I understand the overall sentiment here, but I'm not fully with it. Some of the new material is just straight up not good.

You're correct that some of the new, not good songs (looking at SYSF) have produced incredible jams, which is why I'm not going anywhere when those tunes get played. Some haven't though, and you've singled out one (DWYS) that really hasn't gone anywhere since its debut.

Personally, I wouldn't head for the restrooms during, say, the debut of a new song. It's a new tune, of course I want to hear it!

However, I think it's okay for people to not be thrilled about seeing A Life Beyond The Dream for their 8th time. I think that's actually a perfectly reasonable time for a bathroom or concessions break.

With peace and love, Drift While You're Sleeping has not, to date, produced any "inventive jamming".

New songs aren’t 6 years old.

Is this a reprint of an old blog post from 2011 with TTE switched to Drift?

I share op’s call to openness

but I wonder if op still wants to shelve all the classic Gamehendge songs as he called for after NYE 23?

A big part of what makes Phish great is that feedback loop - which includes honest, tough, and constructive criticism when they fall short. Yes, they have the right to play whatever they want, but if I'm paying my $125, I have the right to go purchase or release a beer when they play a stinker of a song that I have heard 20 times, and then go online and complain about setlist construction. I do like DWYS and ALBAD as songs, but they are momentum killers. The latter is a much better TAB song, with the backup singers and horns adding some power to the build-up.

+1 @kiddomarink...I understand the sentiment but I'm not fully with it.

At one point in my life in a similar but different way I performed for crowds. Albeit nothing even remotely close to a phish show size wise. If you want to be in a performing art, you better have kinda thick skin. And if you aren't open to feedback from your own fans, even negative feedback, then you will never really evolve much as an artist.

@Mshow96 said:

Is this a reprint of an old blog post from 2011 with TTE switched to Drift?

I share op’s call to openness

but I wonder if op still wants to shelve all the classic Gamehendge songs as he called for after NYE 23?

Hee hee! Nice muck-raking!

Why is this on the .Net homepage and not a thread? Am I missing something?

From the Wingsuit Phishbilll:

"People often react a little strongly and crazily when they hear us play something new," says Trey. "Every time we've put out a new Phish album-literally every time-a certain contingent of fans has felt that the band they know and love is coming to an end. It's never true." He chuckles at a memory of being heckled by fans at The Front in 1989 after debuting "Reba."

Policing the opinions of the audience is a lot less cool than members of said audience complaining about a song they don't particularly like

No artist and no art is sacrosanct; all humans everywhere reserve the right and ability to criticize any art they feel like criticizing

If I don't like a song I'm not going to hold my tongue. Honesty is the best policy. No one should pretend to like every Phish song simply because they're a Phish fan. It's ludicrous to expect EVERY fan to like EVERY song. Come on.

The worst thing you can give to an artist is an uncritical audience. The artist gets lazy and stops making vital art if there's no audience there to give feedback

Just let people like what they like and dislike what they dislike; if I don't like ALBTD, I'm not gonna blow smoke up the band's ass and pretend it's a brilliant song lest I hurt someone's feelings in the process. These musicians are not little timid children who will stop making finger paintings if there are mean adults around; these are mature, responsible, smart adults who know damn well that not every song they create is gonna be spun from fuckin' gold. They're self-aware, they know songs like Jennifer Dances weren't beloved by fans and can understand why with some hindsight

No one needs to hold Trey's hand and reassure him that his songs are good. He's not that fragile. If you don't like a song, you should not be policed from saying so by other fans

Why is this on the front page of this site right now? Is this message THAT important? "Don't be big meany poopyheads you guys" seems like it could be relegated to a thread in the forum, it's not so earth-shattering that it belongs at the very front of the site

I'm also gonna just go out on a limb here and say that the four rich guys on stage probably don't care very much if they see people going to the bathroom during a new(ish) song. They're playing to 18k people. If even 1000 of them leave, they're still playing to 17k people.

trey_YOU_PAID_US.jpg

Some of the new(ish) songs are great! Some (Drift While You're Sleeping) are not!

