hampton

Countdown to Hampton: My First Hampton Shows

Hampton Coliseum

In just two short weeks, Phish will break nearly five years of silence with a three night run in one of their favorite venues: Hampton Coliseum. Over the next two weeks, we’ll give you a little look back at what makes Hampton Coliseum so special to Phish, their fans, and more.

Growing up in nearby Virginia Beach, I came to know Hampton Coliseum as a welcome landmark along the highway, signifying our imminent arrival at home. I did not, however, have the opportunity to attend a concert there until after I’d left the area, midway through High School.

 

Spring of 1992 came around and, with it, Grateful Dead tourdates. The initial announcement included the usual run of shows at my local arena, the Capital Center, and I made plans to attend. I believe that my friend Mike, still in Virginia Beach, is the one who let me know that two shows had been added in Hampton just before the Cap Center run. This time, to skirt the ban, the band changed their name to “Bruce Hornsby and Friends”. They also limited sales to local outlets. This made it, in those pre-Internet days, all the more difficult for me to aquire a ticket. Telling my parents that Mike had one for me, I secured permission to drive down for the Friday night show.

On March 6, 1992, I skipped school, and drove to Hampton. As I had no ticket, I was not permitted to drive into the parking lot so, I parked at a nearby hotel. After securing a pizza box top and magic marker, I began walking up and down Coliseum Drive advertising, “$$ for One Ticket.”

Not ten minutes passed before success smiled upon me and I managed to secure a ticket for face value. I ditched my sign and left my car at the hotel (not advisable these days as the hotels are quite diligent about towing non-guest vehicles.) then I hustled into the lot for my second Grteful Dead show. We, of course, had no cell phones back then but Mike and I had planned to meet at the fountain in front of the coliseum. For those who have been there before for a Grateful Dead or Phish show, I’ll pause a moment so that you may recover from your laughing fit.

…

Upon reaching the fountain, I came to realize that ours was not only a silly plan, but it was not even remotely original. The area teemed with Deadheads- all looking for tickets and/or friends; selling food, crafts, or drugs; participating in or watching a large drum circle; or simply wandering aimlessly. I began to worry a little bit as I stood on the lip of the fountain and surveyed the area. With showtime rapidly approaching, I concocted a plan to go in alone and search further during the set break. I scanned the crowd one last time, noting that the drum circle was shrinking and that the flow of the masses had shifted from aimlessness toward the coliseum entrance. Biting my my lip, I set my resolve to go in alone. Continue reading →

Countdown To Hampton: A History Lesson

Hampton Coliseum

In just two short weeks, Phish will break nearly five years of silence with a three night run in one of their favorite venues: Hampton Coliseum. Over the next two weeks, we’ll give you a little look back at what makes Hampton Coliseum so special to Phish, their fans, and more.

I also hope to share with you a little of my own history of shows at Hampton from Phish and beyond.

Let us begin with a little geography and history, shall we? Hampton, Virginia sits at the tip of the southernmost of the peninsulas that jut into the Chesapeake Bay. The region is commonly referred to as Hampton Roads and includes the cities of Virginia Beach, Norfolk, Chesapeake, Newport News, and Williamsburg. The distinct, flying saucer shaped, arena sits in sight of Interstate 64 alongside a lake. 

Opened in 1970, the Coliseum seats up to 13,800 and is situated adjacent to a strip of hotels and a relatively new convention center. It has played host to all sorts of events from circuses to monster truck shows to Elvis and The Rolling Stones (who filmed their “(I Can’t Get No) Satisfaction” video there.)

Its renown in the Phish community stems not just from the slew of remarkable Phish shows played there but also from the history of legendary Grateful Dead concedes held in the venue.

The Grateful Dead first played Hampton in 1979 and returned annually for several years. The most notable appearance came in 1989. Due to crowding issues caused by touring fans in 1988, the band was banned from playing in the city. A plan was hatched to circumvent the ban by booking them under the moniker “Formerly The Warlocks”. (The Warlocks was a name used by the band for a short time in ’65 & ’66.) I don’t know for certain if this stemmed the tide of fans as I, aged 15 years and at home in Virginia Beach, knew full well that The Grateful Dead were playing, but the shows went on. Myself, I was not permitted to attend.

Those that did attend were treated to more than stellar performances; the band broke out songs that had long been missing from the rotation including: “Dark Star”, “Help on the Way > Slipknot!”, and “Attics Of My Life”  (which had not been played since 1972!) A longtime Deadhead confided to me in 1995 that those shows may have been “the last, truly, great shows” played by The Grateful Dead. One man’s opinion, to be sure, but an opinion grounded in the experiences of a fan who had been seeing the band regularly since the Summer of 1973.

Stream The Grateful Dead 1989-10-09 from Archive.org

With that kind of mojo surrounding a building, you can imagine that the anticipation levels were high for the next time The Grateful Dead might come to town. We’ll talk about that in the next post; stay tuned.

Phish Returns

 

Three weeks ago, on a Tuesday night, word flew all over the internet about the impending announcement of Phish’s return to touring. Wednesday, October 1st, it came to fruition. I’ve got to say, I was barely able to keep my seat at work that day. The excitement of a kid who just learned about Christmas comes to mind. Only bigger. Imagine if, at six years old- when Christmas is the biggest freakin day of the year- someone told you that Christmas was going to happen 20 times in the next year.

Bigger than that.

This is one of those, “if you know; then you know,” sort of things. If you don’t get it, it probably seems a little ridiculous.

But, it’s not.

Phish is coming back.

The implications of the reunion are broad. In 2004, as they played their final shows, it was stated repeatedly that this wasn’t like the previous “hiatus”. This was for real. This time it was for keeps. Problem is, the shows were abysmal. The near-toxic combination of drug addictions and depression hit members of the band; Trey in particular had been having a difficult year onstage (and, it was later confirmed, off.) The missed notes, flubbed cues, etc,  made it all the more depressing that not only were we not going to see these guys again, but we had already lost them. Phish, as we knew it, was already gone.

In retrospect, that may have softened the blow. One could justify the loss as being “for the best.”

But now, despite their previous statements, Phish is returning to the stage. Trey has come through to the other side of a painful and public ordeal with a drug arrest and rehab. They’ve all explored solo projects (Mike Gordon’s recent tour garnered very positive reviews from the fanbase and Trey’s current solo tour is getting rave reviews) and, it would seem, they are intesested in being a band again. The question is, are they out for redemption and a new lease on life? Or are they reaching for dollars and nostalgia? 

As a fan, I’m hoping for the former.

 

When Phish played what was their final song, I, like so many fans, was extremely sad. Not just because they weren’t able to play my favorite song correctly (that did not help!) but because I felt as if a chapter of my life had just been closed forever. Getting into parenthood early, I did not spend as much time on the road with Phish as many of my like-minded friends. For me, Phish became a long weekend, once or twice a year; sometimes close to home, sometimes not. Their music connected these ‘weekends’ to earlier points in my life like beads on a string. The end of Phish’s touring career meant the end of that string. Listening to a show on cd or watching it on dvd can never supplant the actual, visceral, live experience.

Now, as I see it, that chapter cannot be reopened. The past is past. But a future with Phish shows is a pretty good future, indeed.

In March, when the lights go down on the first show back, I’ll be there.