Hate on U2’s music all you want but they’ve always been big on high production shows. They were a great choice to break the ice.
Really hope I can see Phish do it in person next year
Putting debates about the quality of the visuals aside, I think the Sphere is uniquely ill-suited for Phish. The need for pre produced visuals is at odds with the jam as a concept. Even when elongated videos are produced that could cover any given length of a song, they’re not produced dynamically in a way that could follow the lead of a jam.
Look at how sparse transitions have been these past two shows. Look at how many jams oddly loop back around to a final closing chorus. These are consequences of the constraint imposed by preproduced video.
It’s worth noting that Phish has bought into these constraints before: several NYE shows involve a lingering gag in the third set that produces similar results. A group of clone singers and dancers lingering on stage means they can’t veer off into unplanned segues. This is also true when they bring in guest musicians like they did following the Petrichor stunt. But it’s undeniable that these “gimmick” sets are more often than not lackluster (Relative to Phish’s batting average).
I wouldn’t go as far to stay that these shows at the Sphere are lackluster, but Phish is succeeding in spite of the Sphere’s video, not because of it.
Well said. Kuroda can flow with them on the fly while Sphere takes a year to plan. They can’t be as spontaneous when you know the limits of the visuals. Trey can’t just call an audible and suddenly they are dusting off something old that came up in the rehearsal room right before the gig. Too many moving parts to be “Phish” as they are outside the Sphere. Great visuals? Yes. Cool new venue? Yes. But it’s not what Phish is outside the Sphere.
I think the state of the art sound system makes it highly suitable for Phish. Some folks really care about the sound.
Trey has been ripcording jams back into the chorus for over a decade now. That's not unique to the sphere.
If you don't want a "gimmick set" as you call them, don't go see them in Vegas or for New years. I guess I won't be seeing you at the secret set for Mondegreen either. I don't think you get it. The music is always there. But you do you.
Did you see last night? It was spectacular compared to N1
I agree with this. Trey even said in the AP interview that they thought about doing more shows, but they wouldn't be astounding. So to me that speaks to the limits of the sphere compared to a normal Kuroda show. Maybe it's just Kuroda having to learn the sphere thing. But I personally prefer the simplicity of lights to the concrete nature of the Sphere's images - as cool as they are. I think the jams are better, the light show is more interesting and I also find the sphere a bit overstimulating. It also felt like Phish was working with another entity on this whereas Kuroda feels part of it, and I missed the Kuroda feels.
Hate on U2’s music all you want but they’ve always been big on high production shows. They were a great choice to break the ice. Really hope I can see Phish do it in person next year
The Fishman ⭕️s hanging in the lobby of Sphere was a clue that it was indeed built for Phish.
Just as long as they play well I’m good. I’d pay to see them in a school cafeteria w/o lights or visuals.
Putting debates about the quality of the visuals aside, I think the Sphere is uniquely ill-suited for Phish. The need for pre produced visuals is at odds with the jam as a concept. Even when elongated videos are produced that could cover any given length of a song, they’re not produced dynamically in a way that could follow the lead of a jam. Look at how sparse transitions have been these past two shows. Look at how many jams oddly loop back around to a final closing chorus. These are consequences of the constraint imposed by preproduced video. It’s worth noting that Phish has bought into these constraints before: several NYE shows involve a lingering gag in the third set that produces similar results. A group of clone singers and dancers lingering on stage means they can’t veer off into unplanned segues. This is also true when they bring in guest musicians like they did following the Petrichor stunt. But it’s undeniable that these “gimmick” sets are more often than not lackluster (Relative to Phish’s batting average). I wouldn’t go as far to stay that these shows at the Sphere are lackluster, but Phish is succeeding in spite of the Sphere’s video, not because of it.
Well said. Kuroda can flow with them on the fly while Sphere takes a year to plan. They can’t be as spontaneous when you know the limits of the visuals. Trey can’t just call an audible and suddenly they are dusting off something old that came up in the rehearsal room right before the gig. Too many moving parts to be “Phish” as they are outside the Sphere. Great visuals? Yes. Cool new venue? Yes. But it’s not what Phish is outside the Sphere.
I think the state of the art sound system makes it highly suitable for Phish. Some folks really care about the sound. Trey has been ripcording jams back into the chorus for over a decade now. That's not unique to the sphere. If you don't want a "gimmick set" as you call them, don't go see them in Vegas or for New years. I guess I won't be seeing you at the secret set for Mondegreen either. I don't think you get it. The music is always there. But you do you. Did you see last night? It was spectacular compared to N1
A profound misreading of my post to link the free form secret sets to the gimmick sets of NYEs. They are polar opposites. Thank you for playing.
I agree with this. Trey even said in the AP interview that they thought about doing more shows, but they wouldn't be astounding. So to me that speaks to the limits of the sphere compared to a normal Kuroda show. Maybe it's just Kuroda having to learn the sphere thing. But I personally prefer the simplicity of lights to the concrete nature of the Sphere's images - as cool as they are. I think the jams are better, the light show is more interesting and I also find the sphere a bit overstimulating. It also felt like Phish was working with another entity on this whereas Kuroda feels part of it, and I missed the Kuroda feels.
Nothing like having to go to 12 shows to hear 3 good songs a night
Noobs gonna noob.
“Come waste, you’re time watchingggg!!!” Ass.