Dear Trey Mike Page and Fish

Some very special things happened last night; we know that. I think some of the younger members of our scene felt it but didn't completely get it. I'm writing this for them too.

You know we like to predict what you are going to play. I was a freakin' prophet last night. My friend Lou (drummer) hung out with Fish and Page at Mike's Music and backstage- did he show you my facebook page? I called Wolfman's Brother as an opener as I attended the show with my hairy younger bro... and we were off.

I stubbed friends down to our !Row G! seats for good karma, and was dancing on the lawn when Lama was played. I recognized it at that first drum beat, wanted to make a vid of my name sake song but GOT MOBBED. You would have loved that POV- several dozens of our friends high-fiving me and going ecstatic! Just no way to shoot a video with that around me, and I NEEDED to dance.

I called Fluffhead two days ago and all day yesterday; friend me and check my facebook... I saw Fluff at my first show in '93. It is a very very special song to me, and played a part in many significant events in my life. I wrote to you after that first show and explained how Fluffhead seemed to have very therapeutic qualities. Mike wrote back; I still have the letter. I showed it to everyone in the lot. I KNEW you were going to play that song as I had a rough time recently, and needed spiritual healing... I'm a responsible guy with a family and day job, no touring for me. This show was my only chance.

We thought it wasn't going to happen, but I told my crew to have patience... It was in the air last night, wasn't it! Was in Row G from Chalkdust on...When the encore broke I thought it was a tease... Phish don't play Fluffhead as an encore! When I heard the first bars I literally cried.

Too many square and corporate types in the front. I was determined that they were going to 'get it' and not miss this special moment. When you went off into what my musician friends and I call 'the dark labyrinth' (I play saxes, and can't follow along playing that without a score!), I turned around and yelled at the crowd: "When Phish come back for the final chorus, and you hear Fluffhead again, it will be the single most blissfully orgasmic musical experience of your life!!!" I got some odd looks...

But the jam was sooo good. And sooo long. I danced and danced. The energy levels around me rose. People who didn't dance all show started dancing with me. It was infectious. I kept yelling "it's coming it's coming" as you built the tension on stage.

When the dam FINALLY broke, I pogoed off the shoulders of my 6'5" tall brother, screaming FLUFFHEAD in a state of delirious ecstasy (yes, I was THAT guy :-). Everyone around me went bonkers! They phinally got it!

My knees hurt this morning. I'm sore from dancing. But completely blissed out. I turned forty a few weeks ago (you know that as you must have read my facebook page, seen my age, and threw in David Bowie/UB 40 just for me ;-). But last night I was 20 years old again for a few hours. Your music is that powerful.

Thank you gentlemen, for so much. If others didn't have the time of their life last night, they were quite simply doing it wrong.

Peace and all the best to you on your 'travels'. And from all of us here in the Queen City, please come back very soon.

Lama Lamma