When I first became a Phishhead, we were allowed to have our own opinions about Phish's music, and I believe that helped make Phish better over the years. The modern insistence that we must LIKE EVERY SINGLE THING THEY DO or else we're not real fans, is a most bizarre fantasy. It's not just with Phish, it's music fandom in general. No pleas from uberfluffers will ever make Drift While You're Sleeping into a good song. This attitude is what makes any miniscule criticism of any aspect of a show get downvoted into oblivion and makes people not want to express opinions on this site any more. Stop trying to police fans' opinions and enjoy the show regardless of what people around you are doing. I never saw a tear slide down Trey's face during Petrichor. (Nor TTE, for that matter, which is a good song!)

If it sucks, it sucks. And imo everything since Kasvot Vaxt has sucked. There are a couple decent songs in there but overall, no good. You can not please everyone all the time. If the band is not tough enough to handle what the community throws at them at this point boo hoo.

@deceasedlavy said:

Some of the new(ish) songs are great! Some (Drift While You're Sleeping) are not!

When I first became a Phishhead, we were allowed to have our own opinions about Phish's music, and I believe that helped make Phish better over the years. The modern insistence that we must LIKE EVERY SINGLE THING THEY DO or else we're not real fans, is a most bizarre fantasy. It's not just with Phish, it's music fandom in general. No pleas from uberfluffers will ever make Drift While You're Sleeping into a good song. This attitude is what makes any miniscule criticism of any aspect of a show get downvoted into oblivion and makes people not want to express opinions on this site any more. Stop trying to police fans' opinions and enjoy the show regardless of what people around you are doing. I never saw a tear slide down Trey's face during Petrichor. (Nor TTE, for that matter, which is a good song!)

100%

Not sure how this landed on the front page. Seems more appropriate for the forum.

I reserve the right to head to the exits when "show of life" is played. Like others, I am also wondering how our fearless .net editors decided this post deserved front page real estate. Perhaps to stimulate some humorous comments during a slow phish news week? Would also add that there are some new and newish songs that I love and look forward to hearing (WGTYM, LSG, Oblivion, etc).

I'm cool with respecting the band. I'm cool with respecting them individually. I'm cool with giving songs a listen. I'm also just as cool with folks not liking a song.

What happened to Mystery Jam Monday? I miss that.

Cool, but let's not turn this into "happy happy joy joy" for all songs released. Some folks like some things, and others others, but at the end of the day we are there for the SHOW regardless of what's played. As long as Phish is still playing I will always be HAPPY and GRATEFUL.

@deceasedlavy said:

Some of the new(ish) songs are great! Some (Drift While You're Sleeping) are not!

When I first became a Phishhead, we were allowed to have our own opinions about Phish's music, and I believe that helped make Phish better over the years. The modern insistence that we must LIKE EVERY SINGLE THING THEY DO or else we're not real fans, is a most bizarre fantasy. It's not just with Phish, it's music fandom in general. No pleas from uberfluffers will ever make Drift While You're Sleeping into a good song. This attitude is what makes any miniscule criticism of any aspect of a show get downvoted into oblivion and makes people not want to express opinions on this site any more. Stop trying to police fans' opinions and enjoy the show regardless of what people around you are doing. I never saw a tear slide down Trey's face during Petrichor. (Nor TTE, for that matter, which is a good song!)

There’s a name for people who think that literally every thing their band does is the greatest thing in the history of music. They’re called Goose fans.

@flippingbackward said:

Not sure how this landed on the front page. Seems more appropriate for the forum.

It technically isn't truly on the "home page," it's on the Blog, and Kevin asked me if it could be posted to the blog and I said "Sure." Simple as that. As for being "more appropriate for the forum" I agree with you, but that said, we rely entirely on volunteers for blog content (eg recaps of shows) and it's rare that anyone volunteers to write something "more appropriate" for the blog when the band isn't on tour and there aren't recaps being routinely posted to the blog.

