Halfway through the east coast leg, I realized there was a familiar pocket of the crowd that was missing. It didn't take me long to put a finger on it: the southern frat kid.
White hat turned backwards that either represents the school they attend or an SEC establishment that they have zero affiliation to, such as the University of Georgia or Alabama. Fresh New Balance sneakers right off the shelves. Mid-calf Nike socks, white as their cocaine. Khaki shorts with an unfavorably short inseam and either a fresh lot t-shirt or a vintage polo, presumably from dad's closet.
They weren't up north, at least on this tour. Now, before you go all, "Stephen, you're a judgmental asshole" on me, let me explain. It comes sheerly from observation. I think if anything it contributes evidence to fraternity's southern prominence in university culture.
Some know the music well, some know the party better. Some heard a Phish tune in the sin-laden basement of their frat house. No matter how you slice they pie, they make up a piece of social diversity at Phish shows.
All these thoughts were somewhat dismissed when I was slammed into on the lawn at SPAC on Sunday night by a dude who would need a solid defense to exonerate himself from indicted on charges of tanning bed usage. As he stumbled back to his unknown base on the lawn, I took mental notes.
He was sporting a backwards ball cap with a highlighter tank top and biceps, comparable in size to my thighs (something I'm very proud of). Below the waist were athletic shorts with lacrosse emblem above the left knee (crucial detail). All that mass of man was supported on tan flip flops.
"The northern frat look," I exclaimed inside my head!
It had to be. Followed behind him was Eric, his buddy with identical attire, but was a few months behind in the weight lifting category. The back of Eric's highlighter tank marketed the grand memories that were, "Spring Formal 2016."
Nailed it! They were wasted, but it was their first show. We got to talking at set break for a few minutes and they were proud of their novice inception into the scene.
People often cast judgments on what a Phish crowd looks like. Maybe I just did? I like to call it observations but I could hear the argument that I'm just mitigating my self-incrimination.
The truth is these folks would fail if given a lineup of 10 people and asked to identify attendees. Sure, there's the dirty hippie sporting dreadlocks, but next to he or she is the adjunct professor at a local university.
Then there's the 16-year old whose mom dropped him off at the venue entrance. She's picking him up at 11:30 p.m. on the dot no matter what song their still playing.
The goal here is to identify the diversity that does exist. There's great socio-economical diversity at Phish despite what you may believe. The frat kid, whether from the north or south is one that I find extremely noteworthy.
-Stephen
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