Following Vermont jam band Phish’s weekend reunion, police reported that nearly 200 Phish fans were arrested for drug possession/use and over $1.2 million in illegal drugs (along with nearly $68k in cash) was confiscated at the three-day concert in Hampton, Virginia.
This basically confirms something that many music fans already knew:
You have to be on a ton of drugs to like this awful hippie music, because Phish sucks.
While rampant drug use probably explains this band’s enduring popularity, we’re still not sure why people like U2, Britney Spears, Gwen Stefani and Josh Groban so much.
Guess some things will just have to remain a mystery.
If you couldn’t afford the insanely expensive tickets being scalped for the Phish reunion festivities (maybe you spent all of your money on, um, something else. Ahem), you can download all three reunion-weekend concerts here.
Cherise says...
03.17.09 2:08 pm
I totally agree! Phish blows ass. My boyfriend of 3 years is completely in LOVE with them and I have no idea why. Picking up where Grateful Dead left off is a complete joke. So, they have over 12,000 songs. So what? How about Madonna (mind you has made over 23 albums; almost all of which went platinum)! I also agree with the whole thing having to be on some kind of hallucinogen to enjoy their music. That just shows that they really have no skill as musicians.
Karen added...
Thanks for agreeing with me!
Phish sucks!
Your bf might have bad taste in music, but at least he picked a smart gf :
Even $1mill worth of drugs couldn’t make Phish sound good,haha.
03.17.09 2:28 pm
Cherise added...
You’re very welcome! Yea, I’m with you that my bf has bad tast in music. I mean we like a lot of the same type of music, but Phish is definetly NOT ONE OF THEM, at least for me anyway. You into Family Guy at all? The reason I ask is because in that one episode where they are all in their “panic room”, and Peter says that he “never cared for The Godfather” and then he ecplains that it “insists upon itself.” That’s exactly how I feel about Phish. They just try waaaaaay to hard to appeal to people. Well, not for the people who are on drugs listening to their crap music. I asked my bf why he likes them so much and he goes, “they are just very musically inclined and they have over 12,000 songs all of which don’t sound the same.” In actuality, they are just another jam band doing other people’s songs and trying to make them their own. Not to mention that their song really do all sound exactly the same!
03.17.09 2:41 pm
Matt P says...
04.7.09 10:18 am
Wow, you girls and this article amaze me. You are the ones who are pathetic. Your argument for better music is Madonna because she sold more album copies? HA! You sound like every other ignorant pop music loving idiot these days, who only listen to the radio and what other people like. I am a 21 year old who has been listening to Phish for years. People I know who experiment with drugs don’t do so to make the music better because it’s not necessary. BTW, need I remind you that the greats, The Beatles experimented, Eric Clapton was addicted to coke, Jimi Hendrix experimented, SRV was addicted to coke, Santana was noted doing acid at woodstock (his debut concert) and even your precious sell-out Madonna did drugs. Only exception is that Madonna was the basis of pop music to only produce money making shit today. Jimi, Eric, SRV, Chuck Berry, The Beatles were the. INFLUENCE of ALL MODERN DAY MUSIC!! Don’t attack a band unless you know anything about music. Phish is a band who created their own following because people love their music, not drugs. I AM a musician and actually hold an argument and can prove they are Rythmic, Melodic and Technical masters in music, but you obviously show no understanding of this. And for the record, Those people who got caught with drugs were most likely DRUG DEALERS trying to take advantage of the crowd’s interest in experimenting. I listen to Phish all the time without use of any drug.”Phish has no musical talent”. This is a huge insult to me and my brother who has made it as a proffesional drummer with Jon Fishman as his mentor. Phish is an unbelievably talented band, but you just have no idea why and can’t understand it at all so you attack it. Madonna goes platinum for singing songs someone else wrote, and a producer who enhances her voice on a computerized auto pitch. Yea that’s awesome, go sing to yourself in your shower
Chris added...
