Changes in time, changes in scenery, changes in temperature, changes in influence, changes in geographic location all bring about a change in perception. Ten years ago I was a college senior that had barely stepped outside of the state of Nebraska, drinking Old Milwaukee Light, and heading to the Zoo Bar in Lincoln NE to see blues legends Bugs Henderson and Magic Slim play live for the first time. Ten years ago I was utterly AWED by the power of that stage. Next week, I'll be on that stage getting my band rolling, treating it as 'another gig' and drinking nothing but imports/micros or my latest drink of choice, an Absolut Citron fuzzy screwdriver. Ten years ago I bought "Touch of Grey," and gave it away because I didn't get it. Last week, I saw my first and only Grateful Dead "experience" in the persons of Phil Lesh and Friends-and lamented my misfortune in discovering something so wonderful too late. Ten years ago I would have been out of place and kinda freaked in a 'lot,' but a month ago, I was thick in it at Phish in Ames/Minneapolis-eating 'Gumbo' and drinking 'Bathtub Gin', riding high with the other phans and phunky bitches as we all 'enjoyed myself'… One of the straights that happened to step outside her comfortable little world into the lot scene in Minneapolis didn't feel quite so much at home. She loudly and sarcastically exclaimed "What happened? When did I walk into WOODSTOCK?!?"

She refused to alter her perception and embrace something different …but we'll come back to that in a bit.

Now, as I sit in my room at the Radisson in Birmingham, AL watching Steve Martin pick "Auld Lang Syne" on the banjo, my altered perception asks:

What freaking time zone, state and/or country am I in?

Ostensibly I live in Omaha, Nebraska and have a 'real job' in the biotech industry that takes me away from home 'occasionally.' Going back just six weeks I've crossed the international date line twice (Seoul/Hong Kong), spent a week in Maryland, a week in Miami, a week in Detroit (but stayed in Windsor, Ontario-crossing that international border no less than 12 times in a week) and here I am in Alabama. If you go back a few months further, you include two more trips across the dateline (Australia with a stop in New Zealand), a couple to Chicago, several to St Louis, Kansas City, Denver, Seattle, Los Angeles, Austin, State College (and I know I'm forgetting some). It goes without saying that these experiences have altered my perception in a dramatic way.

Sitting in my chair this weekend I realized that I've actually been on tour all year. I began laughing (probably to ward off Jimmy's insanity) as I thought back on everywhere I've been and how little actual music I've seen on the tour. It seems like it's been a musical tour, because music has been one of the pervasive themes woven into my life during this time. In reality, it's been a series of hotels, airports, rental cars, universities, labs, conference centers and restaurants interrupted by two Phish , one Phil/Dylan, two Widespread Panic concerts and the numerous shows I've actively participated in. Strange Pleasures, my 'unreal job' will have played 91 shows in 5 states by the time we finish 1999 off in Lincoln NE on December 31st. Figure my attendance at roughly 70 of those shows, running sound at the majority of them and about 10 others for other bands, and you can see where I got confused. My altered perception had yet to catch up with the reality of the situation…but I digress.

Phlash back to that night in Ames. My crew picked me up from the Des Moines 'International' Airport and promptly transported me back to the world of dreams and thrust me into that magical place a friend of mine once called "Phish World." We didn't have a lot of time on the lot before the show, but the usual suspects were there. The tie dyes and patchworks, the patchouli and pipes, the spinners and the spun, the vendors and the 'miracle' workers-en parlance, the "Scene." Typical of smaller-venue shows, the "Scene" wasn't as extensive or exciting as I had hoped, but the freedom was definitely refreshing and intoxicating. Inside the friendly confines of Hilton Coliseum the security was lax, and in typical 'head' fashion, everyone was taking full advantage. The music, the lights, the people (the "Show") were wonderful. No drunken rednecks throwing beer or testosterone-laden frat boys getting into fights, and nobody hassling anyone-a smooth groove for everyone else there with an altered perception. Heads having fun, grooving hard and enjoying the best thing they know-a great "Show." Back to the lot: no port-o-lets tipped over, beer bottles thrown at cars or vending trailers on fire. The smell of grilled cheese and veggie burritos mingles with the herbs, micros for $2 and only the start of a cold rain to break up the party. An overall POSITIVE and uplifting experience for everyone in my circle.

