Thursday August 12 2004 - After no longer being able to bear the sound of snoring in our tent, I laid down in a cot, which was more like a lawn chair underneath the canopy. Barely being able to shut my eyes due to flies constantly landing on my face and the sound of pounding rain hitting the top of the canopy, I knew it would soon be time to get up and work that same graveyard shift yet again.
As soon as we awoke we did the only thing we could do, drink. The worst feeling of all was knowing that I would have to wear the same pair of soggy sneakers again after I had put on fresh socks. At around 5 o’clock everybody underneath the canopy was making ridiculous looking outfits out of plastic bags and duct tape to stay dry from the hurricane rain. Soon enough it was time to go back out and park some more cars.
After dinner was over it was time yet again to pile into the back of the pickup truck and head over to the main parking area, which was the runways of the Coventry airport. Everyone was exhausted. When we were initially dropped off we were given our glow sticks and were told to spread out along the runway to usher in all the crazy Phish heads who were driving in. This is when I first noticed how huge this festival was going to be. The line of cars coming extended further than the eye could see. I was positioned right next to the vendors alongside the runway. This was very convenient because coffee was the only thing that kept my brain alive.
After a few hours had passed one of our bosses pulled up in a pickup truck and asked Mike, Blatts, and I if we wanted to change locations. We agreed and Mike and me hopped in the back of the truck and Blatts jumped into shotgun. As we headed towards where all the cars were coming from, Mike made a wise move by moving from the side of the truck to a chest leaning against the back window.
As we rumbled on down the dirty, muddy road I was bouncing up and down holding on for dear life. Then out of nowhere the road gave out on us and we went careening off the road. When this happened I flew from the tailgate and nailed my head into the back part of the cab of the truck by Mike’s feet. After holding my head for a while and being asked by everyone if I was okay, I hopped out of the tilted truck. I felt like Tyson had just knocked me in the head.
It took awhile before anybody got there to tow us out so in the mean time Mike, Blatts and I were bullshitting around with our glow sticks. We would stop cars and say “I’m gonna have to ask to DO IT, just DO IT,” or we would tell any car with a Massachusetts plate to go park in lot 1918. About 20 minutes had passed and the head honcho of the parking operation showed up on an ATV, and another ATV showed up with a chain to pull the truck out of the ditch. The main boss guy after hearing about me hitting my head asked me if I needed to go to the medic tent. At first I said no, but soon after changed my mind realizing that I may actually be able to get out of work, and get to my bed.
Some dude in a cowboy hat drove to the medic station, which was a tent alongside where all the RVs were parked. Since my head really didn’t hurt at all anymore, I knew that I would have to do some acting. The doctor shined a tiny flashlight into my eye and told me to follow his finger with my eye. His diagnosis’s was that I may have a mild concussion if my head still hurt in the morning. He then called on the radio to have me picked up. While I was waiting, the bed in the medic tent was the most comfortable thing that I had sat on in days. I turned over and laid on my stomach and passed out in a second. Probably about 20 minutes later the cowboy guy woke me up by shaking me, saying “c’mon kid its time to go.”
We hopped on the cowboy guy’s ATV. He told me that he would put me in the R.V. section because it was easy. I asked him if there was anyway I could go back to the campsite, he gave me a packaged lunch meal with a sandwich and Cheez – Its and told me to eat it and see if I feel better, and if not to ask someone with a walkie talkie to get me a ride back to Mash Town.
The Cowboy guy zoomed off and I was by myself with my packaged lunch. Some hippie guy with a cool R.V. told me I can sit down at his table and eat my sandwich. I talked with him for a while and told him what happened to me. He said “man you got to milk that shit man, that’s what I would do if I were you.” I took the hippie’s advice and looked for someone with a walkie-talkie. After searching for a good amount of time I finally found a parker with a walkie. I told him that my head still hurt real badly and I needed to go back and lay down. Finally after waiting and waiting, a white pickup pulled up and it was back to Mash Town for me. It was weird walking into the canopy tent, it was the first time I’d been there when it was dark out and no one was inside. In any case it was prime for snoozing and that’s exactly what I did for a very long time.
