@AlbanyYEM said:

It's like the tension and release in the jam--an almost musical back and forth that leads to the 'release' and funniness of the band itself, hilarious because of the tension invoked before. The Second City people let themselves be the butt of the joke.

This is an excellent point. I don't know if Second City intended to be the butt of the joke or not. That doesn't mean much though, because great humor doesn't always make that obvious (e.g. everything Andy Kauffman did, ever).

I would love to see one of the mixtape artists around here create a mix of only the "tension" moments from some classic Phish performances. I'm quite certain it would be terrible. That tension/release that Phish is known for is kind of a jazz move that they practiced extensively and turned into something all their own. And for good reason -- it's a very effective way to elicit emotion without the use of words.

Very often, you'll hear Trey playing a solo that is solid and fine, but not exhilarating. Then, he'll suddenly play something that doesn't fit. You're never quite sure if it was a mistake or not, but it doesn't sound right and that makes you a little uncomfortable. Uncomfortable because it sounds bad, but also because somewhere deep down inside, you feel a little bad for him, like he's screwing this up and you're witnessing a trainwreck. If you were just coasting along before, you're pulling for him now, but you're a little worried. With your attention invested and your panic reflex now firing up the adrenaline production, he then resolves it (often up to a new peak in his case), and you can feel your whole body relax a little and you just melt right into it. As with the classic literary device, the introduction of a little danger makes the subsequent narrow escape all the more triumphant.

That same series of events could be used to describe what you probably felt watching that Harpua. So was the Second City gag good or not? I don't know, and I don't care. If you're into Phish, you're probably not the kind of person who's too concerned with the concept of what music is "good" or "bad," right? I mean, I don't know if I'd say that 8-14-93 Antelope madness is "good," but I sure do love it and I'm so thankful that it exists.

By the way, if you play an instrument and don't already employ this principle, try it yourself (as taught to me by a great jazz guitarist I once knew): Next time you're wailing away on that same old Stevie Ray blues riff, keep playing that same pattern but slide up a fret for a bar or two. Instant discord, unease, tension. Then drop back down and enjoy the release.