Hi everybody and welcome to Attendance Bias. I am your host Brian Weinstein. Before we get started with today’s episode, I wanted to remind you that you can support Attendance Bias by rating and reviewing the show wherever you get your podcasts, you can follow Attendance Bias on social media, and you can visit www.buymeacoffee.com/attendancebias and donate anything you can. Now, onto the show:

We’ve made it–the tour closer. Phish is closing the 2026 summer tour with a pair of shows at a venue with a complicated Phish history: Fenway Park in Boston. It’s no stretch to say that Boston is a pivotal city when it comes to Phish history. It’s a straight line from Burlington to Boston to New York, with occasional stops in Colorado when it comes to “Crucial Places on the Phish Map.” Yet, since the mid-90s, Phish has become a bit shy when it comes to playing Beantown. And when they do play in Boston, it’s at the oldest active stadium in Major League Baseball: Fenway Park; a venue loved by baseball fans and loathed by live music fans.  

To help us bridge that gap is today’s guest, Dave Hamilton. Dave has more than his share of experience behind the mic and behind the drum kit. He plays in at least two bands: Casual Gravity and Bitter Pill. He also hosts, or co-hosts the podcasts Gig Gab about music and musicians, Mac Geek Gab about Apple products, and Business Brain for entrepreneurs. So you can tell he’s got experience at speaking about his passions, not to mention a touch of Casey Kasem in his vocal tone. In other words, he knows what he’s talking about and it’s fun to listen to him tell us what he knows,

For today’s purposes, Dave tells us about what makes Fenway great, what makes it not-so-great, and what Phish’s ascent throughout New England in the 90s and early 2000s so meaningful. In addition, we make sure to touch on key moments and gigs from Phish’s extensive history in Boston, and what to expect for these upcoming Fenway shows, based on their previous performances at the stadium.  

So let’s join Dave as we close out the Summer Tour Preview at Fenway park on July 31 and August 1, 2026.

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Hi everybody and welcome to Attendance Bias. I am your host Brian Weinstein. Before we get started with today’s episode, I wanted to remind you that you can support Attendance Bias by rating and reviewing the show wherever you get your podcasts, you can follow Attendance Bias on social media, and you can visit www.buymeacoffee.com/attendancebias and donate anything you can. Now, onto the show:

Welcome back to the Attendance Bias Summer 2026 Venue Preview Series! Last week, we got a peek at Lakeview Amphitheater in Syracuse, and now we are in the penultimate stop of the summer tour where I have a feeling things will get weird: a 5 show stop, July 22, 24, 25, 27, and 29 at Madison Square Garden in–where else–New York City.   

You know, years ago, when Phish would announce a summer tour, the band would release a pre-recorded video, sometimes with narration and other times without, and the tour dates would show up in different places in each shot. It’s been a while since Phish released a tour announcement video…until this year. The band didn’t announce their summer tour with a video; they announced this micro-residency at MSG with a video formatted as if you were channel surfing at some point in the early 90s. The channels featured various New York City staples, like the weather channel, hot dog vendors, WPIX New York, and even a 90s-style Katy Tur reporting the news, all while the studio version of “Glide” played in the background. The message is clear: Phish at Madison Square Garden is a normal part of the 90s NYC culture, just like skateboarders, the Time Square stock market ticker, or the Knicks and Rangers celebrating a win at the World’s Most Famous Arena. Clearly, the band is especially excited to make their way to 100 shows at MSG, and this summer provided an opportunity to make it happen just that much quicker.

To preview this run, there is only one person I would want to be my guest for this episode: co-host of the Helping Friendly Podcast, Osiris Media personality, and my good friend, Megan Glionna. Like me, Megan lives close to the Garden, is overly analytical, knowledgeable, and nerdy about Phish, sees them a ton, and romanticizes New York City while still being able to take off those rose-colored glasses when there’s someone urinating on the subway, or worse.

