Good review, and i had to laugh at the comparison to 12/31/96...i was there (boston) and it was so boring i pretty much checked out of phish for a while (yeah ...i know fall 97 doh!... etc)...

Since Im not attending alot of shows these days, my critical ear is probably kinder than it used to be, but the real time negative commentary during the live feeds was blowing my mind...are y'all listening to the same show? hahaha

I can verify two of the 3 wont make my cut (beyond archiving) but

The 7.3 full show has already ensconced itself into heavy rotation (FOB sources WOW)...(only ding is the aborted ghost jam)...Solid A rating imo

Dead-on re: the other two shows bein 'turkey on white' with raging exceptions/segments...e.g.: Tweezer, Twist, Monkey Man, and the space-third stone jam between Simple and Bug was sublime

couch tour was indeed an amazing sugary high...cant wait to take that ride again !