Thanks for the post, Icculus. I witnessed Coventry from a theater as well. I am so grateful I made the decision not to go. Some friends of mine abandoned their car a mile from the site and flew back to join me and a bunch of other friends for the final night. Unforgettable, all around, for sure.

I like that you point out "Antelope" and "Fire"--at the end of that very first set, we walked into the theater parking lot genuinely full of hope. Already, the emotion was way high, and the energy was incredible. Everything that followed got progressively more painful to watch and listen to.

This comment above is almost verbatim from my brain throughout the final night: "...Trey not only forgot how to play some of the band's simplest songs (like CDT) but forgot how to play guitar. The sight of him looking down at his fretboard during Glide and clearly having no idea where to put his fingers, or what this strange contraption was before him..."

I agree that everyone needs to hear Coventry, but having witnessed it all, I don't ever need to re-listen. I don't think I can separate the music from the painful memories, even if there are glimpses of worthwhile-ness in there. Not worth the time or effort even if I could. We've got 2011 Phish now.

Oh wow, I just noticed J_D_G's comment above--really? That is some funny, objectively wrong shit right there. I find it hard to believe you've listened to any shows from this summer. I could name at least a couple dozen jams from this tour that top every second of Coventry. Then again, some people do enjoy the drugs' distortion of the music more than the music itself. If your soul isn't stirred by anything the band just did at UIC, I encourage you to give up entirely; that was top-notch Phish regardless of era.