Phish at Pauly’s Hotel — May 11, 1989

Before they were selling out Madison Square Garden, Phish was playing Pauly’s Hotel in Albany — a legendary dive bar on Central Avenue that hosted some of the most important underground music in Capital Region history. In May 1989, Phish was still a Vermont-based cult band with a reputation built entirely on word of mouth and relentless touring. Albany regulars who caught this show got to see one of rock history’s great improvisation bands before the world figured out what they were.