About the separate tour buses --

One of the band members (probably Trey) mentioned in an interview that they've been traveling on separate buses for a while, but that as soon as the show they're texting one another and talking more than they had in a while about the music -- and listening back to it, which is apparently unusual for them. (In The Phish Book it's mentioned that they surprised themselves by holding dance parties on the tourbus in 1997, soundtracked by a super funky show of their own -- was it Denver?)

Anyhow, it makes sense that four 50-year-olds with kids would be interested in preserving personal/family space during arduous between-show travel times.