I don't think you can say enough good things about this first set, especially when you consider how different it is from the other monster sets of Fall 97 and Phish's career more generally. This is not some four or five song set with a monster jam (or two!) centerpiece. This first set is sharp, creative, patient, delicate, and inspired. Not that the other "Best Ever" sets aren't some, many, or all of those things...but this one just hits differently. The -->'s into and out of Psycho Killer are butter (and true -->'s the way many other segues on this site are not). You can hear a pin drop during the It's Ice sandwich. As a lover of Theme, this one peaks in a way that you hope for Theme to peak. It's delightful to hear the band jump back in one last time to reach that peak just when you think the song is going to peter out. And the Tube, Jam --> Slave segment is a 25-minute distillation of Fall 97.

What I love about this first set is that you *must* listen to it all the way through in a way you don't necessarily have to do with some of the other sets contending for "Best Ever". You're not skipping anything here, you're not pulling one or two songs for your "Fall 97 Playlist"...the whole damn thing is getting added, thank you very much.

And, oh yeah, 12/7/97 I > 12/6/97 II.