Historical Newspapers of South Carolina

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The swamp fills with Phish by Michael Kerr Gamecock Critic . This New Year’s 80,000 people descended upon the Big Cypress Seminole Indian Reservation in Flori da to see a concert by the rock group Phish. People flocked to the site from every comer of the country for three days of camping and two days of music. Despite never attaining commercial success, Phish has been one of the top grossing live bands for the past 10 years. They have gained a cult following similar to that once associated with The Grateful Dead. “Phans,” as followers of the band are known, are some of the most loyal in the music world. They are known to travel from venue to venue during the band’s tours. The massive influx of people attending the show backed up traffic along 1-75 for 25 miles. The 12-hour wait did little to upset the concert-goers, however. All along the road, known locally as “Alligator Al ley,” people skateboarded, listened to music and threw Frisbees, oblivious to the inconvenience. Inside the gates, a makeshift city of RVs and tents shot up in a matter of hours. More than half of those attending had their campsites set up Dec. 29, a full day before the concert began. People cooked hot dogs and hamburgers on portable grills and set fireworks off as the sun went down. This was a concert like no other. Upon passing through the gates, the fans were met with warnings about the canals, fire ants, alligators, spiders, snakes and wild boars. Each carload received a map of the venue, which was laiger than many small towns. A theme of the con cert was “Keep the Scene Clean.” Bags for trash and recycling were given out at the entrance. The staff urged fans to dispose of their trash prop erly and rewarded them for doing so. By dropping garbage bags off at designated areas fans, were entered into a raffle. Five first-prize winners received an au tographed copy of the Phish box set “Hampton Comes Alive,” as well as two tickets to the Phish show of then choice in 2000. One grand-prize winner received a personal ized, autographed photo of the band and four tickets to the Phish show of his choice in 2000. Excitement and an overwhelming feeling of anx iousness filled the crowd the first night. People wandered around the festival, absorbing everything they possibly could. jno one Knew wnat to expect in tne coming days, but it was clear that this was something special. The entertainment started long before the band hit the stage. The “Enchanted Forest” provided live music and interpretive dance. People played guitars and sang from their campsites. Music blared from the vendors. Two Fenis wheels were in operation, and people struggled to climb to the top of a large ice sculpture. Around 5 p.m. Dec. 30, Phish took the stage for the first of five sets to be played over two days. Semi nole Chief Jim Billy joined the band on guitar and lead vocals to play two songs. He greeted the thousands in attendance with a “Native Greeting Song.” He then followed with a warning about the animals living on the reservation with “The Big Alligator Song.” • Phish played two more sets that evening. The high light of Day One was a cover of Led Zeppelin’s “Good Times Bad Times.” The concert field emptied around midnight. Some returned to their tents to get some sleep, while others spent tne enure mgni want ing around the festival, tak ing in as much of the scene as possible. The first day of music proved incredi ble, and it was only the be ginning. The band returned to the stage the next afternoon for another exciting set. After playing for nearly two hours, they closed with a cover of Eric Clapton’s “After Midnight.” They left the stage for a long break, leaving the crowd anxious for the fi nale, an all-night set start ing just before midnight and ending at sunrise. By 11 p.m., the con cert field was packed. The crowd was more excited than ever. The'Combina tion of the coming of the year 2000 and the show to be played made for an intense feeling in the sea of peo ple. Father Time appeared on the screens near the stage riding a stationary bike as the turning of the gears played over the PA. Ten minutes before midnight, Phish made their grand entrance, riding in on a giant hot dog. They threw beads, leis and other presents into the crowd. They.hit the stage in time to join the crowd in a count down to the year 2000. As the 20th century ended, the band broke into “Auld Lange Syne” and a fireworks display lit up the sky. The final set was a testament to both the band and their fans. Earlier in the show, front man Trey Anas tasio promised the crowd that the band would not leave the stage for the entire set. True to their word, every member of Phish remained on stage for the marathon seven-hour-and-45-minute set. Just before 1 a.m. Anastasio informed the crowd that the next song would be taped and played as part of ABC’s “New Year’s Across the World.” He greeted those watching on television with a message of peace and love for the 21st century and re minded the world that the left lane was for passing on ly. At his request, the crowd replaced the traditional applause and cheers at the song’s close with chants of “cheesecake.” Many fans did not last the entire set. Some re turned to their tents, while others fell asleep on the concert field. As the sun rose, Phish left the stage, ex hausted. • Phish’s New Year’s Eve 2000 show will almost ceftainly draw comparisons to Woodstock. It most certainly was not Woodstock. But in a year where concerts were marred with riots and fires, those three days of friendship and music came close. Patrick Rathbun The Gamecock Phish fans celebrated the new year with a three-day festival on the Big Cypress Seminole Reservation in Florida's Everglades. 7. “The Rock Says...” by the Rock, with Joe Layden 8. “Tuesdays With Morrie” by Mitch Albom 9. “The Green Mile, the Complete Serial Novel” by Stephen King 10. “The Courtship” by Catherine Coul ter 11. “Snow Falling on Cedars” by David Guterson 12. “Body For Life” by Bill Phillips, Michael D’Orso 13. “The Lion’s Game” by Nelson De Mille 14. “Bittersweet Rain” by Sandra Brown 15. “The Carbohydrate Addict’s Diet” by Richard F. Heller, Rachael F. 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