I agree with the assessment of summer pre-Dick's. It's not just a question of jams - though they were conspicuously missing - it's a question of flow, of shows that come together to form a complete piece of art.

No one is saying that the tour was objectively "bad" -- even a subpar Phish show is great by normal concert standards -- but it was clearly out of step with the amazing standards phish has set for themselves, especially in the wake of 2015's breathtaking summer.

Let's get specific: the kind of setlist creativity, reckless confidence, and explosive, unrestrained jamming we saw at Dick's was basically the standard for much of last year. Especially in August - night after night after night, the hose was on full blast.

Now, compare that to the spotty nature of this summer, with many shows that stayed firmly in the box with hardly a jam in sight.

I'm talking about, for instance, the train wreck shows in Portland and LA (both rated under 3 stars by phish.net fans), and shows like Minneapolis, SPAC 2, Syracuse, Gorge 2, Deer Creek, that were fine collections of songs without a really significant jam to speak of, more or less. And then there's the fact that even most of the higher point shows - Wrigley, Hartford, Chula, Lockn for instance -- really can't touch the highs of 2015, or even 2013 or 12 for that matter (again, the Phish.net community ratings confirm this.)

Now, shows like SPAC 1, Gorge 1 and BGCA 2, and individual jams like SPAC Moma, BGCA Sally, the Lockn Ghost> Gin and Light, broke form and certainly touched the heights Phish is capable of reaching.

But the point is that that's clearly a spotty record for the season, especially after 2015, and shows like Portland and LA were downright listless and concerning.

For the band to come out at Dick's and play three back to back complete, scorching, confident 2015 level shows was, just as the review states, a major and thrilling step forward.

Again, the point is not that Phish 2016 was objectively "bad" pre-Dick's - from from it - the point is that it was a noticeable step back from the incredible place Phish had reached in 2015.

And sure, every year can't be 1997 or 2015, and that's fine, but I don't see anything wrong with acknowledging 2016 had not been on that level, that it was a relatively spotty, hopefully transitional tour up to this point.

Listening to Phish critically and thoughtfully - like this reviewer does well, shows nothing but love and respect for the band and the amazing standard they've set for themselves over the course of 33 years.

But now - coming off Dick's - fall tour has some amazing potential to change the narrative on the year. Can't wait for it to start!