Phish @ Fenway

First off, let's face the facts. Once again, during a burst of ambition, I started a writing project fully intending to dedicate myself to it. Well, maybe once-a-week at the very least. You'd think that I would've found my calling in this little hobby of writing. I mean, talking at length about films, music, television and sports? As a rabid consumer of popular culture, you would think that I'd at least have the wherewithal to crank out a couple of paragraphs of stuff at least once-a-month. But nooooooooooo, to borrow the line made famous by John Belushi.

Ironically, the spring semester found me enrolled in a "history of American popular culture" research seminar in the history department. I submit to you that it's not as interesting as its title might imply, but I did have fun crafting a research paper on the use of foreign characters during the first four seasons of Saturday Night Live. See, now you know why I quoted Belushi above. Had to watch mad amounts of SNL, yo.

Anyway, I'm veering away from what I really want to write about. Let's just acknowledge that you may be reading this and thinking that Ryan is back in the saddle and writing a lot again. Well, if that thought crosses your mind, I'll tell you that a) you're naive and b) I hope you're right.

Okay. So I'm writing here tonight because I just bought a pair of tickets to see Phish at Fenway Park ten nights from now.

I'm very, very excited.

Oddly enough, this will be my second time at Fenway Park, and the second time that I will not be there to see a baseball game. Back in the summer of '06, a couple of days before I turned 21, a friend and I went to see Dave Matthews Band play their second night there. We had field seats. They weren't terribly close to the stage in deep centerfield underneath the Green Monster, but they were great.

I've been waiting to see Phish play live for quite a while. I got into them a little bit when they came back from their original hiatus in early 2003, but I mainly stuck to the studio albums, something I would later learn is anathema to genuine Phish fans, since the band's magic is produced in the concert setting.

This time at Fenway I'll be in the stands. Obviously not as good as the field, but I think I've got a decent spot. I've got a pair in the Loge Box on the third base side down closer to the left field line. Won't have to worry about being stuck behind a pole in the grandstand section since I'll be in front of it. Should have an unobstructed view of the stage, huzzah.

Now I need to figure out who gets the other ticket. Not sure yet. No takers.

Dare I say I'll write a review of the show? Well, I guess I dare to say it, but I suppose that doesn't mean I'll do it.

I originally meant to write a longer post, but I'm fading. I've got to get up early in the morning and drive five hours to the family camp in New Hampshire.

So long until I write again! With my record, that might be October!