What you call "safe", I call "trimming off a ton of excessive bullshit that had crept into the jams and made whole parts of shows boring or unlistenable to anyone not rolling their balls off"

It sorta hit me on "Halley's Comet" that they were actually having fun again.

gonna check out last nights set later on, but just from the first show i can tell it's already miles better than the '02 disaster. i'd have to assume they will just get better too.

there's no real reason to keep these shows after listening like some of the older shows i have, but bloor is right...you can tell they are actually enjoying themselves this time out.

Holy Jesus, that's some shitty singing on "Loving Cup"

It was most fun for me when they let loose and challenged each other, and everybody, as fun as it could be when I was rolling regardless. Of course the fun stopped when they as a band couldn't do both at the same time, and no one cared enough to stop the rolling.

I think they're taking the right approach by playing these shows like this. Maybe they need to get it right once to get past it and do something new this summer.

I'm not knocking them at all, actually I'm applauding them. But I'm not about to break out my patchworks and Birks and do tour in an Acura again. Or claim that this is anything like April 98, when they were having fun and getting far out there. If you found that unlistenable, then we're different kinds of listeners.

Anything is better than hearing them butcher everything at Coventry (the last time I listened to them).

hit me on "it's ice"!

SUMMER TOUR

jesus what is wrong with me? i just put a request in for 2 of the 4 shows at red rocks and then called my buddy in pdx and left a giddy message about possibly coming out for the gorge shows.

wow, "Halley's Comet"? If you can't have fun playing a song like that, you shouldn't be allowed to create music.

As someone who hasn't held a shred if interest in Phish since 1997 or so, I have to say even I'm curious.

I'm *thinking* of going to the Knoxville show on June 10. I just don't know if I have the patience to sit through a 3+ hour concert anymore.

maybe darien or spac, but really, i don't think i care enough yet.
i like that the hampton shows were a success - weird to gauge shows by pass-fail - but they sound kind of boring.

that said, rad that phish are allowed back at red rocks.

that, plus the dirty, dirty hippies. It would take one dreadlock dipping into my beer (this has actually happened to me on more than one occasion) to trigger a calamitous response.

yes. that and the fact that i've always wanted to see a show at the gorge.

that said, i'm secretly hoping i get skunked on tickets....