When I offered to fill in for your regular Sunday Blogger I told him that I would adhere to the usual musical themed post.

On an early August Friday, I cut out of work at lunchtime, loaded up my car with supplies and my friend Eric and  began the trek upstate to Bethel Woods, the site of the Woodstock festival, for a pair of concerts.  I had made two previous trips to Bethel Woods, once to see Southside Johnny on my birthday and another two years ago to see Phish on a Saturday night.  This time two nights of Phish awaited.

All week we had been eyeing the progress of Hurricane Debby, which proved to be stronger and move much slower than we had hoped.  The combination of wind, rain and summer Friday traffic turned the usual 90-minute drive up Route 17 into a 2:15 slog.  We made repeated jokes about invoking the Woodstock “No Rain!” chant.  We finally pulled off the highway and made it to our hotel, a “yoga hotel” built on the grounds of the old Kutsher’s Country Club.  The hotel website had lots of rules against bringing outside food and drink to maintain the “purity” of the retreat experience, but from their attire it was clear that at least half the attendees were Phish fans. It proved to be a nice alternative to other local options: a casino, Hampton Inn and -- new for 2024 -- camping on the Bethel Woods grounds.

We left the hotel about 5pm for the seven mile drive to Bethel Woods, taking the “back way” to avoid traffic at the main entrance.  After many twists and turns we ran into a security guard blocking the road who directed us out to the main gate, which we had been trying to avoid.  At the same time the rain stopped and the sun came out. Fortune was smiling upon us.  We drove right into the main parking lot, where we were able to grab a spot on gravel, avoiding the wet grass.  After two hours of tailgating we made our way into the venue, grabbed a drink and a quick bite before taking our seats. Yes, we had seats in the pavilion under roof. We had taken some comfort that, if the rain persisted, we would remain dry.  However, we were three rows from the back of the roof so any rain and wind would have left us soaked. 

Phish came on shortly after 8pm and played a show heavy on older fan favorite songs.  This minimized one of Eric’s main values for the trip. He is a Phish dye-hard (pun intended) having attended well over 100 shows.  When we see them together, about half the songs start with me asking ‘What’s this one?”  Not this night, as, by my count, I knew 14 of the 18 songs. The highlight for me was a cover of the Rolling Stones “"Shine a Light".  After the show, since we were staying only about ten miles away we decided to hang out in the parking lot for awhile, waiting about an hour before driving back to Monticello.  The major drawback to Bethel Woods is the traffic.  Even though the capacity of about 16,000 is far fewer than the original Woodstock Festival’s attendance, to get there (or get back to the New York metro area, you have to drive ten miles on Route 17B, 90% of which is two lanes. that ten miles alone can take well over an hour.

Saturday morning broke bright and sunny – a little too sunny and a little too early in our hotel room. After a breakfast on the hotel terrace, with most of the guests chattering about Friday’s show, we got in quick workouts, watched some Olympics, had a brief stop for supplies in Monticello and headed back to Bethel Woods.  Arriving in the parking lot at 2pm we were directed to park on the grass, which ranged from damp to squishy.  We made news friends, sampled some snacks and beverages, and made our way down to the vending area.  The vibe there seemed to be a mix of committed Phish fans and many “we are only here because the Dead aren’t touring anymore” folks.  We also made a stop at the air-conditioned gift shop attached to the Woodstock museum. The primary draw of the air-conditioned gift shop was that it was air-conditioned (I did spring for a hat).  If you are going for a show I recommend the museum – the exhibits are good and there is a relatively short film about the festival including substantial footage that was not included in any version of the “Woodstock” film. Admission is $10 if you have a concert ticket.

Our Saturday tickets were for the lawn, so we went in early to stake a claim.  The Bethel Woods lawn is not as deep as some other outdoor venues and they rent folding chairs designed for the pitch of the hill.  We got our chairs and found a spot near the middle of the very muddy lawn.  The chairs were worth many times the price as many of our neighbors had ruined towels and blankets before the show started.  I had to rely on Eric’s encyclopedic Phish knowledge much more during Saturday’s first set (which included a cover of Talking Heads’ “Cities”), but the second set was heavy on relatively well-known Phish originals, including some singalongs.  After a rocking version of “"Backwards Down the Number Line"– my favorite Phish tune – we decided to get a head start on traffic.  Getting to the car before the conclusion of the encore we were able to drive full speed back to Route 17, and pulled into my driveway in an hour and 30 minutes. 

Can’t wait ‘til next year.    

Links to setlists:

Phish Friday, August 9th

Phish Saturday August 10th