My mind is also boggled that anyone would single this show out as a stinker. Even a bit boggled that the Halley's and Mike's Groove (the Simple in particular) aren't beloved, hall-of-fame tracks.

The DWD to kick it off is no slouch.... perhaps not fully loosened up for the head of the song but I've heard lesser Disease jams exalted by the "sophisticated" phans. But yeah, the rest of the abbreviated first set is simply problem-filled. Feel free to skip.

The Halley's is one of the greats in my mind. I remember when I first heard the version from 11/22/97, I was startled but thrilled to hear the jam not take off like a rocket ship (the traditional plan), but instead jump off a cliff and free fall into an abyss. This one is similar....it falls down into a relaxed trance-dance kind of groove that I'd think would appeal to the modern fan. I love this version.... it's right there with 11/22/97, the Great Went, 8/3/98, and 12/7/99 to me.

As others have noted, the Simple is as good or better than the Halley's, but the Mike's Song setup is really nice too. The Weekapaug isn't super special (although I like the On Broadway breakdown part) but the suite as a whole is also right there with many highly regarded Mike's Grooves. Ok, the Sample>GTBT is pretty mediocre by the standards of the day and not a very strong finish...some demerits there I suppose. I like Brian and Robert. This isn't a particularly special version and I could understand fans being underwhelmed by the choice for the encore if it didn't go into a quick but excellent Taste.

I don't know... I suppose the Halley's and Mike's Groove are the only essential tracks, but you've got over an hour of ELITE Phish right there. Plus about 20 minutes of DWD and Taste that won't disappoint either. FAR, FAR from a bad show. Don't overlook!