Movie/DVD Review

“Let’s go out to dinner and see a movie.” Or rather, lets buy some popcorn and soda and see Phish’s final Coventry show simulcast across sold-out theatres nationwide. After a successful go at the start of Phish’s 2004 Summer Tour, the band and Regal Entertainment Group paired up again to simulcast Phish’s six-set festival August 14th and 15th. With the option to buy a $20.00 movie stub rather than a $150.00 festival ticket the band was able to reach even more fans, bringing their performance to a whole new level of accessibility.

“The band’s management and label felt it was an exciting opportunity for the group and for the fans,” said Dan Diamond, VP of Business Development for Regal Entertainment. “People turned out despite hurricane Charlie and the event was hugely successful.” Regal, who has simulcast musical acts such as Tom Petty, Prince and Korn in the past, says that their goal is to change the traditional movie experience. A total of 38 theaters broadcasted Phish’s Coventry festival on Saturday, August 14th and 54 more on Sunday, August 15th.

Even with movie ticket sales reaching approximately 37, 000 for the Coventry event, some fans felt the simulcast experience wasn’t at all like being at the actual venue.

“It was kind of surreal because it was live Phish, but it wasn’t live music,” says Jaime Friedman, 21, who attended the Coney Island Simulcast on June 17th in New York City.

While families bought tickets to see Princess Diaries 2 and Collateral over the two-day weekend, swarms of “phans” clad in corduroy and Birkenstocks flocked in a different direction. Nasty adolescent movie attendants greeted some simulcast attendees while policemen frisked others. However, even with the police present, Phish fans in the theaters were far from tame. Crowds jumped to their feet on Sunday as the first chords of “Mike’s Song” projected over the big screen. The high-definition video and Dolby surround sound brought the music up close and personal to those watching and listening. Simple movie-going etiquette didn’t apply to the fans as aisles began filling up with dancers grooving to Phish’s final melodies. During “Down With Disease” and the “Piper” jam of Sunday’s set, balloons and neon glow sticks filled the theaters. While the 65,000 fans, according to the Burlington Free-Press, stood in four feet of mud and cheered graciously for the four-some, moviegoers clapped along side them.

As the final night trekked on, an emotional Trey Anastasio and Page McConnell shed tears on stage, and moviegoers stood in awe as the band took their final bows after a closing version of “The Curtain With,” a song that Trey wrote twenty years ago and is near and dear to his heart. Although there was no line-up exit the movie theater grounds or a “post-shakedown” ritual in the parking lot, the sentiment was nothing short of heartbreaking. After twenty years of music, a band that has defined an entire generation has said its goodbyes.