vegas Index

New York New York hotel in downtown Vegas

I made it to Las Vegas by accident. Vegas was simply too far to go to see a show, and after being unemployed and out of school for six months, I couldn't afford it anyway. I mail ordered a Halloween ticket thinking it would go to help out a friend, but I ended up with it somehow. Ten days before the shows, I got my first job and decided to spoil myself. I would need a break after my first full week, my brother had hotel reservations already, and hell, it was Halloween.

On my very first day on the job at Editor & Publisher, I told my new boss that I had a "family gathering" in Nevada at the end of October. So on noon on Friday, Oct. 30, I left my newfound "real world" straight to Las Vegas to see Phish on Halloween. Hopped an afternoon flight (cheaper than expected thanks to Delta), and was set to arrive in Vegas about 4 p.m., courtesy a 3-hour time change. Those hours proved critical as the Friday night Phish show (the one before Halloween) would be my first that I would go to without a ticket. I can't stand not having a ticket for a show; it makes me too nervous. So I take a 2,000 mile trip to Nevada without a ticket.

Walking off the plane, I was greeted by dozens of slot machines echoing through the terminals of the Las Vegas International airport. They made all sorts of noises, and I became quickly acquainted with the sound of falling coins hitting a metal trey, uh, tray.

I spent my first 18 years growing up in Manhattan. Then I went to college in Boston, which I always considered a poor substitute for New York City. Living back home after graduation, I was applying to jobs in Northern California, Oregon, Washington State and Colorado -- and occasionally a job in New York City. As it turned out, I ended up back in The City, a destiny I was much happier with. Living there for the first time as an adult, I was falling in love with it all over again.

I didn't think much of it when my brother said he had reservations for a room at the New York New York hotel. It sounded alright, but I couldn't have imagined what it was. In the cab from the Vegas airport to the hotel, I watched the New York skyline approach from the middle a the desert. I had traveled 2,000 miles to stay in New York. With my jaw hanging a foot from the rest of my head, my cabbie joked, "First time?"

I checked in and went directly to the show to find my ticket. Both shows were General Admission with 6:00 doors, so I needed to get my ticket as soon as possible. Greeted by a parking lot full of fingers in the air, I began an early panic. I had been up since 7:30 a.m. (4:30 a.m. pacific), I was hungry and had to find my friends in a random city, and I just wanted my ticket. I was looking for an extra for my first time in over 70 shows.

As the sun was setting in the west, the Vegas skyline was clearly visible, with the pyramid-shaped Luxor Hotel most prominent. I found one guy who was asking for $100 and I offered double face and no more. We agreed on all the money I had -- $54. (He let me keep my change). The line was relatively short with an hour until doors, and I ran into Jesse Jarnow from Fire Island in front. He showed me the new Phish Book, and I decided I needed to have one too.

After the chaotic rush into the venue, I somehow scored five seats in the fifth row on Page's side. Within minutes, Mike found my row and we held seats for Sam, Scott, and Mike's girlfriend Buppy. Nice venue. Any indoor arena that's General Admission is alright with me. With a little motivation, I get to be with my friends and not worry about getting bumped. In the madness of the day, I had decided to leave my camera at the hotel, but not before snapping a few shots of the crazy roller coaster that flies atop the New York New York casino.

Give me your tired, your poor, your screaming masses

The first Vegas show fell on Phish's 15th anniversary of their first gig. That's an incredible milestone. From the campus of the University of Vermont at Burlington to a sold-out four-night stand at Madison Square Garden at the end of 1998. This band has toured constantly since I was about eight years old. They have become incredibly tight musicians. I was at the Grateful Dead's 30th year anniversary show at Giants Stadium in their '95 summer (and final) tour, and the Dead did nothing to acknowledge it. Not Phish. They played the random cover, Long Cool Woman in a Black Dress, one of several songs performed at that infamous first gig. Finally, I get my long awaited first Manteca, nested in the central storm of Stash. Back at the Chicken Shack? I loved it. And to top it off, my first Freebird, a capella as usual, and more glorious than I imagined.

