Bathtub Gin > Runaway Jim - Phish
8.9.04 - Hampton Coliseum, Hampton VA


This was the worst Phish show I ever saw. It kicked off an extremely disappointing week in Phishistory for yours truly. Later that week, after spending 30 hours of my life traveling five miles on I-91, I was turned away from Phish’s final shows. Phish was over. I still have not listened to Coventry, and probably never will. August 9th, 2004 was the last Phish show I ever saw, and I was bitter.

My feelings about that week in August 2004 haven’t changed, but my feelings about Phish have. Even with the ticket nightmares over the past six months, I haven’t been this excited about Phish since Lemonwheel, which was the last Phish festival that I attended. It’s a fresh start for a band that needs one. Todays New York Times article confirms that.

I’m going into this weekend with an open mind. Even though my excitement is high, my expectations are low. I don’t care what they open with, what they play, and how long they play it. I hope the output will be high quality, but it has been 4 years since they last performed (weddings excluded). I think this was part of the problem in 2004. No way was I going to appreciate the final show at Hampton unless it was a repeat performance of Hampton ‘95 thru ‘99. I mean it was the last show ever at Hampton! A set list that was peppered with songs from Undermind and Round Room coupled with the typical sloppy play from 2004, the evening was a big letdown.

Trey’s sloppiness aside, I was more disappointed in the set list that night. It was also the anniversary of Jerry’s death. Couldn’t they just pull out “Terrapin” one more time? (sarcasm here) That was my perspective then. Spoiled and weathered. When I look at the setlist from 8/9/04 now, my perspective is completely different.

Set I: Chalkdust Torture, Bathtub Gin > Runaway Jim, Walls of the Cave, Loving Cup

Set II: All of These Dreams, Limb x Limb, Lifeboy, Crowd Control, Seven Below > Stash > NICU, Bug, Contact > Character Zero

Encore: David Bowie

I would love to see this during the weekend. What about you?

In the end, this coming weekend is all about your expectations. I expect to be in Hampton on Sunday. I expect to stay in the hotel I booked two days before the announcement. I expect to not leave my tickets at home. I expect to drink a cold beer (several) in the lot. I expect to enjoy the moment. And I expect to get into the show and see Phish live for the first time in 4+ years. That’s it. Nothing more. A good friend told me a long time ago that expectation is the seed of disappointment, and I am through being disappointed with Phish.