Phish return at Hampton

[cmh6476]

Here's my review that I posted on the Phish Sphere run group page:

Here's a review from someone that's been to two shows now, after a night 1 that I was simply lucky to be part of. The other show I attended was a Starlight show in KC back in '15 I think. Went with someone who is a more experienced attendee (deer creek and multiple others) and two first time attendees but are very well traveled in music in general.

I was absolutely blown away and in awe most of the show. It is a little different to get used to, because the entire canvas is the screen but they did an outstanding job using what they had to work with. We were in 202, and I couldn't complain at all about the venue. Whether sitting or standing you had a decent view and either was a little different experience. Sitting you could better see the entire video and got something out of the music coming from your seat. And standing felt more like being part of the show. I'm still an up close and personal concert goer, so there were times I definitely wished I was down partying with you all standing in GA. The sound was immersive and other than some feedback that seemed to be quickly resolved, I thought it sounded amazing. It was weird getting sound coming from everywhere, but the band was playing with it as a result and it was cool once you kind of accepted that it's different than what you normally get attending a show.

My friend that helped land my tickets was production manager for the Flaming Lips for a long time. First time seeing Phish for him, but he genuinely seemed blown away with the venue and the canvas it can provide for an artist. It'll be interesting to see how the venue is used longterm, as a 40 day residency will be different than bands gearing up for a one or two day performance. As he said, the Lips would be elated to get in there and do something with it. But will it be reserved for long running shows with a handful of acts each year, or eventually become like a destination for many different artists to visit each year? I don't know, but I hope you all get to experience it at some point as I'm sure you all love live music as much as I do.

For me, this felt like the Closing of Winterland, which I inherited the DVD of from my late brother. While it's different in the sense they are basically opening a venue rather than putting a nail on the coffin, from my perspective it felt like something incredibly special to be part of from start to finish. I'm so grateful I was simply a small part of it, and I hope you lucky ones there for the next couple nights enjoy it just as much as I did.