THANK YOU. Its unbelievable how ignorant people can be and hate on something they know NOTHING about. They try to convince themselves that Phish is bad because they are to simple-minded to even know what actual music could or should be. Good music is not something that is made in a studio where modern technology can alter it in anyway you want it to, and its not something that everybody else is listening to. Real music is performed on a stage for a live audience. ^These poor ladies^ no nothing of this because they are too focused on buying the newest clothes and shoe shopping. Phish has no talent? I’d like you to pick up a guitar and play Reba in front of 40,000 people.
05.28.09 7:05 pm
johnny added...
Hello, not here to bash Phish just to say I don’t get their popularity either. Simply put I just don’t care for their music, don’t find it interesting or attractive, and never could understand why Deadheads began following them other than the scene in the parking lot and that their jams were useful when tripping the same way the Dead’s music was. Surely there is a place in the countercultural scene for a band like Phish, but as for their artistry being the reason the majority of their followers are interested in attending their live shows, I just don’t believe it.
08.23.09 1:35 pm
Matt P says...
04.7.09 10:31 am
One more thing to add. Trey Anastasio, the guitarist for Phish, was rated in the top 50 best guitarists of all time. He is friend with artist such as Warren Haynes (Allman Brothers), Dave Matthews, And even Clapton and Derek Trucks. There is so much talent there it’s unthinkable to say they suck! Really hit a nerve.Haha, how come Phish headlines Bonnaroo this year? Must be beacause people want a talentless band to headline and not someone as popular as Kanye West (who was booed last year for being an asshole).
R.Waltman says...
04.15.09 3:11 pm
I’ll tell you why phish sucks. The ticket bullshit. A Raffle where you have to pay for tickets you might get and you still have to pay a fee even if you don’t get tickets!? Those tickets were also bought up by scalpers and up on other websites a minute into the raffle…bullshit. The illusion that they are “ALL ABOUT THE MUSIC” instead of the largest group of hippy sellouts ever assembled. THE LOT KIDS. Rampant drug use (YOU NEED NITROUS TO ENJOY IT!?! WHAT THE FUCK IS WRONG WITH YOU). I’m in a band. I play the banjo. I know what music is and they aren’t about it. Its just people with nowhere to go and no musical preference themselves congregating at a place where they think they will appear “cool” and “accepted”. Get a life Phish phans…and phuck you. Stay outta my bluegrass shows you dirty weasels. I thank you. (and if you were any kind of self respecting hippy you would not bring up bonnarroo…it’s owned by clearchannel and has been headlined by MAROON 5 in years past…its a joke and a perverted festival ideal…all about the money, enjoy being a sheep)
John Johnson says...
06.1.09 8:47 am
Phish does suck ass. It’s not that they’re not talented, either. They’re just incredibly overrated. Their whole fan base is a bunch of private-school, spoiled tools trying to emulate their parents. I respect their appreciate for legends like Frank Zappa and whatnot, but don’t try to recreate a past counter culture. Their music is watered-down and lacks true experimentation. They were smart in tapping into such a fan base ($$), but for god’s sake, even hot girls who get into Phish all of a sudden turn ugly.
Karen added...
Thank you!
Finally, somebody understands this whole Phish disaster!
06.8.09 10:19 am
KCdiggler added...
dude your such a douche bag, i didn’t go to any private school, or want to emulate my parents??? WTF man, this is what’s wrong with you people…so quick to stereotype. funny ass shit!!
08.14.09 8:58 pm
Tom says...
07.2.09 3:00 pm
Karen, have you ever been to a phish concert?
Karen added...
Well that is just a silly question.
07.2.09 3:01 pm
Will says...
07.11.09 3:17 pm
Most people go to Phish concerts to buy drugs and to pretend that this is what going to a Dead show was like; the music is boring and Trey’s lyrics are stupid. Despite the music of the Grateful Dead (sometimes) being better, most of the people at their shows were there for the drugs (or to join a cult) … so maybe a Phish concert (at least the parking lot) is like going to a Dead show. I’m surprised anybody still finds “jam band” music remotely entertaining … oh yeah, they’re on drugs!
Phish Lover says...