Phlash forward four days and check out the headlines in the Tuesday October 5, 1999 Iowa State Daily : "Phish fans cause campus commotion" and "Officers assaulted before concert." Jambands.com ran an article in 'Reverberations' (also seen in some form in mainstream media sources, including the Omaha World Herald) the same day entitled "Iowa State May Ban Phish." (http://www.jambands.com/news/news7.html). One of the Daily articles cited 57 arrests and assaults on four ISU Department of Public Safety Officers and other parties as evidence of the lawlessness and anarchy. The upshot of the "official" response to these events can be summed up by quotes from Ames Police Chief Dennis Ballantine and Ames PD information officer Sgt. James Robinson:

Ballantine: "I've asked the university to ban them (Phish) from returning. This is a fairly small community with a college. Friday night and Saturday we had thirty-five drug arrests. We had complaints from businesses of people trying to beg money off of customers who were out at stores. They just disrupted the entire community for the two days they were here."

Robinson-"We would not be heartbroken if they (Phish) left us off their schedule in future years."

While I'm not going to begin to defend the 'lot rats' and the 'tour kids' that try to drink their weight in Sammy Smith's or get spun out of control on psychoactives and balloons, I AM going to defend the true Phish phan base from this unnecessary attack. I didn't witness anything like this. I didn't even HEAR of anything remotely similar to this until those articles. This unfortunate and very public condemnation by a public 'servant', similar to the off-hand remarks by that woman in Minnesota, grated on my sensibilites and disturbed me to the core. A quick look back to the September 13th issue of the Iowa State Daily (the Monday following the Iowa-Iowa State game) in the article entitled "Cyclone Country!" reveals the following tidbit: the ISU DPS (not the Ames PD or the Story County Sherrif's office or even the Iowa State Patrol) reported 34 arrests for minor in possession and 5 for public intoxication. There's 39 arrests alone for drug violations at/after a sporting event less than a month earlier. But, did Ballantine and his contemporaries fly off the handle and condemn the football fans? Nah. He quipped, "They were partying heavy and we had a few arrests, but overall things went well," he said. "We had some people who were drunk, but they got arrested for it."

Perhaps an alteration in perception is warranted-not only on the part of Chief Ballantine, but also on the part of jamband 'fans.'

First, to Chief Ballantine: I'm sorry you feel that Phish fans disrupted your "small community" for two days, and I'm sorry that in the course of your official duties you were forced to arrest and incarcerate several in the crowd because of their offenses. I will neither attempt to defend these people or condone their actions. But, I take issue with your proposed 'ban' of Phish, because of these incidents. The 57 or so individuals arrested (out of roughly 10,000 attending the concert) do not represent the majority of Phish fans, the band Phish or their music. Perhaps you need to ALTER YOUR PERCEPTION of the guilt of the other 9,943 souls you so casually lumped in with the 57? Perhaps you needed to be inside the venue to witness the magical event that I witnessed? Perhaps it wouldn't break your heart if Phish never returned to Ames? But for those of us in the midwest, the opportunity to see Phish (or any other notable jamband) at a venue close to home is a cultural and social respite from the dreary conservatism we endure daily-a chance to let our 'freak flags fly' within bounds and exercise our constitutional right to freedom of expression.

(Here I am eerily reminded of the scene from "Easy Rider" where Jack Nicholson educates Peter Fonda on the realities of "freedom." Loosely paraphrased: "Oh they'll talk to you and talk to you about Freedom. But they see a free person and they get scared.")

