Phish Mondegreen: A Festival to Never Forget

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Phish Mondegreen: A Festival to Never Forget
Published: August 28, 2024

Eric (left) and Myself (right) at Mondegreen.

Phish Mondegreen Festival was without a doubt one of the best live music experiences of my life thus far. Right after Extra Chill Fest, I packed light and took an Amtrak to D.C. where I met my buddy Eric from high school. The first show of Mondegreen was my 10th Phish show, and Eric has been by my side for every single one. We piled into his car, which contained all of our camping gear, and made the two hour drive to Dover, Delaware at the crack of dawn on Wednesday, August 14th.

Upon arrival we brisked straight through security and made our way to our campsite in Pod 2. We quickly set up camp and settled into a night of chilling in what would be our home for the next four days, with four Phish shows on the horizon.

With this being my first Phish festival, I didn’t really know what I was getting myself into. The experience of camping alongside 40,000+ other Phish fans is otherworldly. It feels like Bonnaroo, except it’s all for one band. There are so many different personalities in the Phish community, from all ages and walks of life. Everybody is giddy about where they are and anticipating an exciting weekend.

Stories flow from Phish tours past, food and libations are shared aplenty, and yes, many people have already dipped into their stash. Eric and I turned off the lantern at our campsite after the first night because it was attracting too many wandering wooks. First they wander in all friendly, and before you know it, two hours have passed and you’re still listening to this guy blabber on about how he did too much coke to fall asleep.

The yin and the yang of Phish. Everyone united by their love for the band, but viewing the world from a different perspective. You’ve got to keep your wits about you, and let them float away when the time is right. That time is soon.

Soundcheck: 8/14/24

Phish did a soundcheck filled with classic rock jams on Wednesday evening, plus some teases of things we would hear later in the weekend. Many gathered and listened near the gates, but I was asleep in a camping chair back in Pod 2. Thankfully, it was streamed on The Bunny radio, which was running 24/7 from the festival grounds for the duration of the event.

The doors to the venue were set to open at noon the next day, which also meant that the merch tent would be open. There were five unique poster designs for Mondegreen, including the coveted Jim Pollock, and fans were eager to get their hands on one.

Day One: 8/15/24

City Hall at Phish Mondegreen.

Once inside the venue for the first time, my crew hopped into the extremely long merch line while I wandered off to explore. There was a lot to take in, including several art installations, gathering spaces, food vendors, and a ferris wheel. There was a City Hall building made of cardboard that fans would construct over the next two days. Phish would take the stage in just a few hours.

After getting our bearings inside the venue, we ventured back to camp to get ready for the show. This involved consuming several twelve-ounce cans of beer and listening to music all afternoon.

Just before showtime, we made our way inside the venue again. We found a spot adjacent to the soundboard and soon Phish was on the stage playing “The Moma Dance.” The speculated festival opener was indeed a “mondegreen” — its lyrics often misheard as “the moment ends.”

Once the band is on stage, catching every minute becomes top priority. The crowd is dancing and grooving along, but I couldn’t truly find my groove. We had wandered into a random location that felt good enough without considering how many people would be at this show.

When it came time for a much-needed bathroom break, getting through the crowd from our location near the front was a daunting task, especially mid-song. Eric and I got split up, and it wasn’t easy to find each other again afterwards.

We regrouped at setbreak and headed back to camp for a quick breather. The crowd was overwhelming at first, and we were glad for a moment to sit down between sets. And by a moment, I mean about five minutes, because it was time to go back for set two.

First we stood in a massive, 20 minute long line to fill up our water bottles, and then we found a much more chill location near the Heliograph (giant psychedelic DJ booth and viewing platform) at the venue’s center. This turned out to be a good move for us, and I was able to exhale during the second set. At least until the music got dark.

Phish – “What’s Going Through Your Mind” (8/15/24)

Darkness in “Light”

The second set “Light” was a journey down into the depths of the bottomless pit, face-to-face with your demons. And then — you win! Bursting out of darkness into “Prince Caspian,” we begin our victory celebration. “Crosseyed and Painless” follows and we all dance about it.

