If you jumped on in 3.0 and feel like you missed out after Tuesday night's DAAM, well you did. But maybe this thread will help, even though it's just my take.

As good as those 97 shows were, that band was never going to deliver an Alpine Ruby Waver or a Tahoe Tweezer, etc. 1/n

Although they made it look so effortless & joyous in 97, they are all much better & more rounded musicians now.

Setting aside the "roughness" that comes with increasing age and decreasing repetition (musician-as-athlete analogy), the 3.0 tentpole jams have more richness and 2/n

draw from a much deeper well of experience & influence. if you look at 97 as a whole, its a pinnacle of sorts. But once you dig into the jams, especially the funk jams, they seem more than a bit repetitive to me. Maybe they just didnt have as many places to go? Anyway 3/n

23 yrs later, 97 is just a snapshot in time. we are still benefiting from those fits of growth. 3.0 phish takes me places 1.0 never did. 8/19/12, 8/12/15, 12/30/19.

that's the trade off it seems. those 97 chops are gone for good, but just look at what youre getting now.
/end