https://forum.phish.net/forum/permalink/1377818140

Not all Phish shows are great. Sometimes a Phish show can be marred by uncontrollable circumstances, and other times they just can't deliver the goods on stage. IMO the show on the previous night, 10/3/99, falls into the latter category. That show was the band's first return to the Rosemont Horizon since the exhilarating Halloween '95 performance, and perhaps expectations for 10/3/99 were high, but the band's performance on that night fell flat. However, Phish can always turn it around the next night; the band rarely went into a slump for more than a couple of shows.

Listening to 10/4/99 gives me a strong sense that Phish wanted to make up for the previous night. For me, the tip-off is the Funky Bitch appearance early in set 1, considering they had played a relatively ragged version the previous evening with Sugar Blue. Even though they hardly ever played songs at consecutive shows during this period, it makes sense to me that Phish would want to prove to themselves that they were better than what they showed in Chicago. It's also worth noting that Page was playing with a sprained ankle, and it doesn't seem far-fetched to imagine that Trey, Mike, and Fish were acceding to Leo's wishes for a little more polish on the performances.

Whatever the reason, this is one of the tightest shows Phish played in 1999, a year of general looseness on stage. The segue from The Wedge > AC/DC Bag recalls the Oh Kee Pa > AC/DC Bag transitions of 1990-1, and Fishman directs the tempo of the band during a fun Makisupa jam (including what might be a preview of the intro to Vida Blue's Most Events Aren't Planned?). The Ghost 2nd set opener admittedly pales in comparison to the Portland monster from the previous month, but there's still plenty of 1999-style Phishiness to be heard. Wilson includes a nice mini-jam that was typical for this era, and the swirling psychedelia of Sand brings matters to a head.