(Published in the second edition of The Phish Companion...)

"There's some good points, and some bad points."
I wanted to see a show at the Ventura County Fairgrounds because it was common stomping ground for the Grateful Dead. We were doing the entire tour, and this was one of the mellowest scenes. The energy felt very different from an East Coast show, with a crowd consisting of a much wider age range.
The fairgrounds are a track around a dirt field, which is not very popular with some fans. The stage was on the north side, while a large bleacher stand was on the south side. The stage was a simple platform with speaker stacks on both ends. There was no backdrop to the stage which is what makes the fairgrounds so special. Behind the stage is a breathtaking view of the mountains, with scattered trees in the foreground.
I decided to sit in the bleachers for this show, one of the best decisions I made all tour! Sitting near the top of the bleachers was a surreal experience. Not only could I enjoy the band in the lap of the mountains, I could look to the west and see a view of the Pacific Ocean! Watching the sun set over the beach and water during a Phish show is a very happy memory. The exhilaration of the venue's natural beauty was even beyond my Red Rocks experience in `96.
Reaching California turned out to be a major celebration for those of us on the bus who had traveled from the tour-opening show in Virginia Beach, VA. We had traveled from the Atlantic to the Pacific in only nine days! The band even rewarded us with the old-school cover of the Talking Heads' "Cities", sandwiched inside a warm and juicy "David Bowie". They had been playing "Cities" in Europe on the last two tours, but this was the first U.S. "Cities" in three years. Other tasty treats included the tour premieres of "Weigh" and Jimi Hendrix's "Fire".