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Comments on "Sphere1 Recap", posted by phishnet
Thanks for writing. Was really looking forward to this recap and I enjoyed the first hand descriptions of the light and sound.Also, think you meant �tried� no �tdied� some typos there.
Unsolicited critique of your critique: 4th quarter lull/left turn about this Greg fellow. I�d like to learn more, but I think it�s a separate piece of writing.
This is going to sound needy, but can we please get a rig rundown from Kuroda and Abigail that shows us how the visual magic happens? I was FLOORED with the visuals, and while the Washington Post article tries to explain it I would LOVE a rundown from the folks orchestrating the visuals�please?
For example: how did the visuals for Theme From the Bottom come about? Was it something that required a lot of pre-planning or is the sphere magic (and visual engineers) able to adapt �on-the-fly� to create the underwater seascape?
On the music front, I thought it took the band and sound a few songs to settle in. By the Wolfman�s jam they were cooking. It seemed like the improv was patient all night which I can understand would come across differently from a couch tour perspective. But all these jams stood up upon relistening. The pretty songs couldn�t have been any prettier, Carini stayed evil, and when I thought they were done we got Blaze>Fluffhead. Without the Sphere this is a solid B+ show, and if you were there, bias easily pushes this into A territory.
Having gone to this show, your recap did a great job putting the overall experience into words. It took us a solid 30 minutes to process the �lobby� and overall scope once inside.I totally agree with this. I mostly �couch� but was able to go to night one. Sure, it�s attendance bias, but I thought it was great! There were times that the visuals were a best �4-bit� feeling to me. And they had to work out some sound kinks. In terms of playing, it hitting in so many ways in the room, and overall enjoyment from a fan�s perspective, I had an �A� experience.
On the music front, I thought it took the band and sound a few songs to settle in. By the Wolfman�s jam they were cooking. It seemed like the improv was patient all night which I can understand would come across differently from a couch tour perspective. But all these jams stood up upon relistening. The pretty songs couldn�t have been any prettier, Carini stayed evil, and when I thought they were done we got Blaze>Fluffhead. Without the Sphere this is a solid B+ show, and if you were there, bias easily pushes this into A territory.
I didn�t want to believe the jam vehicles but now I�m convinced.
Thanks for your review, Jenny!
Having been fortunate enough to go each night except Saturday, I also have to say that anyone saying the energy level wasn�t there N1 or that the screen detracted from the music is kidding themselves in an attempt to either feel better about missing out, or rationalize their inability to be on the same page as the band and most of the crowd. Night 1 had the highest energy level of the run by a mile, from both band and crowd alike, and is one of the higher energy level shows of the few dozen I�ve seen over the last 10 years. Night one visuals were honestly a little lackluster imo but this was more than made up for by the cohesive groove-centric jams and mind blowing sound quality which I hope all my Phish brethren will one day get a chance to experience at a reasonable price point.
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Unsolicited critique of your critique: 4th quarter lull/left turn about this Greg fellow. I�d like to learn more, but I think it�s a separate piece of writing.