Mondegreen: What went right, what went wrong at Phish's Dover festival
This story has been updated to include new information from the Dover Police Department.
This week is hitting a little different for Mondegreen attendees, who just spent four days in Dover immersed in Phish's sprawling jams, surreal art installations and close-quarters camping.
"We couldn't have done this without you!" Phish posted in the Mondegreen app Monday morning. "I mean, we could have, but it would have been weird and lonely."
Phish's first Delaware festival, their 11th overall, brought about 45,000 people to The Woodlands. Central to numerous major cities, Delaware's location was surely part of the draw, but fans also came from as far as Japan, New Zealand and Brazil to attend Mondegreen.
People polled walking into the concert grounds Sunday all said they'd come back to Dover if Phish did it again, and most of them said they had no complaints, other than the heat and the food prices.
And, as one festivalgoer said, "I'd go to hell to see this band."
What went well
The music
Phish isn't a casual band in any sense of the word. You either love them – really, really love them – or you don't. The Vermont jam band has been honing its musical improvisation skills since the '80s and hosted the band's first festival in 1996.
Most Mondegreen attendees spoken to Sunday said the music was, of course, their favorite thing about the festival.
From The Woodlands, the red-headed, round-spectacled Trey Anastasio led the band with vocals and soaring guitar; Mike Gordon dropped thick bombs on his bass; the versatile Jon Fishman, in his trademark donut dress, beat the drums; and Page McConnell moved deftly around his expansive keyboard setup.
Mondegreen heard the first sweet licks Wednesday night during Phish's soundchecks. The band played two sets Thursday and Saturday night, and on Friday night, after two sets and an encore, attendees were treated to a "secret set," during which Phish played behind projections of trippy, abstract images. On Sunday, because of the threat of bad weather, the final show was moved up to 1 p.m. and was just one long set with a quick encore.
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When the jams reached a crescendo (and they often did), the crowd threw thousands of glowsticks, set off confetti cannons and just generally went wild. Beach balls bounced above concert-goers, bubbles floated by, hula hoops swirled. People of all shapes and sizes danced gleefully every night, on and on into the morning, and under the hot sun on Sunday.
Phish fans will break down every song played at Mondegreen ad nauseam. You can find plenty of recaps, reviews, set lists and more with a quick Google search.
The people
The other "best thing" about Mondegreen, and any Phish festival, is the community, otherwise known as the "pham."
"Phish delivered, but with so many hours of the day to fill, it’s all about the people around you," Mondegreen attendee Chuck Hambleton said on Facebook.
The camaraderie, kindness and conversation of a Phish festival are things that can't be easily replicated outside festival grounds. Sharing the great joy of music is formidable bonding experience, especially for people who may feel like outsiders in everyday life.
"(They) always make my weirdness feel welcome," Tom Sgroi, another commenter, said.
The art
The surrealist art installations at Mondegreen were major festival highlights.
Huge inflatable eyes were hung in the trees mid-concert grounds. Children and adults enjoyed the circular swing set all weekend, next to the glowing Ferris wheel. At one end of the concert grounds, festivalgoers climbed on the yolks of a few oversized, sunny-side-up eggs in Henk Hofstra's "Eggcident."
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A "city hall" was constructed in the middle of the concert grounds out of just boxes and tape by artist Olivier Grossetete, then was destroyed Saturday before forecasted storms. Luke Jerram's "Museum of the Moon" offered a spacy place to relax in the shade in the daytime or to dance beneath a glowing replica of the moon at night.
At the Cerealist Bowl, attendees could get a drink with everything from Fruit Loops to forks hanging from the trees over their heads, sitting in oversized chairs while a parade of bizarre cast members made their way through the area. Lucky chosen ones were approached by "the time keeper."
"The Phishy magic was all there," one festivalgoer said.
What went wrong
Medical staff at Mondegreen faced "significant challenges during the festival," a Dover Police Department news release said.
"They managed dozens of overdoses, medical emergencies, and other situations (such as combative patients) which often stretched their resources to the limit," police said.
Bayhealth doctors and nurses "worked endless hours alongside the EMS teams to assist patients that were suitable for treatment at the venue, rather than being transported to, and potentially overwhelming, an area hospital," the release said.
Dover police reported five arrests using undercover officers, all of which occurred in the campgrounds. All five men were charged with possession with intent to distribute large amounts of drugs, among other offenses.
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Delaware State Police reported two arrests.
On Friday night, a 26-year-old man from Chestertown, Maryland, was "under the influence" and "acting erratically," police said. While being treated by medics, he punched one and bit another, according to police. He was charged with felony assault.
On Saturday, security searching vehicles arriving at the festival found "suspected illicit narcotics" in the vehicle of a 41-year-old man from Michigan, who fled, Delaware State Police said in a news release. He later returned and was taken into custody.
"Further investigation led troopers to a nearby campsite, where Gallagher had hidden a small plastic container after fleeing the security checkpoint," police said. The container held LSD, MDMA and ketamine, according to police, and more drugs were found in the man's car. His charges included three felonies.
What could be improved
We asked people on the concert grounds and a Mondegreen Facebook group for their complaints. Their claims were mostly typical of other festivals and included:
More water stations were needed.
More frequent port-a-potty cleanings were needed.
The walk from camping to the concert grounds was too long.
The shuttles weren't frequent or reliable enough.
The food and drinks were too expensive ($10 for a bag of ice!).
Some festivalgoers said security was rude or unhelpful.
On Sunday, after one long set that lasted until after 3 p.m., Phish said goodbye, but many stayed in the concert grounds and danced around the heliograph (an art installation/DJ booth). Everyone was told to leave at about 4 p.m., when festivalgoers were told bad weather was imminent and to exit the venue.
That led to a mass exodus, causing many to get stuck sitting in their cars for hours while waiting to exit the campgrounds. It also resulted in an unfortunate situation for those needing to get to either side of the concert grounds, where the campgrounds were.
Unable to walk through the concert grounds and with shuttles not running, they were forced to walk the perimeter of the festival, near dangerous vehicle traffic on Persimmon Tree Lane.
Yet, after four days of Phish vibes, the walkers were all smiles and relished the short drizzles of rain. Cars stopped on the road trying to leave the festival passed out food, drinks and high-fives.
This reporter was one of the walkers and – get this – when I finally made it to day parking, a rainbow appeared over the campgrounds.
Shannon Marvel McNaught reports on southern Delaware and beyond. Reach her at [email protected] or on Twitter @MarvelMcNaught.
This article originally appeared on Delaware News Journal: What Phish's Mondegreen festival in Dover was like for attendees
