Posted by @terrapin9614 in the SBIX Essay Contest.

"Colonel Forbin, stared up at the mountain..."

I'm freaking out.

My 85th show, and I'm finally getting my first "Forbin's." But there's no one to share the experience with. I'm walking back from the front of the crowd, back to my wife, my best friends, my entire Super Ball crew...but where they are, I have no idea.

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Posted by @douvy in the SBIX Essay Contest.

Phish has shown me the essence of what I was searching for in music for a long time, and when you get four guys together that really understand how to respond to one another and work towards the chemistry of exceptional improvisation, the experience related is for everyone all at once, and it fills the air and grasps your attention like something beyond us all; a force to be reckoned with.

This weekend each band member infused selflessness into their playing by listening to everyone and everything but themselves to manifest their creativity. The band was able to focus on what the others were doing, and through this, Phish --and everything a part of it, the instruments, the energy the crowd, everything --were able to let the music transcend beyond them. From the opening note of Possum to the closing explosion of First Tube, a mega-blissful experience occurred where judgment of the music being played seemed to be absent on both sides of the music, from the musicians and the audience. And fittingly so, I find it unnecessary to personally judge any part of the weekend from a musical perspective. As a result of this absence of judgment, everyone’s interpretation of Superball was in its purest and most spontaneous form.

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Posted by @tripsforjoeg in the SBIX Essay Contest.

It isn't very often that things fall into place perfectly; that is, unless you happened to be in our group (and I'm assuming several thousand other groups) at Superball IX. So many things went so smoothly for us that it seems as though the whole trip was just a mental projection of my idea of a perfect weekend that started the moment the festival was announced. Our trip timing was immaculate. Our luck was great. Our campsite was green, flat, fun and close to the venue. I couldn't be more completely satisfied with the way everything went.

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Posted by @FlockingInside in the SBIX Essay Contest.

Secret set, how awesome was it that Phish let us see them

Undressed, raw and private in their own
Personal setting which they created to make our minds salivate,just when I thought saturday night couldn't
End any better they came out again and played the best
Revamped sleeping monkey I have ever had the privilege of hearing not to mention how Chris manipulated those lights. Another treat for the masses was
Ball square, a truly awesome work of magic, put together by some very talented and intense
Artists who definitely knew what was up, I appreciate all of your hard work and dedication the whole experience was like a
Lucid dream and at times I couldn't believe I was really there. I had a blast from the time I arrived until the morning we packed up our stuff and left making sure to
Leave our campsite clean, thank you Phish, for melting my face off, thank you superball for a great weekend, thank you rail for sunday night, can't wait to do it again!

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Posted by @ivy_light in the SBIX Essay Contest.

Nature, History, Music, Philosophy, and Knowledge: The Journey that was Superball IX

Thousands of years ago, slow-moving rivers of ice descended on North America. Along their slow, steady passage, they carved out the earth into rivers of gorges. Pushed forth ahead of them was a nutrient-rich milieu of soil. As the earth warmed and the glaciers melted, the deep cuts they made became filled with the pure, lush, clear water once trapped as ice. And the lush soil gave forth to rich forests bisected by pure waterfalls.

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Posted by @autoo in the SBIX Essay Contest.

First off would just like to say that it was a life changing time being at Watkins Glen for the phish festival. I got there and camped in South Dakota I believe and was a very relaxing place to be very kind folks all around each side of you. I've always enjoyed going to phish festivals because I was in a accident in 94 that took the use of my right arm so I look different but seeing as how we are all a phamily at these kind of gigs nobody stares or says anything to you which is a big confident booster for me. Another way people helped me was thinking of ways for me do activities or what not without having to feel different. Ok about the phest first it wasn't bad driving and parking everyone was out to help each other. Also on top of Watkins Glen being so beautiful I was very Glad to see folks picking up garbage using bags for cans and keeping the sites very neat. The bathrooms were really well taking care of as well which is usually never the case. Last I was just very excited to be able to attend see I bought a ticket when they first came out because everyone I knew was all all about going. I was counting on someone to go with for months then they suddenly backed out so I was stuck because I have a handicap and can't do that drive myself. Luckily a friend of mine jumped in and said I will drive and help you out this weekend. People always get sketched or whatever about taking me to festivals or away for nights but I've been living with disability since 94 I was 11 when it happened so I am able to provide for myself now a days. Because of my accident I was in I lost the use of my right arm and have been in pain every day since I woke up from a coma. When I go to phish shows I think its the energy and love and peace that I am able to pull from other people that the pain will go away and will have use and be able to live my life completely free. So thank you to all the phamily that was there and to Phish for sharing there experiences with us.

