Leaving the show definitely had me thinking: If Phish were to ever really "give a message" to their audience, tonight would be the night. I completely understand that Phish wants to try new things, shape-shift their flow. What kind of message is a succession of ballads in the second set saying? I'm torn because I honestly don't want to look too into it, but I am busy and I can only see Phish when they come through Texas, and I had to drive up from Austin. Are Phish testing my mirth? Are they saying "Hey, you know that you have to surrender to the flow - you're just on the down slope of the flow, so...sorry - you'll just have to wait until Vegas." I don't think Phish want to send that kind of message - or do they? Maybe they want to shake up the vets a little bit (I've been watching them for 20 years.) While I was there during the second set, people were just standing around, waiting to dance, and it was like being at a cocktail party - just kind of being there. I enjoyed the music, but it reminded me of a quote from the Simpsons where Lisa is at a Jazz club listening to her favorite musicians:

Man sitting next to her: "What is this crap?"
Lisa: "You have to listen to the notes that they're not playing."
Man: "I can do that at home."

Phish loves being cryptic, but if their cryptography is playing ballads, what am I supposed to do with that?

The ultimate dilemma for me is: I know they still got it. I know they're messing with me. This year, like I've said before, has been very strange. I walked out of there last night scratching my head.

Now let's enjoy Vegas. Thank you for reading.