How Phish Shaped my life
Published in the Late Summer 2025 issue of Surrender to the Flow
To say that Phish changed my life is a vast understatement. Phish influenced my choices nearly every major step of the way, truly shaping the path my life would take. From the first time I saw them to my most recent shows, Phish has been the most consistent “why” pushing me to my next step. The truth is, Phish did way more than change my life - they actually helped create it.
On June 21, 2004, I went along with my friends to see Phish play for free on the David Letterman marquee. That would be the first time I’d see, hear, or even really learn about the band, and I left the city that night belting Tweezer through Grand Central. That was my introduction to jambands in general, besides the Dead records my mom played, and in the coming years, Phish’s absence would push me to discover other jamband staples and the festival scene as a whole.
Most of the friends I made in college became friends for life because of our shared musical connection. The first guy that I could talk to about Phish became my boyfriend of 4 years and via the cosmic wizardry of loving the same bands, we found the crew that would stick with me long after he was gone, and even to this day.
Phish’s reunion brought me to my first and only Bonnaroo, which led me to work in the festival industry out of college. I started my career at the All Good Music Festival in its heyday, working alongside Chris Kuroda on site. Because of the passion for live music that Phish helped me discover, I have since worked for countless festivals, bands, management companies, venues, and more within the live music space. In every job, the question “who’s your favorite band” has defined workplace relationships and trajectories.
Where I chose to live was ultimately influenced by Phish; one night after a show, a cute guy recommended Richmond, VA, which was perfectly central for any east coast touring and worked out exactly as I hoped, allowing me to go to shows almost anywhere. Of those places, I was able to go to many festivals including Magnaball, and make many friends who would further shape the course of my life. Of those friends, several of them lived in or were moving to Denver, and I eventually followed along to pursue my career in the music industry. To my dismay, living in Denver meant LESS Phish shows for me, but it created more bonds with people united by loving the same band.
Fast forward to Mondegreen, which I planned my entire year around, I was reacquainted with a friend of a friend that I met 9 years back in Watkins Glen, who I almost instantly knew this time around would be more than a friend. And now a year later, we’re living together and planning our future, which will, no doubt, be influenced by the patterns of our favorite band.
So to say that Phish merely changed my life is not giving enough credit where credit is due; yes, to the band, but more importantly the music and the community at large, my drive to be around the magic we all create, has shaped the course of my life to date and will continue to do so long into the future. And I couldn’t be happier about it.
