@mhester said:

of course people can make their own choices. no one has suggested such fans be barred from attending. but if "frustration" and "disappointment" are the most common reactions one has to attending concerts of a band they love, something is amiss. and from the looks of the literally thousands of fans around me who appeared to be having a BLAST at Wednesday's show, it may not be the band that needs to change. and even if you still want to defend that "yes, actually, it IS the band that needs to change, they need to do _______ for the show to meet my standards of what is a 'good Phish show'," then your disappointment is going to continue.

Here's the thing that I think a lot of people are missing. It is entirely possible to hold similar opinions to JDG and ... wait for it ... STILL HAVE A BLAST at even the most "disappointing" show. Just because I wish the band would take more risks, doesn't mean that I don't still love their songs. Even if I knew Phish was going to exclusively play shows like 6/15, I'd still go see this band several times a year. I think I speak for the vast majority of the so-called "jaded" fans in this thread in saying that our criticisms, as they are, stem from our love of this band.

It's not a matter of step back and see less shows. I know what I hear and I know the kind of music these four guys can make. Going to less shows won't change that. Nevertheless, if I was the guy next to you at Alpharetta, you would almost certainly count me among those "having a blast."