When I rate a show, I try to weigh the performance by how much of the show I enjoyed/would like to listen to again, vs. how much I didn't enjoy/would not like to listen to again. The Spectrum shows from 97 are a good example of this in practice. 12/2 has some of the best improv of the tour during Mike's Groove, but the rest of the show (except for Ghost) is meh. This show, however, is grooving right from the start, and to my ears, doesn't let up AT ALL. That's why 12/3 is IMO a 5 star show, and 12/2 is not. Not to make a big deal about it; it's just semantics, certainly not an absolute. Anyway, download the show and listen for yourself.