[We would like to thank Doug Kaplan (@MrDougDoug) for recapping last night's show. -Ed.]

Here we are at Alpine Valley yet again! For those who haven’t been here before, Alpine Valley is a very precious (and extremely deep) ditch in Southern Wisconsin where the four wizards – who I will refer to as Phish for the rest of this article – have been enchanting and enlightening tens of thousands of people since 1996. Tonight just so happens to be Phish’s 25^th ever show at this venue, vaulting this space into an exclusive list of hallowed Phish locations where you can still see the band this year, like Madison Square Garden, Dick’s, and Deer Creek, and primal venues where you’ve probably never seen Phish (but I want to talk with you if you did) like Nectar’s and The Front. While we all know that a number is just a number, Phish people more than any other fanbase relish in numbers and statistics, often ascribing meaning to nice round digits. With such a rich history performing at the venue, including a bevy of official live releases, numerous two and three day stands, notable bustout shows, and the legendary Alpine “Ruby Waves,” Phish has proved time and time again that they can’t get enough of this magical Wisconsin ditch. But if you poke around the forums, you’ll see that fans seem to have more of a love/hate relationship with the venue.

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