08.6.09 9:04 am
Phish sucks. I’ve been to five shows, at the behest of friends. I wouldn’t have gone except I like to smoke reefer with pals. I don’t agree that all the songs sound the same. They just don’t sound good. I gave them a chance for years, and they never grabbed me.
I’ve been to a hundred live concerts from a hundred different bands and Phish doesn’t come anywhere close to being one of the more interesting live acts I’ve seen. Try the Flaming Lips, Yo La Tengo, Of Montreal, Ween, the Black Lips, M.Ward, Built To Spill, the Allman Brothers, Arlo Guthrie, Super Furry Animals, Sonic Youth, Wilco, Black Moth Super Rainbow, Dan Deacon, or Ted Leo if you want to see a good show. You could probably see half those bands for the price of one Phish ticket and have ten times more fun.
Karen added...
I agree. I’d much rather see any of those bands than Phish! Flaming Lips are a blast, but Built to Spill is getting a little too jammy…still great though
08.6.09 9:06 am
mike says...
08.7.09 11:53 am
You people are so f—– stupid. Phish didnt pick up where the dead left off! They were playing 10 years before Jerry died! They do their own thing, and sure, there is a heavy GD influnece in their music. But f— that you dont need to be trippin balls to like phish! i have been to plenty shows sober, and they were just as good. Maybe if you guys actually UNDERSTOOD music and how complex Phish’s music actually is, you would understand why their following is as big as it is. Drugs and music go hand in hand. Plus most Phans are STONERS! Why wouldnt we want to get baked and enjoy the music and vibes that is known as phish? Go hop on the tour and shut the f— up
Karen added...
So, you’re saying people don’t need to be high to like Phish, but you do admit that it really, really helps?
08.7.09 2:35 pm
mike added...
NO! I have been to more shows sober than on drugs. Drugs are not needed to appreciate the musical genius that is phish. If you know anything about music, you will realize that phish is in a leauge of its own. Just because the band appeals to stoners, dosent mean that it is required to be trippin nuts to enjoy the music.
08.7.09 3:03 pm
KCdiggler says...
08.14.09 8:59 pm
uh, people get high because they like being high. it doesn’t matter if your going to a concert, a movie, to walmart or to your job. you amaze me Karen.
KCdiggler says...
08.14.09 9:00 pm
Flaming Lips blow ass !!! Sorry gal they do.
Chris says...
08.15.09 9:21 pm
It seems like for many Phish fans the band has gone through some kinda apotheosis… like they’re unquestionably awesome, beyond criticism, and are somehow the godhead of all music.
Those of you who claim that all the bashers are idiots because they either can’t or don’t comprehend how complex Phish’s music is are overlooking one very important concept: SUBJECTIVITY. I personally think each of the band members are very talented and their music IS very complex… but it doesn’t make me enjoy it any more because of that. That’d be like saying that a piece of technology should be automatically enjoyed simply because of how much skill went into making it. I appreciate their skill; I don’t like their music.
When I was in high school, there were so many Phish fans who wanted to do nothing more than talk about the band… and how the 2nd set from show X was 5 times better than the first set from show Y… all the time.
Now that they’re reunited, I have to deal with the fact that a significant portion of my friend base (including my unemployed roommate) just went to 4 shows in a 2 week period and WILL NOT SHUT THE F— UP ABOUT IT. As if nothing else in life warrants any admiration or discussion. Now, I am not claiming, like some, that you have to be on drugs to like their shows, but I will say this— a lot of the people I grew up with who are big Phish fans are now either unemployed (no, selling drugs or moon rocks on tour doesn’t count), addicted to something, not open minded to what they consider “lesser” music (in their opinion- ANYTHING remotely mainstream), and in general are some of the least motivated people I know. Now, this is FINE, that’s their choice, but they (and some of you) need to stop trying to ram Phish down our throats because “we’re too stupid to comprehend how awesome they are.” For people who claim to be so unencumbered and free thinking, many are certainly very closed minded and intolerant of anything outside of what they consider to be “superior” music such as Phish, Dead, etc.