Also I knew Kevin's take would not be well-received by many if not most routine visitors to this website, and the more controversial the opinion expressed in a blog post, the more views and comments it gets (this is always true), which is healthy for the site. A lot of people also do not visit the dot net forum (but only check out setlists and jamcharts etc.) and a lot of forum users (so I'm told) don't even pay attention to the home page or blog unless directed to it. So I figured why not spice up the blog with an obviously controversial "Letter" from user KevinForbin.

You're welcome,
charlie

I've been walking out of shows early if I didn't like the encore since 1991! And although I only see a Phish show every few years these days, I'm STILL walking out early if I feel the band is urinating in my earholes. It happens....

You’re not going to feel every song and that’s cool. I have 2 songs in the entire catalog that get skipped while listening at home, and if I happen to catch them live, oh well I make the most of it.

Peeps that hate on huge swaths of material make me chuckle, I just write it off to bad taste.

I consider GOTF as a whole to be Trey’s masterpiece, go to the bathroom if you want during ‘Drift While You’re Sleeping’ or ‘A Life Beyond the Dream’, but if you start heckling or booing etc. shame on you.

I’ll fucking hate Jennifer dances if I want bro, back off

It's not all good, brah

No new material has been debuted in over a year. Sort of off topic I know, but very uncharacteristic.

This is a really unnecessary thing to post. Policing taste to protect the feelings of artists who've been making music in the public sphere for the better part of 50 years? I agree with every other responder. Also, I'd wager that Phish themselves and especially Trey would be offended by this offering.
Trey is every bit the geyser of compositional creativity now as he has always been. Unfortunately, there doesn't seem to be any mechanism in place to help him determine which new songs are good and which aren't. My opinion is that in the last ten years, the majority aren't, and in the last four years, they all aren't. Writing good songs is a thing that young people do well. Very, very few people write great songs after the age of forty. Tell me the last good Bruce Springsteen song? The very best - Tom Petty, Sting, Brian Wilson, whatever (you may not like these guys but you can't deny that they are immensely successful songwriters, so for the sake of argument, you agree they write good songs) - all lose it around 40. I think Paul McCartney and Paul Simon both wrote pretty good songs in their 50s and 60s, but they are definitely exceptions to the rule. It's something about a young brain. There's a natural arc to the strengths and abilities that human brains have. Younger people have better reaction times and are more creative. Producing a great song is a mysterious thing but it's definitely something young people do better. Trey has lost it too; this gives me no pleasure to say, because I've been a devoted fan of his music for my whole life. But it's true. He can't write great songs anymore.
Even so, while he may not be aware of the fact that his new originals aren't any good, he would be shocked and dismayed to learn that some fans were encouraging others to ignore their taste and pretend that they are.

Phish can mean many different things to us throughout our lives, and they will probably go through many more changes and eras before it's all over. But I think that anyone claiming they are still producing good new songs is lying to themselves.

People can piss whenever they want

DWYS? Really?

This is like someone saying that free expression is important, that we need to be open to people being able to act as they wish and that we should not be judgmental scolds toward people with unusual preferences, and then saying, "For example, the Zodiac killer."

I want Kevin’s thoughts on Phil+Ned next.

