From the editors: For the second installment of our Summer Tour Venue Revue, the editors of Phish.net wanted to extend an invitation to Myke Menio (aka @lawnmemo) whose project The Daily Ghost chronicled every live version of Ghost and now is running his own recap of Summer 2012 in a project entitled 33 in 33 featuring a different writer every day. We're excited for his perspective of his home venue in his first piece at Phish.net!

Following the tour opener in Bangor, Phish takes a break on Independence Day before traveling to one of their favorite venues. After closing out Leg 1 last year, Saratoga Performing Arts Center, “SPAC” is the first three day run of 2013. If history is any indication we should be prepared for just about anything.

When I was asked to write the SPAC piece I wasn’t sure if I was the most qualified person to do so. After I accepted, I figured I could pull it off. I mean I wrote 113 Ghost reviews and I didn’t know what the hell I was talking about. Then I sat down and started to think about what might make for a good review.

The first person I thought about was Mike Bailey. He and his brother, Kevin, were kind enough to let me stay at a camp their Poppi had built. Mike and I have many things in common, one being a deep love and bond for our grandfathers. My grandfather was the man I respected most. During his entire life, I never heard anyone speak one negative thing about him. It was impossible. He was so warm and caring with everyone he encountered. My grandfather taught me the game of golf at the age of five. He treated the game with respect, grace, and enthusiasm. All things I strive to live my entire life with. The bond we formed during the countless rounds of golf is something that runs deep into my soul. Whenever I pick up my bag his spirit is always with me. Everytime I hit the links, it is a celebration of his life for me.

When I heard Mike speak about his grandfather, his words sounded like my memories. Every time he travels up to the camp to see Phish, he experiences that same celebration. I felt that way on my first visit to SPAC and his camp last year. I knew I wanted Mike to write some words about his grandfather for this essay. I thought this was absolutely perfect...

From Mike Bailey:

Every music fan has their home base. It’s that venue that feels like a home away from home. Mine is Saratoga Performing Arts Center – the Almighty SPAC.

It started with a Debbie Gibson concert at the age of seven (complete with a marshmallow fight on the lawn, which was customary for SPAC shows back then) and was always the highlight of my summers as I grew and my musical tastes evolved. Growing up in Troy, about 25 miles south of Saratoga, it was the perfect distance to be able to catch the many interesting acts that would come through on almost a weekly basis.

After seeing Phish for the first time (12/31/96), I was ecstatic to learn they would be coming to my backyard on almost a yearly basis, sometimes on a multiple-night run. It would become the unofficial reunion spot for all friends, old and new, who shared a love for the band.

But as special as the memories have been inside the SPAC compound, many equally amazing moments happened another 30 miles north of the venue (near Lake George) at Poppy’s Camp. Poppy was my grandfather, the patriarch of our family who passed away two years ago at the age of 84.

He built this camp with his bare hands. It started with a one room shack back in the early 70s and he evolved it into a beautiful three-bedroom camp with running water and a screened in porch. It has served as home for almost all pre and post Phish parties. Complete with a stream, a large pond nearby and fire pit, it was the perfect place for the boys to be boys (and the girls too).

I used the past tense because in the summer of 2005, tragedy struck Poppy’s camp. That pond – Hadlock Pond – that had served as a great swimming hole for many years, turned out to destroy the camp. In a crazy event, the dam burst on July 4th weekend and sent an unbelievable amount of water into the town. Seeing that the camp was on the stream, it was also on the path of the raging water. It knocked the house right off the foundation, completely destroying it in the process. Remarkably no life was lost, but the area suffered an incredible amount of property damage.

Losing the camp was incredibly hard for Poppy. It was his sanctuary, his escape. His life’s work was gone in an instant. Without the money or energy to rebuild, he decided to just let it be. He kept the land and built a one room abode just so he could have some shelter on his property. He wasn’t going to let nature win.

And neither will we. We still have the land, we still have friends and we still have Phish. Instead of sleeping in a big camp, the last few years were spent in tents. The fire still rages the same, the stream is just as peaceful and the pond has been refilled.