If you try to politely tell someone who is a huge Phish fan that you don’t care for their music, many of them react like you just insulted their family or religion. If they don’t get defensive, they can be condescending and act as if there’s no reason for ANYONE to dislike something they like so much. How f—— egotistical is that?!
If I can respect your right to like Phish, please respect my, and others’, right to say that we think their jams are meandering, that their lyrics are (with a few exceptions, i’ll admit…) senseless and not a good use of wordplay, and that we get annoyed being surrounded by thousands upon thousands of the kind of person that many of us hope to avoid. I get it– they’re good. I consider steak good, and some ppl dont like that, right?
(I know not all Phish fans are wookies or sketchy, but even if you’re not, you must admit that many of them are)
As a side note– for those of ya who were bashing on the trust fund hippies… I totally feel ya. Many people I know from growing up (we’re middle class, not loaded) get the idea that they want to dread their hair soooo bad. No problems here, except that I remember older people telling me that in their day if someone’s hair was dreaded up it was the inevitable result of their lifestyle, because the person was a dirty bastard and simply let it go… I can get down w/ that. Now people “want” dreads b/c some guy they met on lot who had them was a cool person. I understand that this type of superficial mimicry takes place in ALL social scenes, but I just find this particularly hilarious because there’s a vast difference between simply not caring what people think of you (which can at least be reconciled by saying it’s true freedom), and deliberately wanting to go out of your way to do something most people find gross simply because you were influenced to do so by other people.
Andrew says...
08.29.09 9:34 am
Karen you honestly make me feel like punching myself in the face. It seems to me like the reason you dont like Phish is because your jealous of their popularity compared to the bands you like. And the reason for that is that Phish is a better band. Hands down no question. Your just an ignorant person that cant seem to accept the truth. You just dont have the respect for large amount of talent it takes to bust out an improvisational jam strait from your head. And just because Phish is a jam band doesn’t mean they are posers of the Grateful Dead. Phish is just the next big chapter in Rock history. So you can go back to listening to the top song on itunes like I know is what most of you trying to put down Phish do. And, the reason people don’t shut up about Phish shows is because they’re fucking great. You just gotta pull that stick thats been shoved up your a– for years and live a little. I am only 15 and for the first half of my first Phish show at Fenway i was completly sober and I had just as much fun as I did in the second half after i smoked about a quarter to my dome. So stop being such an ignorant b—- and start listening to some real music.
Karen added...
Wow, so you managed to tolerate half a phish show sober? Good job.
Nothing’s cooler than a 15-year-old pothead.
08.31.09 7:35 am
Weldon R says...
09.3.09 11:05 pm
This isn’t a very nice article. You can say you don’t appreciate their music because you’re entitled to your own opinion, but to state, as a fact, that Phish sucks is completely out of line. The 1.2 million dollars in drugs seized was definitely seized from a drug dealer trying to make a buck. I can guarantee that because I have seen it with my own eyes. I was at Rothbury (which was the shit, btw), and those kinds of people were not only prevalent, but incredibly disturbing. I, for one, hate what nitrous tanks do to the parking lot scene. They transform people into fiending savages in a matter of seconds. Don’t even think that Phish fans are trust fund kids. If you go to a Phish show you will find out for yourself that at least 60 percent of the people there are over 40, and still enjoy the music. I listen to Phish every single day, and I don’t smoke pot or do psychs often. Although when I do, its the craziest f—— thing ever, let me tell you.
Karen, when asked whether or not you have been to a Phish show, you responded with “Well that’s a silly question.” That’s a silly answer. So I ask you, have you ever been to a phish show?
Karen added...
1. I appreciate the fact that you “listen to Phish every single day,” but “don’t smoke pot or do psychs often.”
So, usually you can tolerate them sober? Awesome. You should hang out with the stoned kid that posted the comment above this one.
2. That is still a silly question.
09.4.09 10:17 am
John says...