Leave during tweez. No lines

I can’t tell if this is a troll post?? But been talking smack on fuego since its inception. This year’s (2025) Seattle version changed my perspective a bit. I recommend listening to it if you haven’t. Tonight I found myself relistening to Wrigley 16 and Mann 14 fuegos and getting feels- really disliked them at the time. This has always been part of my experience with the music, like what to me is good art, it’s dynamic - it challenges me, sometimes I reject it, i get disillusioned, or I decide I only like a certain era for almost 2 decades, claim it’s the best. I love this about phandom —99 is the best, 2025, 1993 lately, this is the best, etc. Fluffhead lyrics were cheesy to me in 98 when I first heard them, still are. Have whatever heart you have when you have it. Just like the band does. Maybe what OP is trying to express, if indeed sincere, is that criticism and opinions are dynamic, which is inevitable if we want, and this band gives us multiple opportunities for new experiences with the “same thing” because they play the same song and build off it again a different way, and then we get a recording after the fact to digest and contemplate, to listen to actively or in the background, providing us with multiple opportunities to hear something we didn’t the first time. I threw shade on tweeprize show at spac (was there) now i can’t stop listening to it, unearthing so much emotion from it in time. The band has a sense of humor don’t you think? They obviously were trolling us a little bit, they go for it, with the set your soul free, etc. they go for it. I mean, of course treys full of wisdom and stuff but they do ask for it! We don’t need to be so serious all the time. They can do what they want, and we can respond. And everyone can change their mind. Thats part of the journey. It’s prog rock afterall. There are no rules at phish. To be honest, I’m there for the jams anyway, the improvisation. The verse and chorus are simply lead ups /entryways to the magic, vehicles setting the stage for the doing and undoing. My least favorite songs at this moment are type one. They feel too rigid. I want to get out of the maze, off the grid, out of the structure asap. When I came to the band, I liked the songs, I was a song person, I’d been raised on the Beatles. Now I’m more into grooving. Music is more of a physical emotional experience instead of a mental emotional experience. I’m pretty sure phish loves us essentially unconditionally, and wants us to feel like we could walk out (or in) at any time for any reason. Just because someone walks out on the song doesn’t mean they’re not giving it a shot or will never have another chance to connect with it in the future, and maybe it never sticks.. bug it doesn’t matter! And to finish, I get backwards down the number line, I understand the significance and its meaning historically, it’s beautiful in that way, but please never play it again, or figure out a jam section, haha, thanks phish. And good luck picking the right time to sneak a pee/beer break in!

I have seen, 'A life Beyond a Dream' 12 times. It is funny cause I actually do not even dislike it really but why have I seen it 12 times and Lifeboy zero times, The Horse and Silent in the morning zero times, Driver 1 time, If I could one time. Twelve times! PHISH has a lot of really good slow songs, just saying. With that in mind I am grateful they played Fast Enough for You and Billy Breaths at the Manchester shows.

This is the definitive post to show that .net has just become the place to raise wildly ridiculous and out of touch complaints when there really isn’t much to complain about. It’s okay if people go get a beer for one song during a 3 hour show. The band plays whatever they want and that’s good. They aren’t counting how many people go to the bathroom. This post shouldn’t be in the homepage of this site.

@VermontCowFunk said:

I reserve the right to head to the exits when "show of life" is played. Like others, I am also wondering how our fearless .net editors decided this post deserved front page real estate. Perhaps to stimulate some humorous comments during a slow phish news week? Would also add that there are some new and newish songs that I love and look forward to hearing (WGTYM, LSG, Oblivion, etc).

Show of Life is exclusively played late in the second set or the first song of a multiple song encore. If you are heading to the exits during this song, you are an idiot. Plus, it's an excellent song taboot.

I was there, I remember thinking it was a stupid/silly new tune that they must have written about Tom Baggot. I was wrong on all counts, and I've been laughing about this whole anti-new song phenomenon ever since.

@PIEGUY said:

From the Wingsuit Phishbilll:

"People often react a little strongly and crazily when they hear us play something new," says Trey. "Every time we've put out a new Phish album-literally every time-a certain contingent of fans has felt that the band they know and love is coming to an end. It's never true." He chuckles at a memory of being heckled by fans at The Front in 1989 after debuting "Reba."

:: contributes to home page traffic ::

Dear Phish Family,
I just want to echo what Kevin shared and add my own feel to it.
For me, Phish has always represented experimentation, exploration, and boundary-pushing. That’s what makes this band unlike anything else. The new material is where I feel that spirit most alive — it’s open, fluid, uncharted. There isn’t a map yet, no set rubric of “this is what this jam will do.” It’s raw creation happening right in front of us.
When Trey and the band bring a new song forward, I hear it as them trusting themselves enough to keep going deeper, to keep playing what they feel called to. That’s the kind of courage that drew us all here in the first place. If we as a community get too hung up on only wanting “the old songs,” or more directly calling it out “our expectations” we risk pulling against that flow and missing the very thing that makes Phish so magical.
I also believe there’s a whole group of us — maybe quieter than the loudest voices online — who truly feel the transcendent heart-space open most when the band is exploring newer jams. I feel the music may even gain a new potency if by the band feeling deeper into what the truly wanted to play thinned out the crowd some.
So I just want to say: I love the new songs, I love the old songs. I love the risks. I love the fresh palettes and wild colors they bring. And I want the band to feel our support in leaning even more into what they truly desire to play. Because when they trust that, we all win.
Much love,
Stephen

