Just in response to phish123, and with complete respect, the band simply MUST be getting better with time. The things the band had thought of and were capable of playing in 1997 were 20 years of experience shy of the things they've been able to think up and play since. I completely agree about this source (phish.net) being key in helping us to roughly differentiate between shows played really tightly (for them), with few "mistakes' in composed sections, with energy, creativity, joy, etc, and those shows that may lack slightly in chemistry, energy, and all those same metrics. I am certain, though, that many of the qualities people are rating are very subjective. Yes, you'd think that over time, the average score would remain relatively constant as the pham grows with the band, but at the same time (and I have NOT seen 270 shows, but a few dozen live from '97 on, and many couch tours - as with last night), there must be an increase in the appreciation of older phans who are still blown away by what they're doing, and I can personally attest to the fact that the best live shows I've seen (with a few exceptions) are the later ones (Nashville was most recent), as they are doing things they had not or could not do back then (not to mention the songs they hadn't written yet). Nashville is a great example actually; For me N1 was absolutely outrageous, and among the best shows I've ever seen, while I'm sure many preferred N2. For the longest time the 2001 from Gorge '98 was the greatest musical experience of my life, but it seems I am having those moments more and more often since (see 10/23/18 Everything's Right), and that is partly due, I think, to my relative 'openness' to the music. To analogize, I've had the same brilliant single malt scotch on two different nights, loved it one night and thought it was harsh the next. Anyway, I hear what you're saying, and it's a great point, but be open to the possibility that the shows ARE getting better! Loved last night btw. Epic performance. I too heard either I Know You Rider or an undefined Allmans tease for the record...