It’s no surprise that this episode is the longest of the preview series. Megan tells us about her history as a New Yorker, we debate what 100 shows at the same venue might mean to the fans and the band, and of course we wax poetic about our favorite moments at MSG, those that involve Phish, and those that don’t. In short, we cover a lot of ground since this episode previews the shows at what is probably the most important venue in modern Phish history. 

But I don’t want to spoil it, and this introduction is already taking too long. Let’s join Megan as we stop for a week in New York City to see Phish at MSG from July 22 through 29, 2026.

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Hi everybody and welcome to Attendance Bias. I am your host Brian Weinstein. Today, we continue our miniseries of previewing each venue on Phish’s 2026 summer tour with a newish venue in a longtime favorite Phish town: the Empower Federal Credit Union Amphitheater at Lakeview in Syracuse, NY. But for the purposes of this episode, we’re just going to call it Lakeview. Other than Walnut Creek, this is the only venue to host just one Phish show this summer, but it has all the makings to be a special show. Today’s guest, Beth Ann Kempf helps explain why. 

Phish has played the Lakeview Amphitheater just twice leading into the show this summer, but their history in Syracuse goes all the way back to 1989. In fact, you could argue that it goes even farther back than that, because Jon Fishman is from the area, and the band remembers that seemingly every time they play there. A recurring theme of today’s discussion is that there is on stage banter in virtually every show played in Syracuse, going back to 1989, which was just a few years after Fishman graduated high school! 

On top of that, Beth Ann tells us about the amphitheater itself, along with plenty of things to do in and around Syracuse, should you find yourself looking for things to do in The Salt City before or after the show. She’s been seeing the band since 1991, and has lived near Syracuse for most of her adult life. She’s an excellent tour guide for anyone hitting this show.  

So let’s dive into Central New York with Beth Ann Kampf as we prepare for Phish’s show at the Lakeview Amphitheater on July 21, 2026.

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Hi everybody and welcome to Attendance Bias. I am your host Brian Weinstein. Today, we continue our miniseries of previewing each venue on Phish’s 2026 summer tour with an old favorite: Merriweather Post Pavillion in Columbia, Maryland. We are at the mid-point of the tour, having just visited Walnut Creek, and on the way to Lakeview in Syracuse for a one night stop after these two shows.

Today’s guests to give us the inside scoop on MPP should be familiar voices to anyone listening; we have familiar friends today: JW and Skinny from the Stub Me Down podcast. As you’ve come to hear, these guys are not only intelligent and experienced Phish fans, but they both live nearby the venue, within a half hour or, in Skinny’s case, 8 minutes exactly. 

Together, we review the history of the legendary venue, its connection to the jamband scene and, of course, our favorite memories of seeing Phish there since 1998, although JW is quick to point out that the band’s first performance on that stage was in 1992 opening for Santana.

But let’s hear it from Skinny and JW as we prepare for Phish’s 2-night run, their first at MPP since 2022, on July 18 and 19, 2026.

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Hi everybody and welcome to Attendance Bias. I am your host Brian Weinstein. Before we get started with today’s episode, I wanted to remind you that you can support Attendance Bias by rating and reviewing the show wherever you get your podcasts, you can follow Attendance Bias on social media, and you can visit www.buymeacoffee.com/attendancebias and donate anything you can. Now, onto the show:

Today, we continue our miniseries of previewing each venue on Phish’s 2026 summer tour with a peek at Coastal Credit Union Music Park at Walnut Creek, or for the purposes of today’s episode: Walnut Creek. We are firmly in the “Thunderstorms with 110% humidity” leg of summer tour. The last venue was Enmarket Arena in Savannah, this week we are in Raleigh, North Carolina for Walnut Creek, and next up will be Merriweather Post. Although there are some quirks to this summer tour, Walnut Creek is a well-established venue for Phish fans, going all the way back to 1994. In fact, with just one or two exceptions, Phish’s history in Raleigh is their history at Walnut Creek, which makes this a very exciting stop on the tour and an exciting episode. 

