Hechscher State park has been overrun with Phishheads! The vibe at this small patch of land on Long Island’s south eastern shore is like a very small and chill music festival… without the live music. Jay and I have a sweet little site on the corner overlooking a vast field. It’s been the perfect start to our adventure.
Day one:
We set up camp, scarfed down some pulled chicken sandwiches and headed for the Jones Beach Amphitheatre. After a very easy drive and some turning around because they don’t have a sign for the place, we cozied up into a nice corner of the lot, and immediately made some friends with the locals. This trip has refreshed our faith in humanity because so far our neighbors and pholk we have met along the way have been amazing. Jay even made friends with some Yankees fans! We started hanging with Mark and Jay, two classic Long Island dudes and had some fun before the show started up. The lots were pretty wild, as was expected, and security was also in full effect busting up underage drinking and open containers like shooting phish in a barrel.
After a little too much hanging out, we made it to the show, but missed Runaway Jim and the first bit of Foam; rookie mistake and next time our asses will be in seats by the time they say the show will start. The good news was our seats were AMAZING! Smack in the center of the venue, in the middle of the Mezzanine section, and with more great neighbors on both sides. I took tons of pictures and some great video and wish I could post them all, but definitely will when I have some QT with free internet service in the hotels.
As for the show itself, that was the best part because it was even better than Fenway! They are still breaking out rocking new tunes that Jay and I both loved, like Kill Devil Falls, a song that seems to be about Trey’s journey toward sobriety. The music was tight, high energy, and very well paced. They are not playing as many overlapping songs, but seem to be taking it song by song and it’s great to see them all on stage talking about what they want to play next. It’s a different kind of Phish, and I like it.
The boys keep breaking out well-rehearsed rarities like the ballad Driver that gave me chills because the words really spoke to me. Jay really wanted to hear Timber-Ho and his wish was granted. Possum was incredibly explosive and they made it look easy. During a well played Harry Hood and crazy ambient jam, I couldn’t help but think about Burlington and how the song was inspired by the old Hood plant near where I live.
The first set was so amazing that we had no idea what was in store for set two, and we were definitely not let down. When Mike’s song started up I knew we were in for a treat, and loved the very unique segue into Simple, Wolfman's Brother, and then Weekapaug. Not doing Mike’s>I am Hydrogen>Weekapaug is a rarity and this tour has been full of those moments already and we are only two shows deep.
We were also in the perfect spot for full light show enjoyment and Phish definitely has some new toys they busted out last night. I don’t know how many times I said “WOW” that night because I was blown away by the sights and sounds. Jones Beach has quickly become my new favorite venue and really look forward to two more nights of rocking.
THEN WE WERE ROBBED!
When we arrived safely “home” I heard some loud munching coming from our tent. Rookie mistake #2… don’t leave any food in the vestibule and leave for a few hours. After a little freaking out and a brainstorm, we scared the dog-sized raccoon out of our tent/vestibule and counted up the losses. He ate a couple bananas; an entire bag of Boulder chips, 2 packages of Ramen and accompanying chili lime flavor packets, and tried to get my cheerios.
Our day off was a little rainy and dreary, and our attempt at seeing Long Island wine country was stunted. We basically drove in the direction of the vineyards and stopped at the first one we saw, which was a lovely little house that had a great Riesling and stellar Red table wine. When we got back to out site, Jay and I cooked a gourmet camp meal of steamed Barramundi in a ginger citrus marinade and an Asian inspired salad.
After dinner we challenged our neighbors to some Beirut and lost, but it was still good practice for Samantha and James in PA. After the game the night was kind of a blur and we went to bed when the rain started pouring hard. We woke to clear skies and chirping birds as we prepare for show 2 at Jones Beach!
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