My DayOne journal reminded me that on this day 11 years ago I had a bit of an unusual day. Phish was starting their summer tour in Bend and I was driving with my crew across the state on a warm summer day for the shows. Unfortunately, I could feel my clutch acting funny as the trip started and as luck would have it, the clutch failed about 2/3 of the way there in a spot with no cell signal. We were stuck on the side of the road. Did I mention my 19 month kid was with us?

We ended up getting rescued (because Oregonians are good people) and I had my car towed quiet a way to east Bend. We were able to get my kiddo dropped off with her baby sitter and we made it to the show on time. In addition, one of my friends worked some Jimmy White Club magic in the back of the tow truck to get his AAA membership reinstated so I wouldn’t also be stuck with a $300 (or thereabouts) tow ride. Thanks JC! Needless to say, I was especially appreciative of being at that show. Indeed, it has become part of our Phish lore. It is worth noting that Phish debuted two songs that first night that have since become staples of their repertoire, Blaze On and No Men in No Man’s Land (seeing debuts is always cool).

Good times!