@FACTSAREUSELESS said:

Interesting comments. I glossed over Chris's commentary regarding the "retribution" angle for Halloween, because I wanted to focus on the overall quality and tenor of his comments, but I did not agree with that either, nor do I think it represents where the band is coming from, unless Chris has some inside info that neither of us are privy to.

I think Trey basically fell over himself thanking the fans in attendance on Halloween night, knowing full well that they had indulged the band patiently.

I've been silent on the subject, but I thought the Halloween show was horrible. The songs were too complex to warm up to on such a sudden, undiluted level and the whole experience felt like a grade-school musical, with nervous tension everywhere.

I don't criticize the band for it, though, as I thought it was heartwarming and endearing that they trusted their fan base enough to pull something like that. Very risky.

Again, I don't think Phish had any hidden motives here....certainly not "revenge" or something similar. I think they're way too busy trying to create the best possible experience to be all-too-focused on negatives, worse, perceived negatives.

The band would never have made it this far if they were that hypersensitive to every negative comment that floats around. We can trust they're quite a bit more professional and thick-skinned than that.

You have to understand that JDG is on a crusade. A crusade with no endgame but a crusade nonetheless. It really bums him out that some people dug AC/Wingsuit, so much that he can't even claw his way out of the denial phase of grief - he's insisted that nobody really liked it, they're just apologizing. So I am not surprised that his comment focused on that paragraph.

I tried to be clear in the piece that I don't think that Phish played no covers solely as a rejoinder to fans who slammed AC. I think that was part of the reason it worked, and based on Icculus alone, I have no doubt that it was part of the reason they did it. But the larger reason was to celebrate their own songs, which are the framework of their identity and history. It's sad to have to restate it, but there you go.