Phish - a Taste of Heaven

Are you surprised at the title? This post has absolutely nothing to do with Venezuela, but I want to talk about my experience at the Phish concerts I went to this year. You don't have to read this one, but I wanted to publish it so I can look back and remember what I learned. I truly was very connected to God at these events. I was able to have meaningful worship times, learn more about God's character, and get a glimpse of Heaven. (Note: Phish is an improvisational band that has a very unique sound - different songs have elements of jazz, funk, rock, classical, bluegrass, and more. They broke up a few years ago, but recently got back together, and Whit and I were fortunate enough to go to all 3 nights of the reunion in march, plus 2 more shows on their summer tour.)


How I was able to glorify God in an unlikely place and how I learned to worship God:
1) I realized how God was blessing me.
So many people wanted tickets to their reunion show that they sold out as soon as they went on sale. Getting tickets was literally a race to see who could refresh the page and then type in the security code the fastest. We only paid a little over $150 to get to see all 3 nights of the reunion. One of these shows was easily worth $1000.
Being thankful really helps you connect with God more because you are aware of His graciousness and love towards you, because He provides things that you love and want but do not deserve.

2) I had decided to praise God for His creation instead of praising what He created.
I knew that the band was extremely talented musically, and was excited about hearing them improv live. I decided before the concert that I would praise God for giving them the ability to play music so well and come close to fulfilling the potential of what music should sound like. Throughout the concert, I would praise God for making music that sounded so good instead of thinking that the band members themselves were amazing. I gave credit to God for using them to play that music, and remembered that God did that so that He could enjoy the music and glorify Himself through what He created.
Recognizing that God created things so that He can enjoy Him and be glorified through them helps you to stay focused on the purpose of life and enjoy things by enjoying the God who created them.


How the reunion was a glimpse of Heaven:
1) I had listened to Phish before, but had never seen them live. A few reasons this is significant:
a) They are a concert band. Improvisation is such an important part of their music that their live recordings are usually better than their studio albums. (Doesn't relate to Heaven, but important for you to know.)
b) We were so close to the stage!! We got to see their faces in person and could see them pretty clearly without a video screen. -- This is like what Heaven will be like because we will get to see Jesus face-t0-face! We have heard about Jesus before, but we have never actually seen Him in person.
c) Listening to them play live means that you get to experience the improv for the first time while it is happening. When they start to improv, you get to hear a new part of their song that they have never played before. -- This is like what Heaven will be like because we will praise God with a new song!! I have always wondered what a "new song" could possibly be, because we have created so many "new songs" on earth, but apparently they aren't the same as the kind of "new song" that we will hear in Heaven. It will be really awesome to listen to a similar song that we had sung on earth, but it will be new and transformed. I think it will be really awesome.
2) Phish had been a band (most of their "phans" followed them around on their tours), separated (no one could watch them play), and then reunited. We were part of a crowd that got to hear them play again for the first time. This was really cool because they weren't as good as they were when they were playing together frequently, but they had somewhat of a new sound and style. -- This will be what it is like to see Jesus return and be a part of the community of believers who are waiting for, excited about, and expecting His return. Seeing Jesus will be even better than this, because He will be even BETTER (than when He was on earth the first time) when we see Him!
3) There was such a sense of community - everyone was friendly and generous (unfortunately Whit and I had no desire to receive what they were sharing). The uniting of believers will be so much greater than that because we are united with something much, much greater than a band. It was really cool to be surrounded by so many other people who knew Phish and loved them, since I have never really talked to anyone else who listens to Phish a decent amount besides Whit. It will be so awesome to be in a true community where everyone you are surrounded by loves and knows Jesus. This leads into my next example.
4) You know how sometimes you are just so filled with the Spirit and excited about God that you just want to shout praise and tell everyone about God?? When I feel like that, I can't satisfy my desire to do that because I feel inhibited by all the people around me in the world who wouldn't understand my satisfaction with God, and thus wouldn't understand my praise and excitement. I can't wait until we are all just so excited and filled with God that we praise Him openly and wildly. I got a glimpse of that unashamed worship from all of the dancing that happened at the phish concerts. No one there danced well. Everyone looked so silly. But we were all so into the music and dancing the same way that we didn't care how we looked or what anyone else looked like.
5) Seeing Phish return was an unexplanable experience because everyone there was so excited about seeing Phish play again (and make new music!). I can't explain how much everyone was ready for the band to come on stage and play again. It was definitely one of the best moments of my life, sharing in that, and it makes me SO excited about everyone being in Heaven together and seeing God there for the first time - it is going to be SO indescribably awesome.


Just for fun,
Reasons why I love Phish:
1) their music is amazing. they are so talented.
2) they are such a fun band
a) their lyrics are silly
b) they do ridiculous things in concert and don't care what the audience thinks of them
i. they jump on trampolines during one of their songs while playing their instruments
ii. one of the band members plays a vacuum cleaner with his mouth
iii. they try to embarrass each other by volunteering other band members to sing songs a capella
iv. they don't try to impress the audience through fancy clothes or a showy performance, but through the quality of the music they play
3) they are so nice to their fans - they charge a reasonable price for their tickets even though they could get a lot more
4) their fans are so nice to each other
5) everyone just dances however they want and isn't self-conscious
6) the lights are so coordinated with the music. music is meant to be enjoyed by singing and dancing, and coordinated lights help too!
7) something related to 6 - a lot of times phish will write lyrics to match their music, instead of the other way around (which is what 99% of other band do). a lot of the lyrics don't make any sense at all, but singing them fits in exactly with how you want to express yourself based on the music that you're hearing. singing is a way of expressing yourself through the music, accompanied by dancing and lights. :)