I first want to say that I thoroughly enjoyed your review of the VAXT set. I friggin LOVED it. Having been at Halloween '14, I can say that this was just as amazing (something I did not think was possible). Thanks for your great review of that.

The other aspect of your review that I was less than psyched about is the somewhat divisive nature of your observations, in particular regarding the First Tube when you write "hey everybody, it’s “First Tube” time! Tons of excitement from the crowd, every flat brimmer’s favorite dance tune..." I read that and first thought to myself, 'what's that supposed to mean? I wear a flat brim sometimes (and sometimes I wear a bent brim and sometimes I wear a visor and sometimes I wear a wig and sometimes I wear a sloth costume and sometimes I wear nothing at all on my head!) and I love this band all these people! And I LOVE First Tube! Why is she trashing me?' Then I started trying to imagine what kind of phan you were...

Then I remembered reading @farmhose's review of Nashville N2, where she mentions the "ol’-bro-in-a-fleece-vest-and-expensive-watch shimmy." When I first read that, I kind of laughed and had an image in my mind of a particular type of fan that I felt "cooler than' or 'headier than' or 'more hardcore than' or whatever...

Getting offended by your "flatbrimmer" stereotype and then trying to determine what "other" kind of phan you were from myself made me think back to my initial reaction to the Nashville post, and I realized that "we're guilty of the same old things..." I realized that by accepting the stereotype of the preppy fan or whatever in the Nashville post that I was essentially embracing the same type of negative "othering" of phans that I was feeling offended by in your review.

In thinking about the two very different negative stereotypes presented between the two reviews while also considering that several reviews of late, including yours, make reference to the many awful things that are happening in our country right now, it struck me that both of these show reviews were, in parts, and albeit on a seemingly less hateful scale, embodying the exact type of "othering"-based identity politics that are driving this country apart and sending us to hell in a bucket. THIS UPSETS ME. WE AS PHISH FANS SHOULD NOT BE TRASHING EACH OTHER. GET OVER IT. BE FRIENDS WITH ALL OF THESE PEOPLE. ALL IN ALL THEY'RE THE SANEST, COOLEST, MOST CARING FOLKS YOU'RE GONNA FIND. I'm not yelling. I guess I'm just concerned when I read two reviews basically right next to each other - on what I think has been a HOT ass tour - and both of them include some kind of negative characterization or fun-making of a perceived "different" kind of phan from the author. I thought we all just made fun of (/are) / love Wooks? If vests and watches and flat brim hats all suck, what's next, I ask you? Scarves? I hope not.

Spread Love and Joy, People. It's every Phish fan's Superpower, and we all need to be using it right now.