Our tour guide today is Bryan Rodgers; a long-time Phish fan who has lived in and around the Raleigh-Durham area for nearly all his life. Bryan not only tells us about the literal geography of Raleigh, but explains the recent history of Raleigh, where and how the jamband scene fits in over the past 30 years, active venues, and venues long gone, and the best places to get North Carolina Raleigh-style barbecue.

In addition, Bryan and I review Phish's history in Raleigh and at Walnut Creek; I’ll be honest: there are a lot more music clips in today’s episode than there usually are in the venue previews. Walnut Creek deserves and demands it. Whether it’s jamming during a thunderstorm, or a mashup between Runaway Jim and Run Like An Antelope, Bryan has us covered today.  

So let’s get right to it as we prepare for Phish’s show at Walnut Creek on July 17, 2026.

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Hi everybody and welcome to Attendance Bias. I am your host Brian Weinstein. By now, we are off and running. The tour started in Madison, WI for the long-awaited return to the Kohl Center, we spent a 3-night run at the long-time favorite Deer Creek, and now it’s time to visit the dirty south to visit a brand new venue–both in construction and for Phish–the Enmarket Arena in Savannah, Georgia. Not only is the venue new to Phish, but imagine my surprise during my research when I found out that Phish has never played in Savannah before. This summer we are going to witness a first! On top of breaking ground in the historic city, they’re also playing for two nights! All that said, this means there’s a lot of unknowns for fans traveling to Georgia for these two shows.

Luckily, today’s guests have you covered. Earth and Jessie live in Savannah, and have plenty to say about their hometown. I helped guide the conversation during the recording, but I feel like I could have asked one question: “Tell me about Enmarket Arena and what there is to do in Savannah” and we would have everything we need to know for Phish’s visit. Actually, even though I’m not going to these two shows, I was ready to book a flight to Savannah just to try and do all of the recommendations Earth and Jessie gave during today’s conversation!

They cover everything: what to do, where to eat, where to drink, where to walk, and even where to get zoned out by floors made of crystal and glass containing dinosaur fossils. But also more practical details like what the area around the venue is like, how to get there, where to park…you know, the stuff this podcast series is for.  

But let’s hear it from Earth and Jessie, as they are pumped for Phish’s two shows at the Enmarket Arena on July 14 and 15, 2026.

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Hi everybody and welcome to Attendance Bias. I am your host Brian Weinstein. Welcome back to our 2026 miniseries of previewing each venue on Phish’s summer tour. Last time, we opened the series by visiting an arena we haven’t seen in a long time: the Kohl Center in Madison, Wisconsin. Today, we are going to preview an amphitheater that is embedded in Phish lore to the point where it seems like we’re talking about a family reunion: Deer Creek Amphitheater in Noblesville, Indiana.

The mere mention of the words “Deer Creek”--excuse me, the “Ruoff Music Center”--elicits dozens, if not hundreds of memories and anecdotes in the Phish universe. The band has been playing the venue for a shade over 31 years, yet there’s plenty to preview and review. Luckily, today’s guest–Ben Karle–has seen Deer Creek change from an amphitheater in the middle of a series of cornfields to the centerpiece of a suburb, complete with its own downtown, since the venue opened in 1989. 

There’s plenty to debate whether the growth of Deer Creek, or the town that’s grown up around Noblesville over the past 37 years is for better or worse, but for today’s episode, Ben and I simply review the venue’s history, remember stories from Phish’s illustrious past shows at the Creek–from Moby Dick to Soul Planet–and he offers his opinions on the best and not-so-best parts of seeing a show at the classic venue. 

So whether or not you’re staying at Sleepy Bear Campground or a downtown AirBnB, let’s join Ben to get ready for a 3-spot on July 10, 11, and 12 at Deer Creek in Noblesville, Indiana.

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Hi everybody and welcome to Attendance Bias. I am your host Brian Weinstein. I’m thrilled to welcome you to today’s episode–the first of our 2026 venue preview series, as we preview each venue on Phish’s 2026 summer tour. In today’s episode, Mike from Madison reintroduces us to a venue that Phish has visited before, but not since 1998: The Kohl Center in Madison, Wisconsin where Phish will start their 2026 summer tour with two shows on July 7th and 8th. 

