Tour Score

Perhaps if you were one of the lucky people able to attend the Phish shows at Radio City Music Hall last month, you saw me in the crowd. I was the girl with the big, dopey grin wearing my cap and gown. You see, I had just graduated college not more than maybe an hour or so before making it down to the city to get ready for the show that night. I suppose that graduating from college was enough reason for me to be deleriously happy that night- yet my thoughts were already running to another large event about to take place in my life: Phish summer tour.

Since those moments, I have been caught in a whirlwind of preparation tactics. By swearing to the minimalist approach of tour, I have been attempting to place one month of necessities into as little space as possible, and so far, failing miserably. I suppose it is the entire idea of necessities that has been throwing me off so much. What is necessary? My favorite book, my most comfortable pair of shoes, and a bottle of aspirin? It as if I am planning a month in my future by what I think I will need beside me. As moods change with the gentle turning of the tides, however, I can safely say that I am as lost as ever.

On my floor, though, lies my empty CD holder- which has room for thirty or so CDs. A novel concept, of course, but one that has completely tied me up in knots, as now I am supposed to carefully plan which music I actually want to take with me for my trip. Perhaps this is the hardest decision of them all. I reached into my collection and pulled out what I felt had been gems - for whatever reason - and came up with the finalists.

Amazingly, some of these CDs have been collecting dust, while others have not even left the top of my stereo for months on end. Yet I found the representation of many different periods of my life through this strange pile of CDs, and this has been such a source of comfort to me. I listened to each and every one that I picked out from start to finish and relived these periods, and came to the conclusion I have come to so many times before: music is the most powerful drug in the world. Music is time travel. Music is...the force.

Besides live shows that will not be mentioned here, below is the final list.

The Police: "Synchronicity" -- When I was a little girl, my father used to play this on vinyl so often that each song became permanently embedded in my mind. This was probably the first album I ever knew from beginning to end. To this day, I have this uncanny way of being able to find a radio station that is playing the Police at mostly any possible time. I do not think that most of the people I am traveling with this summer like the Police all that much, so perhaps I should not be in charge of the radio.

Stone Temple Pilots: "Purple" -- In high school, this was the CD that accompanied me while I was trying to drive on expressways. I would simply start the CD, get on the expressway, and drive until the CD was done. Because I always associate the CD with driving, I figure this will be a sure thing.

Def Leppard: "Hysteria" -- During my first summer away from home at sleepaway camp, my father stocked me up with a bunch of tapes, one of them being this crazy one, including songs like Love Bites and others you've probably tried to forget more than once. Yet the strange away-from-home feeling I get upon listening to it again secured it an immediate spot in the case. It's been thirteen years since that first summer away from home. The feeling has sort of returned.

Soul Coughing: "Irresistable Bliss" -- I'm saving this for the time I get to drive over a bridge into Philadelphia. I've come to realize that Lazybones is the best bridge music ever. Really.

Michael Jackson: "Thriller" -- On Halloween of 1998, while most of my friends were partying down in Vegas for the Phish shows, I was heading down to Wilmer's Park to see some smaller bands. My friend and I had made bets on what Phish was going to cover that night, and I was so sure it was going to be "Thriller" that I put the CD on repeat throughout a large portion of our trip. Although it certainly was not "Thriller" that was played, no roadtrip could really be complete without "Thriller" on repeat.

Tangerine Dream: "Phaedra" -- The most relaxing, beautiful, comforting music ever to grace my ears. Perfect for that aftershow glow that refuses to go away.

Led Zeppelin: "Remasters" (Disc II) -- The second in a three-disc set of incredible Zeppelin collections that brings me back to my freshman year of college. I would sit in my practice room in the music building and slip into a musical coma. The sharp memories of that year in school remind me of the fact that time goes by all too quickly, and alerts me to live each moment carefully as everything must pass.

Fiona Apple: "Tidal" -- Apple's powerful and velvety voice reminds me that it is possible to become a professional musician...yet even if that does not happen for me, at least I have some wonderful music to relate to from other artists. The music of "Tidal" is perfect for those times when you've just seen a show that did absolutely nothing for you, as it will spark up a bit of rage in you yet bring you down into a mellow zone by its completion.

Pink Floyd: "Wish You Were Here" -- I wish that my father had taken the chance to travel like this more so than he did when he was around my age. I wish he were going with me.

Banco de Gaia: "Last Train to Lhasa" -- A two disc trip into tribal electronic bliss. The heartwrenching instrumental storyline leaves the heart beating so fast that this may be suited for out-of-car experiences only. We'll see.

Phish: "Rift" -- The first Phish CD that I ever really got into. I listened to it over and over again in high school and fell in love with this band. Quite simply, it is because of this very album that I am going to be experiencing this trip.

Queen: "A Kind of Magic" -- Anyone who knows me knows my slight obsession with the band Queen. "A Kind of Magic," the soundtrack to the movie Highlander, features the very first song that ever made me fall to the floor in tears of musical joy: Who Wants to Live Forever. I do not think any collection of mine would be complete without this precious gem.

Sarah McLachlan: "Surfacing" -- McLachlan's latest effort is a gorgeous few selections of songs about life, love, living on the road, and losing your sanity a bit. Seems like a pretty fitting combination to me.

G Love and Special Sauce: "self-titled" -- Not quite rap, not quite funk, not quite jazz, not quite rock, not quite like anything I've ever had the pleasure of hearing before. G Love's optimistic tunes set my soul on fire for what is to come.

311: "Transistor" -- When I took a trip across country, "Transistor" was the music that I most remember from it. Since the association is pretty clear cut, I figure the love of traveling that I feel from this CD will enhance my experience even more so.

There are, of course, many more musical inspirations of mine, but as I can only do so much tour, there can only be so many selections to choose. I hope to see you on the road...