one evening before the Phish show, which was on a small side stage out in the woods, we ran into Mike just checking the crowd out. kind of a funny guy, it turns out. anyway, he signed our fujifest passes and then stopped signing because a small crowd was gathering. we also got to meet the singer for a japanese band, who said she was friends with phish and had been hanging out with them since before the festival. i think that band was called "frog," but i'm not sure.

four concerts in three days, front row center. so close up that when we blew bubbles, they were actually on stage dancing around trey and mike! we got some cool pictures of fishman playing trey's guitar, too. that was all really nice.

then we joined the rest of our family in Kyoto for a few days of fine dining. After they all left, my other sister, Kira, and I planned on traveling japan for a few weeks. but first, a stop off to check out MMW at a little bar in Tokyo. of course we got to meet them. they were easy to spot because DJ Logic was the only black guy within a hundred miles, and he was just standing outside the bar.

another fantastic show front row center, all acoustic and intimate. after the show everyone was hanging around, and my sister (not a huge phish fan, but liked MMW) pokes me on the shoulder and says, "isn't that the phish drummer?" So i turned around and, indeed, it was fishman in all his little glory. but i didn't want to intrude on what was obviously a night off for him, so i didn't greet him. but then i saw he was talking to the singer for Frog, who recognized me and introduced me to fishman. i shook his hand, said hi politely, and we had about two seconds of awkward silence before he kind of wandered away.

i guess i was right that he didn't feel like being a circus act on his night off. so if you ever run into them, or any other celebrities, remember you're a stranger to them, and their privacy is more important than your urge to shake their hands and thank them!!!

- sam goldstein