The folks at this show are PUMPED! I love listening to Japanese people scream. They had me laughing A LOT while listening to this show. I also enjoy listening to Japanese girls giggle and talk. Well, the creepy old-man side of me does anyway. Great way to start the show with the NICU->Chalkdust...

This show doesn't really get started until the AC/DC Bag, which doesn't leave its boundaries but is definitely worth hearing (Trey's minimal notes remind me of the horn hits on "Night of the Living Baseheads" - how random is that?) until Trey takes over and starts machine-gunning everything in...

Unbelievable show! These Japan shows at this leg of the tour were in really small venues and these guys just blew it up. The previous night's show was released as a live phish album but this one and the 13th could have been as well. Must listen to the audience recording because the SBs don't...

Generally patient deconstruction of the "Ghost" theme that veers into Albany "YEM" ("Oh Happy Day") jamspace for a few then resolves to glorious peak that leaves you asking "Why doesn't Phish jam the fuck out of songs in the first set ever anymore?" [A quality '00-style "Ghost" groove rolls along, breaks into great swinging section, and then cranks it up into some serious hose-jamming before returning to "Ghost."]

The jam portion is straightforward, but slowed to a really pleasant, mellow groove.

The jam breaks into a nice rhythmic groove around 11:40, with great Fish and Mike. Around 18:00, Trey jumps to the keyboards, and then it gets, well, weird. Similar to 12/12/95, it's very exploratory, but perhaps not transcendent music.