PHISH 3/6/9 Hampton Live Blog - The Return!!!

11:30am - Daph, daryl, timmy, jamie and I got a great breakfast at the Sheraton in Norfolk. The whole hotel is seemingly phish people. Lots of anticipation. Word is lots open at 2pm, we will be heading towards the Mothership soon to be in when they open.

The Disco Biscuits show last night was even better than the Denver shows- they are on a huge roll. The second set last night was on of the best I have ever seen by them. It was the perfect warmup for tonight.

12:45pm we are leaving norfolk and heading to hampton.

Pre show drive music is the disco biscuits 1/22/09 set I.

Thanks in advance to those following along- I kinda feel like this is the phish version of a countown to the superbowl pre-show and I'm the host.

1:22 bad traffic on i- 64 to hampton. Stop and go the whole way.not sure it is phish related; I think the roads just suck.

1:45 we have a visual on the mothership! The lots aren't quite open yet, are getting some last minute supplies at wallgreens.

Weather report: Its a very pleasant 66 degrees with sunny skies and a breeze w gentle gusts 15-20mph.

2:02 7-eleven and wallgreens are both out of rolling papers. Go figure.

2:31 cops on bikes in lot. They remind us not to have an open bottle and we borrow cups from our neighbors.

2:45 a few hundred people are already in line by the fountain. Lots of people milling around. Art in the fountain (pics posted, thanks alan!) Lots of kids looking for an extra.

3:33 we are in two groups- one camped out in line and the other walking in the lots. Pauly estimates that 75% of the people in the lots don't have tickets. Great fun chatting with old friends. Periodically a crowd yell will errupt from those waiting in line.

4:15 its pretty much social hour(s) waiting in line, everyone making new friends and seeing old ones. My buddy disco bret is at the front of the line- he got here at 10:30am. We've been here for a couple of hours but its going by really fast. Saw the art director for phish (guy with long white beard in bittersweet motel) he said it would be next monday when they finish the robot/art installations.

5:00 "coventry was a war. Friends and family got separated. Here it is a fucking family picnic." - pauly

5:15 the line to get in is getting more dense; excitement is everywhere. The crowd is yelling more often; the time is near, the mission's clear, its later than you think!

5:30 daryl found the nitrous tank in the lot but was able to find us before the crush. Its shoulder to shoulder In a mass of phish heads outside the mothership. There is no other place anyone here would rather be. I have never had so much fun standing in a line.

5:40 - I could really use a heady grilled cheese right now. Alas, there is no food in the lot. Daph, darly and I just lost our hoodies in the crush. Fuck it. I've worn that hoodie too much anyway.

7:10 the crush in was pretty bad. Shoulder to shoulder for at least 30 min. But everyone is in, one group (pauly-change100-daryl-daph) at second f and me (trey-me-bri-paul-damian-tim a second over at e. We are page side and got seats about 3/4 way back. There are lights in the center roof of the arena with large balls/balloons on the ceiling.
Old skool stage setup confirmed; everyone is psyched.

My batteries are running low, not sure how long I can update. Follow taopauly on twitter for setlist updates. He is sober tonight and if it happens, Pauly is on it.

The show hasn't even started yet and the crowd is yelling like it has.

I ate a shitty cheeseburger and french fries.

Beer is $7 for a 16 oz.

The light rig is fucking huge.
No place I would rather be. I feel fortunate to be here.

7:50 about every 2 minutes this place errupts in a cheer like the show is gonna start. It hasn't. But people are P U M P E D!!!

The guitar and drum techs just came out... Can't be long now.

7:59 chills through my spine...the crowd is deafeaning
OPENER, PHISH 3.0...
Set I, 3/6/09
Fluffhead!!!
Divided sky
Chalkdust torture
Sample in.a jar
Stash
I didnt know
Oh kae pah ceremony
Suzy greenberg
Farmhouse
Nicu
Horn
Rift
(Holy shit? They have been playing over 1:20. No setbreak yet? Epic.)
Train song (I sit and catch my breath. This is a monster set!)
Water in the sky (swing version! /old school version)
Squirming coil
david bowie

9:54 Woa. Setbreak.

10:29 set ii
Backwards down the number line
Tweezer!!!>
Taste>
Possum
Theme from the bottom
First tube>
Harry hood!
Waste>
Yem (false start!)

Editor's Note: This is when the Joker lost power to his crackberry, and Pauly took over. In reality, the Joker started huffing glue with some wookies and we lost touch with him.

Encore: Grind (acapella), Bouncin (with balloon drop), Loving Cup

12:21am... Reunion show is officially over. No Tweezer Reprise encore if any of you clowns were gambling on those sorts of things. Me? I was sweating bricks. If the boys busted out Tweprize, I'd owe my buddy $20. The lucky fuck picked Fluffhead to open too. I suspect Tweprise will close out the run on Sunday night.

12:44am... no chicks selling veggie burritos. i snag a sick deal - 3 HOODFELLAS stickers for $5. we drink beers at our car. guys next to us shoot off fire works. tour dog pisses on wheels of pickup truck with Maine plates.

1:10am... Lights on the Mothership go off. The federalies come by and kindly ask us to leave. See ya tomorrow. Stay tuned for pics and videos and a recap.