“Lonely Trip” was beautiful and sweetly-sung, and “Everything’s Right” ended things on a positive note. The darkness returned with “Saw It Again” in the encore but closed with longtime fan favorites “Possum” and “Slave to the Traffic Light.”

Additional water stations were added on Friday, resolving the giant lines.

After the show we made our way back to camp to process everything that we had just been through. The campgrounds howled with excitement after a great first showing. Eric and I relaxed and caught up on life and eventually passed out in the tent.

We have been friends since high school, but life takes us all in different directions. These days, we get together once a year to see Phish. The moments are cherished.

Eric at Mondegreen.

Day Two: 8/16/24

The daytime activities on Friday and Saturday were similar to Thursday, so I won’t go into too much detail. I did make a point each day to stop by the Relix tent to pick up The Daily Greens, the Mondegreen newspaper. During our travels this day is when I took most of the photos in this article. We wandered into the venue for a while in the late afternoon.

Ricky from Relix hands out The Daily Greens.

When it was showtime once again, Eric and I found our way back to the Heliograph, ferris wheel side, and waited for the show to start. Set one opened with “Bouncing Around the Room,” a classic and one of the first Phish songs I ever heard. This set was awesome front to back, with a nice “Reba” and “Twist” and more.

Set two was much crazier. The erratic “My Friend, My Friend” kicked things off and it was non-stop from then until the end. Phish played a very trippy set of music, creating a sandwich of “No Man in No Mans Land” and “Ruby Waves” that included the Evolve song “Pillow Jets” and an unhinged “Your Pet Cat.” The closing “Fluffhead” was the icing on the cake. The whirlwind had officially been sent off spinning.

“Don’t go back to your campsite after this set”

Before the encore, Trey told the audience that there was probably going to be another set after this one, so we shouldn’t go back to our campsites. We’re still collecting ourselves from “Fluffhead” and then it’s “Harry Hood” — a fitting segue with its “where do you go when the lights go out” lyric before the stage goes dark. “First Tube,” the final song, and then Phish leaves the stage.

The crowd between the second set and the third set was on a planet somewhere deep in the galaxy. Nobody was quite sure what Phish was going to do with this secret set, and nobody wanted to miss it. So, we stayed put, wide-eyed with late night anticipations.

Soon, the lights came up again, except this time, instead of Chris Kuroda’s futuristic rig, there is a curtain of light in front of the band. They’re playing ambient, improvisational music set to high-tech visuals on the shimmering curtain.

Eric and I had gotten separated again, this time because I couldn’t stand still and he was comfortably gazing at the cardboard City Hall. I needed a moment alone after having my brain melted by Phish, so I went off wandering.

The music started, and I stopped in the taper’s section, mesmerized at the sights before me for the next fifty minutes. I was thankfully able to relax and absorb it once I found a bubble for myself in the crowd.

Taper’s section before set 1 on Thursday.

Phish released this whole set on their YouTube page in 4k quality, so you can check it out for yourself. Pretty cool of them to upload this for all to see. As for the crowd around me, you’ll just have to take my word for it. The space ship was nowhere near Planet Earth.

Phish – Mondegreen Secret Set (8/16/24)

Day Three: 8/17/24

We stayed up all night after Friday’s show and had a late start on Saturday morning. It rained overnight and we weren’t ready for it, so a lot of our stuff got soaked. By the time we were back in action, it was almost showtime. City Hall had been taken down due to threats of windy conditions. We ventured in and found our spot, again near the Heliograph.

Since the previous night had been so weird, I was worried that this night would jack up the intensity even more. Thankfully, Phish had other plans. This whole show was a straight-up party, and the second set was the most I’ve ever danced.

Set one opener was “Mikes Song” and the dance party started right away. “Gotta Jibboo” was a song I was hoping for and it was great later in the set. “Meatstick” was short but extremely fun. 40,000 people doing the dance, or something like it. The classic, “David Bowie” capped it off.

