@lumpblockclod said:

Here's the thing that I think a lot of people are missing. It is entirely possible to hold similar opinions to JDG and ... wait for it ... STILL HAVE A BLAST at even the most "disappointing" show. Just because I wish the band would take more risks, doesn't mean that I don't still love their songs. Even if I knew Phish was going to exclusively play shows like 6/15, I'd still go see this band several times a year. I think I speak for the vast majority of the so-called "jaded" fans in this thread in saying that our criticisms, as they are, stem from our love of this band."

This is a great point, sir. I have seen a few stinker shows in my day when weighed against Phish's own vast and great history, but I had a blast at every one of them!

I simply refuse to submit to the concept, as some put worth in this forum as a whole, that there is no value in evaluating art on its own merits. The only way to comment on how good a particular Monet painting is is by comparing it to other artists' work and to all of Monet's other paintings. For some reason, many people bristle when anyone compares a Phish show to other shows the band has played, especially in different eras.

As long as it is stated as opinion, how can one bristle at comparing an artists' work to the rest of their output? Monet is my favorite painter by a country mile. There are some of his paintings that I don't care for as much as others. But they are still Monet paintings. I still love them. So does it make me 'jaded' about Monet if I don't like every single one of his paintings as much as The Water-Lily Pond, 1899? I would argue that it sure doesn't.

I have not witnessed the same kind of attitudes in the classical music world. There are plenty of people who like Gustav Mahler's earlier works more than his later works and yet I've never heard anyone ever call someone 'jaded' for having that view. I've also never heard anyone who likes Mahler 3 better than Mahler 9 to 'stop analyzing and enjoy'.

I am so excited for Portsmouth I can't sit still. I used to have the opportunity to see a whole lot of shows but now that I'm married, own a house, all that good stuff, I've had to let up big time. This will be the only show that I see in 2011 and I will have a BLAST. But it might not be on my iPod six months later. That remains to be seen. But like @lumpblockclod said above, if I was next to you at a show, you would almost certainly count me among those "having a blast" as well.

Phish for President in 2012.