Abstract
Phish is an American musical ensemble that boasts a near 40-year performance history and supports an incredibly dedicated fanbase. Their concerts and carnivalesque musical events are liminal spaces of creativity that promote both the resistance and the duplication of social hierarchical distinctions. I weigh fans’ allegations of a utopian scene of expanded freedoms and the empowerment of certain marginalized groups against the apparent protraction of American power structures like class and racial privileges. Through a multifaceted ethnographic approach, I document fans’ performativity and social discourse as they follow Phish on nationwide tours and celebrate their unique form of live rock and roll experiences. This thesis will demonstrate examples of racism and masculine dominance, and criticize Whiteness and its associated privileges as they are perpetuated in ludic spaces claimed for virtues of equality.