Perhaps your altered perception of reality sees a lawbreaker in everyone with dreads and patchwork pants? Perhaps you consider the whole jamband counter-culture a threat to your way of existence? Whatever the case is, I do not believe it is your SWORN DUTY to summarily dismiss a band and its entire fanbase because of the actions of the few. Your sweeping condemnation of Phish fans is not only offensive, but a frightening reflection of the ugly face of many in the law enforcement establishment that regard us as a nuisance. Perhaps you should ALTER YOUR PERCEPTION and acknowledge that there are people in this free American society that do not think the way you do, act the way you do, dress the way you do, or feel the way you do about some of the laws you enforce? Perhaps you should request that your state legislature pursue decriminilization of minor drug offenses so that you are never again burdened in the future by having to fill jail cells with people who do not necessarily belong there? I didn't see you propose a ban on football games after the Iowa-Iowa State game when the ISU DPS alone arrested 39 individuals and took one to the hospital because of drug abuse-namely alcohol. Perhaps it would also be better for your little hamlet if the Iowa Hawkeyes and their fans never came to town again?

At the very least, I think you a big public apology to myself and other true Phish fans that drove untold hours and spend untold tens of thousands of our over-taxed dollars in Ames, Iowa and DIDN'T participate in or even WITNESS any such disturbances. We came to participate in a ritual gathering of celebration and exhaltation and witness an uplifting musical and cultural event. The comments made from your bully pulpit do not serve the public interest-they only serve to stigmatize and condemn thousands of innocent individuals that came to Ames to do nothing but have fun and see a show. In short, Mr. Ballantine, you were wrong to publicly and verbally 'punish' the rest of us, and I think you need to ALTER YOUR PERCEPTION of the events that took place around October 1st, 1999 and re-examine the steps you took in a public forum in the aftermath. p> Alter YOUR perception,

Pro
Comments? pro@jambands.com

CD of the Month

While we're on a Phishy subject, here's some free vintage '97 for you newbies to sample in a jar-but not in a car, truck or bus. This one is a beauty of your dreams from the vineyard of David and Johnny Papyrus. Steeped from the finest Guelah grapes and tweezed into the bottom of an authentic cavernous German loving cup…this simple beverage (with just a sparkle of ginseng and chalkdust) literally splits open and melts on your palate, sweeping you away-leaving you crosseyed, painless and tortuously wasted from bouncing around the room as if the circus just came to town.

02-16-97 Wartesaal, Koln, Germany

1: Beauty of My Dreams*, Split Open and Melt, Bouncing Around the Room, Crosseyed and Painless, Guelah Papyrus, Ginseng Sullivan, Tweezer, Waste, Cavern, Chalkdust Torture

2: Sample in a Jar, Cars Trucks Buses, Free, Sparkle, Simple-> When the Circus Comes To Town, Swept Away-> Steep-> David Bowie, Loving Cup, Tweezer Reprise

E: Theme From the Bottom, Johnny B. Goode

*First time played; Del McCoury Band (bluegrass legend) cover, from their "Blue Side of Town" album.

Source: DAUD > CD > CD

The Rules:

1> You have to have LESS THAN 20 HOURS of jamband tapes total. This is strictly for newbies, but I'm willing to entertain submissions for next month's offer as trades.

2> You have to send me 2 DIGITAL AUDIO CDR'S (not computer CDR's!!) and postage (B&P) with an addressed return envelope. These discs are now available at reduced prices at some major computer chains...good news for those of us using digital audio CD recorders. My most recent purchases were 10 discs for $12.99. A damn sight better than 3/$9.99.

3> You have to promise to be a good trader and spread this tape around. Follow the guidelines in the link provided here to remain a "legal" trader-Phish Audio Recording and Transfer Policy (as seen last month) http://www.phish.com/taping.html

Email your request to (pro@jambands.com)

Sites of the Month

All things Phish this month:

Phish's Official Website
http://www.phish.com

Phish Net-A true Phish resource: News, info, links, Helping Phriendly Book (setlists), lyrics, chords, etc… http://www.phish.net

Andy Gadiel's Phish Page-A killer phan page from a true phan. You may know Andy from his initial work on jambands.com or his latest venture jambase.com. Geared for phun, this page holds news, links, info, ticket boards, discussion groups, picture links, and much much more!! http://www.gadiel.com/phish