The texas shows rippin, especially Dallas... it was absolutely smokin. Ever been to a show where every single song is jammin so hard you feel like if you dance any harder your arms are going to fall off and sweat is pouring down your face in rivers, and every time you open your eyes to get a peak at Trey the sweat stings your eyes so bad that you just keep em closed and dance even harder? Well Dallas did that for me that year.

Well the night after Dallas I found myself in Kansas. Not sure why, but I have always hated Kansas and every time I go to that state something really bad happens to me. The only place I really feel safe in that state is at a Phish show, and even then I'm expecting the SWAT team to somehow show up and drag me out of there just as Mike slaps out the first notes of Weekapaugh.

Well this year was no different as I soon realized when two cops started following me not far after I crossed the border into this dreadful state.  Well I guess they just wanted to scare me because eventually they pulled around me and drove off. This was super scary for me as I had picked up two sheets of gelcaps at the previous show. Little did I know my luck was about to change, at least for a brief while.

I made it to the show successfully and made it into the parking lot without a hitch. I was there about 6 hours prior to soundcheck, which gave me plenty of time to relax and enjoy the scene. I partook in a little too much LSD that day, and soon found myself wandering deep into the woods off the lot in Bonner Springs.

After several hours of walkin through the trees trippin out on some different things, I looked to my left and saw through the trees a somewhat familiar face. I walked towards him and sure enough, sitting on the edge of the forest was Mike Gordon on his all too familiar golf cart. I guess nobody else had seen him or maybe he had taken off over by trees to get away for a little while. Still not sure.

Anyways, it was just him and me, and I'm still not sure if it was the gelcaps or not, but that day Mike had an afro to end all afros. I walked directly up to him and tried to speak, but my voice just kind of reverberated off my lips and I think I said something to the effect of, "yoooouuu are ttthhhe fucccckin man bro, you guys fuuuucckkiin rock." Yet it sounded to me like a super distorted tone, like I was speakin through a nitrous balloon or something.

Mike shook my hand and sort of laughed at me, said thanks and sped off. Well there goes the opportunity to have that intelligent conversation I have been wanting to have with him for so long (yeah right.)

So they ended up playin a super rockin show that night. Emotional Rescue opener, gotta love Mike tryin to hit the high notes, Sneakin Sally, Contact and a super phat YEM are what comes to mind immediately. I'm sure I could recall more if I tried really really hard.

So that's my story of an encounter with the band, may not be as good as that guy who hung with Jim Carrey and Trey up at the barn (I'm so jealous of you by the way), but for me it was another day in paradise with the boys we all dig so much.

I really cant even begin to explain to someone who's not into Phish why it is that this band rocks the way they do. Maybe it's the phunk, maybe it's the adventure, maybe it's the fact that every time I turn around at a show I see thousands of people dancing just as hard as me who all seem to understand why a guy like me would drive thousands of miles across country to see Phish play.

Not sure, but it never ceases to crack me up when I tell someone that I follow Phish around, and I hear them say, "phish? huh, never heard of them, are you like a groupie or something?" No, I'm not a groupie, I just love the music.

Thank you to everybody who posts their stories here on pholktales as it always gives me pleasure to read them every day at work, when my boss actually thinks I'm working. See you all (or at least some you) in Hampton!!!!

- Bob W.