This is the show where I GOT IT!! This was my fifth show, and my fourth of the week. I was up in Arcata, and then the two GAMH shows, but I was either drunk or hungover for those three shows. The Catalyst show got me. I was pretty burned out and tired, and still a little sick from drinking too much on the 17th, but I got electrified and energized when they took the stage. I think the crowd had a lot to do with it. The Catalyst was either sold out, or close to it. I remember it was pretty full, and the crowd was in great spirits. I think that threw me off, since I had never seen more than about 200 people at their shows up to this point.
The rather excellent SBD has circulated for years, so I won't go into detail about the show itself (it rocked!), rather I want to explain how my attitude toward Phish shifted from thinking they were good, but not going anywhere to thinking they might be the best unknown band in the world.
The definitive moment came when Fish's mom came out and played vacuum on Terrapin. Seriously. That's all it took. With Fish's insistence that she keep going, I was blown away that these guys would have one of their moms join them, and then show so much love toward her for jamming on a vacuum cleaner.
It was a turning point for me. Maybe the alcohol poisoning finally worked its way out of my system and I saw and heard them clearly, but at that moment, I felt like I was hearing an amazing band. As tired as I was, I did not want the Hood to end, and I tried to get everyone to get them all back on stage for a second encore after GTBT.
After this show, I wanted to see them as often as I could. Hell, I think I may have entertained the idea of moving to Vermont.

(Published on the legacy Phish.net site many years ago...)

Wow... I mean, wow! I'd never heard Phish before the show on the 19th, purposefully, so that I could enjoy the Phish live experience with no preconceptions of their music. All I expected was "killer jams" and an "intense crowd".I Got both! From the *moment* they took the stage to the moment they left, everybody I saw at the Catalyst was bouncing, dancing, grinning and laughing (and hugging in between songs). From avantage point ten feet from the stage directly between Trey and Mike, I could see the people who were obviously the biggest fans: some folks who tour with Phish (I don't know what to call them) who the band *knew* personally and sang to. They were definitely stoked, as were the rest of the people in the crowd. I've never ever seen a more intense show in my life! I've never heard jams so good or watched a light show so well orchestrated. I've seen the Dead (who many people compare Phish to, for some reason) and basically, the Dead (who I used to worship, but three days ago) look like six old guys who can play a little compared to Phish. I cannot express *how good* this show was; good enough that I'll be seeing them every time they're within a hundred miles of me. I can't possibly describe the show, because my memory of the event is mostly of happy emotions and not of specific events. I do remember clearly Trey's head bobbing (it NEVER stopped) and thinking that Mike looked like Sylvester Stallone, with absolutely no interest on his face for most of the show. Cameron looked pretty bored and I couldn't figure out if Trey was just joking around with him on stage or if he was angry at him (later Cameron was carried around the floor, which tripped some folks out!). Nevertheless, Trey just *spaced* on everything but the music. he and the keyboardist have some sort of telepathic link, and Mike and the drummer also have some sort of link. Somewhere in the second set, Mike and the drummer were lit up in yellow, and Trey and the keyboardist were lit up in red, and the red folks were playing their own jam while the yellow folks played theirs- while over a period of a minute they quickly turned the two jams into ONE! That *blew me away*! Music like this, I think, has never been seen before but now that Phish has shown it can be done other groups are going to struggle to catch up. I like the crowd, the band, the music, everything. Easily the best show I've ever seen. I can't wait til they're around here again!

So, I thought this show was a solid 3 or 3.5. Then I heard the Terrapin with Mimi Fishman. I usually don't base ratings on things other than the music, but sometimes you just have to make an exception. A touching love song to Fish's mom!