If you have not read this article, and the comments that follow the blog post, then I suggest you take a look http://acrossthemargin.com/phish-in-wingsuit/
This is my response....
Phish has spent years and years building expectations about certain days, songs, events and shows. Halloween is one of those “monumental” shows. Whether or not you think it’s fair, the band clearly recognized the expectation existed or else they would not have defended their actions in the Playbill and subsequently apologized to their fans over the next 2 nights. This knowledge – and clear foresight as evidenced by the Playbill – suggests that the band fully recognized this was deceit. Obviously not with malice, but organized, coordinated deceit.
Every fan has a right to celebrate this ruse, just as they have a right to feel like someone they love has taken advantage of a situation....a historical situation. As with all bell curves, many of us will fall to either end of the spectrum with a majority somewhere near the middle. You cannot fault someone for being disappointed, but you should also not feel compelled to defend the band. This was not a case in which the band “never announced a cover album” and just coincidentally played an unreleased album. They methodically went about planning this event, knowing how it would be received across the spectrum.
My personal opinion – this was more of a New Years Eve "gag second set" and should have been saved for that night….after all, NYE is just 4 shows away.
~ @TimberCarini ~
