okay, this is an embarrassing story, but here it is... it could potentially save your life. i recently had moved to Humboldt county to live among strangers and do service work. so yeah, i was with tons of strangers. luckily, i was out here and able to catch the last two phish shows at shoreline. 

i went with a new friend katie and two other guys i met off the co-op message board. now, just to not sound like a complete psycho, i would like to preface the following events with the explanation that i have been to 63 shows and have experienced psychadelia many many times. that said, let the real journey begin. 

it all happens the day of the second show. katie and the guys i was with were all hysterical and tons of fun! yeah. so it was a typical day... vending clothes, drinking beer, and and having a good time in the hot California sun. oh yeah- side bar # 12: i was getting the flu and was completely ignoring it. duh, i'm sure as the reader you can already see how this was unfolding. 

so showtime was on the horizon, and i started packing up all my wares... i had more than a few beers washed down, and katie and i had a great offer of chocolates made with powdered mushrooms. o how fun, the last show, lots of sales, good energy, yummy chocolates--no yucky mushy mouth and my favorite outfit, my creative formal wear outfit from radio city. the outfit consisted of very non-breatheable material for the tank top and a huge pink and purple skirt made entirely from feather boas. whew!

we eat the chocolates and take off. the show gets underway, and we are rocking! it was very sad, but really fun, and we were dancing up a storm! then it happened... i started to feel really dizzy. hmm. this is weird. up to this point, i had had a cheek to cheek grin pasted on my face for about 2 hours. why the change? 

whatever the reason, i started to feel really bad, really fast. i drank all of my water and all the water of people around me... they were giving it to me after they caught sight of my peaked complexion. katie was bopping along merrily, oblivious of what was going on with me internally. well, i kept at the water and just went on enjoying the show. 

it started to break down during glide. "and we're glad, glad, glad that you're alive..." suddenly, i am writhing on the ground. what's up... uh oh, i lose control of my mind. i think that my blood is boiling. for the love of god! i tell katie, who has come to my aid, my symptoms. she is very sorry, but is only two-steps behind me, so she is of very little help other than moral and verbal support, "you'll be okay, you're just freaking out." 

she's right, i'll be okay. yeah right... things get worse... i'm on the lawn, getting very ill, all the while having phish taunt me with glide. why is my paradise turning to hell? thankfully, set-break came right after the torturous glide.  at least i now could feel sick, without feeling sick that i was missing potentially the last phish-show ever. i was having a lot of emotions. so i was trying to make a 45-minute recovery by laying down, puking, and drinking more water. 

then i was found by the ecstasy crowd. "your skirt is so fluffy, can we touch it?" o god help me! then, out of nowhere, the generally pesky security guards found me... i thought i was going to be the weirdo escorted out on a stretcher. oh no... my friends, they rescued me. ta da! they gave me club soda. almost instantly, i was completely rejuvenated! yeah! they saved my life and saved my last show... i was fine in time for the entire 2nd set! 

thanks to whoever they were and remember, although club soda is generally disgusting, it has enough carbonation to help you in any sick body situation. i think i'll be vending it on tour from now on!

 - rachael 

Editor's Note: It's a shame that fungus and chemicals can ruin a show.