During the early 90s, Phish emerged as heir to the Grateful Deads throne. Although their music is somewhat similar to the Deads — its an eclectic, free-form rock & roll encompassing folk, jazz, country, bluegrass, and pop — the group adheres more to jazz-derived improvisation than folk tradition, and they have a looser, goofier attitude. After all, their drummer regularly plays a vacuum during their concerts. Phishs main claim as the inheritors to the Deads legacy is their approach to their musical career. The band didnt concentrate on albums; they dedicated themselves to live improvisation. Within a few years of their 1988 debut, Phish had become an institution in certain sections of America, particularly college campuses. And their in-concert popularity didnt necessarily translate to huge record sales; their biggest-selling albums usually halted at gold status. Still, Phish were the de facto leaders of the neo-hippie jam band movement, until deciding to go on hiatus in 2000.