A little perspective perhaps

zootown
zootown Posts: 666
edited May 2008 in The Porch
After posting some in the "respectful message to the mods" thread, it reminded of another band I used to like. I saw the band Phish in 92 at a small place in Cleveland when in college. I had never seen them or heard any of their music. I admit, between Trey Anastasio's guitar playing and the whole atmosphere, I was pretty impressed. What made it really cool though, was back then, they would actually take requests from the crowd almost every night. They also made it a point to sing happy birthday to fans in the crowd every night. Within 7-8 years, this was a band playing venues like the Gorge which they would sell out. By then, they had stopped talking to the crowd altogether. They got HUGE, then disbanded eventually. I mean, no matter how big PJ gets, and they are pretty damn big now, they still interact like crazy with their crowds, take the occasional requests from fans, give great benefits to fan club members, and most importantly, tour alot and play great, not good, great shows almost every night.
I hold the pain, release me!
Post edited by Unknown User on

Comments

  • StuffnJunk
    StuffnJunk Posts: 897
    i was a huge phish fan, saw them 35 times...for a while i'd say they shared the title of "my favorite band" with PJ...then i lost interest in them, and i guess they lost interest in themselves as well

    comparing them to PJ is interesting in a lot of ways....phish toured nonstop, and burned out...that makes you appreciate PJ taking off for a few years in between tours to recharge...

    phish started small and then got huge.....PJ started huge and got smaller, but in a good way

    phish's lyrics are nonsense, and have no lasting appeal...PJ, different story

    lots of other ways to compare them, but i gotta go get something to eat...
    "I'll tell you what: If all I had was Pearl Jam, and I didn't have another band in the world, I would not be worried. Because in there is the essence of making great music. You don't have to use it all at once, but it's there." - Neil Young
  • zootown
    zootown Posts: 666
    StuffnJunk wrote:
    i was a huge phish fan, saw them 35 times...for a while i'd say they shared the title of "my favorite band" with PJ...then i lost interest in them, and i guess they lost interest in themselves as well

    comparing them to PJ is interesting in a lot of ways....phish toured nonstop, and burned out...that makes you appreciate PJ taking off for a few years in between tours to recharge...

    phish started small and then got huge.....PJ started huge and got smaller, but in a good way

    phish's lyrics are nonsense, and have no lasting appeal...PJ, different story

    lots of other ways to compare them, but i gotta go get something to eat...

    How was dinner? You're right in your points. I saw them about 10 times, and the last time was in 96 at the Gorge. In four short years, they went from a interesting, talented and excited theatre band (1000-2000 seat place) to an absolute freakin circus. I couldn't agree more about the touring, and Ive said it in other threads, Im actually glad to see PJ taking some time off as I hope it will weed out (no pun intended) the PJ equivalent of the "phishhead"- folks who are a bit too far on the obsessive side for my liking. And, predictably, I got railed by folks who only seem content with a constant steady stream of shows, info, releases, etc....I think PJ has actually done a masterful job of regulating themselves.
    I hold the pain, release me!
  • StuffnJunk
    StuffnJunk Posts: 897
    i also think phish placed undue pressure on themselves with the giant festivals....awesome as they were, where did it get phish

    maybe phish can learn from the pearl jam model and get back together

    - make an album every few years, tour to support it, take a few years off

    - do side projects to get your ya yas out in ways phish doesn't allow...come back to phish with brand new ideas
    "I'll tell you what: If all I had was Pearl Jam, and I didn't have another band in the world, I would not be worried. Because in there is the essence of making great music. You don't have to use it all at once, but it's there." - Neil Young
  • blondieblue227
    blondieblue227 Va, USA Posts: 4,509
    Good post.

    I thought pj had gotten to big for their britches when they keep playing stadiums.
    But my mind changed when I saw that they were coming to the lil ol Virginia Beach Amphitheater again. :)
    *~Pearl Jam will be blasted from speakers until morale improves~*

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