Charlie sez -

In a sense, the profound number of warts make it more challenging to appreciate (and remember) the greatness of the music of the weekend that does deserve praise. I guess this is all I'm saying.

In that case this is unobjectionable. Bertolet has it this go-round, though.

I was bored stiff by almost everything played on 8/10 and 8/11/04, but I'm downloading that Birds again. While it downloads, I'll note that I don't think the kind of music Phish was playing in 2003-04 is 'comparable' to their current music, really. I think they were playing more interesting, more adventurous, more smoothly-flowing music in 1997 than at any other point in their career, but I find it hard to say I'd take 1997's music 'over,' say, last week's Gorge R'n'R, which I'm listening to right now.

But I can say that I'd never revisit those Great Woods shows without specific extra-musical reason, e.g. to see if you still like more or less the same kind of Phish jam you've always favoured, or whether my memories of 8/10/04 have failed me.

I've never heard the Camden or Vegas '04 shows. Great Woods was too dispiriting.

The Gorge R'n'R reminds me of the Tower Jam, actually. Specifically when Mike starts his 'it was all right' chanting. More complex than the Tower Jam, which nonetheless feels like the peak of Phish's '2.0' music.