However, when I heard Time Turns Elastic at Carnegie Hall I was blown away. Played in it's entirety, by an orchestra it is a beautiful and moving piece of music.

I think the problem comes in re-arranging it from a 30 minute orchestral suite to a 13-18 minute four piece rock song. I don't know whether TTE as performed by Phish will ever become something I am eager to here, but I can definitely say that the orchestral version is mind-blowing.

However, when I heard Time Turns Elastic at Carnegie Hall I was blown away. Played in it's entirety, by an orchestra it is a beautiful and moving piece of music.

I think the problem comes in re-arranging it from a 30 minute orchestral suite to a 13-18 minute four piece rock song. I don't know whether TTE as performed by Phish will ever become something I am eager to here, but I can definitely say that the orchestral version is mind-blowing.

I have seen it live twice now. The first time during its Boston debut, which totally destroyed the vibe of a great set during a disjointed show. The sound issues during the show didn't help, but the placement was horrible following a pretty rockin' Bowie. The second time I saw it was at Festival 8. They closed the first set of the first day with it, which is one of the better spots to drop this huge song. The thing that made it better, however, was placing it after an already fairly mellow song, Ocelot. It flowed better. They didn't play the song perfectly, flubbing the Carousel section, which was a shame, but the flow of the set was never killed from the song because the song ended the set.

I'd like to see them open a show with it and completely nail the song. I think if they nail it, it can build in intensity and really kick off the show.

And, as Isaac said, you can't blame the band for what the audience does. I used to feel the same way about taking bathroom breaks during a set. Phish has become extremely unpredictable lately. If you take a bathroom break during a set, it's your loss (and my gain for being able to move closer). I don't know what sitting down has to do with anything. I sit during some songs to rest my legs, catch my breath, cool off a bit, etc. It happens. People can't stay standing and grooving for that long without a break. If you don't like what Phish is playing, you have every right to leave. Anyone who buys a Phish ticket knows very well that the show could either be great or be average (Phish hasn't really sucked much lately). You also know that they are unpredictable and can possibly play one of hundreds of songs, including TTE.

Each year for Halloween, Phish dons a “musical costume” and covers an album, end to end. The've done the White Album, Quadrophenia, The Talking Heads' Remain in Light, and Velvet Underground's Loaded. This year, they narrowed it down to 8 finalists, one of which was The Lamb Lies Down on Broadway. Genesis is obviously an influence on Phish.

But they do not sound alike. Phish is more exploratory and more improv-oriented than composed, even though they do have very intricate composed pieces. Ultimately, Genesis and bands like Rush are not really like Phish, due solely to the mission to recreate faithfully, whereas Phish's mission is more to deliver a unique performance every single time.

You should check them out though, if only for curiosity!

the main problem i have with TTE is its length. other shitty songs can impact the momentum of a set, but because of TTE's length, there is almost no way to recover from it. the author asks what part of the song i would trim, and my answer is simple: the whole thing. this song belongs in its orchestral form. it just doesn't work in the rock 'n roll setting. and thats OK. phish is allowed to write a bad song once and a while, but they really need to know what an adverse affect TTE has on a crowd and a show. maybe they can't see it from their vantage point, but TTE is like kryptonite to the crowd at a show.