Man, that was a harsh review, especially considering that was their first show back. Also, I don’t see how anyone with any interest in Phish could call TTE a big bowl of fail or whatever it was that you said. I’m not trying to be a dick, I just feel like when writing reviews you could probably say something a bit more descriptive. I’m curious as to why you think it’s a bad song.
In all honesty, I just feel that it is way too wordy. I don’t just love “serious” Phish. I love the silly side of them as well such as “Reba”, “Golgi”, etc. I just feel that this song is trying too hard to be “artsy” and never getting anywhere. Wordy is good for someone like Dylan if you’re a poet. These lyrics are just not well written and far from poetic in my opinion. I also feel that it’s like “the trey show” more than any Phish song I’ve ever heard. It does have it’s peeks and valleys but in all, I think it’s just unlistenable. It would’ve made a far better 5 minute song than the long opus that it actually is.
My first & only impression is similar … except that I take my own impression with a huge bowl of salt, realizing that there are hundreds of songs I currently love which had to grow on me.
I think serious Phish works great sometimes, but some of it I really dislike too. So I hear ya. However, it helps to realize there is a TON of “serious” Phish that we all love. How about the entire Rift album, for example?
To my ears it sounds more like Rift-type material than, say, Undermind or Billy Breathes (both of which are remarkably unfunny, not silly at all albums). I’ve heard, I think, six or seven new songs now, and my take is that Phish’s attitude overall, as reflected by these songs, is much more in line with early 90s Phish than it is with anything since. I’m stoked about this material.
I think he has some fair points. But I also think he is trying too hard to prove that he isn’t afraid to criticize phish, and therefore criticizes them more than he should.
TTE is epic in my mind…Many different shades to the song and the end is just SMOKING!!!
The Haters have been hating since day one, why do you think the 1st time they played live they got shut off and someone put on the radio…PHISH IS NOT FOR CASUAL FANS…
The way I see it, If you only like 20 Phish songs, Don’t go to the shows…
If you don’t want to give the new material a chance, Don’t go to shows…
If you don’t like Phish, Don’t go to shows…
Here is a nice video to leave you with
chapelhillbilly is trying to promote his blog on OKP…Here are his threads bashing Phish both in General Phish Disccusion:
Why Does Phish Piss In Our Ears?
Home Runs, Base Hits, Foul Balls & Strike Outs!
NO ONE HERE WANTS TO READ YOUR BLOG, PLEASE GO TO PHANTASY TOUR AND HANG OUT WITH ALL THE LIKE MINDED HATERS, YOU WILL BE TREATED LIKE A GOD OVER THERE, THEY WILL LOVE YOU, TRUST ME!!!
OKP is not here so you can promote your Bash Phish Blog…
^ Harsh, but not entirely untrue. This section of the OKP isn’t here to promote your blogs. I’m just going to move it into our Members Projects sections, and interested parties will find it there. Cool?
I can appreciate someone who can be a critic towards a band many people feel, “can do no wrong”. But I’m also not feeling the quasi-negative “Pt-ish” vibes your bringing to the good vibes of the Pa. I also agree with you to a certain point about Mr. Miner being a happy-go-lucky blogger, but at the same time, the guy just may have a completely different outlook on the band than you do, and it’s kind of lame to take shots at someone you know won’t respons back to. Now I’m going to offer some counter-points to your blog, and we can make this a real debate.
You say “I’m a submarine” has to be one of the worst lyrics ever written. Yet you love a band whose lyrics have included some of the most asinine lyrics ever written, but now your saying “worst lyrics ever”. Wow, that’s subjective.
You thought the Tweezer jam was going to crash and burn, and that just tells me your at a Phish show with a pessimistic attitude, which may be one of the worst combos ever.
You thought Tweezer Reprise was a letdown, even though anyone who knows anything about Phish could’ve told you that this was going to be the last song of the encore.