@readthebook555 said:

@VermontCowFunk said:

I reserve the right to head to the exits when "show of life" is played. Like others, I am also wondering how our fearless .net editors decided this post deserved front page real estate. Perhaps to stimulate some humorous comments during a slow phish news week? Would also add that there are some new and newish songs that I love and look forward to hearing (WGTYM, LSG, Oblivion, etc).

Show of Life is exclusively played late in the second set or the first song of a multiple song encore. If you are heading to the exits during this song, you are an idiot. Plus, it's an excellent song taboot.

Well you are correct about me being an idiot, and in general I suck at Phish. But by "head to the exits," what I meant was exit the floor to get a beer or take a leak, not leave the venue. Looks like we can agree to disagree about the merits of "Show of Life" as a song. Noteworthy that since it's debut in 2010, it only has one jam chart entry, and I can rattle off about 50 songs I'd rather hear than this particular one. Glad you like it though!

Hive-mind, self-policing doesn't work on us, OP. We swing hard the other way out of spite. From now on, I'm only taking a piss during Drift While You're Sleeping. And I don't mind that song.

Being critical of the band is the very thin line that separates us from being a cult. Is OP going to dox us if we go to the bathroom during the wrong song?

@Looopy said:

Dear Phish Family,
I just want to echo what Kevin shared and add my own feel to it.
For me, Phish has always represented experimentation, exploration, and boundary-pushing. That’s what makes this band unlike anything else. The new material is where I feel that spirit most alive — it’s open, fluid, uncharted. There isn’t a map yet, no set rubric of “this is what this jam will do.” It’s raw creation happening right in front of us.
When Trey and the band bring a new song forward, I hear it as them trusting themselves enough to keep going deeper, to keep playing what they feel called to. That’s the kind of courage that drew us all here in the first place. If we as a community get too hung up on only wanting “the old songs,” or more directly calling it out “our expectations” we risk pulling against that flow and missing the very thing that makes Phish so magical.
I also believe there’s a whole group of us — maybe quieter than the loudest voices online — who truly feel the transcendent heart-space open most when the band is exploring newer jams. I feel the music may even gain a new potency if by the band feeling deeper into what the truly wanted to play thinned out the crowd some.
So I just want to say: I love the new songs, I love the old songs. I love the risks. I love the fresh palettes and wild colors they bring. And I want the band to feel our support in leaning even more into what they truly desire to play. Because when they trust that, we all win.
Much love,
Stephen

No one said a thing about "only wanting 'the old songs.' " The dialogue here has clearly been about the new songs not being any good. The OP took issue with people going to the bathroom etc. when they play one of the dud new songs, and urged people to blindly support the band in a cult-like, North Korea fashion. Essentially all respondents have indicated a disinclination to do so. Also, there are a few "old songs" that I go to the bathroom for - I've always hated Slave and find the jam indulgent. I love going to the bathroom and getting a beer etc. during Slave. We can still love this band and be critical of their artistic output, rather than gush over everything they do.

A lot of people in this thread seem to have no idea what 'critical' means -- and to confuse kneejerk reaction with intentional action.

@kevinforbin is saying: Don't ripcord your experience.

Even if the songs aren't good.

There's a difference between choosing the right moment to use the bathroom and performatively flouncing when they play middling tunes! 'They've just started a four-minute song I don't like -- I must buy beer!' isn't an aesthetic judgment, it's a lapse of patience and attention-management. One of the important lessons this band teaches by example is that you can work intentionally with boredom, uncertainty, compromise, and get to something compelling that wouldn't be there if it weren't for the 'undesirable' setup. (Remember Page's remarks about the 40-minute '46 Days' in the IT documentary, how he says exactly this?)

