The Joy of Couch Tour

Throughout the last ten years, I have had several conversations about the impact of infinite technological advancement on our society and species as a whole. One didn't need to look far to see the up or down side of our race towards technological breakthroughs. While one person touted the advancements in medicine, the rebuttal highlighted the diseases we have facilitated. As one brought up the connectedness social networking has created, another discussed the deterioration of real social skills that social networking has replaced. There's no doubt, technology's a double edged sword, and one we probably haven't considered seriously enough. We have rarely considered anything we do as a species seriously enough. But one thing I have carefully considered is the technological advancement known affectionately as "couch tour."

Ever since the Grateful Dead invented a crowd that migrated along with the band, the loyal have pulled out all the stops to catch as many shows as possible. When the burden of money, scheduling, work, or life intruded on our summer tour plans, we felt varying degrees of disappointment. 

My generation barely scratched the surface with the Dead before Jerry passed, and Phish was the first place many of us experienced that passion to see as many shows as possible. There was a time where I knew more people in the Phish lot in Camden, NJ than I did in the town I lived in. That may still be the case. We continued, post hiatus, to watch for date drops, plan vacations based on the tour schedule, and generally did our best to catch every note.

We have gotten older, and the distractions have multiplied.  From families and jobs to mortgages and car loans, our responsibilities have increased, our free time evaporating like the last note of an encore. We have also slowed down. We've partied our brains out and realized that recovering from a night of heavy drinking is taxing on the mind and body (so now we only do it once a week.) 

When the Internet arrived on the scene and rearranged our entire worlds, the impact was immediate and drastic. In time, some people had used that discovery to create amazing and game-changing innovations. As a fan of music, I have enjoyed it immensely.

As the concerts unfolded, the discussions were instantaneous. People in California who wanted to know about the show in Madison Square Garden could read a review from a fan who attended by the next day. With the adaptation to smart phones... real time. Eventually organizations began to broadcast live video from festivals, and big shows and suddenly "couch tour" was born.
Now select shows were being beamed directly to computers in our homes. Sometimes for free, sometimes for a fee, but the quality was usually tremendous. IClips led the way with the "couch tour" movement. Ultimately they weren't profitable and gave it up, but not before others learned how to do it. LivePhish began offering similar live streams of select Phish shows, and the masses rejoiced. 
Since leaving PA to move to Colorado, I haven't seen Phish as often. The same is true for some of my friends who still live back east but have children or other responsibilities. The bottom line, we have gotten older. We can't all hit 6-10 shows every summer.  Couch tour has allowed me to bask in the joy that is Phish tour without leaving Denver. 

Downtown Denver's new groovy hangout, "Armoury," has broadcast several of this summer's Phish streams. The place evolved into an extension of the venue each night as we collectively visited places like Saratoga, Chicago, the Gorge, and San Francisco from the comfort of Larimer Street's Irish Hippie Pub. For all the struggling bars out there, pay attention. You don't always need to spend a lot of money to bring people in the door. Couch tour is your ticket to minimal overhead, maximum return on investment. 

For the shows that we hadn't ventured to Armoury, we enjoyed them at friends' homes or our own. Also great options. From no lines, to open bars, the personal venue idea wasn't too shabby. If the band wasn't doing it for you, you could turn on a rerun of Mork and Mindy and no one would be the wiser. Most importantly, when you ended up a little sauced, you didn't have to drive or pay for a cab.  

I know the Internet has been recognized for much nobler pursuits, but what can I say? I'm a music addict, and I love couch tour.