*****This is specifically looking at the music that ends up on the recordings. It is not a ranking of good times and crowds going wild (e.g. even though Alpharetta night three was obviously one of the most fun shows of Summer, it’s also one of the weaker shows of Summer in terms of improv and flubs).

Fun fact: many of us are critical thinkers and discerning listeners who are capable of disageeing with dot net recaps without being mindless fluffers who rate shows solely based on our own personal experience or the “fun factor.” I’m not saying every recap has to be glowing, but when reviewers post these overly negative, unnecessarily defensive screeds it suggests quite strongly that readers who disagree are wrong, it doesn’t suggest the actual truth that there are many different criteria that phans use to judge and enjoy shows. In reality the experience of being a critically thinking Phan necessitates being open to the idea that the band playing WELL and the band that way YOU as an individual reviewer WANT or PREFER them to play are not always the same thing. I’d rather have reviews that make “I statements” and acknowledge that subjectivity is a part of these reviews than reviews that pretend somehow that this crew of dot net reviewers speaks only the objective truth, unique among any other humans on the planet.

Any well written review is either going to make the reader feel thrilled because they agree or angry because they passionately disagree. To attempt to remain truly neutral and in the gray would be giving everything 3.5 stars, and wouldn’t be worth reading. But to pretend that that’s what you’re doing and that anyone who disagrees are the ones who are biased and flawed is worse.

TLDR: stop trolling with your reviews and just recap the previous night’s show.