Much love for Merriweather from this former denizen of Bawlmer, Merlin! Much easier to navigate the traffic & parking from that side, as opposed to coming from DC. (My go-to option is to park in the Columbia Mall lot, chill there, and then wander in a venuewardly direction when I'm good & ready.) Law enfarcement can be on the enthusiastic side in the venue lots, swooping in on golf carts to haul adults away for sitting near an open bottle of beer. If you plan on making merry despite the weather (i.e. the heat), then be discreet, and use restraint that you've needed less of before!

The 9/17/00, 6/26+27/10, and 8/8/98 MPP shows were plenty good, as others have mentioned. You can't go wrong with any of those - well, unless you have the bizarre opinion that a certain one-off cover from 6/26/10 was anything less than a heartfelt, cathartic masterpiece. My favorite show from this venue is 7/9/99 - an underrated gem which features spirited jamming (Mike's Song!), soulful guitar accents on Trey's part, and some nutty hijinks (Macarena teases in Weekapaug).

Yes, I'm down with MPP!