https://forum.phish.net/forum/permalink/1378228140

It's difficult to comprehend a show from December 1997 being underrated, when just about every other show from that month has been celebrated. Phish did indeed Destroy America over the 21 shows between 11/13/97 and 12/13/97, but hindsight seems to have relegated this show to the shadows of the three huh-yuge MSG shows that followed. However, I feel that there's still a lot to be appreciated here, and judging by the other show reviews on this page, it seems I'm not alone in that opinion.

The main complaint, it seems to me, is the randomness of the setlist. The combination of Cities > The Curtain is a caution to expect the unexpected. The abundance of Hoist-era material might be another gripe, but it's not all by-the-numbers; the Axilla II "Don't shine that light in my face, man" jam is appended to the Axilla second set opener, and Trey's riff in SOAMelt is another nod to the Hoist album. The sound issues that plague the jams in Simple and Drowned could be perceived as annoyances that bring this show rating down, but these can also be easily overlooked in lieu of the overall spaciness of the jamming throughout the second set (reminiscent of 5/7/94 set II). Only Runaway Jim was used in a Mystery Jam Monday contest, but the first seven tracks in this second set have moments that could fool an experienced listener.