Then, it was time for what I think was the best set of the weekend. “2001” opener and everybody was throwing glowsticks up in the sky, in unison with the peaks of the song. A ridiculous amount of glowsticks, and people were picking them back up to throw again. People nearby were targeting other people’s festival props, such as a blow-up shark, in the crowd and awarding points for on-target throws. All this while dancing their asses off.

“Diseezer”

“Down With Disease” into “Tweezer” and everything after that was the musical high point of the festival for me. The “dancin’ on my lawn” lyric in “Disease” hit especially hard with all of us out there in a field. “Tweezer” was an improvisational fiesta, with hairpin turns, audience interaction, and pure fun.

That rolled into a quirky “Scents and Subtle Sounds” and finally the Stevie Wonder tune “Boogie On Reggae Woman” before dropping into “Carini” to finish the set. The crowd was so hyped up at this point, and “Carini” only fueled the fire. But… they never finished “Tweezer.”

“Backwards Down the Number Line” brings a nostalgic note to the encore and then — the YEM! I wasn’t expecting to hear that song when they dropped into it, and it is always welcome. Finally, “Tweezer Reprise” and we’re sent back off into the night.

Phish – “Tweezer” > “Scents & Subtle Sounds” (8/17/24)

Strangers Stopping Strangers

There was a noticeable difference in the vibe of the post-show crowd between Friday and Saturday night. On Friday night, the vibe was introspective and weird. Saturday night, everybody was bubbly and excited, roaming around with big smiles on their faces.

While some of my experience may have been subjective, I believe that Phish set the tone of the afterparty with the show. The whole festival was a curated collective energy that we all participated in. I am extremely glad that I decided to attend Mondegreen.

We caught failed standup sets from Jordan Jensen and Giacomo Soresi, who didn’t really understand the audience. I was thinking they should have come to at least two shows before doing standup for Phish fans. Talented comics no doubt, just didn’t know what they were up against. Jokes about fentanyl just aren’t going to land with the Phish crowd.

After that, we caught an excellent DJ set from Made of Oak (Nick Sanborn of Sylvan Esso) back at the Heliograph. Phish started the dance party, and Sanborn finished it. We strolled back to camp at curfew with smiles on our faces after an amazing Saturday night at this festival.

Day Four: 8/17/24

Sunday’s show was moved to 1pm due to the threat of rain that evening. Questlove’s scheduled 10pm, festival-closing DJ slot was moved to 11:30am. He crushed the set of course, but we all hoped to dance late night one more time.

Phish played one extended set that I thought was well-done considering the conditions. Sweltering afternoon heat and three epic nights under their belt this weekend already. I was still dancing from the night before and enjoyed the hell out of it all, especially the “Bathtub Gin.”

We met up with Charleston friends near the soundboard for this set, including members of local jam band Omiwimo, and enjoyed an afternoon in the sun.

Phish – “Fuego” (8/18/24)

When the set ended things shut down pretty quickly. We danced some more to The Bunny, which was being broadcasted over the P.A. The final song they played was Prince’s “1999,” and then they issued a weather evacuation.

Eric and I went back to secure our campsite. People were already making their exodus. Reality had begun to set in once again. Soon, it would be time to venture back out into the world.

Securing the campsite on Sunday.

A quick storm passed and then a double rainbow appeared in the sky above the campgrounds. We took one final walk around the grounds to take it all in, and then feel asleep early.

Monday morning, Mondegreen was over. We packed up our things and got back on the road, making the two hour drive back to D.C.

Closing Thoughts

Sure, there may have been a few hiccups along the way, but overall, Mondegreen was one of the most well-run festivals I’ve ever attended. The experience of seeing Phish in a festival setting is on a whole different level than your typical Phish show. Which is really saying something — because their own shows are beasts in themselves. Instead of finding your way home after the show, you remain inside of that world for the rest of the night, which is an experience unlike any other.

Now, I’m just waiting for my next chance to see Phish.

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P.S. – If you want to read more, I also took notes during the festival in the Extra Chill Community, every morning with my coffee.