Hi friends! Itās beenā¦ a minute.
I want to kick off a new Monday series todayā¦ In a Monday Minute, a quicker catch-up from the weekend.
Todayās inaugural segment isnāt so quick, though. For as short as my trip to Las Vegas was, my list of thoughts to expand on is somehow a mile long. From being sober in Vegas to the new Sphere experience, Iāve got a lot to say.
A Sober Weekend in Vegas
First of all, I feel like I got hit by a bus over the weekend. Iām seriously dragging this morning and itās kind of a mindfuck considering I didnāt drink anything this weekend. However, it just further exemplifies that SLEEP is the most important factor to how you feel!
I wrote more about being sober in this blog postā¦ It started out as a Mocktail March thing, but Iām riding it out to do a full Sober Spring. I donāt really miss drinking at all right now, which is so crazy to me. As soon as we got to the pool on Friday, I was like, āShould I just drink this weekend?!ā Thereās something about being in warm weather that just makes me want a cocktail or ice cold glass of wine, but I opted for a virgin piƱa colada and it totally scratched the itch. I was like, āNope, I got this ā I donāt need to drink to have fun or enjoy myself, even in Las Vegas.ā
It was a whole new world being completely sober in Vegas thoughā¦ Most people I know have attended work conferences there, but Iāve only ever been for fun. I think this was probably my sixth trip to Vegas, and only now do I feel like I finally have a lay of the land.
I felt pretty good on Saturday morning, but by the time Sunday rolled around, I was seriously dragging. I was (or, AM) just SO TIRED. Vegas is absolutely exhausting, no matter if youāre sober. From the sensory overload and crowds walking through the lobby of your hotel, to being on your feet so much, to the heat (which felt glorious, btw!), to staying up way later than youāre used toā¦ Itās all a recipe for complete fatigue.
Iāve been obsessed with sleep hygiene for the last decade or so, but Iāve become such a sleep snob over the last year that Iāve had my Oura ring. Itās pretty eye-opening to see how much the little things affect your sleepā¦ From having caffeine in a Diet Coke or a late-night snack (like popcorn at the show), my sleep was nowhere near as restful as it usually is at home. And after a few days of lackluster sleep, I feel like I got hit by a bus.
The Las Vegas Sphere
I saw two shows at the new Sphere over the weekend, which was undoubtedly the coolest concert venue Iāve ever been to. U2 was the first musical artist to play at the Sphere in the fall and I was absolutely mesmerized by the videos I was seeing on social media. The entire concert experience looked unlike anything Iāve ever seen!
My fiancƩ, Dave, is a massive Phish fan and when it was announced that his favorite jam band would be the second-ever performers at this iconic venue, we decided it would be worth breaking open the piggy bank to see the shows.
The Sphere is honestly so cool and I cannot wait to see who else ends up playing there in the years to come. If you get the chance to go, I highly recommend it!
Outside of the few sections that are marked āobstructedā because theyāre under an overhang preventing you from the full visual experience, thereās truly not a bad seat in the house. We were in the ānosebleedsā in the 400 sections both nights and thought the experience was fantastic. I was a bit worried about it feeling very disorienting, especially being so high up, but it was totally fine during the show. I will say, though ā walking into our section with a giant green screen was a bit shocking at first, but I got used to it pretty quickly.
Dave had friends that were down on the floor and their views from the videos they sent were unbelievably cool, too. I liked that I didnāt really have to ālook upā from the 400 level, but I heard some people mentioning that there was a lot of that from the 100 sections. If I was seeing a show at the Sphere again and had my choice of tickets, I would opt for the floor for a new experience or the 300 or 400 level.
Some Thoughts on Phish
I could write a dissertation on Phish at this point, but Iāll try to keep it snappy for the sake of this post. On my very first date with Dave four years ago, he told me heād been to well over 100 Phish concerts. Waitā¦ what?!
Heās been seeing the band play since he was in high school, but even when youāre doing the mental math, thatās still a lot of concerts every year. (Especially when you factor in the years that the band has taken a hiatus.) Heās got to be above the 150 mark at this point!
I asked this question on my Instagram polls a few years ago, so Iād love to get a pulse check hereā¦
While the world of Phish seems like a completely bizarre cult to most people not familiar with the culture or community, Iāve had the chance to dip my toe into the Phish-filled waters over the last few years. Iāve now been to five shows, but Dave has live-streamed almost every other show theyāve played in the last four years from home.
The reason why so many phans have seen so many shows is because the band never plays the same show twice. Never! While every other musical artist tours with the same show (complete with the same lights and same visuals), these guys never repeat a set list. And when theyāre playing multiple nights in the same city, they never even repeat a song over the course of those few days.
(Thereās even a whole āPhish.netā online community thatās run by people unaffiliated with the band where you can find set lists, song stats, show write-ups, and more.)
I believe they have a catalog of over 300 songs at this point, which made it possible to play THIRTEEN sold-out shows in a row at Madison Square Garden and never repeat a song.
Phish took over the Sphere for four nights in Vegas this past weekend and each night was so differentā¦ We live-streamed the Thursday show from home, attended the Friday and Saturday shows in person, and bought the livestream again last night from home.
The Phish show at the Sphere on Friday was hands-down the best concert Iāve ever been to! To be honest, Iām not really even a fan on the music, but after listening to it so much over the last few years, Iāve learned to appreciate it, I guess you could say? Yes, I can definitely get kind of bored during the long ājams,ā but the visuals at the Sphere were just so mesmerizing. (And again, I was sober.) Dave joked that I was a great experiment control taking it all in with clear eyes.
If any of this is at all interesting to you, Iād definitely recommend reading this write-up on CNN! The author did a really great job of explaining the nuances of the band and all of the work that went into these shows in Las Vegas.
Iāve also read, like, every other article on the internet about them, as well as watched most of their documentaries and what not, all in the spirit of trying to understand it all since it means so much to Dave. So ā if you want any other Phish content reccos, Iāve got a bunch, haha.
What I Wore in Vegas
I fully realize how out of the ordinary this post is, but hey ā thatās what this Substack is for. If youāre typically here for the style-focused content, Iām just about to hit publish on all of my poolside and concert looks over on my blog.
Click here to see that post!