SHARING THE SHOWS
So a note about that picture: Mark was trying to get a natural shot of me dancing, but I caught him first and had to photobomb him. And that’s Jesse with the ponytail and the tye-dye. J
Getting up on Sunday morning was rough. I had a pretty bad case of indigestion from those late-night nachos and that late-night cheesecake (don’t make that a regular thing). So coffee was my breakfast, and after checking out, the “bro crew” went to Potbelly’s Sandwich Shop (my first time there). I felt the need for something healthy, so I went with a turkey and swiss sandwich with a garden salad on the side. After this, we went to Patapsco Valley State Park for a short hike (0.8 miles). We did a steep walk toward a river, and went for a walk toward some railroad tracks. After this was dinner at G&M, where I had a delicious crab cake, a baked potato with sour cream, and broccoli (gotta get those green veggies in). Mark introduced me to the Flip Wilson sketches; he is a true fountain of cultural knowledge. During the day, I was literally running on fumes. If I were a cell phone, I’d have been on 2% battery power. I love traveling and shows, but they really do take a lot out of you. Once we headed to the parking garage (located on Divided Sky Lane), Gary asked Jesse if he could take a nap in his car while we toured the lot. I decided that was a good idea and followed his lead. I dozed for about 10 minutes before heading in. Once I got in, Mark surprised me with a shirt that reads “Your Pet Cat” along with a cat holding a 40-oz malt liquor and wearing a baseball hat turned sideways. Phucking phunny! I had gotten a Pavilion ticket, so I spent the first set seeing how the upper crust lives. It was old school (“Llama,” “BBFCFM,” “Meat,” “Alaska,” “Tweezer” “Bathtub Gin,” “Curtain (With),” and “Chalkdust.” I was pleased that Jesse got his “white whale”: “Curtain (With).” During the second set, I decided to groove on the lawn with my bros (I don’t really see them that often, so I have to make the most of that time). “Tweezer Reprise” opened the second set, followed by “No Men in No Man’s Land.” I went to a stand to get water, only to find out they ran out of it (WTF!?). So I got the fruit punch Gatorade (never drink your carbs!). “Twist” was next, one of my favs. “Prince Caspian” followed. During “Piper,” the dreadlocked dude nearby asked me, “are you writing the setlist?” He had been observing me and my notepad. I typically do it on my phone, but I was trying to save power, and my friend and writing partner Christina Campbell, a prolific writer (check out her memoir, “And Sarah His Wife”), inspired me to buy a little notepad to write down little observations and thoughts, just like I did in college. We shot the shit for a few minutes. He has two cats and lives in Fredericksburg. This shirt is going to come out at every Phish-related event I attend from now on. “Backwards,” “2001” and “Harry Hood” closed the second set. During those harrowing minutes before the encore, Mark proposed a moment of silence for our bro Drew, who couldn’t make it. Since they played four encores, Mark said in jest, “I’m not leaving until I get five.” They did three: “Heavy Things, “Bug” (one that always has me tearing), and “Tweezer Reprise.” Never miss a Sunday show indeed. And now that the summer is near closing, I think I’m ready for a three-day nap. Extensive traveling was fun, but thanks to these shows, along with some help from Christina, I have a greater connection with my writing than I have in a long time. I’ve decided it’s time to slow down on the shows and the traveling and devote more energy to writing (don’t worry; to my audience of five or six, there will still be blogs here). A big congrats to Mark, who with his lovely girlfriend Sheila, is moving onto a different phase by ending his 17-year stay in his apartment and putting a down payment on a house. We all go through different phases in our lives; change is hard, but it’s phucking awesome.
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