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(Please post any corrections that you may hear in watching the video.)

Hi everyone. My name is Trey Anastasio, and I am a proud graduate of the Washington County public drug treatment court.

I can't begin to describe how moving it is for me to be here today. In 2006, my life was a wreck. I was arrested and sent into drug court. At the time, it seemed like the worst thing that ever happened to me. I was in drug court for 14 months, and then a couple years of probation. Today, I say from the depths of my heart, that that was the greatest thing that ever happened in my life -- for me, for my wife, for my kids, my parents. It's indescribable. I just want to dig deep down and say thank you to all of you. I don't even know if you can be aware of the positive effects you are having. Not just on the drug court participants, but on their families and everyone they come into contact with. I am a huge supporter of drug court, and a huge supporter of everything that all of you do. So thank you.

I am going to say one more thing and then I get to introduce the senator. My case manager's name is Melanie Vaughn. She could not be here today. When I was in drug court, she scared me. [laughs] I ended up going to jail, and you know everything that happens in drug court. Today, she is one of my best friends. We text each other all the time. The reason she couldn't be here is 'cause in Washington County -- which is in New York, upstate New York, very economically depressed part of the country -- there is one case manager in Washington County drug treatment court for probably about 60 or 70 participants. She couldn't afford to be here and she couldn't take the time. But she sends her love. And I send my love to you, Melanie, and wish you could be here. And like I said, thank all of you. Keep doing what you are doing.

So I am going to introduce Senator Robert Menedez. And I grew up in New Jersey, so it's an honor for me to introduce the senator from New Jersey. Senator Menedez is a true champion of drug courts. In 2008, Senator Menedez co-sponsored legislation declaring May as National Drug Court Month. Senator Menedez has supported drug courts, not only in New Jersey, but has insured drug courts throughout the country receive the funding they need by signing letters to his colleagues supporting drug courts. Senator Menedez, we all rise to thank you for being a supporter of drug courts.

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Posted by @fatness1 in the SBIX Essay Contest.

Every Phish review must be prefaced with an introduction of the writer to place his perspective into the appropriate context for the reader. I am 31 years old, have been to 71 shows since 1996 (+/- 4 since I can no longer say with absolute certainty whether I was at a particular show), 6 of the 9 festivals (with regrettable absences from Clifford, Went and 8), I walked down the wedding aisle to Tweezer Reprise, I believe that if I ever ascend to heaven and God permits me to select the music I will pick the Reba jam, and after hearing Forbin’s this weekend, I can affirmatively state that I have just about heard everything in the catalogue.

Myself and 3 of my closest friends who love Phish made a decision a few months ago to leave our wives and children at home for what might be “one last hurrah” at the Super Ball. My thought process was that I had seen the band so many times, some good, some not as good, that I no longer needed to drive across the country and reshuffle my life around their tour schedule.

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When you get inside the music, like musicians do, gravity disappears.

Posted by @jdisk in the SBIX Essay Contest.

Paying It Forward

I will always look back at Superball as the moment when phriends became phamily. Really, it wasn't all that difficult. There were a ton of summer camp-like group bonding experiences: setting up tents, falling asleep to trey's "The Man Who Stepped into Yesterday" narration and getting use to each others' distinctive body odors. Moreover, the collective love blossomed when we witnessed one crew member cry during bathtub gin, another turn speechless upon hearing his first colonel forbin’s at his girlfriend's 30th show and, especially, when we all embraced in a re-calibrating group hug in the middle of the ball square jam during one hell of an amazing trip.

