8/1/98 @ Alpine Valley w/ Matt Huber

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Hi everybody and welcome to today’s episode of Attendance Bias. I am your host, Brian Weinstein. Before we get started with today’s episode, I just want to remind everyone that if you enjoy the podcast, you can show your support by leaving a rating and review of it wherever you get your podcasts. You can also visit www.buymeacoffee.com/attendancebias and donate anything you can to keep the podcast going. Now, onto today’s episode:

I’ve spoken a lot on this podcast about how different Phish years have different personalities. When Attendance Bias was first getting off the ground, I had an unofficial goal to learn more about the 1999 Phish calendar year. But at this point, about five years in, I think that 1998 is the more intangible year. Everyone loves 1997, we’ve covered a lot of shows and jams from 1999, but 1998 remains elusive. The band was still funky, but they also kept their guitar-powered speed rock and combined it with a ton of unexpected cover songs that kept the crowd guessing. If we could distill the cagey feeling of 1998 into one show, it may be today’s: Matt Huber is here to explain what it was like to attend Phish's show from August 1, 1998 at Alpine Valley. A classic venue that, in this case, featured Phish at the top of their game during an under-explored summer.

Matt and I have a lot to say about today’s show, but there’s this inescapable feeling that, even with a 90 minute episode, there’s a lot left unsaid. We talk about the summer of covers, imaginary conversations between band members, and even compare Fikus to Quadrophonic Toppling. This is a nerdy episode, and we go out there. But, maybe what makes 1998 such a great year for Phish has yet to be defined no matter how much we talk.

In the meantime, Matt and I give it our best shot today. Let’s join Matt Huber to discuss The Story of the Ghost, The Velvet Underground, and who should take the high vocal parts at August 1, 1998 at Alpine Valley in East Troy, Wisconsin.

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