"Not that there weren't great shows, and not that there wasn't plenty of fine music played. It's just that the consistency and the height of where we could take it, with the help of the audience, was less, I felt, in the '90s"

This quote by Phil Lesh is referring to the songs scene in the 1990s. He is claiming that while there were still terrific programs as well as lots of great songs, the consistency and the degree of energy that can be attained with the help of the audience was not as high as it had actually remained in previous years. He is suggesting that the songs scene in the 1990s was not as vivid and also exciting as it had been in the past. This could be due to a selection of variables, such as the increase of alternative music, the decrease of the document industry, or the altering tastes of the general public. Whatever the factor, it is clear that Phil Lesh felt that the songs scene in the 1990s was not as strong as it had remained in the past.