Mike has lived in Madison for 20 years, and knows the ins and outs of the small Wisconsin city, offering tips on how to get around, places to eat, drink, and hang out for anybody who is going to the shows from out of town. Whether its the best tavern for a brat or thin crust pizza, or losing your mind touring a Frank Lloyd Wright designed fun house, this episode is to help you discover the joys of Mad City.

More than that, we review Phish’s history in Madison. Although the band hasn’t played the Kohl Center, or in Madison in nearly 30 years, the city of lakes was a crucial building block during the band’s van years of the very early 1990s. Madison was a regular stop, usually in the fall, and you could trace Phish’s rise by looking at the different sized venues they played in Madison throughout the 90s.

But there’s so much more to it. Join Mike and I as we kick off the Attendance Bias Venue Previews with the Kohl Center in Madison, Wisconsin on July 7 and 8, 2026.

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Hi everybody and welcome to 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.

Today is a preview of a preview. Leading up to Phish’s summer tour last year, 2025, I thought it would be fun to do a deep dive into two new venues Phish was playing: Forest Hills Stadium in New York City, and Folsom Field in Boulder. I keep an eye on the online Phish community on Twitter, Bluesky, Facebook, Reddit, etc. and it seemed like fans had the most questions about those venues. I was lucky to find people who were willing to come on the show and pretty much answer a Q&A about each venue. It was kind of the same format as a regular Attendance Bias episode, except the episode was about a venue and not a particular show. Then, a friend recommended that I shouldn’t stop at Forest Hills and Folsom; I should record an episode for every venue on the 2025 tour. I loved doing it, and so that’s what happened. I was very proud of it, and by the end, I felt like I could hop on tour at any moment and know everything I needed to know about any given venue.

Once Phish announced their 2026 summer tour this past February, I felt that impulse to record another “Venue Preview” miniseries–you know when you feel that feeling that says: “This is going to be difficult, it’s going to take a lot of work, but I really, really, really want to do it?” Once I saw their tour, that’s the feeling I felt. I immediately went to work, contacting friends, working through a few false starts, and doing a ton of research of places I’ve never visited–sure, I could tell you the basics of seeing a show at Merriweather Post Pavilion, but the Enmarket Arena in Savannah, Georgia may as well be in Taiwan. Plus, I had to think of ways to preview the most familiar Phish venues: how exactly does one give a heads up about seeing Phish at Madison Square Garden or Deer Creek? I had my work cut out for me.

Regardless, the next 10 weeks of Attendance Bias episodes will sound like that: The 2026 Summer Tour Venue Preview Series. Now that the 3 weekends at the Sphere are done, here are Phish’s next stops, along with the guests who will help tell us about each venue and city:

*July 7 and 8 at the Kohl Center in Madison, Wisconsin with Mike Lancaster

*July 10, 11, and 12, at Deer Creek with Ben Karle

*July 14 and 15 at the Enmarket Arena in Savannah, GA with my friends Earth and Jessie

*July 17 at Walnut Creek in Raleigh, NC, with Bryan Rodgers

*July 18 and 19 at Merriweather Post Pavilion in Columbia, Maryland with Skinny and JW from the Stub Me Down podcast

*July 21 at the Lakeview Amphitheater in Syracuse, NY with Beth Ann Kempf

*July 22-29 at Madison Square Garden with Megan Glionna

*July 31 and August 1 at Fenway Park with Dave Hamilton

*Finally, September 4-6 at Dick’s with Stacie Ledden

Whether or not you’re seeing a show at any given venue on the tour, I would recommend listening to each episode. It gives you a flavor of what it’s like to see Phish at that venue and what it’s like to be in that city. I loved it.

I do what to take a moment to thank every guest I just named for being generous with their time and their knowledge. Want to know what to do if you arrive in Madison a day early or end up staying a day late? Are you a barbecue fiend and want to know the best place to stop in Raleigh? Need to know how tight security is in Savannah? These guests have you covered. 