09.6.09 9:42 pm
Phish is amazing. Drugs have nothing to do with it. Pretty much anyone who knows anything about how music works and/or how to play an instrument can at least appreciate Phish (notice i didn’t say ‘like’ Phish). They are masters of their instruments and if you can’t comprehend what they’re doing, then just shut up instead of bashing them because you think it’s just drug music. Open your damn minds up you haters.
Taylor says...
11.3.09 11:42 am
Karen…you are so ignorant….if only you understood that what you are saying makes you sound like a cranky 13 year old b**ch.
Btw…phish is probably the most talented musical group touring in america right now.
Nick says...
11.13.09 12:34 pm
This whole argument is complete crap. First of all, it is a matter of opinion, so Karen, you are the person who everyone hates because you are stating opinion as fact. I saw phish and drank and smoked all my shit the night before and saw them sober and it was cool. The fans were freaking weird though, but i have realized i was just close minded when entering the show. The nitrous upsets me, I dont think anyone should be doin hippy crack or any type of hard drug, maybe just some pot or hallucinogens. People can do what the wish to do though, it is a free time.
Phish is very talented musically, especially within their own style, which is their specific art. People love it because it is like “folk jazz” in a sense because although it is talented, it isnt anything AMAZING in music history, but in popular, rock history, it is crucial. Some of the lyrics are actually amazing if you listen to them, but for the most part, the live shows are where it is at, and most of that is just goofy fun with amazing flow and unity. They are almost better artists than musicians. People like phish because each phish phan pheels like phish is “their” band because the guys are so goofy and just like normal wierd stoners. They are interesting guys, and i bet a lot of young musicians look up to them.
If you are not a musician, you might not understand it. They might not be the greatest musicians ever to have lived, but they are really talented for rock. I love improvisational art in general and they have their sound down so well in terms of that.
Phish fans can be pompous but that is just because they are literally addicted to the music because it relates to each fan on a personal level. Think about it, you cannot be on drugs ALWAYS, therefore, the fans would realize they hate it if they really did. AND another thing… If i were trippin on mushrooms, there is no way in hell i would want to go to a show that I didnt enjoy, it would be the worst time of my entire life.
SO until you can tell me that you have done a psychedelic drug, or experimented with improvisational musicianship, shut the hell up you ignorant bitch. YES phish fans can get annoying but you are just as bad, yet worse because your ignorance comes from a negative, misunderstood place, whereas these phish heads are just in love. Love is bliss, ignorance is bliss. they might be ignorant tools but arent we all? no one knows anything about the universe or the truth beyond life, so let us all just have some fun and do what we love to do. THAT is the essence of phish.
I used to think it was all about trippin and everything, but i have realized that tripping is just living your life in a more magnified sense, if you take acid, you can have a terrible time, it doesnt make u love life ultimately, that is like cocaine. People trip at phish shows because they love phish, they dont love phish because they trip.
IT IS THOUGHTS LIKE THESE FROM PEOPLE LIKE KAREN THAT GIVE A BAD NAME FOR GOOD DRUGS AND PHISH. If you dont understand, then try to prove to people that u have experienced the things you are mentioning before putting them down. I have expereienced a lot, and phish is me.
It all just depends on what you want. But realize that everyone is different in what they desire. The only reason they push it on everyone else is because they love it so much, it is like bible freaks and those people who come to your door day to day, they are just trying to spread the love they feel, so fuck you.
Karen says...
05.31.09 3:34 am
(yawn) I took a break from shoe shopping to reply to this post. While I do appreciate the fact that the members of Phish actually play their own instruments, particularly in live settings, I still maintain that this group is overrated, much like their predecessors, the Grateful Dead. If hanging out with trust fund hippies and spacing out to some meandering Phish jam is your idea of fun, then, by all means: enjoy.
Michael says...
09.10.09 6:28 pm
Karen– you have every right to not enjoy Phish’s music and listen to whatever floats your boat. However, that doesn’t give you the right to make outrageous blanket statements and talk about the band members when you have absolutely no clue what you are talking about. Whether you choose to remain completely ignorant to this fact or not (based on your own predispositions), Phish is an EXTREMELY talented band. Each band member is an absolute master at playing their respective instruments. Even if you don’t care for their style, saying they suck or have no talent and talking like you have a grudge against the band ruins your credibility, IMO.
