@lumpblockclod said:

@pistilstamen said:

One of my favorite things about a Phish show is seeing how they will weave the tapestry/paint the picture/any other stupid art metaphor, of which the first sets are an integral part. That said, I can also understand why people don't particularly enjoy them.

FWIW, I don't think (most) people are saying they don't enjoy them. It's more that when comparing them primarily comes down which songs are your personal favorites and whether it was generally sloppy or well-executed, there's just not much to discuss. I enjoy (most) first sets in the moment but after the moment ends, I seldom go back and relisten.

This is an interesting conundrum and typical of what happens in these threads. The stated purpose of the this post was to shine light on some great 2nd set jams from Fall Tour, which all of you did. One writer made a negative comment about first sets and it set off a firestorm, but perhaps a justified one, now that we're here.

I agree with you Chris, generally, but I think a poster above made a valid, though exaggerated, point when he presumed that all of you enjoy maybe "15 minutes" of each show. Now, obviously that's not the case but I think it's unrealistic to expect more than half of any show to be improv. It's just not possible to do that and have the music be quality. For the jams to be enjoyable there needs to be some cohesion and direction. Just constant free-form for the sake of itself would end up with something similar to what Furthur was doing recently. It loses steam after awhile when there isn't a build-up, is what I'm saying.

What makes the jams special is just that....they're special. I still enjoy first sets (much of the time). Where I break from you and some of your peers is when you dismiss the first sets as a one-time listening experience. I don't do that. I listen to entire shows straight through. Perhaps because I have a 6-disc changer in my SUV, it lends itself to that, but honestly I enjoy patiently relistening to first sets because there's a lot of nuggets in them thar hills. I don't want to miss anything. I think my approach has its own benefits and I never lose out on the thrill of the epic jams because it's not all I focus on. I don't know, just a perspective.

Still think this blog post was great. Merry Christmas and Happy New Year. I won't be at MSG. Hope you enjoy it if you are, though being on the West Coast I doubt it.