I also think that the extremely negative emotional reaction to any sort of criticism is psychological in nature. Deep down, those who have this response feel that some part of themselves agrees with the criticism, but they simply cannot allow for these feelings because it represents an idea that is antithetical to what their psyche allow. Consequently, anyone who voices this feeling is looked upon as a heretical traitor, thereby creating a safe effigy rather than confronting repressed negative feelings about the band. So the fan willing to speak the truth becomes the target of unwarranted criticism and ad hominem attacks.
What proceeds from there is a pt style back-and-forth that rapidly deteriorates into a negative experience for the writer and readers of the posts. For those of you that write intelligent and invaluable criticisms of shows, please try to remember that "rising" to meet this negativity degenerates the accuracy of the original post because your credibility is called into question. Why should someone who is clearly close-minded to an open forum on phish be worth dragging you down to his/her level? I get that emotions can fly when we discuss the band, and i've gotten into more than one pissing match with my friends on the subject. But the difference is that it is in private, and i truly do respect their opinions because they are knowledgeable heads.