Dear Phish: Let Me Watch Live

I should preface this by stating for the record that I love Phish. For me, to say that Phish is merely the greatest band to come out of the 80s and 90s would be an understatement; they are probably the greatest single force to have ever graced this humble planet.

When Phish announced their imminent reunion last fall, I was beyond ecstatic. When my girlfriend scored tickets to all three reunion shows in Hampton through the Phish Ticketing Lottery, I started counting down the minutes. Fuck Christmas, is it March yet?

I knew that seeing every Phish show this Summer was probably not a realistic goal, considering my employment/educational/financial situations, not to mention tickets to Red Rocks and St. Louis being nearly impossible for less than $300 a pop.

It's nice and all that Phish is staying current with the latest techno-fads by posting live setlists on Twitter, but what I want to know is why I can't watch Phish streaming from Jones Beach right now. It's not as if the technology doesn't exist: Coventry was simulcast five years ago and The Allman Brothers recently raised the bar with Moogis.

I already have my tickets to all of next week's shows, but that's not enough for me. I want to see tonight's show right now. Over 13,000 people signed the petition for Phish to simulcast the Hampton shows, yet Phish has remained silent on the issue. It's not like simulcasting would hurt ticket sales: watching on the computer will always be second to the live experience.

If Phish cares enough about making Scotty B happy to bust out "Curtis Loew" at Fenway, then why can't they placate another couple thousand phans?

Not to mention that this would be a goldmine for the band. I would happily pay $10 to watch the show live on my computer; I would even be willing to pay more. In fact, Phish could potentially make more money from online simulcasts than from tickets for certain high-demand shows like Red Rocks and St. Louis, where ticket demand greatly exceeds supply.