I will admit that their lyrics are generally silly and often meaningless (not ALWAYS though), but NO Phish fan will tell you they are into the band for its lyrics… it’s their superior musicianship and ability to improvise together seamlessly, meshing together sonically with uncanny skill, that has gathered them such a devoted following. I myself am a Phish fan who gave them a chance and thus fully understand WHY tickets are always in such demand, a scalper’s dream… but I am far from obsessed and all things considered wouldn’t even say they are in my top 5 favorite bands. I personally am a bigger Grateful Dead fan, but I would not and do not consider Phish to be GD posers.
Most fans of Phish (or the Dead for that matter) are music fans in the truest sense, whether you want keep letting your stereotypes and negative notions keep you blind to this. Many of the fans are the kinds of fans that (with or without drugs or alcohol involved) LOVE to dance and groove with the music, especially LIVE. And the LIVE shows are what this band is all about, like the Dead before them.
You don’t get it because you won’t let yourself, or have an open enough mind to even try. A Phish show (a lot like the Grateful Dead back in the day when music had radically changed for the better) is not just a band going up on stage and going through their usual hit numbers, playing the same setlist each show of their tour, like so many other bands. The concert is a musical HAPPENING– and you will see fans of ALL ages (many over 35) just absolutely LOSING THEMSELVES in the music, stoned/drunk or not. The band obliges by treating their fans very well, typically playing at least 4 hour sets. Some shows have been known go on closer to 5-6 hours like the Dead was also known for.
And so what if a lot of fans do smoke pot?? Many of the greatest music acts in history have been known to experiment, and experiment is putting it lightly. It is an individuals free choice– and it is no secret that artistically inclined people are more likely to dabble here and there. Music is art, and some people find it goes hand in hand with drugs… SOFT drugs, NOT the hard addictive drugs like heroin, meth, and cocaine.
So go ahead and think what you want… you are entitled to your opinion but stop spewing biased nonsense as fact. You know nothing about the band and their immense talent (again, not lyrically). Understand this band is all about the music, and they have earned the devoted following they have. Enjoy your more “normal” concerts of less inspired artists who run through the same old predictable numbers every time, and play each song the same… doing just as much as what’s required from them in their 1.5 (maybe 2 if you’re lucky) hour shows. LOL
Karen says...
09.11.09 9:55 am
It is astounding to me that Phish fans are frequently so pompous as to assume the the only reason anyone could possibly dislike this band (or, by extension, the Grateful Dead) is that they “don’t get it” because they’re too narrow-minded or musically uneducated to grasp the alleged musical greatness of these stiffs.
If you like Phish, that’s fine. Go. Listen. Enjoy. Whatever.
If you can stomach 5 hours of it sober, you’re an anomaly deserving of scientific study, but good for you.
However, I resent the implication that Phish somehow represents the truest form of musicianship or that this group’s meandering take on improvisation is somehow inherently unique or respectable. If you’re searching for some lofty ideal of musicianship and innovative improv, seek out the works of the Art Ensemble of Chicago, Derek Bailey, Eugene Chadbourne or someone truly experimental. Don’t settle for the by-the numbers arena jams of Phish.
Actually, don’t seek out anything. If you like Phish, listen to Phish, it doesn’t really matter to me.
And your statement about soft drugs aiding the creation or enjoyment of music is really almost too preposterous to bother responding to.
“Music is art, and some people find it goes hand in hand with drugs… SOFT drugs, NOT the hard addictive drugs like heroin, meth, and cocaine”
Plenty of great (and not-so-great) records have been made, and enjoyed, by junkies (Iggy Pop, Rolling Stones). Drugs are no more relevant to making great music than are deodorant or breakfast cereal, so don’t try to use artistic expression as a reason for being an annoying pothead spinning in circles at a Phish show. Just admit that it’s not a deep artistic urge, it’s just something you do because it’s fun.