Phish, New Year's Eve 2000

Review by Tamara Ronkin. Some photographs submitted by Shoshana Samole.

How I felt: Just a few days before the event, I got the flu. My eyes watered, I coughed deeply and my nose ran constantly. But I didn't want to miss this show. We had our tickets for months and I had been looking forward to this weekend for quite a while. It was a chance to enjoy some cool weather, bright sunshine, good people and good music.

Thursday: At 8 am., we rented a Ford Expedition to haul our deluxe camping supplies, plus Shoshana, Ari and all of their stuff. We packed the truck so tightly that I held items near my feet and my brother once got hit in the head with a bongo drum. To the displeasure of my companions, I coughed and blew my nose (and whined about it) for five hours while we sat in traffic. The site was only 20 miles away in the Everglades, and the traffic jam made local and CNN Headline News. When we finally arrived, we were given a map and sent along to a miniature city complete with roads, street signs, port-o-lets, running water and garbage receptacles. We missed the first Phish set so that we could make camp and dinner. Later that night, for the second set, we walked what felt like two miles to "The Delta," which offered a general store, food and specialty shops. Then, we went through the turnstiles into the concert. I became inspired by the rich music, the lighted double Ferris wheel that tumbled to the rhythm, and the two hot air balloons soaring guests into the air with loud bursts of fire. Alas, though, I was exhausted, wheezing and coughing, so Eric and I decided to head back to camp. On the walk back, we noticed a heavy fog sinking into the fields, shrouding the light that marked our block. It looked really neat. It became cold that night. When we got back to camp, I put on a turtle neck, a plaid button up and a denim jacket, but I could not get warm. For the rest of the night, I hid in the tent under all of our blankets and shivered.

Friday: As soon as the sun rose over the horizon, the air warmed up. By 9 am., Eric and I had changed into shorts and t-shirts. Warmly dressed, groggy campers began rising, walking to the Port-o-Lets, and starting breakfast. Eric fried up eggs and bread for us, which we ate with our fingers because we forgot to bring forks. Later, Ari and Shoshana woke up, and we shared the day listening to music, meeting people and enjoying food. There was a late afternoon set, so Eric, Ari and I trekked to the concert field. To my dismay, once we got to the turnstiles, I learned that cameras would not be allowed inside, and I had one in my back pack! So, we bid Ari good-bye and walked towards the Delta to check out the large Ferris wheel. On the way, we crossed over a wooden bridge that lead to a lighted forest and a cardboard city. We then made our way back to camp and started dinner. Just before midnight, we bade farewell to Ari and Shoshana as I (and now Eric) was too sick to make the walk again. Both of our heads felt plugged up. It was a warmer night, so we opened all of the tent flaps and just laid there. Deluxe fireworks blasted outside at Midnight. We hoped that we could hear the band, but we could not. We drifted off to sleep shortly afterwards. I remember waking in the middle of the night and faintly heard the band (they must have really been jamming), but then fell asleep again.

Saturday: At first light, people started tearing down their campsites. A few weary revellers stumbled back from the concert which ended at 7 am. It took us an hour to pack up the car, and two hours to get home. As we waited in the car to be let out of the park, we listened to "Thin Air," the temporary FM station created to distribute information to the makeshift city. They delivered eclectic music and colorful interviews with concert goers. By the time we reached the highway, the signal faded out. The concert was over.

A suggestion to Phish: Your Port-o-Lets need to be emptied every day. Pee-Yew! Gross!

Ari and Eric relax in the Ronkin tent between shows.



On Friday, our neighbors stopped by to try out our couch.




Eric prepares lunch.



A Ferris wheel offers a unique highlight to the show.

Shoshana took this picture of Ari & Tamara at camp.

Concert footage includes Shoshana, a ferris wheel and a fairy.

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