Phish for Thought

So I'm sure you've heard the big news by now. I was first alerted through a Facebook status update, quickly followed by hush-hush water cooler talk at the office. As if not letting too many people hear might improve chances with the ticket lottery.

I am of course referring to the announcement that Phish (in its entirety) will be playing three shows in Hampton, VA.

It's no secret that Dan and I are not big Phish fans. And our hating has definitely earned us some haters. Which is why I would like to, on the record, congratulate all you Phish fans on the big news. And wish you well on what is sure to be one shit show of a road trip. I am genuinely happy for all my friends who have another chance to see this band live.

All that said, I'd like to post Trey's message from May 25, 2004:

AN ANNOUNCEMENT FROM TREY 05.25.04

Friday night, I got together with Mike, Page and Fish to talk openly about the strong feelings I've been having that Phish has run its course and that we should end it now while it's still on a high note. Once we started talking, it quickly became apparent that the other guys' feelings, while not all the same as mine, were similar in many ways -- most importantly, that we all love and respect Phish and the Phish audience far too much to stand by and allow it to drag on beyond the point of vibrancy and health. We don't want to become caricatures of ourselves, or worse yet, a nostalgia act. By the end of the meeting, we realized that after almost twenty-one years together we were faced with the opportunity to graciously step away in unison, as a group, united in our friendship and our feelings of gratitude.

So Coventry will be the final Phish show. We are proud and thrilled that it will be in our home state of Vermont. We're also excited for the June and August shows, our last tour together. For the sake of clarity, I should say that this is not like the hiatus, which was our last attempt to revitalize ourselves. We're done. It's been an amazing and incredible journey. We thank you all for the love and support that you've shown us.

-- Trey Anastasio

I am not going to bother analyzing what the band said back then. A lot changes in three years. My own thoughts on my future have taken a 180 since 2004, so I'm certainly not going to judge anyone else on their own change of heart. I just found the message amusing in retrospect and figured I would share.

Now go enter that lottery, you damn hippies. Hampton awaits.

 

Comments

[dan]

Duuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuude!

[Tyler Machado]

I've been nothing but congratulatory and positive to my hippie friends, lest I do any karmic damage to my hopes of a Pavement reunion.

[bridgetb]

Agreed, Tyler. That would be amazing.

[bridgetb]

An edit on my own post. It's actually been four years. Wow. Was anyone else under the impression that it's still 2007? Because that's honestly what I was thinking when I wrote this.

I need a nap.

[David White]

I'll see you all in Hampton...

[Spay Funistachio]

Yawn.

[Phish Concert Discount Coupon]

I loved watching the band evolve tunes like this and your post is a great view into what was a very common occurrence over the years with Phish and their music.