Trey is one of my heroes and I'm unmoved (to put it as gently as possible) by most of his sobriety-is-a-rainbow tunes. 'Drift' outstays its welcome and Trey's late vocals have lost their saving sarcasm and I personally skip straight to the jam on any Phish track with 'Soul' in its title except 'Soul Shakedown Party.' But I don't walk out on the tunes I dislike, because something is going on and the best reason to go to a Phish show is to be part of it -- all of it.

You have a right to feel what you feel! You have a right to piss or drink or eat or whatever when the mood arises! @kevinforbin isn't stupid, for shit's sake, of course he knows you can come as you are and do what you feel.

But please, for your own sake and the sake of the communal rite that you've paid to be part of, consider the possibility of attending to the musicians' impulses instead of following your own, for the 80 minutes of the set. The downside is having to stand there while your favourite band plays a song you don't like. That seems tolerable.

The OP took issue with people going to the bathroom etc. when they play one of the dud new songs, and urged people to blindly support the band in a cult-like, North Korea fashion.

I think this characterization of the post is both silly and incorrect.

I totally respect and appreciate the sentiment, but in my opinion the premise is flawed. I seriously doubt they find themselves "discouraged" by that kind of audience behavior. And I'm fine with Drift While You're Sleeping, but draw the line at The Line.

The thing I find frustrating about this blog, and also a lot of the comments, is that people have this rigid attitude on both sides.

On the one hand you have the OP, which says every new song should be cherished and respected no matter what.

On the other hand you have people who say ALL the new songs are terrible, Trey hasn't written a good song since he was 40, and if you think any of the new songs are good you're lying to yourself.

How about we do it on a case by case basis? Mercury and Oblivion are much better songs than Soul Planet, just as Divided Sky is a much better song than Contact. Same as it ever was, same as it ever was....

Some good songs, some bad songs, but it all works out. I don't know why some of you are a little freaked out.

@alfonseski said:

I have seen, 'A life Beyond a Dream' 12 times. It is funny cause I actually do not even dislike it really but why have I seen it 12 times and Lifeboy zero times, The Horse and Silent in the morning zero times, Driver 1 time, If I could one time. Twelve times! PHISH has a lot of really good slow songs, just saying. With that in mind I am grateful they played Fast Enough for You and Billy Breaths at the Manchester shows.

107 shows and where’s me tmwsiy!! it’s almost like they withhold the goods to keep us coming back!! Are we being manipulated brahs??

I know I should just be glad I got a driver or two, Albuquerque, tho not an original obvi, and finally life boy at the bowl this year, but where’s my dog faced boy!!

Not going to wade into the meat of this debate, but seriously to say that the band hasn’t written any good songs since 1.0? Gimme a break. Anyone who says that probably spends their non-Phish time listening to the same classic rock songs they’ve been listening to for the past 30 years. Personally, I find ALBTD and DWYS big energy sucks and way overplayed…..but Mind, Oblivion and plenty of other songs brought out over the past few years are what keep shows fresh and keep phish from becoming a nostalgia act.

lmao whatever Kev!

Trey is not immortal. Treys not even a “genius” by any musical standards. He’s just a guy who wrote some good music. He can miss. And lately he’s been doing nothing but missing. This mentality that every song Trey writes is some kind of gift from god is the absolute wrong mentality. The fact that they are playing it, is evidence that they like it, but that in no way should be a reason for us to like it. Be critical. Stop letting your ears be guided by your emotional attachment to the band. It’s not a good look.

I say keep heading to the bathroom during the godawful new material and maybe Trey will start trying again. I can’t believe Mike and page and fish have agreed to sing some of this stuff. Set your soul free? Are you kidding me? That song is over the top embarrassing. Im guessing they have to keep Trey happy by playing his stuff or the band falls apart.

if they are having fun, i am too

imho, drift is one of the better long form compositions in a long time, not to mention an ode to a late friend, which maybe some of us can relate to.

not saying all the new stuff is great, or people have to pretend to like stuff they don’t, but if constantly adding new tunes to the rotation helps them keep things fresh after 42 years, frankly they’ve earned the right.

and nobody’s putting a gun to your head to buy a ticket…

https://imgur.com/a/FcXS7FH

To Phish
I just want to Say
I see how yall weave song lists to carve out messages for the audience I love it.
I see how yall carve out the messages energetically I love it .
I see how yall do this musically I love it .
All this is so inspiring.

