The first Phish i ever heard was when i purchased "A Live One" on a family vacation before my last year of high school. I had never heard their music but knew it was part of a scene that fascinated me. When i first listened to it, i tried to force myself to like it, but i couldn't deny that i got lost in a lot of their jams and found their lyrics simple.

The more i listened to Phish, the more i began to appreciate their musicianship, and the more i encountered the scene, the more i appreciated this separate reality where kindness and peace abounded. But the definitive moment for me, the experience that articulated everything i've searched for, was at my first Phish show in Boise, Idaho. 

The parking lot was like nothing i'd ever seen in Boise, a community of phriends, open and sharing and grooving on the peaceful vibes. When i walked through the gates into the venue, i walked through the doors of perception and into a world apart from any other reality i'd ever visited, a reality i'd like to inhabit forever. Everyone was sitting on the floor burning incense and anticipating the music. i made quick phriends with everyone around me and felt loved and happy. 

When Mike, Page, Fish, and Trey walked onstage, i felt the energy swell over the crowd as everyone rose to greet their phriends. As the music wound through the phamily, eye-contact would be made between strangers who may or may not have had anything in common, except the experience they were in the midst of. And that was it... the simple connection you made with some random person, quick eye contact and a sincere smile... no words exchanged, just phriendly vibes. And that was when i knew that i had found my phamily.

- Greg Rutty