Wonderfully put @lonesome_sparrow

I first saw Phish when they opened for Santana in Summer of '92 and Trey came out and rocked it with Carlos. Since then, I have seen some really excellent shows (by my standards, not all-time consensus shows). I remember in '97-'98 what became "epic" for some people like 30+ minute versions of songs, for me was boring. I saw the 10/31/98 show (and the night before) in Vegas, and remember that 3rd set absolutely killing me. It wasn't epic, it was an ambient snooze-fest (plus I have never liked Piper which I have termed "the song that goes nowhere" . Personally (as I am the only one giving my opinion here) I always longed for a happy medium between the aforementioned 30+ minute versions of songs, and a 5 minute walk through. But lonesome sparrow correctly points out that the band has morphed yet again and we should embrace it or stop bitching and leave. I had to put up with Trey's propensity for writing inane songs that make me gag (Summer of '89, Wading in the Velvet Cheese, Show of Life, Farmhouse, etc.) that seemed to me to be very un-Phish; insofar as they weren't silly, rocking, or jamming - Phish's hallmarks. I am going to see them for the first time in 12 years (last show was Shoreline 9/17/99 with Phil Lesh) on 9/4 in Denver precisely because they are playing how they are now. I felt like I had gotten everything I needed to out of the band back then and wasn't enjoying the direction they were going. So, rather than bitch at or about them I just stopped going. This sense of entitlement that they should bend to X or Y's perception of how the band should be is silly. If you don't like it, don't go. You can always listen to your favorite era of Phish and debate its' merits to one another. Everyone has their own criteria for "epic", which I know mine is different from others. They sound tight, focused, engaged, and most of all like they are having fun. So what if they pull the ripcord on songs, I would rather see 3 songs in the place of 1 30 minute DWD, Runaway Jim, or Ghost any day (provided, of course, that it doesn't include any of the aforementioned slow songs). But that is just my .02, right or wrong.