A great version of this
A song that has brought me to tears multiple times -
Is What’s Going Through Your Mind

I resonate so much with the Character here
Seeing the Caous of the scene, Loving it all but struggling at every turn
I deeply feel this in my soul
As the portal transports you and then you find what your running from can be yourself
To me the song speaks on deeper and deeper layers as well
Because in real time the listeners ( and this is why I love the songs no one knows as well !)
In real time the listener is going what is going on here ?! We are all baffled and captivated to understand wtf is being spoken about
Then as our own thoughts race around the room sometimes landing in our own chaotic thoughts
The song turns around and as if the Speaker is speaking directly says to you “never think that I dont know what’s going through Your mind “ -
The listener says wtf. does he really know … what’s happening - And another interpretation maybe that your invited to join this psychedelic telepathic journey -
Maybe hinting that the speaker has lived many these different energies he see's so maybe can see different energies playing out in others / the room
I wonder is this msg better unspoken … If your reading this my vote was no. But so much is unspoken and there is so much energy in all of it .
I love it so much
Thank you for being true to yourselves Phish you have been such a deep inspiration to me through the years and I greatly appreciate everything

bathtub gin is a pretty bad and dumb song, and pillow jets is a pretty good song.

i don't know where this impulse to somehow protect and care for the artists who inspire us comes from, but it is genuine. it just doesn't apply, isn't sensible or relevant, to matters of TASTE. and it seems to me that this impulse is especially irrelevant to the case of an extremely successful rock band making new songs because it's fun.

what i mean is, they definitely don't care.

I kinda like when folks mass roll to de/re-beer during a “bad” song as it selfishly expands my dancing space perimeter. Perfect example is the Ether Edge from 2025 HBN2. I’d wager up to 15% of crowd left to pee, forming horrendous blobular lines, while the song astral projected into benevolent lunacy allowing me to try out my new moves: the Taffy Mailman and Narwhal Shaman. The mighty Gamblor giveth and taketh; leave your show spot at your own peril!!

After the miserable mess that was Undermind, I bought the Joy Deluxe set. That was the last album I ever bought AND listened to. My theory was that there’s so much great material, if they want me to hear it they’ll play it in concert. Unfortunately that’s not always the case. Life beyond the dream is time for a piss and another gin and tonic. There’s a few like these. My buddy and I have a name for these songs “new shit that Trey wants to play that isn’t good”. It’s ok. Nobody cares if I’m there or not. Occasionally I’m punished by then missing the beginning of a new song that I do want to hear. But I’ve been listening to this band for 33 years, and they’re my favorite group and the soundtrack to my life essentially. Doesn’t mean I’m gonna like every song. I saw this was a post to drive up traffic so here you go, I’m giving you more natural traffic. In what world does anyone imagine Trey and the boys are up there thinking “wow it seems like everyone is leaving!”??? That’s silly.

@BrotherOpener said:

I kinda like when folks mass roll to de/re-beer during a “bad” song as it selfishly expands my dancing space perimeter. Perfect example is the Ether Edge from 2025 HBN2. I’d wager up to 15% of crowd left to pee, forming horrendous blobular lines, while the song astral projected into benevolent lunacy allowing me to try out my new moves: the Taffy Mailman and Narwhal Shaman. The mighty Gamblor giveth and taketh; leave your show spot at your own peril!!

This! Truer words have never been written.

Maybe I’ve been lucky to have been born with a very flexible bladder (or just have chosen to drink less beer at shows as I’ve aged) but damn I love it when suddenly the space opens around me for serious dancing.

Something tells me I could learn how to do the Narwal Shaman with aplomb!

Sample in a Jar is still the best bathroom song. I met Charlie Dirksen during it - at a urinal!