For Phish fans who dig the road, the music never really stopped December 13, 1997 - Times Union (Albany, NY) By Chris Sturgis Albany The concert-as-community concept didn't die with the Grateful Dead South Pearl Street in front of the Pepsi Arena was swimming Friday night with socializing Phish heads. An hour before the 7:30 p.m. concert by the eclectic Vermont band, Phish, and after police blocked off an area from State Street to Hudson Avenue, there seemed to be as much enthusiasm for the pre-concert socializing and selling tickets as the concert itself. Like the Deadheads, who faithfully followed the now-defunct Grateful Dead from concert to concert, Phish heads bring a festive, carnival-like atmosphere to concerts by their namesake band. This socializing -- and shopping -- was a major part of the attraction for Chris Dell'Acqua of Albany. "You go around, you shop for things. There's always something for sale," he said, sporting a tie-dyed shirt and a Santa hat. Other sidewalk vendors looked much like the fans as they sold different versions of the patchwork dresses and skirts they were already wearing. Oversize Guatemalan sweaters, wallet chains and baggy pants were among the favored fashion items being sold. Vendors also sold glass pipes. Phish head Carrie Childs of Oregon, her long blond hair tied in dreadlocks, said she sells pipes to fund her travels, following Phish around the country. "A lot of this is artwork," she said. "You can look at a pipe and tell who the blower was," she said, pointing out different kinds. There are hand-held water-filled pipes called bubblers, an elaborate curled one named for Sherlock Holmes called a Sherlock, and a straight-up-and-down pipe that must be held by a friend while it's being lighted called a Chillum, she said. Vendors also carried glass beads to wear in one's hair, and jewelry. Childs explained that Phish heads generally congregate in the lot before the show, and the merchandizing is called "the shakedown," after a Dead song. Murray Burstin, 27, originally of Ballston Spa, used to follow the Grateful Dead from concert to concert, but now he chases after Phish. Burstin said he likes Phish's wide range of music. "It's not like you're listening to the same song over and over," he said. The crowd was well-behaved. Albany police arrested about 15 people near the concert on drug charges but could provide no further details, said Officer Joseph Carnevali. As a loudspeaker called the fans into the concert, four mounted police officers herded the crowd toward the door. "They jam out really well," said Megan Maurillo, 21, of Syracuse. Article © 1997 Times Union