Don’t read reviews as gospel — Phish On!

The Grateful Dead, an iconic American rock band, was noted for its incredible improvisation skills and its rabid fan base. These hard-core fans, known as “Deadheads,” followed the band religiously around the country. Though I never considered myself a Deadhead, I did manage to see the band live 10 times. Two of those times were especially memorable.

One time I saw the Grateful Dead in, of all places, Giants Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey. If I remember correctly, the lineup was Poco, Pure Prairie League, Willie Nelson, and then the Dead.

In many ways, being in the parking lot at a stadium event is half the fun. At football games it’s tossing footballs while barbecuing and drinking beer, known as tailgating. At a Dead concert, it’s dancing and taking drugs, known as partying (not me, of course; I can barely handle reality as it is).

The really memorable thing about this show was I had never before seen so many beautiful girls in one place. This was a crowd of at least 60,000, and the girls were just amazing. I remember thinking: Where do they all go during the week?

Of course, all the bands were top-notch as well. Just a great time. The only bad thing was, if you were in front of the stage like I was and you had to go to the bathroom, expect to be gone for an hour.

The other memorable Dead show I attended was somewhere in NewJersey as well. It was another large outdoor stadium show. I went with a girl who was just a friend, loved music, and unfortunately had the worst case of acne I’d ever seen.

We got there a little late because driving in New Jersey without GPS was, is, and always will be a nightmare if you don’t know exactly where you’re going. But we settled into the concert nicely and had a great time.

I don’t remember exactly what song it was — I’m thinking “Sugaree” but I could be wrong — when legendary Dead lead guitarist Jerry Garcia ripped off a 20- minute electric guitar solo that was up to that point the greatest guitar solo I’ve ever heard played live.

When he started it, the sun was just going down, so it was that magical time between day and night. As he ripped though the chord progressions and scales on his signature red Gibson guitar, it was like the atoms in the air became charged. I felt like my body was responding to each individual note, as water responds in ripples when a stone is tossed into a pond.

This solo truly created a state of euphoria for me, my date, and the rest of the crowd. I knew, at that moment, I was at one with the universe.

Imagine being able to play guitar like that.

Sometime in the late nineties, I began to hear about a band called Phish. Everything I read about the band said the same thing: It was a jam band with a huge following, essentially calling them The New Grateful Dead.

Now I don’t know about you, but to me originality is important. It’s one thing to be influenced by others, but there can never be a new Grateful Dead, period.

Like when you go see a cover band. They clearly tell you they are a cover band, so there’s no confusion. For example, there is one called Brit Floyd that is a cover of legendary English rockers Pink Floyd. They’re good, but they’re not and never will be Pink Floyd.

I’m big on originality. Be yourself. Come up with your own music, writing, art, or whatever. No one has your life experience, skills, talent, and desire. Just do the best you can. If you do that, no matter how much it pays off, you’ll have done pretty darn good.

So for all these years I’ve never, ever paid attention to Phish. Why bother with them if they were only copying the Dead? The only time I’d even been remotely aware of them was when I’d go to someplace like SPAC (Saratoga Performing Arts Center) the day after a Phish show, and see what shambles the grounds were in.

The huge crowds at these festival type events like partying a lot more than they like cleaning up, apparently. Not so cool, no matter how cool your tie-dyed shirt is.

Then about a month ago I was driving around in my Sirius/XM satellite radio equipped truck and started checking out some stations that I’d never listened to before. Soon I got to channel 29, otherwise known as “Phish Radio,” and I was blown away. Great songs, extended jams, expert musicianship, and a positive, uplifting sound. Just like that, I was instantly hooked on Phish.

Looking back, I should never have listened to all those reviewers who simply called Phish the new Grateful Dead. Yes they jam and improvise; yes they are great musicians; and yes, they have a rabid and passionate fan base that follows them around.

But, while the dead were uniquely blues, folk, jazz, and Americana inspired, Phish are all over the place. One song might be a kick-butt rocker, the next might be reggae, the next might be a ballad, and the next might be a space-age sounding hippy jam, and the next might be a Led Zeppelin or even Grateful Dead cover.

And they can really play funk, too. Not bad for four white guys from Vermont.

Phish are guitarist Trey Anastasio, bassist Mike Gordon, drummer Jon Fishman, and keyboardist Page McConnell. They formed in Burlington, Vermont and have been playing together since 1983.

Anastasio, from what I’ve read, has written over 140 songs. I’ve been playing guitar for about four years now and I’ve written only one. I got a lotta catching up to do.

It turns out that every New Year, Phish plays a series of shows at Madison Square Garden. Then you can hear the entire show on satellite radio the next day. How great is that? They are really into making their fans happy.

In fact, they support fans taping the shows and then trading the recordings, all to build up the community. Good for them. Check out phish.com for all that is Phish-related in the world.

I suppose my next move as a “Phishhead” would be to see them live at SPAC this summer, but any major group like this is booked through a company called Live Nation, and I just can’t stand them. They are a monopoly for live concerts and they show it.

Tickets are extremely expensive, you can’t bring anything in with you, and the prices they charge for food and drinks could be called criminal. Eighteen bucks for a beer, twelve bucks for water, no blankets, no chairs (though you can rent these), and no coolers. Still, I might have to put up with it if I want to savor the whole Phish live experience at least once. Sigh.

What really burns me about Live Nation is getting searched before they let you in. Several times, because I always forget, I’ve had to walk a half-mile back to my car to drop off my tiny key-chain-carried Swiss Army Knife. I mean, really?

What harm can come from a two-inch blade carried by a person who just paid hundreds of dollars for tickets? I know, it must be they’re worried about the tweezers and the plastic toothpick.

Though I’ve only been listening to them for a very short while, I’m going to list my five favorite Phish songs in case you want to check them out:

— “Waste”: a simple yet stunningly beautiful love ballad. I only wish Frank Sinatra and/or Johnny Cash were still alive to see how they would interpret it. If you can only listen to one Phish song, listen to this one;

— “Suzy Greenberg”: The President of the International Norton Owners Association, Suzy Greenway, passed away last year. When I hear this song, I change the chorus to her name. Must be something about the name Suzy;

— “Divided Sky”: This song is for anyone struggling with addiction. Very moving;

— “First Tube”: A fantastic rocker built around a simple riff based on an ascending music scale. You can do a lot in music with the simplest ideas if you know what you’re doing; and

— “Bouncing Around the Room”: My 7-year-old grandson, Jackson, from the moment he could first walk, has literally been Bouncing Around the Room for years. Every time I hear this, I smile and think of him.

Phish is a great band, truly original and a lot of fun. I only wish I hadn’t listened to the reviews I read many years ago, as I could have been enjoying them all this time. Don’t take everything you read as gospel, but you knew that already. Phish on!