This was my first Phish show. The year before this show i was following the Grateful Dead around every summer and when Jerry died i reluctently agreed to get in a van with 8 other people and go see what Phish was all about. Nobody in our group had any tickets, and on the first night nobody got in. We all got to the lot about 4pm on the second night and scattered in all directions looking for tickets. My cousin and i scored 2 tickets about 20 minutes before the show with about 20 minutes to spare. I remember feeling sad when the show started because i wasn't exited to see this band and knew that if Jerry was still around i could be standing there hoping to see Scarlet/Fire. I knew something was up with this and when i saw smoke coming off the stage and envelopingthe band as the high-hat and the bass started with a spine tingeling intro to Maze. Trey ripped the hell out of this song and my ears started to perk up. I started thinking maybe this band was going to be ok after all but wasn't completely sold. When the second set started four out of our original group of 8 were standing together getting ready for what was to come. This is still one of my favorite versions of AC/DC. I don't remember much about Lizards but listening back to the tapes it sounds pretty good. Anyway they started playing Mikes, the song went into the jam and they did the first mind blowing musical highlight, a huge tension release explosion. That was it for me. I was completely blown away for the next 20 minutes as they blew my mind over and over again. I never knew music coul'd be like this. At one point i remember standing there having my mind blown as i felt a rush of tingeling shoot from my feet and up through my spine. As the Jam continued, somewhere along during Mikes i realized this was the best music i have ever heard. I looked at my friends and just shook my head, speechless. I tried to explain to them after this Jam that this was the best music that has ever been played but they just agreed with me and didnt seem to understand how serious i was about this music. After the Mikes jam, i just stood there and felt like i was waiting for this band to blow my mind again. I thought "these guys are capable of blowing our minds so please hurry up and do it again", i felt like the whole crowd was waiting for it too. They band took it down a notch and then the high hat cymbal started the intro to Bowie and i heard some guy behind me say "here we go". I knew we were in for another mind blower and it truly was. After the show i walk out in a quiet daze thinking there was no way a band could ever come close to what these guys were doing. My mind was blown from that point until forever. I still listen to this show and even got my little girl into the Mikes explaining to her that this is what music should be, explosive! The next day we all got into the van and headed back to michigan. Well on the way home just outside of Ft Wayne the guy driving the van fell asleep at the wheel. We went off the rode and the driver woke up, over corrected with his steering and pulled too hard to the right. The van was doing 360's down the highway until it literally started flipping and roling. We ended up upside down on the side of the highway and all of us went to the E.R. some were hurt pretty bad and were actually in the hospital for weeks. They told me i just had some torn muscles and went home that night. I was injured and it hurt to walk but the next morning i got up and went over to my cousins house to get my hands on his Phish tapes. He wasn't there so i told his roommate i "needed" his phish tapes and took like half of them. He was actually at his parents house recovering and he was ok with it but i could not get that music out of my mind. Since then i have been hooked on the hose and will never forget my first experience with phish.