From the shows on both tours that i have seen him play, he appears to be having a blast, he plays very well and is enjoyable to watch and listen to. Phil is in a tough spot. he's doing richies job, but he tries really hard not to rub it in fans faces. Jon does the same, he acknowledges Phil but tries not to shove him down fans throats, so there isn't the interaction between the two of them like there was with Richie. Now that may be changing a bit the longer Phil is with the band, but that was my impression of it at the shows I saw.