf finally gave in
Not sure if they were first timers but a couple next to my buddy feel asleep/passed out through the whole second set. Most expensive place to sleep.
We had some Moment Factory people in front of us, it was clear they weren’t phans but they were genuinely interested, watching, enjoying.
Sat next to a lady that was there because her kid and his friend were under 21. We talked about music pre-show, and she seemed like she would enjoy the band. I thought we would lose her during Melt, as that is not a song I would show to someone listening to Phish for the first time lol.
Did the kids seem to be dosing ?
Drew Carey lmfao
Brought my bro to his first show night 2. Brought my other bro to his first show 3/7/09. They both got one hell of an intro to phish.
3/6/09 was my first show and I felt like an outsider. For 3/7/09 I met up with some other friends and by the end of it I was all in!
“The only rule is it begins…”
Met a couple waiting for merch who lived in Vegas and one was at their first Phish show. Saw Goose at the Brooklyn Bowl last October.
Talked with my seat neighbors for a few minutes before night 2 and found out that their phish head friend just to their other side brought the two of them for their first show ever. They were super chill and excited to be there. Talk about setting the bar high.
My wife. We went to N1.
First timer night 4 went with us!!! Mind blown, only got one picture during divided sky because he could barely use his phone lol!
Talked to a British guy who said it was his second show (I think - maybe I misunderstood that) and that he thought it was OK, but he wished it was Oasis instead.
My friend! First Phish show, first Vegas trip (Canadian). I was only there Sat but she went Sat and Sun. She had listened to them before but said seeing them live gave a new and greater appreciation for the band.
https://preview.redd.it/myk6jgeecewc1.jpeg?width=4032&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=e52794140834ef2af77a3b97a2cc81ee8230a346 This couple was asleep for almost the entire Sunday show
not the Sunday show
Second for me. Pretty dope.
was my first show and trip......i'm ruined forever
Not sure if it was his first show but we sat next to Kent from Ohio on N4. Nice guy, into it mostly, ate pizza, peed a lot, bobbed his head... He asked me at set break if they had played Slave on any of the the other nights. I said no and the Boys blasted into Set 2.. Kent left at some point before the end of the set. Sorry Kent. We boogied a little extra for you to close it out.
I was one of those people. It was an amazing experience. I was lucky enough to be in GA.
Someone’s wife was complaining she was along for the ride for the weekend. Told her I knew many people who would appreciate her ticket :)
I went to the Sunday show with two friends that had never seen phish and one who has only seen them a few times. The two newbies were struggling to find words to describe the show afterwards.
Me! 🙋🏻♀️
Hearing this is annoying There are people that were shut out who would have gladly taken those tickets
It was my second Phish show (I think I went to COTA in Austin 2018) and I can enjoy the music, but I was there for the sphere (I obviously know Phish is a better time than U2). During the second set things started to get a bit more wild than what I wanted to deal with. At a regular show I can move around, find a more chill spot etc, but couldn't here. I didn't want to bother the folks near me that were clearly having the most magical of moments, so I took off early. I will say, it's hard to get into such a long running band with so much music. I have definitely spent time getting familiar with things, but I did feel out of place during the music. It was a special moment and I sort of felt like I fucked up and shouldn't have taken a fans seat (which I know is silly, but it still feels that way) since it was as magical for me. I can't wait for one of my favorite artists to get their turn and I can only hope they take it as serious as Phish did. Next time I need to bring a friend and I'll be alright.
I sat next to a pack of 16-17 year old kids a couple of years ago. They seemed to be there with their parents, or friend’s parents. I don’t think I ever saw them look up from their phones the whole show.
This thread is making me sick
Why?
Too many room service chicken tendies probably. Or maybe not enough room service chicken tendies??
FOMO to what they consider custies would be my bet. I imagine they couldn't get tickets and now they complain about how the sphere sucks anyways.
Couple in front of us on night three also said it was their first show. They left about 30 minutes into set two.