Thanks for the kind words!

In terms of questions for the readers: (1) I often wonder how other people define or explain the vibe? (2) Any shows that readers have vibed with the most, and why? And (3) why do some shows have a better vibe then others?

In terms of the question posed above: Experiencing the grand Phish "IT" is a multi-modal experience, of which the vibe is one part of. There is an emotional experience (think of Phish playing your favorite song). There is a psychological experience (think of following the flow or being in the zone (see Mihály Csíkszentmihályi)). There is the excitement of the physical senses. There is the imagination (where does your mind go during a jam?). There is inner peace and tranquility. And there's the individual experience; the experience of being with your close friends; and the collective experience of 20,000 people. Somewhere in this mix is the vibe. And of course, the vibe reflects as well as contributes to each of these experiences.

Now, your question might also be, How do we better attune to the specificity of the vibe experience? This is always hard for me to answer, as I do not think there is one "method" to feel the vibe. Instead, it's about learning to distinguish between one kind of experience and another kind of experience. Just as there are different kinds of emotion (happiness, sadness, grief, anger), there are also different kinds of vibes. And emotion and the vibe are different, too. For me, emotion is more internal, while the vibe is more external. Emotion is an internal reaction to a state of affairs. The vibe is the exchange of energy between bodies.

Next time you're at a show, or just listening on your phone, try to notice the difference between the emotional and the vibrational. How are they different? How do you experience each? What are their distinguishing qualities?

(And note that music, and all sound, is a *physical* vibration. But that is not exactly the same kind of vibe we are talking about here.)

Hope this helps!

For flow, see here: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flow_(psychology)