To wrap it all up, just a few notes:

This coming Monday, May 11, Phish.net will post a blog entry I

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Hi everybody and welcome to 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:

Today’s guest, Shoheen Owhady, is the keyboard player for Uncle Ebeneezer, a Phish cover band based out of New Jersey, AND the keyboard player for The Dude of Life Band. And it just so happens that today’s show we discussed: July 3, 1995 at Sugarbush Mountain in Vermont, is Page’s show. Between Strange Design, Loving Cup, A Day in the Life, and monster solos in The Squirming Coil, Possum, and David Bowie, this is one that anyone interested in Phish keyboards should pay extra close attention. 

Then, just as important as the music, is the context. On Attendance Bias, we talk about different eras and milestones that certain shows represent. There’s a pretty strong argument that this show on the mountain was the end of an era. It was the last show the band would play before the death of Jerry Garcia, and we all know how that would affect the Phish scene started just a few months later in the fall of 1995. It was also the last Phish show to be played in their home state of Vermont until 1997, and the last major show to be played there until the Coventry festival in 2004. As we discuss, the end of an era.

But in between that is all the passion for the music. Phish played Sugarbush the previous year in the summer of 1994–a show immortalized as a highly tradeable tape and released as one of the original Live Phish albums. The band decided to double-down for 1995 and play two nights, complete with on-site camping. When you hear Shoheen describe the crowd and hear his story of how he got in, it’s no wonder that the band would produce their own festival, The Clifford Ball, the following year.

There’s so much more, though. Let’s join Shoheen to discuss the evolution of Simple, the Sigma Oasis album, and how a moose ends up on stage on July 3, 1995 at Sugarbush Mountain.

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Hi everybody and welcome to 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:

When it comes to the holiday run, each show from December 28th to the 31st has sort of developed its own personality; the 28th is the warm-up show, the 29th is the rock and roll show with the most energy, the 30th is the legendary night before the night where the band plays most of its memorable jams, and of course New Year’s Eve, where the biggest shenanigans go down. Today’s guest, Scott Mitchell, the proprietor and operator of PhanDesignz, takes that paradigm and turns it on its head. For Scott, 12/28 is the show not to be missed, and he remembers the one that set that precedent: December 28, 1996 at the Philadelphia Spectrum. 

The 1996 holiday run was split between Philadelphia and Boston–probably the last hurrah of the northeast runs before Phish would, for the most part, settle in at Madison Square Garden to end the year. Most people are probably more familiar with the following night, when Tom Marshall came onstage in the middle of Harpua to sing a respectable cover of “Champagne Supernova,” so I was curious as to what this show meant to Scott when he suggested it for the podcast.

Unsurprisingly, 12/28/96 was the perfect combination of music and life circumstances for Scott to create an unforgettable experience at Phish. The show was, unusually, driven by Page, and included a couple of rarities and weird song pairings in the setlist. More importantly, Scott was getting ready to finish college and was home for the holidays, meeting up with friends who had gotten into the band while in their respective universities, which tends to happen. For today’s episode, though, Scott wanted to focus mostly on the second set of this show, as that’s where the big fireworks happen.

There’s more to it than that, including Scott’s role as the designer and showrunner of PhanDesignz, an online fan art store, and big time Phish nerdery as we go deep during today’s conversation. I’ll let Scott tell the story as we go back to The Spectrum on December 28, 1996.

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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:

It’s always exciting when a guest reaches out to tell about their experience at a Phish festival. On Attendance Bias, we’ve heard about pretty much all of them, except Big Cypress and Coventry. But wait…today’s guest, Matt Leaf messaged me to tell about his ride to a forgotten festival. A “proto-festival” as we call it throughout today’s episode. Matt has quite a personal story to tell how he ended up at a free, 3-set show at Larrabee Farm in Auburn, Maine on August 3, 1991, most commonly known as “Amy’s Farm.”

