Phish Summer 2011 Leg One Survey Results
Phish Summer 2011 Summer Tour Leg One is now nothing but a memory. Super Ball IX, which will undoubtedly create unbelievable memories for the fans that are there and also those listening at home, is knocking on the door. But what about the memories of Leg One? What did everyone think? Well over 1,000 fans took the time to fill out our survey and shared their thoughts on the venues, the songs, the jamming, the ticket prices and even the band’s legendary ‘Fleezer.’
[Photo by Parker Harrington]
We will follow up with another survey at the end of the summer after what may be the last tour for a while. Until that time, read on for a snapshot of what fans are thinking about Phish right now.
So is Phish just going through the motions? Or performing at the top of their ability? The very first question sums up the general consensus: Phish is ROCKING! Only 14% of fans rated the First Leg at “Average” or lower. Overwhelmingly, “Phenomenal” or “Very Good, Some Gems.”
[Click on the Graphics to Enlarge and View]
Did everyone think this has been the best tour since Hampton 2009? Yes! A majority of fans [56%] think this is the tour to listen to so far.
- Previously on HT: Number Line – Phish Summer Tour Pt. 1, Phish Fall Tour 2010 Survey Results, Phish Summer Tour 2010 Survey Results,
- More From Parker: Beyond The ‘Boards – Taping Tradition Lives On
READ ON for the rest of the results from our survey…
The last several tours since the band’s return have definitely taken a few shows to ramp up with the first couple shows generally considered not much more than a warm-up. How about Bethel? Did Phish jump right into some extraordinary shows in their Bethel shows? Nearly 75% of fans were shocked at the level Phish played coming out of the gates.
So Bethel was great as a whole. But what about the rest of the tour? Which shows were considered the best? In a clear nod to how great the tour was, even with Bethel Night 1′s great show, it did not even make the Top Five. DTE, Bethel Night 2, Charlotte, Blossom and Portsmouth were clearly the Top Five. Frankly, the remainder we are all ‘also-rans’ with not many more votes than Ralph Nader in 2008.
Next, we were curious to compare the thoughts of the people that were in Alpharetta compared with those that were not and impressions of the shows and the Official Streams. We had 1,000 respondents who were not in Alpharetta and a little more than 100 who were at the actual shows.
Here’s a look at how many respondents bought the stream…
What did people think of the stream? Would they buy it again? In a clear indication that this is a great idea for Phish, the most lopsided of all the survey questions was this one – fans clearly want more webcasts.
So 97% of all fans buying the streams would do it again! Knock-knock, hello Phish…MORE STREAMS! Obviously people were pleased with the quality. I hope the few that weren’t impressed figure out that the issue is with their DL speed from their ISP and not any issue with Nugs.net.
What about those that didn’t buy stream – was price the issue? Clearly for some people it was, but not the majority. Perhaps dropping the price a couple bucks would capture more of the market.
And those that were there? Wicked storm huh? Worst you’ve ever seen? For many, it was.
The most interesting stats about these Alpharetta shows were how those in attendance viewed the performances as compared with those who watched the webcast versus those who simply listened. Clearly, each one of those environments affected overall perception of the run.
Here’s what people who were there thought…
And from those who watched the live stream…
And finally, from those who simply listened:
What do you want to hear that was played often in 2010 but has not yet appeared in 2011?
Despite reports (rumors) of low ticket sales, a pretty healthy percentage of respondents are trekking to Watkins Glen.
How about UIC? There seemed to be quite a bit of chatter about a run of three shows inside in the middle of summer. What do people think of this? Clearly not as big of a deal as some blogs made it out to be.
MVP so far? In past Trey and Mike have both ruled the roost. What about this tour? Page! A clear majority of fans felt like the Chairman of the Boards had a stellar tour so far.
One of the notable distinctions of this tour was the lack of debuts. Despite a dearth of new material there were a small handful of debuts. Which struck a chord with fans? Steam was the clear winner followed by PNC’s debut of No Quarter. Surprisingly, Thunder Road barely registered and Rhymes from Mansfield resonated about as well as the Dr. Gabel debut did there previously.
Which encore hit home and put a great punctuation mark on the show? Clearly, one encore stood out from the rest.
One of the criticisms of the tour was the tendency of jams to end relatively quickly. Some were actually jarring. Which “ripcord” bummed the fanbase out the most?
Another knock of the tour was repeats. It’s an unfounded complaint looking back at the history of Phish and the frequency of song selections. Nevertheless, some felt like they needed more of a break between shows. Which songs do fans feel need a rest?
How about those signs? There were some hilarious moments (Jennifer Dances) with signs, as well as touching (Harpua) and everything in between. Your thoughts on the prevalence of song request signs?
How many shows did you catch?
Phish will not be playing this Fall. What side project do you want to see? And thanks to all the clowns answering Pork Tornado!
Yeah, totally random question here. But last week an interesting Twitter exchange happened dissecting, discussing and remembering the Finger Lakes Tweezer or ‘Fleezer,’ so we figured we’d ask your take on the jam.
Leg One is over. What are you looking forward to in Leg Two?
Thoughts on Phish Tickets By Mail?
Pricing Tiers?
How about pricing as a whole? Expensive? Cheap?
Like debuts, bustouts were relatively few and far between. Yet there were some bustouts that were exciting. Which ones were most well received? Not sure what the ‘other’ were. Which did we miss?