Curtis Loew isn’t meant to “blow you away in a stadium environment”, it was played simply because it’s an Phish oldie but goodie, and was meant as a nice treat rather than an arena-conscious selection.
You also referred to DWD as a, “craptastic moment of the night”. This statement really makes me wonder whether or not you like the band at all.
I’m just incredibly baffled by folks who go to shows looking for certain elements of something that has been around since 1983. You say you like the “silly” Phish, and not the “serious” Phish. Considering how many genres, themes, and subject-matter they touch on, for you to only like a certain element tells me you only like a certain part of the band. I happen to enjoy the Disco Biscuits, but I wouldn’t attend their shows if I only wanted to here them play techno, or if I only wanted to hear them play old Sam Altman-era songs. I wouldn’t go see the Dead and get mad if they only played early folk stuff and no Shakedown-era material. I wouldn’t go see moe. and boo them if they played Sticks and Stones, and not meat., Brent Black, etc.
If you only like a band for certain elements, you shouldn’t attend their shows. You should stay at home, and rage your winter '95’s or your fall '97’s and keep wishing for something thats long gone and never coming back. Plerase, stop buying tickets, and let folks who can appreciate a whammy-laden Character solo, just as much as they appreciate the goofyness of “Reba”. There’s Phish songs I don’t like too, such as Heavy Things, but after the Great Woods version the other night, and actually seeing it live, watching where the jam went, I actually really liked what I heard.
That being said, your opinion is as welcome as anyones, I just don’t think your going to get the same support here for bashing Phish as you would over there on PT.
Oh, and please dont call people douchebags for trying to discriminate between PH '03-'04, and PH '09. That’s where the 3.0 comes from, because theres a difference now when you say PH considering theres been two hiatuses. Same thing on your “JB3” bash. I mean, come on…douchebag? That’s kind of lame man.
I don’t know, I found his review kind of useful. He’s entitled to his opinion, and that’s all he’s giving, so it doesn’t really matter. Not having heard this music, I can’t really say whether I agree with him or not, but I can say, that his review, especially the “home runs” make me want to get this show right away and listen to it.
And if I find myself in agreement with his opinion after that, I might come back to his blog to see what he says the next time. If not, at least he encouraged me to listen to the Boston show. That’s something beneficial in itself.
I’m a little torn after reading the 2 blog entries and comments pertaining to each. His intent here is to write reviews and that is what he is doing. Reviews of anything are not always going to be 100% positive hence the moniker “critic.” Everyone experiences the music in different ways and this guy is attempting to shed some light on his experience. I wonder though, if this blog review thing may not get the best of him…always looking too critically, instead of just feeling the beauty. He certainly is nowhere near as harsh as James, who gives his review in the comments below. I would definitely advise James to stop listening to Phish if he thinks that lowly of them.
It seemed as if there is some contradiction in the comments on TTE. In the “piss ears” entry he discussed digging the first half of the song and becoming disgusted with it as it progressed, but the main criticism I have read in his postings on here is that it’s too ''wordy." Isn’t the first half of the tune the “wordy” half?
I found the link to Mr. Miner’s site and the associated comments totally uncool. No need to bash others for doing the same thing (and successfully at that) as you are trying to do.
Agree with Shill on many things, but most importantly the comment about expecting the Tweezer to crash and burn. Where do these low expectations come from? That line diminishes a lot of the rest of the comments because you appear to have a negative attitude toward their talent and abilities.
The comment on Tweeprise was pretty ridiculous. You feel let down with it as a show closer? Too bad. That’s just the way it goes buddy. If they play Tweezer, 98% of the time they will close the show with the reprise. How could you even be let down? Wouldn’t you be expecting it? It’s not as if it was the sole encore. IMO, it’s a fantastic show closer, almost perfect to close out a show, but I’m no blogger so I won’t go further.
anybody read the latest blog about the fest? i thought it was kinda funny. especially the part about covering the woodstock soundtrack and being carried offstage by string cheese.