Phish-ing expedition June 20, 1995 - The Daily Ledger By Staff Band's followers look like Deadheads, but police find less trouble It looked like the Deadheads came to town a couple of weeks early. At first glance, the folks camping around Deer Creek Music Center Monday looked the same, sounded the same as the followers of the band Grateful Dead. But on second glance, it was easy to tell they were different. "They were a younger crowd, with a little more access to funding," said Capt. Pat Towle of the Hamilton County Sheriff's Dept. "These people had tickets and actually went to the concert." Each year Deadheads come to Hamilton County following the Grateful Dead; this year, it's July 2-3. Thousands of followers come without tickets and no intentions of seeing the concert. In this case, the folks who rolled into Noblesville Monday are following around the band Phish, pronounced "fish." It was the group's first appearance here. Phish played to a crowd of 19,900 fans and 35 sherrif's deputies Monday night. The band will play next on Thursday in Canandaigua, N.Y. Teala Wilson (grin) of Burlington, Vt., who is following Phish this summer, said she has been called a "Phish-head" before, but shrugs off the comparison to Deadheads. "We're just not the same," she said. They didn't cause as much trouble, said sheriff's deputies. Three people were arrested at the concert, one for illegal consumpt- ion of alcohol, another for minor in possession of alcohol and cocaine possession, and another for resisting law enforcement, public intox- ication, and possession of drugs. "This is a whole new bunch," said Pete Watson. Watson, who lives on Indiana 238 near Deer Creek, converts his yard into a campground, named "Sleepy Bear Campground," every summer. "The Phish crowd is a different crowd," he said. Instead of the Volkswagen buses are known for driving, late model Jeep Cherokees and Volvos mixed in at the campground for the Phish concert. For Scott Cohn of New Jersey, it's just a great way to spend his summer vacation. He's a teacher of emotionally disturbed students in New Jersey. But during his summer break, he hops in his truck and goes on the road following the band. He stood out from some of the others, wearing his baseball cap, a buttondown oxford and jams. "Teaching is rewarding," Cohn said. And following the band around from town to town is just a good way to unwind during the summer months. This is Cohn's third summer "on tour." But some people took a summer break to follow the band, whether their employers wanted them to or not. Jen Diaz of Burlington, Vt., quit her job at a cafe to follow Phish this summer. "I'm just taking a summer vacation. Having a little fun. I'd live like this all the time, but unfortuneately I have to make a living," Diaz said. "I'll find another job later on." Diaz and Wilson have been following the band all summer and will continue through up the Eastern Seaboard. The pair followed the band across the country last summer, too. "It's a tight unit," Wilson said, "like a family, I'm excited to see the people I met last summer." What's Phish? Phish's music isn't easily classified. Some refer to it as a cross between rock, jazz, raggae and blues. Band members are" Trey Anastasio, vocals and guitar; Page McConnell, keyboards and vocals; Mike Gordan, bass and vocal; and Jon "Greasy Fizeek" Fishman, drums and vocals. Phish's popularity has jumped every year since its 1988 debut sond, "Junta." Phish drew 18,000 to Deer Creek Music Center Monday night in its first performance there.