Holmdel, New Jersey’s PNC Bank Arts Center was my hometown venue and will forever be close to my heart. Growing up in tiny Hazlet, about 45 miles south of New York City, we usually had to travel into the Big Apple or up to The Meadowlands to see big acts unless it was summer. The Garden State Arts Center, as it was called from the time it opened in 1968 until PNC Bank bought the naming rights in 1996, was a mere mile from the house where I grew up and each summer would host a wide variety of musical acts. As a tot my parents took me to see doo-wop revivalists Sha Na Na at the shed, which was one of my first musical experiences and over the years I saw dozens of concerts there.

Bands such as the Allman Brothers Band, the Steve Miller Band and Santana would seem to visit each summer and even if I couldn’t afford a ticket that night, I was still able to hear the music quite well from the parking lot. From the time I was nine I would go away for eight weeks each summer to sleepaway camp which certainly cut into my Arts Center-going opportunities. That never phased me much until 1994, when I found myself entering a passionate love affair with the music of Phish.

I attended my first show at the Beacon Theatre on April 15, 1994 and within 30 seconds of “Llama” kicking off the concert I knew I had found “my band.” My first Phish concert was a revelation and a night that changed my life forever, especially after having a number of crazy experiences that evening. When I returned home I couldn’t wait to see Phish again and anticipated the release of summer tour dates. A few rumors had them starting the tour in June and I just hoped it would begin, and they would play shows in the Northeast, before I headed to Camp Westmont. Later that month the dates came out and I was devastated. Phish would play my beloved Arts Center on July 2, just days after the bus pulled away for the Poconos. I was inconsolable on the night of July 2 as I thought about all my friends rocking out in Holmdel. It was three weeks later when I finally received word about what I missed and how ridiculous the “Mike’s Groove” segment from that night was. But hey, Phish was shed-worthy now and surely I’d get my chance to see them at the Arts Center in the future.

Then, the next summer, the venue was expanded with some of the lawn converted into seating, albeit uncovered pavilion seating. Considering how big Phish was getting this only helped my chances...right? But no, Phish instead played Jones Beach and Waterloo Village in 1995 - the first summer I picked the Vermonters over camp. Would Summer Tour 1996 visit the Arts Center? Nope, the band wanted to “starve” the Northeast that summer in order to help attendance at their first-ever huge festival - The Clifford Ball. 1997 went by and 1998 went by and all these years had passed without Phish returning to Holmdel. At points I thought I had missed my one and only opportunity to see my favorite band at “my” venue.

Early in 1999 I started hearing rumors that Phish was planning a return to the Arts Center. Hazlet’s a small town and if you grew up there, you probably knew somebody who worked at the venue. However, I wouldn’t get my hopes up and believe anything until it was printed in the Doniac Schvice. When the band’s newsletter finally hit my mailbox, I had the biggest shit-eating grin you could imagine. For the first time since that aforementioned Waterloo Village show, Phish would be returning to New Jersey - the state where two members of the band grew up. And not only would they play the Arts Center, but they would play two shows there AND a gig in Camden. I graduated from college in May of ‘99 and celebrated the best way I knew how: by doing a full Phish tour* for the first time in my life.

About 20 of my closest friends wound up accompanying me to the Arts Center shows and my parents graciously housed many of us for the run. Speaking of my parents, after five years of seeing as many Phish shows as I could, my mother really wanted to see what all the hubbub was about. She had asked to come to a show with me on many occasions, but the timing was never right. However, with the band playing a mere mile from my home, the Arts Center shows finally gave me a chance to bring her to experience Phish. We secured tickets along with one for my sister and one for a good friend. The four of us parked near the shed, beelined into the venue as I made sure not to spend too much time “on lot” and found our seats. Since we wound up getting into the show pretty early, we took a walk around the venue. Serendipitously I noticed Trey’s father Ernie and his wife standing by the soundboard. Mom and I went over to them and I explained that it was her first show. Mr. and Mrs. Anastasio were extremely kind to us and after our talk wrapped up, graciously gave my mom a pair of earplugs.

As we approached show time many of my friends made their way over to us to say hello to my mom and she was in awe at how many people I knew. It displayed what the last five years had brought into my life, that there was so much more to the Phish community than the drug cliches which get thrown around by the mainstream media when discussing Phish fans.

Mom enjoyed what she saw as Phish worked their way through classics like “Punch You In The Eye,” “Poor Heart” and “Horn” during the first set. She got a kick out of “I Didn’t Know” and didn’t flinch when Phish yelled “Shit” in the middle of “You Enjoy Myself.” As the lengthy set came to a close Mom gathered her belongings and was absolutely shocked when I told her there was still another set to come. Thankfully, my sister graciously left at setbreak to escort my mother home. Mom saw what she needed to see and had a great Phish experience - no need to push it. All in all, it was a wonderful evening made even better by the ridiculous “Split Open And Melt” in the second set. PNC Bank Arts Center will always hold a special place in my heart for the reasons mentioned and my mom’s Phish experience. The band returned for a two-night stand in 2000, along with one in 2011. This summer, the quartet will visit the venue on July 10th and you can rest assured I’ll be there.

* I wound up bagging the first show of the tour due to the extra distance it added to my trip

Now that you made it through my story, here’s a few PNC Bank Arts Center tips:

• If there’s lots of traffic getting off the Garden State Parkway South at Exit 116, head two miles south to Exit 114 and get right back on the GSP North. A vast majority of concertgoers enter the venue from the GSP South, so there’s generally much less traffic coming in off the GSP North.
• If you need gas or supplies and you’re coming down the Parkway South, get off at Exit 117 and follow signs for Route 36. You’ll come across many gas stations and convenience stores within the first few intersections
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• The Arts Center lots are patrolled by NJ State Police, so be careful.

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