Dear Phish,

Please go listen to the slow burn dynamics of a late 90s Piper, and please bring it back. The way you used to slowly build out of that gorgeous, flowy, sooo loose intro into this rock machine was a master class in tension and release. It was like a beautiful horse, Drinking from a stream; sunlight flowing, water bubbling. It gets its fill, and it trots into the woods. As it goes noticing the other animals and beauty of nature, it comes across a path. And in it he begins to trot. And the faster he goes, the better he feels. The wind blowing, his body in sync with the world, sucking in oxygen, and letting it out and suddenly he hits a huge clearing. And in this large open pasture he lets it RIP! this horse is doing what it was made to do. Run. As fast as he can, free, happy and no direction. Just moving. He pushes and pushes. Until he is done and he slows suddenly to a stop. And he is so tired, that sleep takes him, and that is our outro. The dreams of a happy animal.

And when I catch a piper these days, it's the ONLY tune that maybe in a tiny way bums me out. Bc it's rushed right to the fire burn full speed rocket ship. Which is fun. But it's so much better when it's earned. Think the first come back show opener. What a fucking choice.

Anyways. I always thought the old piper just so perfectly demonstrated what phish could do so so much better than any other musicians on earth. And at the same time, the audience is right there. We are with you. Burning the place down.

But here's the thing, and phish knows this: you can't have the lightning, the speed, that joy, without earning it. Without the slow build. It's like Reba, being so freaking tight, so that when you reach the jam, it feels so amazing bc it's a totally release from the constructs of the tight composition.

All this to say:

Bring back slow piper intros (see the island tour for an almost perfect one). And most importantly bring back GUMBO JAMS.

Thank you for your time and attention. See you this spring and summer.