Hey Jeff -

I hear you... I think it's difficult having seen some classic Phish (my first was the Cliff Ball in '96) and having listened to many hundreds of hours of classics to juxtapose all of that with the playing now. On the one hand, they are still a DAMNED good band, and a band I'd like to see more than just about any other, but on the other hand, as a discriminating audiophile and longtime listener, there are moments that are hard to hear. This being said, I caught a couple shows on last year's fall run - Augusta and Manchester, and there were some absolutely beautiful moments - Augusta's Reba and Hood are versions that I just keep listening to and keep giving me goosebumps. Manchester was a full throttle show that showed that above all, they were absolutely playing their hearts out. I imagine there were many Deadheads hitting shows in the 80's and 90's who still loved the band and yet yearned for the explorations of the late 70's... things change. I think Phish is focused right now on being tight, and they ARE very tight for the most part. Unfortunately I believe this comes at the expense of hearing some of the really far-out excursions they used to take (the Runaway Jam in Worcester being the wonderful, extreme end of that spectrum). So, it's different now, and that's just the way it is. I think its good to be honest about how the music affects us now, and am disheartened by those who jump all over any reviews that have a tinge of the negative. I know there is still the potential for some of those amazing moments that completely transport us - they are just going to be fewer and father between. So we can only hope that we are fortunate enough to be present when they do happen... Definitely still very grateful that the band is playing, years after I thought I had seen my last show. May tonight and tomorrow night bring down the house - look forward to hearing the gems sprinkled throughout...

Cheers and Happy New Years,

The Professor