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Posted by @CaptainPookie in the SBIX Essay Contest.

I live in Watkins Glen. I was born and raised here. And other than a collective five years in which I flittered and searched up and down the east coast in my early twenties, this place is all I have ever called home. I spent my childhood diving into these huge, glacial lakes (that never seem to get warmer than the ice-continents that carved them), hearing local Seneca "Indian" elders pass on the oral traditions of the Iroquois Confederacy that once called this place home - and also believed that it was the cradle of civilisation. After-all, we call these "The Finger Lakes" because the Seneca believed that the Creator was so partial to this part of the world, that he showed his approval by sinking his enormous handprint across and deep into the landscape, forming the five, vaguely finger-shaped bodies of water.

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Many thanks to all who submitted essays for the SBIX "contest." It was indeed a contest in the sense we wanted to generate participation and provide a little extra motivation for folks to share. Bags-o-phish.net schwag will be passed out to those that generated the most votes, and as promised, essays that the site team found best captured the essence of the event will be featured on the blog for the next week.

The point of this endeavor had little to do with a contest, voting, or prizes, however. We simply wanted to capture the raw emotions and stories of fans who enjoyed the event and bottle the immediate reactions of the experience for posterity. There are no winners or (especially) losers with this project. We'll be archiving the essay thread in an upcoming FAQ page on SB icks.

That said, we do have the results of the top vote-getters.

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If it's Monday, it must be tme for another Mystery Jam. As usual, we will be playing for an MP3 download courtesy of our friends at LivePhish.com / Nugs.Net. The rules haven't changed: you need to correctly identify the song and the date to win. Post your guess in the comments. One guess per person per day (with the second “day” starting after I post the hint). The hint will come on Tuesday and the answer will be posted on Wednesday. Good luck...

Tuesday Hint: Phish has played 53 cities since their return to the stage on 3/6/09. This jam occurred in one of them.

Tuesday Hint #2: (For @benhatley). It's not "Theme."

Wednesday Answer: BLOG FTW!!!!!! Wait? Someone got it?!?! Damn it all to hell. This game sucks. In all seriousness, congratulations to @mainegabe for doggedly sniffing out the 9/24/99 "Wolfman's Brother." Nevertheless, the Blog will chalk this one up as a moral victory. See you all on Monday for the big Six-Oh...

MP3 Downloads Courtesy of LivePhish.com

by Mockingbird Contributor Chris Glushko

I was unable to attend Super Ball IX, my first “special” show missed since Halloween 98. By special, I mean anything outside of a standard tour -- festivals, Halloween runs, holiday runs, etc. But thanks to modern technology, I did get to enjoy every minute of Watkins Glen as it happened. Following the festival, I had a conversation with a close friend who attended that went something like this:

Friend: So, what did you think?
Me: Some fun stuff, but I don’t think it will hold up well.
Friend: What do you mean? It was the best weekend ever.
Me: I’m sure it was, but I’m talking about the music.
Friend: But you weren’t there. The weather was perfect. The vibe was amazing.
Me: I’m sure it was. But I can’t load the weather and vibe into iTunes.
Friend: They played for over 4.5 hours on Saturday.
Me: Yes, and Saturday may be the least-interesting three-set Phish show since NYE 96.
Friend: You’re so wrong. You’re just upset you didn’t go.

Well, he was right there. I was upset that I didn’t go. But attendance should have no impact in discussing the music. I’d argue that by not attending you’re likely to be more objective because you eliminate your personal experience from your judgement. There are a million things that can go right or wrong during the live experience. But long after the lights go up, it’s only the music on the recording that remains. If you want to have Phish nerd discussions about the best shows to listen to, then the music is the only universal currency to base these discussions on. It’s about separating the music played from your subjective experience. Otherwise, you might as well argue over who has the best favorite color.

With that said, I spent the last several days re-listening to every note of Super Ball IX to see what’s worthy of regular rotation in Phish listening. Here are some of the highlights and lowlights:

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