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Hi everybody and welcome to today’s episode of Attendance Bias. I am your host, Brian Weinstein. Since their return to the stage in 2009, all the way to today, Phish has continually proven that they still have the goods–that they’ve avoided the trap of becoming a nostalgia act. They’ve proven it in a number of ways: reinventing themselves as different bands for Halloween, releasing several albums, changing their touring setup to allow for more multi-night runs, or the tried-and-true method of keeping fans interested: playing extremely long and exploratory jams that go down as some of the most perfect examples of extended improvisation in music history. 

Today’s guest, Andy Rapacz, picked one of those jams to discuss today: “Simple” from July 27, 2024 at Alpine Valley. Starting from the ashes of a typical Sigma Oasis that opened the 2nd set, this Simple is easily in the conversation for the title of the best version of the song ever played. Just as impressive as the music, the fact that it was played 40 years into the band’s career adds a certain psychological boost to the idea that it was played at all! 

Andy is a Wisconsin native, so he gives plenty of background context to Alpine Valley, what it was like to see such an impressive jam in his home venue, and the fact that he’s an exercise physiologist who deals with neurological dysfunction adds a whole new dimension to the discussion about how Phish’s sound makes you feel. So let’s join Andy to talk about Halloween 1994, how time is relative, and steep lawns as we discuss Simple from July 27, 1994 at Alpine Valley.