Although there was not a show without highlights in the entire tour and each multi-night run had its own flavor and highlights, which set of shows was the best?
Where do fans get their info about Phish? More people turn towards Phish.net with 83% of respondents than any other source. Other high profile and well respected sites include YEMBlog, HiddenTrack, Phish.com, Miner’s Phish Thoughts, and Twitter.
There’s a ton of great feedback we got in these questions offering a glimpse into the collective mindset of Phish fans this summer.
Later this week, we’ll follow up with an assessment of the venues Phish played in Leg One as well as all the open ended questions:
Favorite Jams from Leg 1, Favorite Moments from Leg 1, Three Words to Describe the Tour, and General Thoughts about the state of Phish and Leg 1 as a whole.
You don’t want to miss these responses, so stay tuned for some more compelling reading!
Thanks again for taking the survey and leave comments on which responses surprised you, which you agreed with, and your thoughts on the responses.
asking who Phish’s MVP is like asking who the Chicago Bulls’ MVP was during their six title runs in the ’90s. It was Michael Jordan – always, without question. It was not Scottie Pippen, Dennis Rodman or Steve Kerr. Trey is to Michael Jordan and Page is to Steve Kerr. Wake up, people.
great work guys and girls … keep up the great work
Absolutely not true because Trey is the “frontman” he therefore is automatically the MVP because he’s the most visible member of the band? That logic makes no sense. I cast my vote for who played the best in my opinion on this tour I happened to vote for Fish but could have easily given the nod to the Chairman as well.
Jordan never won a single title without Pippen and there were certainly times where Pippen, Kerr, Rodman, Kukoc all stepped up to help bring home a championship.
Many expect Trey to perform like the MVP every show but as good as he is 90% of the time or more for consistency and truly taking his work to greater heights this most recently completed leg of touring it’s hard to really argue against Page. Can you think of a time where Page butchered a transition or flubbed a lyric this past month? I can’t. Yes Trey has more pressure on him because he’s the “face” of the band but how is that any different then any other tour? Kudos to Parker for once again putting together a great survey and to Scotty and the team at HT for keeping us all informed and entertained.
Funny there was no love for the RHYMES. I saw all the debuts (Thunder Road, No Quarter etc) and RHYMES I thought was sick. You can’t listen to that—hear Trey’s groove he’s got going–and NOT play it over again at least once.
“I hope the few that weren’t impressed figure out that the issue is with their DL speed from their ISP and not any issue with Nugs.net.”
I actually graded the webcast as an A, despite having had problems with it, myself, due to my terrible DL speed. Everyone with decent internet speeds seemed to speak quite well of it, and I know my speed sucks. I had no issues at all with the NYE shows and I know that negs.net is great at what they do.
Also, the “other” bust out I voted for? Sanity! I was very close to voting for Icculus, though.
Nice review, I love these poll results-type articles. Can’t wait for the next for the next installment(s). Keep up the great work!
“I hope the few that weren’t impressed figure out that the issue is with their DL speed from their ISP and not any issue with Nugs.net.”
there were some issues on 1st night and everyone I know across the country who bought it had the same issues. that said, they were mostly clear by end of night1set1.
the video feed was not as good as MSG overall though I thought the sound was better, but that could also be to Garys new sound desk enabling him to make a better mix.
I rated the stream average…
@ Josh Korin
I’m not sure we should select the band’s MVP based on who flubbed fewer transitions or forgot fewer lyrics. The better metric is who brings the most creative energy to the group and the audience. Compared to Trey, how many songs that Page has written does Phish actually play? I mean, off course he forgets fewer lyrics; he sings fewer songs, by far.
And let’s be honest. Although I know the beauty of a broken heart, I’m not traveling very far to see Page’s side project. On the other hand, I’ll push on til the day to see TAB. I suspect most reading this are of similar persuasion.
So Page doesn’t flub transitions or forget lyrics? To get back to the Bulls analogy, maybe that’s as if Page, as Steve Kerr, goes 4-for-7 from the field for 11 points and has 4 assists. That’s a very solid game by Steve Kerr standards. We’ll even throw in 2-for-3 from 3-point range (Page ripped a couple of sweet solos).
Trey (Jordan) has an off night and shoots 10-for-23, but still gets 28 points, 6 rebounds and 5 assists. Not a great night by Jordan standards, but, really, what other player in the league wouldn’t LOVE a night like that!
And the Bulls win! (Doesn’t Phish win every night, after all? I mean, when I’m at a show, I ALWAYS feel like WE’RE winning!)
So, who’s MVP, Jordan or Kerr?
I 100% agree with your analogy that MJ never won a title without a strong supporting cast. Phish isn’t Phish without Page, Mike and Fish. But let’s be real: The MVP, The Man, however you want to put it, is Trey.
i would definantly have to say that page took mvp first leg!It was a close one though since they all were just killin it together!!U can definately see the comfort level and smiles getting bigger by the show!!Really hard to find many noteworthy fuckups.There just runnin on all cylinders nowadays!!!lovin it
I think you got your encores mixed up Parker. Loving Cup->Tweezer was at Bethel and Wilson->Loving Cup was at Charlotte.
Great survey though. Wish I added my input.
as for MVP – Trey is LeBron, he’s good 90% of the time but eff’s up when you want him to score.