Well, I was trying to come up with a good analogy for seeing a Phish show, that might capture some of the disparity in opinions and critiques of one show from one guy, versus another guy. I live in San Diego now, so I spend time body surfing on waves in the ocean. I watch tourists try to catch waves, either solo or with friends or on boogie boards - it is not innate. You have to plan it - watch for a wave with power behind it, and then try and catch the sweet cresting cradle of the Pacific. And a dude standing right next to me might miss out, claiming the wave was "a dud" even though I rode that sucker in the tube and then all the way to shore.

Along those lines, I can stand next to a dude when the Forum is on Fuego, full of energy, with golden hose pouring from the stage and bouncing around that amazing room - but he might be tuned out, spaced out, tripped out, not receptive, not digging it - and he misses my wave. Taking into account how you listen, what you expect versus what you get, how you analyze it and in what context, how long you've tried using your vocabulary to speak about Phish - these things all matter. I like critique! I like to THINK. I like to share in the groove, too.
I was worried about this show - I almost skipped it, after I definitely missed the wave watching the free webcast from San Francisco. Fell flat for me - had trouble finding a silver lining, an impetus to drive my ass 90 miles to LA and back after the show because of an appointment on Sunday. But I did it, cause I've seen enough to know that you just gotta get there. And it was REALLY GOOD, with sound and light filling the venue up to the nosebleed section where I took it in. After 5 years of only seeing shows at DICKS, it felt really intimate actually...!

My vocabulary has been neglected of late - I don't pretend to speak of "Major Type II jams" or "Phish 3.0" - I suppose I ought to learn, being a Rhetoric major in my youth - but it doesn't matter. After 27 years of this, I am pretty good at catching the wave that takes me where I want to be. But afterwards, I can break it down with the best of y'all - and I love this space where we can dork out and speak up! Thanks for that.