I have a strong appreciation for jam bands. From the Grateful Dead (who I got to see as a teenager) and The Allman Brothers Band to my personal favorite, Phish—jam bands have a genre of music described as improvisational. Pretty much, you never hear the same song the exact same way (which is why fans of jam bands will often attend shows many nights in a row).
Phish has been around for about 35 years—and in that time, I’ve been to 100+ shows (mostly during the 90’s). Though I hadn’t seen them in a while, I felt reinvigorated when they announced their “Baker’s Dozen” residency at Madison Square Garden. It was made up of 13 concerts (if you bought 12, you got the 13th free)—and each night was inspired by a different doughnut. (Check out the Rolling Stone article or New York Times article for more info.)
I decided to reconfigure my schedule as much as possible and get there.
I attended 9 of the 13 concerts. And I’m so glad I did.
Yes, on those 9 nights, I got very little sleep. Yes, I struggled to get up for work the following mornings. But I have to tell you, it was incredible to be fully immersed in a passion. I left this experience with a turbo-charged joie de vivre.
I realized that as adults, businesspeople, parents, people with vast responsibilities—we don’t make enough time for these valuable, immersive experiences.
What were you passionate about as a kid?
While you may not be passionate about jam bands, I know you’re passionate about something. If you could eliminate money and sleep from the equation, what would you do? What passion would you immerse yourself in?
I recommend revisiting that passion—and finding a way to include it in your life…because those 9 concerts still have me jamming. And I’m eagerly looking forward to Phish’s New Year's Eve Run.