This year’s Phish run will be the eight-year anniversary of the camp coming down. You can bet my crew will all be at the show and also at the land formerly known as Poppy’s camp. We know Phish won’t disappoint and neither will company that we get to share.

Why do we spend incredible amounts of money, devote so much time, and cancel plans with other people to see Phish? I do it because of the memories I make. Sometimes the band makes them for me with music that I can’t believe humans can make. Other times it has nothing to do with Phish, but rather the people I meet and experiences we share together. The best times are when both of those things come together like they did for me at SPAC last year. Thanks to great music and camping that helped me connect with a great group friends, last year is one for the books.

I would be hard pressed to write an article about SPAC and not talk about the tremendous history Phish has there. I won’t give you a detailed breakdown of every jam that has happened at SPAC. I will however provide you with a quick playlist of some of the highlights.

07/27/1992: Opening for Santana (my birthday wooooo!) “David Bowie” provides some great banter about the origins of “All Things Reconsidered”

07/10/1994: A dark, tension heavy “Stash.” “David Bowie” that is another solid 1994. “Mike’s Groove” complete with a “Low Rider” jam. Finally, The Dude of Life closes out the show with vocals on “Crimes of the Mind.”

06/26/1995: A rocking “Possum” closes the first set. Opening set 2, “Down with Disease>Free” is forty minutes covering all sorts of space and is a must listen.

06/19/2004 and 06/20/2004: Probably the finest run of the 2.0 Era. Night one had MONSTER jams that include “WOTC”, “ASHITOS”, THE SPAC “Piper.” On night two “Waves” and “Drowned” are beasts in the first set. Then the incredible four song second set of “Seven Below>Ghost->Twist>YEM” is one for the ages. The “Twist” being one of this bloggers favorite all time jams.

08/16/2009: A way out of bounds “BDTNL” that always gives me hope for future versions. A fun (but pretty wretched) “Harpua->I Kissed a Girl”

06/19/2010 and 6/20/2010: Night one kicks off with “Tweezer Reprise” that was the third one played consecutively. A bouncy first set “Gin” and in the second set a funky exploratory “Rock and Roll” are the improvisational highlights. Night two features an excellent second set that has a great selection of songs, “Drowned” being the highlight.

07/06/2012, 07/07/2012, 07/08/2012: Night one closes the first set with a blistering “Light Up Or Leave Me Alone”. The second is a beast with an incredible “Sneakin’ Sally Through the Alley” and a great “Ghost” that follows. “Run Like an Antelope” gets a visit from The Dude of Life and Tom Marshall. Night two has an underrated “Bathtub Gin” and “2001.” The show is most known for the teases of “Blister in the Sun” that take place throughout the second set. The last night, closes the first set with a great “Split Open and Melt>La Grange” combo. The second set and encore are a combined two hours. Another good 2012 “Light” and a “Piper” that is one of the jams of the summer.

A couple last things you should know. The lawn is not desirable, but it is not gates of hell like some people make it out to be. Be prepared to have people in your seats if you are fortunate enough to have pavilion tickets. People avoid the lawn like it is a second set “TTE” with “Alaska” teases. The balcony DOES sway. I was dead center for “Sabotage” last year and thought it was going to collapse. SPAC is great for glowsticks if you are into that. Just make sure you don’t chuck them at the band!!! If I have to actually say that to you, please don’t stand next to me at a show.

If you are staying at Lee’s Campground, make sure you stock up on sleep for about 2 weeks before hand. I also recommend wearing a helmet (I already do this) at all times. You never know when you might get drilled with Wook fireworks. SPAC is part of a state park. Don’t be an idiot. Drink out of a solo cup and recycle it when you are done. Be respectful to authorities and you shouldn’t have a problem.

SPAC is a legendary venue with an incredibly rich Phish history. What more could you want from the site of the first three night run of 2013? Mike, Kevin and the rest of my crew...see you at the camp! Time to prep my helmet.

A quick plug...

Kevin Bailey runs a charitable organization where his solar company provides solar powered wells to villages in Africa. These wells are 100% powered by solar energy, providing clean water to villages where they sometimes have to travel miles to get some. You can learn more about it here. A great organization.

http://vimeo.com/50626243

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