^ that was so weird, cause I saw the pics of Mike wearing that shirt…of course I thought it was awesome…then I went to this record store on 1/1, and the owner was wearing the exact same shirt
^ Check out the pics from Worcester too. I forget what night, but I remember thinking to myself. Man, Gordon looks like and Icecream man 
^^the shirt was sick!
it’s been odd for me thinking about this MSG run, after watching/listening to the streams and observing a run from afar and not actually being there for once…and it’s become really clear to me that there is no substitute for being at the show, especially in 3.0, since the “off the cuff” moments where they stray off the beaten path and jam (beyond trey doing his normal solo buildup in each song) are so rare. the band’s tight and energetic and that’s great…makes for a fun show for the people there. But I was expecting to be so bummed about what I missed by not being in NYC…and I wasn’t that much at all. And that surprises me since everyone (most who were there in person) are saying it was bomb.
The fact is the band is taking very little risks onstage, and they now seem like somewhat of a polished machine to me…
maybe a little of this is I’m subconsciously trying to justify missing the shows. Obviously I enjoy the polished machine since I saw 70 shows the last two years. I think I just have high expectations for the band, and a lot of times the person that can really make them great (Trey), also holds them back, and that is more frustrating for me when I’m trying to listen to the shows.
I still will be psyched to see them out west or alpine/creek next summer if I can, but unless things change dramatically I’m definitely done stressing about missing shows or not being able to tour. 
long live phish. 
we traded the nightly type 2 deep jamming of 2.0 for a sharp well to do band putting effort and enthusiasm into their music again- and that is awesome. A lot of times i miss the exploratory jamming from before but I’m starting to feel like a lot of that jamming was somewhat apathy fueled. It seems like they don’t stretch out and let whatever happens happens anymore because they give a shit again. Less jamming but tighter playing a greater enthusiasm a la early-mid 90’s style.
after Coventry i never thought i could love again…until Summer 09.
very true, but, as the rest of your post kind of points out, there is no substitute for not being at a show either. I mean, I don’t know if you can view the music very objectively when you are there experiencing it first hand. Maybe after 70 or so shows you can, but for me, it’s just so exciting and it seems like every show I see feels like the best show I’ve ever heard immediately after the show. As much as I think I’ve had a good run of shows, I know that from a purely objective standpoint 10/11/10 probably isn’t the best show they ever played…or even played that tour, but I can’t listen to that show from an untainted perspective.
I guess I’m not really saying much, but yeah…good to see you Hank! Happy New Years.
Feeling like it’s the best show you seen is the best feeling one can have. As much as the music makes us feel that way, it is the whole event surrounding the 2-3hrs of music that can also make us feel it’s the best show we have seen. From the traveling alone or with people, being in different cities, meeting new and old friends, the tailgating in the lot before and after the show. That’s why this band is so awesome and why many of us go see them, not only to catch a certain song or jam, but to just experience life in a way that we don’t see everyday.
some of my favorites to listen to are ones that i attended but weren’t what most people would call a perfect show.
i’d rather be at one of those shows than be listening to an epic one at home. just being in the room and hearing beauty of my dreams makes me happier than i could be outside of the show. it’s different when you are there for sure.
yeah, so as long as I’m not there I don’t even know what I missed! 
I think just about everyone on the Pa would say the same thing about those Cincy shows last fall…perfect example IMO…folks who weren’t there didn’t really blow up about em, but those that were, knew something was up
and Trey confirmed it when he said he wish they could play all week
Both Worcester shows, for me at least.
^ And perhaps 10/24 at Amherst? Listened to the second set at the gym today and Trey unleashed a blitzkrieg of notes at the end of Seven Below. Loved it.
Those Worcester shows are sneaky good. Definitely worth a re-listen for anybody…
I just go to see the band whenever I can and whenever it makes sense – around my life – and that’s it. I didn’t even go out of my way to see them back in their heyday ('97, '98, etc.) - so traveling around the country now to try and catch every single show doesn’t make sense. I’m too old, married, etc. to be following any band around. Real life is still out there and there is still a mortgage to be paid.
That said, I’ve had a blast catching the 10 or so shows I’ve caught over the past two years. I walk away from each show with at least a nugget or two that I really thought defined the show. That’s all you can ask for, I say.
3.0 Phish, especially 2010 Phish, really reminds me of the pre-jamming early-mid-90s Phish. Well oiled, cranking out great rock tunes, and having a good time. The transcendental jams will not come every night. Just like they didn’t come every night during that era either.
Yup. We know that Phish CAN add more jamming or more experimentation into their shows. They have made the transition from “very tight rock band” to “rock band with far-reaching improv segments” in the past. Who’s to say they will never do it again?
I’m kind of at the same place. Actually I didn’t even feel like going to the show on 1111 as I was a little tapped out from the night before. But I was rewarded with a great second set that night. But yeah…idk…I was sort of thinking that day that if they play 3-4 nights at Red Rocks next summer that’s probably all I’ll go see next year. But then again, I’ll probably have a whole six months for it to grow into a longing to see tons of shows and eat my words. It’s not that the shows aren’t great and amazing experiences, it’s just that I do miss those risks for musical explorations. And I’m not talking about 2003-2004 shit where there was no energy and just meandering, but the 90’s…can’t lie, I miss it.
Ditto dudes.
I will make the trek I’m sure to a few shows next year. They will be end of tour shows and in a place worth traveling. I gotta make the annual run to Creek>Alpine. And if they go back to Cuyahoga or Starlake I’ll be there in a minute. And I wouldn’t mind checking out Alpharetta again. And of course a Gorge or Red Rocks trip would be worth it. And I haven’t been back to Camden since '04, but thats a good thing. And if Limestone shows up on the list, I just can’t stay away from that place. And if Hampton should come up in tour topic, i would probably have to go down there. But that’s it! I’m done!
even if the band was consistently blowing my mind there’s no way I’ll be able to see a lot of shows in the near future anyway ($$$ reasons–the small amount of $ I do have I’m trying to use to live on my own out west, so Phish has to take a back seat), but it’s easier accepting that knowing that I’m probably not going to miss anything too insane.
iif they take 5 months off and start another summer tour in june, that’d be another step back as well. too long of a break. I know they aren’t as into it and as dedicated as they were in the 90s, and now that they’re approaching 50 years of age, the chances of us seeing that band again are fading with each year. reality and aging 
I did put a white and black PHish logo sticker on my car yesterday though. I put it on the back passenger window…nice and discrete. Some guy gave it to me in the ski parking lot when he heard me blasting 10.31.10
and I didn’t even see phish til 03 but even back then shows were more unpredictable and way more jammy
YUP… 
Very 92-94 sounding. SOOOO glad that 2.0 shit is over.
^You don’t miss this?
For me it’s simple the difference of being content with seeing 3-4 shows per tour and having a burning desire to see every show of the tour and dying a little bit inside each time I see a setlist or hear a copy of the shows I wasn’t at. For now that only really happens when I see Forbin’s>Mockingbird on a setlist…fuckers.