@mgouker said:

When I actually heard Bangor, my expectations were so low that I was considerably impressed. As for first night Hampton, I wasn't a huge fan of the first set (pretty messy really) though there was some good music (this is Phish people). I thought the second set Carini was special. I dug the Twist. The second set was pretty good.

Tonight's show kicked the living shit out of the first night. Just my opinion though.

Yes. On all counts. I have been grossly misrepresented here in this thread, but I understand. I never was looking (as has been asserted by most here) for "positivity" and a "lack of criticism". I have been plenty critical of the band and its music on this forum. I have received a (probably deserved) defensive backlash because of my snarky comment about the reviewer "staying home".

Nor am I insecure about my Phishiness as was claimed by AlbanyYEM. There is a great deal of "wagon-circling" going on here, as was correctly stated by waxbanks. This is what I was trying to address.

There is a certain "insiders" slant that bleeds through many of the reviews, as though the reviewers are more concerned with writing in such a way that their peers will deem appropriate. The tone on the forum often smacks of ivy league elitism. I know, I know, it's not what y'all are trying to do, but if sounds like that, and more importantly it feels like that. I have been a Phan for a very long time, yet I had a long stretch of time where I didn't go to shows and had no regular internet access. I discovered this site only a couple of years ago and I felt like a kid who just discovered a secret closet full of chocolate bars. I was excited to share my love of the band and its music.

Soon, though, I found that certain opinions were taboo and could not be expressed without being accused of being a noob (a term I never heard before, not even when I followed the Dead around in the 80's).

This is a great site but I hope (and I'm speaking to the regular on the compendium) you realize that you collectively come across as a bunch of pipe-smoking club members who must be given due credence before one can be allowed access to the room. It's a bit nauseating, honestly.

I still greatly enjoy the reviews. I was not trying to rip on Icculus. I thought his review was generally very good and I have nothing negative to say about it, except that the general penchant to make negative, snide remarks about other shows in this sort of "insider-opinion" manner is both distracting and unproductive.

There is a disturbing element in the Phish community that seems to guard with all diligence the memories of the old days. You bristle as soon as someone who isn't in your pipe-smoking fraternity claims that something is "epic" if it wasn't pre-approved as being so by your clan.

Two things on that....some people are really not very good at writing and lack a variety of adjectives at their disposal and when they are excited or appreciative of what they hear they use words like "epic". Lay off. Let them be excited and stop accusing them of being no-nothing noobs everytime someone breaks "code" and gets excited before your give them your permission.

Secondly, STOP BEING SO FREAKING DEFENSIVE OF EACH OTHER. I'm sorry if my comments towards Icculus were offensive. I wasn't trying to be offensive. But this entire thread lauched under the presupposition that one of your own was being attacked. It's juvenile. Take the time to actually read and think about what's really being said before reacting like your eight on the playground. Really. I'll, for my part, try not to be so snarky. How's that?