Tuesday, August 18, 2009

Phish tour ends, real life resumes...

I'm not sure how long it will take to put words to paper. Needless to say, with many more highs than lows, Phish's "second" summer tour was a resounding success. Saratoga Springs lived up to all the hype. I don't care how much you paid for your ticket - it was well worth it. For my $75 CDN, I got more than I could ever hope for. Visit http://flickr.com/basher22 or click the slideshow below to see some of my favourite shots!


Friday, August 14, 2009

The Kuroda Sticker

Below you will see the new bumper sticker I just installed on my car:




Below the sticker of my car is a picture of Chris Kuroda's lighting rig for Phish. That sticker is still there (or was at Darien), and was handed to Chris' FOH dude before Red Rocks night two.



I just received a new batch. Some are coming to SPAC!

Thursday, August 13, 2009

The Darien Lake show I didn't see...

Wow. What a night. Here is the short version of the story. The long, Buffalo News-worthy story will follow..

Quick explanation.

After going to my car twice with a fistful of tickets to get back in, the security lady thought I was "up to something". So she said I was not getting back in.

Yeah, right.

I walked around to the main entrance, used a lawn ticket, and walked back in to the show. I was back in my box in minutes. Then I realized I didn't have my phone.

I walked back to the VIP lounge and asked for a Live Nation VIP manager. I waited a while and Rob P., Director of Sales for Live Nation, came over to chat.

I explained what had occurred (that I had been denied entry, despite having valid, unscanned tickets) to which he responded, "That's ridiculous! The policy refers to tickets, not individuals!"

He asked me to point out the employees who had said these things...I said, "No problem, but we'll have to actually leave the venue--they're outside--can I get your business card?"

He handed me his card and replied, "No problem--just set your drink down, you can get it on the way back in."

So we headed outside and I pointed out the staff who had denied me entry. He went up to talk to them and said, "If someone has more than one ticket, they can still come in.."

They started talking/conferencing/brainstorming.

A few minutes later "Rob" came back and said, "Sorry, Brian, they just changed the policy--you're out."

"What?"

"Sorry."

So, even though I was in...and I had come out...with a Live Nation employee..I was not allowed back in...did I mention I was entirely sober?

Later on, they threatened to arrest me because I tried to go to the portopotties (that were near the entrance)...they thought I might be trying to get in again...

II did not set foot back in the venue, as the local sheriff promised to arrest me should I try to gain re-entry.

And, they assured me, no refunds.

Notable Gaps

Just playing with zzyzx stats with my new shows added.

Notable Gaps

I Didn't Know was not seen between 7/6/00 and 6/5/09 [21 shows]
Tube was not seen between 12/31/99 and 6/18/09 [23 shows]
When the Circus Comes was not seen between 12/30/99 and 6/18/09 [24 shows]
Hello My Baby was not seen between 7/20/99 and 6/18/09 [29 shows]
Bathtub Gin was not seen between 2/14/03 and 7/31/09 [21 shows]
Crosseyed and Painless was not seen between 9/14/00 and 7/31/09 [23 shows]
Mound was not seen between 12/31/02 and 8/1/09 [23 shows]
First Tube was not seen between 7/6/00 and 8/1/09 [25 shows]
Roses Are Free was not seen between 12/31/99 and 8/2/09 [27 shows]
Bittersweet Motel was not seen between 12/31/99 and 8/2/09 [27 shows]
Bold As Love was not seen between 9/21/99 and 8/5/09 [31 shows]
Driver was not seen between 9/14/00 and 8/8/09 [28 shows]
It's Ice was not seen between 2/15/03 and 8/8/09 [25 shows]

Wednesday, August 12, 2009

Time for excuses...

Okay, so I know daily updates and photos was the idea for Phish Summer Tour Leg 2. Well, that didn't happen.

Instead, an Amazing (Phish) Race around the top left of your United States ensued. 7 Phish concerts, 11 nights, 10,000 miles, a billion smiles, left no time for blogging.

The good news is that some day, I will make it to writing all the stories (and those yet to come) right here. I mean, if you were in at the ground floor, you saw a WICKED AWESOME picture of me below. If you joined the party late, you see a photo re-enactment that lead to my "upper body" condition.



See you in Buffalo.

Thursday, July 30, 2009

Touchdown Denver

After a long YYZ->YUL->DEN commute and 1.5 hours of sleep. That's what an overnight connection in Montreal will do to you. Thankfully I got bumped to business class on the Air Canada flight from Montreal to Denver, so it wasn't all that bad.

I will say this - there is nothing "super" about the "Super Shuttle" from the Denver airport out here to Golden, Colorado. It took an hour and a half. It shouldn't.

Time for a catnap before the rest of the crew arrives. This will be the last few moments I have in an empty hotel room for several days, so I want to enjoy it.

Oh, and did mention that I am going to see a Phish concert tonight? I can hardly believe it. Forecast calls for a wet and sloppy evening. We'll survive.

Tuesday, July 28, 2009

My article is up - flame away!

That's right folks, my article about the convergence of Phish and technology is up at Edit International. Go easy on me - the writing will get better as I go!

See you at Red Rocks on Thursday!


Friday, July 24, 2009

Your guest YEM-blogger for Phish at Darien is...


Basher! That`s right folks, set your dial to YEMBlog.com on August 13th to hear my thoughts and observances, live from the scene beside a theme park.


Thursday, July 23, 2009

The Adventures of Basher...

Welcome to my personal blog, where I (sometimes) share my follies. Stay tuned for a BIG adventure.

July 29th - Fly Toronto to Montreal
July 30th - Fly Montreal to Denver
July 30th-August 2nd - Phish at Red Rocks Amphitheater
August 4th - Fly to San Francisco
August 5th - Phish at Shoreline Amphitheater
August 6th - Fly to Seattle
August 7th-8th - Phish at the Gorge Amphitheater
August 9th - Fly Seattle to Denver to Toronto

Rough tour itinerary from Google - 7000 miles?

Buckle your seat belts and check often for live blogging...