@Icculus said:

A long time ago on Rec.Music.Phish, a fan Scott Jordan proposed a show-rating-scale whereby a 5/10 rating would be a typically great, average-great, Phish show. Phish shows are basically always fun and "life changing" shows, after all, as @Peacey has noted above. But for obsessive fans who try to listen to every note Phish plays (or has played), the Scott Jordan Concert Review Poll Scale (aka SJCRPS) became an easy way to communicate -- to other knowledgeable fans -- what one's opinion of a particular show boiled down to.

For those interested in the history, here are the final results from the 1995 SJCRP. The rating system is explained quite clearly by Scott Jordan himself. Interestingly, the Dog Log (12/11) show beat 12/31:

http://bit.ly/liXEou />
And here is a thread soliciting scores in 1996 in which people raise some of the same objections to the rating system that have been raised in this thread:

http://bit.ly/mzH1tV />
So clearly this is a well-worn argument. Perhaps @lumpblockclod could have included a disclaimer that 5 is an average excellent Phish show, and that 3 is still a very good rock concert that was probably a blast to attend and fun on tape.