There was no ferris wheel, no cheeky names for campgrounds, and no secret late-night sets…but it still set the tone and, as Matt calls it, the “rough draft” that would eventually blossom into the Clifford Ball just 5 years later, and Big Cypress by the end of the decade.

Things were just on a smaller scale then. Matt explains how he got into the scene through his older brothers’ love of the Grateful Dead in the mid-80s, and then some fortuitous connections at a Maine summer camp steered him into the direction of Phish, which in turn led him to this free show that has lived in the tape decks of thousands of fans for years. 

It was almost excruciatingly exciting to hear about being at Amy’s Farm from a first-person point of view. You can even hear my voice speed up at certain points because I wanted to know more and more about what it was like to be there. Matt showed up today, big time, giving all the details that stand out in his memory as well as giving his take on the big picture of “what it all meant,” both at the time the show was played, and in retrospect as we look back and listen back today. There’s a lot to digest as we join Matt to talk about the sound quality, sold out tshirts, and extension cords as we time travel back to Amy’s Farm on August 3, 1991 in Auburn, ME.

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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, I want to remind you  that you can support Attendance Bias by going to www.buymeacoffee.com/attendancebias and donating  anything you can manage. You can also leave a rating or a review of the show wherever you listen to podcasts. Now, onto today’s episode:

Shopping for car insurance? Invested in the drama of an elevated dining Chicago restaurant, scrolling Netflix lately and came across the new show Free Bert or adult cartoon Chicago Party Aunt? If any of the above is true for you, then you already know today’s guest. Actor Chris Witaske who you may recognize as the guy trying not to become his parents in the Progressive tv commercials, as Pete in the FX show The Bear, or as the villain on Free Bert with the exquisitely chosen character name Landon Vanderthal, is also a huge Phish fan. He and I were lucky enough to sit near each other on New Year’s Eve 2025 and had the greatest time watching a bunch of Broadway-style milk cartons dance across the stage of Madison Square Garden. By the time the third set was over, Chris, myself, and everyone around us were reminded of what we already knew: Phish is incredible, and we are so lucky to see them at another peak of their career.

I got in touch with Chris a few days after New Year’s and asked him if he would be interested in basically nerding out about Phish for an hour, based on a jam of his choice. He was immediately game, and after a bit of discussion, he asked if “Tweezer” from New Year’s Eve 2025 would be too “on the nose.” That was immediately followed up with a message that said, “it’s so good.”

I obviously want my guests to tell us about whatever show or jam they want, but after a few relistens, it’s clear that this 30 minute Tweezer from New Year’s Eve is a bona fide classic. It’s one of the jams of the year, and Chris had so much to look forward to in 2026 that it was an auspicious start to the year. It’s a great long jam, but there’s so much more to it than just the music. 

But let’s hear it from Chris as we talk about Deep dish pizza, High Fidelity, and having too many options in a Phish calendar year, as we discuss “Tweezer” from December 31, 2025 at Madison Square Garden.

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Hi everybody and welcome to 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:

Last year around this time, once Phish announced their summer tour dates, I aired a new series called “Venue Previews.” The goal was to introduce fans to each venue Phish would play on their summer tour, and have a guest tell us about the ins and outs of each city, as well as review Phish’s history in that venue. I loved it so much that when today’s guest, Howard Fuchs proprietor of the Smokin’ Sandy Pineapple food truck, rang me up, we came up with an idea that was similar, but different.

Today’s episode is the inverse of a “Venue Preview.” Instead, it is a “Venue Remembrance." Howard was in college in the late-80s and early-90s in Ithaca, New York. During his time there, he saw Phish no less than 5 times in the now-legendary club, The Haunt in Ithaca. The Haunt no longer exists, but Howard recalls specific details of seeing Phish at least five times in the 1990 calendar year. Today’s episode is a look back at those five Phish shows (although no audio exists from one of the shows).

More than that is a look back at the city of Ithaca, its natural beauty, and its socially conscious attitude that pervaded the community for decades, including the time period we’re discussing today. Now, for those of us who are just here for the music, there’s another layer to this story.

