What's your preferance? Or better yet, what experiances have you had that made you feel one way ot the other?

For me, it's indoor venues by a mile. I think it has something to do with the fact that, besides phestivals, my first 17 shows were indoors. And Phish just seems to have this cold weather vibe to their jams. Something about being outside the venue, seeing everybody bundled up in oversized homemade knit sweaters, winter hats, gloves, freezing their asses off but still smiling, chatting, selling beer towing behind them in a wagon, just makes me happy. No matter how cold I am.

The inside of a venue, with it's bowl shape, seeing nothing but heads bobbing to the music, if you have higher seats, the lights on the crowd. Smoke filling the arena, people walking around like their home...it all just feels so right.

Now, I love Summer, but I'm a Winter guy at heart. Chilling outside an open air venue is great. Getting to the lots right when they open and having 3 or 4 hours to sit on a chair with a cooler next to you is very cool. But the venues tend to feel empty. Not empty with no people, but I don't get that closeness I do inside. And Phish always feels so far away. I feel like on on top of them inside.

Indoors for the lights.
Out doors for the air and "freedom."

How I wish they would play they Coliseum Or Kohl Center in Madison again.

^^^ Ha! And people are still talking about that. Everytime I listen to it, I always geek out and yell "Here it comes! Here it Comes! This is it!" to whoever I'm with. Everyone I know who is a non-phish fan is sick of Tweez Reprises. It hit me in the chest when I was there that night.

Indoor imo has way more pros....sound, lights, and the floor to name a few..I also think that fall/winter is when phish hits their stride. Especially this year thy really got better and better after each show so by the time fall came around thy were on fire.

I do dig outdoor venues because the lot scenes at outdoor venues are typically better and of course warmer. I also enjoy the freedom of the lawn, and the warm air.

But the floor inside is the same freedom almost and better view of the band.

For me indoor takes the cake

Indoors for me. Bostonron hit it on the head at the begining of the thread. Well said!

indoor is way, way better. You basically get two second sets complete with lights. Outdoors in the summer it is still ight out, people aren't often paying attention to the music like they do indoors.

Indoor offers more energcy right from when the lights drop. People go apeshit from the first moment and don't stop til setbreak, then you know there is another whole set coming! The sound is almost always better indoors as well. The lights need the dark and are obviously better inside.

I have been to some great outdoor shows in sheds and 6 of the big festivals, and they were special. I still prefer indoor shows and I would rather spend my time checking out Fall tour. The boys seem to rage Fall tour pretty much every year while Summer is usually good but not as good as Fall.

Another reason I love Fall (and by default indoor shows) is that the fanbase is more hardcore. Less folks there just to party and see what this whole "Phish" thing is about. If you are going to check out Phish in the Fall the odds are you're way into them and will be rocking the show, whereas summer has more of a mixed vibe for me.

I like the feeling of being in a Jupiter-bound spaceship I get in an indoor venue.

Looks like these guys choose inside, ....Really I was looking for any excuse to post this pic from Phish.com then click media

such a great pic! Anyone know anyone here?

Amherst show this year.

@jtodd isnt that pretty much where you are at that point?

my first indoor show for phish will be the nye, nyc run. i love outdoor gigs b/c it's what i grew up with but the indoor vibe should be killer. can't wait to see them in a contained environment with everybody visible. someone said earlier that they felt far away during the summer and i read that. in the summertime everyone and their mother comes out but the fall/winter just seems more intimate. idk i guess just seeing 12 or 11 in front of every "best" show tips me off. when everyone is inside i feel like shit goes down and there is nowhere to run. hopefully this nye run will be trapped inside a phishy vortex with all time tweezers, gin's, wolfman's, and yem's dropping all around. fingers crossed for the most balla shit ever!