I met up with my older brother Jordan after the show. He had caught the tour opener in Los Angeles at the Greek Theater the night before and made the drive during the day. Back on The Strip, we partied at Mike's suite in The Luxor. The Egyptian theme was nice, and I loved the view from his room. Dave taped the show, and we listened to parts of it on a mini-stereo. I met Pat, the guy who would later share my hotel room in Hampton two weeks later. I crashed early and slept hard.

New York New York was a trip. The entire theme of the hotel was to look and feel as much like New York as possible. And as a native New Yorker, I was impressed. It was small scale, but it was accurate. Down to the cobblestone streets in SoHo and the Times Square replica. The pizza wasn't as good (duh), but they hired guys with Brooklyn accents to put you in yellow taxis, and I liked that. At home, I reside on the 22nd floor of my apartment building. In Vegas, I stayed on 27.

I didn't do anything productive before the concert. Vegas isn't much of a walking town, and I was a disaster from the previous day's insanity. Mike went to the UNLV campus to buy a costume -- he went as a UNLV Runnin' Rebel. Dressed in total UNLV basketball garb, Mike wondered about the number on his jersey, 15. "Who's 15?" he asked me. I smiled, "Phish."

In line for the show, I talked with many people about their predictions. I heard 'em all, and personally thought it would be the Rolling Stones' Exile on Main Street. Talking with someone dressed as The Velvet Sea (He had a giant velvet "C" coiled around him), I realized what Phish was going to play. I took his Velvet "C" and turned it so that it became the Velvet "U". We all understood it was a sign of the Velvet Underground.

This time it was Sam who hooked up the seats, the exact same five from the previous night. Security had removed the Page Against The Machine sticker that Mike put up on the bannister, but it was still our territory. On Halloween, it was an absolute dream. Following the style of Hunter S. Thompson in experiencing Vegas to the fullest, I made the trip to Vegas all the more insane. Especially with all the costumes. I only took a few pictures at night in Vegas, and these two tend to sum it up. I don't remember where I was or what was happening for either shot, yet they remain personal favorites. You can click either image for a full-size view.

The show started off strong, with Axilla into Punch a la New Years Eve '96, but was lacking the Peaches en Regalia. I dug Sneakin' Sally, and even liked the Frankie Says in the Mike's Groove. Very relaxing. Since Phish had given us a Phishbill entering the concert, everyone knew it was going to be Velvet Underground's Loaded. I owned one Lou Reed CD and knew nothing about Loaded. While I was slightly disappointed by the fact that it was an unfamiliar album, I knew it was going to be amazing. Seeing the debut of Sweet Jane in Maryland over the summer confirmed that. The second time, that night, still gives me shivers. It just might be my favorite song that Phish has ever covered. Listening to it intently that night, I laughed out loud at the lines, "Some people, they go out dancing. And other peoples, they have to work" finding it laughably untrue. I go out dancing, and I have to work.

That song signaled that even though I had finally joined the "real world," I would still be able to incorporate Phish and the adventure of seeing them into it. I met up with my brother, who I rarely see now that he's moved to San Francisco. I reunited with my oldest friends Sam and Mike. I was exploring a new city, Las Vegas, which had taken me my surprise in being clean and friendly. To top it off, Phish was directly in front of me, on Halloween, covering one of the finest albums in rock history. And this was the second of three long sets. I enjoyed it very much.

I couldn't deal with bringing my camera into the Thomas & Mack. Sometimes it's just too much to deal with. The spectacular photograph to the left was taken by Miha Zupanek, who obviously took advantage of the general admission opportnity.

The next song, "Rock & Roll", mentions how a girl listens to New York radio and hears rock n' roll for the first time, giving her a purpose. Hearing "New York" sung a couple of times, I remembered that Lou Reed is a New Yorker and realized that the Loaded album art is of a NYC subway. Of course.

The night progressed, and I was stuck with permagrin. The third set lost me a bit, but I had no complaints after the show. For six straight hours, I stayed in my row, content with everything in the world.

After the show, we fit eight people into Jason's tiny Golf for the two-mile trip back to The Strip. Half my body stuck out of the sun roof and the tailpipe dragged on the pavement, but we made it. I stayed up through the night to catch a 6:40 a.m. flight home. I was back in New York in time to catch the Jets game and get a good night's sleep. Then it was back to work, where I was asked, "Have a good weekend?" I nodded. "Yup."

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