"Jon Fishman is a rolling ball of butcher knives, carving up thousands of willing victims every night."

well said.

"so many of Phish's struggles from 2009 through summer 2012 were down not to Trey failing to practice or arthritis but to Jon Fishman not being quite in shape enough, not having practiced quite enough rudiments to handle the demands of the music."

This, however, I simply cannot agree with. The period in question definitely contains some stumbles on Fish's part, but I have always thought that one of the most amazing aspects of the man's drumming is his astounding ability to recover with a certain amount of grace. When Trey would break down though, it would be catastrophic, like a fiery car wreck. I can't recall many instances of a Fish hiccup completely derailing a song.