As a teenager, I (Nick) was really into jam bands. Phish and The Grateful Dead always held the majority of my heart, but I hardly discriminated when it came to drawn out jams that lasted so long you forgot what the original song was.

As a testament to my days basking in the jam circuit, here is my 12th grade school ID picture… At least I wasn’t wearing the hemp, beaded necklace…

As high school got further and further back in the rear view mirror, jam bands started to gradually slip from my playlists. As times changed, my tastes changed, and eventually jam bands were just kind of thing of my younger years.

However, this summer, Beth and I decided to meet up with some friends in Chicago and see Dead and Company play at Wrigley Field in Chicago. The moment John Mayer started playing the notes to Terrapin Station, a spark ignited, and I was immediately reminded of my love of The Grateful Dead.

To continue the buzz, we most recently saw Phish at Alpine Valley for the Sunday night show on July 14. And, well, like people in the jam circuit are wont to say… “Never miss a Sunday show.”

The afternoon began with a few hours spent in the parking lot, drinking cocktails and soaking up the sweltering heat. For those who have never been to Alpine Valley, the parking lot is an institution all by itself. Rows of camper vans and Subarus tailgating with people prepping mentally, physically, and for some, spiritually for the concert to come. I often joke about my first Phish show in which a man, who was dressed like a combo of Jesus and Ghandi, was walking up and down the aisles asking, “Y’all want some shrooms? Y’all want some acid?” I think that paints an accurate picture of what you can expect…

This was my fourth time seeing Phish live at Alpine. The other shows being in 2009, 2010, and 2012. And although nothing can ever top your first show, Sunday night’s display was one for the ages. A major part being how evident it was that the band was having fun up on stage. Trey and Mike broke out into a little choreographed dance during the opening number, “The Landlady.” Not to mention, this was followed by “Olivia’s Pool,” which hadn’t been played since 1997.

The first set ended on high energy with a cover of Zeppelin’s “Good times, Bad times.”

Then, there was the second set… Right away with the second song, the guys broke out into a 38 minute jam of Ruby Waves. At one point, Beth looked over at me and said, “I forgot they even had microphones.”

This being the last night of the tour, Trey used the interlude of Icculus to do a little reminiscing about the summer, of course making reference to reading The Helping Friendly Book and its author. And, at the beginning of the song, Fishman made a crack at Trey saying, “You know it’s good when Trey starts drooling.” This then, comically, made its way into Trey’s narration of the song.

To cap off the second set, the guys played the classic, “You Enjoy Myself,” which was broken up with “Catapult” and “Contact” in the middle.

Overall, what made this show amazing beyond the music and rare set list was the feeling that everyone was having a good time, including the band. And, that makes all the difference.

I would do a hop rating of the show and Alpine, but I’m not sure the experience is something quantifiable. For me, seeing Phish at Alpine is something deeply rooted in nostalgia, community, and a palpable love for the music by everyone there. Standing on the hill, being engulfed with the smell of burning spliffs and spilled beer, seeing the signs and costumes, getting constantly hit by glow sticks at the peak of every jam, feeling the energy of the band, the music, the crowd, and the place… There aren’t enough hops to quantify it all. If you want a more concrete review, you’ll just have to go yourself.