Phish fans who attended the jam band’s four-night run at the state-of-the-art Sphere entertainment arena in Paradise, Nevada, expressed disappointment at the lack of visual spectacle during the concerts.
Many fans had expected a visually stunning experience, given the arena’s capabilities, including high-resolution screens and a vast surface area. However, the only visual projection displayed during the concerts was a link to the band’s website.
Concert attendee Cole Stanak, one of hundreds of longtime Phish fans who described feeling underwhelmed by the display, said, “Given what a great live show they usually put on, I really thought [lead singer] Trey [Anastasio] and the guys would have used all the crazy 16K resolution and huge screens to give us something a little trippier than just a hyperlink projected on the ceiling.”
Stanak and other fans had hoped for a immersive psychedelic audiovisual experience, with visuals that complemented the band’s music and created a sense of wonder and awe.
“I was just kind of expecting more,” Stanak said. “Like, maybe you could make a gigantic snowcapped mountain during ‘Colonel Forbin’s Ascent,’ or the heavens could tear open and we could start zooming through the cosmos on ‘Divided Sky’?”
During the 34-minute performance of “You Enjoy Myself,” Mike Gordon put down his bass and walked over to an onstage laptop, which fans initially thought might be a sign of a more interactive visual display. However, Gordon simply used the laptop to make the hyperlink larger and smaller, further disappointing fans.
Despite the underwhelming visuals, some fans who had ingested LSD before the show reported having mind-blowing experiences while staring at the hyperlink for three hours straight.
