Lysergic, absolutely agree with your comment about "Set and setting."

I was at the 6/10 and 6/11 shows. I honestly hadn't gone back to listen to them in years, so was actually quite surprised to read that they are considered pretty mediocre shows. For me, they were still magical because: 1) I never thought I'd see Phish in such small venues again and 2) I never thought I'd see Phish in Japan, surrounded by Japanese fans. I'm not disagreeing with the reviewers here, as the tapes don't lie, but they will always be special shows for me.

I still get a kick out of the 6/10 show, as I brought a friend to his first ever Phish show. He was just a casual fan, mostly familiar only with their studio work. He kept asking me if they'd play "Down with Disease" and I repeatedly had to explain to him that you never know what they're going to play. So, first show, he gets it as an opener, and a long version very very different from what he had heard on Hoist. But I think it made him a fan for life!

One thing I never quite got is why they continue to do "Meatstick" with the Japanese lyrics. It was a great gesture to learn some Japanese and bust out the Japanese lyrics at the 6/9 show and it's magical to hear the crowd going absolutely nuts and Trey cracking up. But it seems kind of silly to keep doing the Japanese lyrics after all these years, as it would have worked better as a one or two-time thing. But then again, you can't fault Phish for being silly.