Thanks for an excellent post. I'd qualify as Dead&Phish head (Although way more Phish--band I grew up on vs. band my parents did.), so I like the way you highlighted that angle.

I've never totally understood why they shy away from covering more Dead. Obviously they want to squash any comparisons--b/c there really isn't much besides fan culture--but they've done a ton of Dead stuff outside of Phish.

One of my best life experiences was seeing Trey sit in with Merle Saunders at Club Toast and drop a Dark Star on us. I wish they did it more as Phish--or atleast teased songs in jams. The kids need more mind humps.

Also, thank you for this quote: "...the feeling of electricity from 8,500 virtual desks flipping simultaneously – will forever be seared into my consciousness. It's the dragon that each one of us chases when we walk into our next Phish show."

I love hearing different ppl try to sum this up. You drilled it.