1990 was a tremendous year for Phish. They were regularly venturing out of New England, mostly to college campuses and small clubs in the northeast. At the same time, they were recording Lawn Boy while still writing new material that would eventually appear on A Picture of Nectar. All the while, they were grinding it out in their van, playing these venues, most of the time without recordings or even surviving setlists. These are shows we know happened, but don’t know anything about. And more often than not, these venues are no longer standing.

That’s why today’s conversation with Howard is such a treat. Not only does he wax poetic about The Haunt, but we get to be a fly on the wall during a time of the band’s history that, I would guess, most listeners of this podcast did not experience. As a side bonus, we get to hear the band’s evolution in real time through the lens of The Haunt, which they played 5 times, from January to November of 1990, before moving on to the beginning of their small theater era.

So let’s journey to the Finger Lakes Region of New York State. Bring your sweatshirt and $7 for the cover charge as Howard and I talk about crunchwraps, slipping on bracelets, and finding your tribe in college as we remember The Haunt, in Ithaca, New York.

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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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Hi everybody and welcome to 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:

2009 was the most exciting year to be a Phish fan. After years of waiting and hoping, while band members were in their various solo outings, and the jamband scene seemed more inclusive than ever, Phish returned to the stage. After their Hampton comeback in March, they hit the road for a HUGE summer tour and expectations were out of control. At the time, lots of long-time fans were overwhelmed with the excitement of Phish being back clean, sober, and cohesive but we were also wondering: where are the jams?

But with time comes perspective and we are lucky today to have returning guest Derek Hill to explain why today’s show–June 9, 2009 at the Asheville Civic Center–and 2009 in general deserves its due, deserves respect, and deserves attention instead of being brushed aside as “the band getting back on their feet.” 

You may remember that Derek was previously on Attendance Bias to tell about another show from 2009–the memorable Hartford show from August 14 when the band busted out several Gamehendge favorites, a killer version of Ghost, and even played Psycho Killer! 

That show was an instant classic, but today’s show from Asheville was a bit more under the radar. It was early on in Phish’s 3.0 return, and had several features that would become trademarks of the early-3.0 era; long sets, old favorites mixed in with songs from the new album, strong vocals, type 1 jams, and the occasional jam that pushed the boundaries. 

But there’s also the personal aspect to it–the reasons Derek wanted to tell his story, and I’ll leave that to him. So let’s join Derek to talk about Sarah Palin, Fishman’s journal, and what it’s like UNDER the stage, as we discuss June 9, 2009 at the Asheville Civic Center.

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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:

The idea of a Phishaersary–acknowledging and maybe celebrating the date of your first Phish show–is a fun part of our community. Even more fun is when Phish plays a show on the same date as your first. Even better than that is when you get to attend a show that’s played on the same day as your first.

Then, there’s the trifecta: when Phish plays a show on the same date as your first, you’re able to go, it’s a decades-long round number anniversary, AND they play a big time party show all in the same night. Today’s guest, Jefe from Arizona is here to tell about his experience at such a show: October 24, 2021 at the Fabulous Forum in Los Angeles, the same night exactly 30 years after his first show in 1991.

The beginning of the so-called 4.0 era was an odd time in America. But in retrospect, in our small Phish community, it’s an easy call to say that the fall 2021 tour featured some of the best live music since the band returned in 2009. I would guess that most people link the fall 2021 tour with the stunning and controversial, Halloween shows in Las Vegs, which featured the numbers show, the animals show, and the confounding Sci-Fi Soldier set. But there were many west-coast highlights leading up to that, including today’s show from L.A.

While the band blew people’s minds with a psychedelic spacey show the night prior in Chula Vista, this L.A. show was more of a party night, getting off to a casual start but then literally rocking the house during the second set with a Tweezer and a surprise cover song for the ages! 

But this is Jefe’s story. So let’s join him to talk about Prescott, Arizona, unexpected song arrangements, and more, as we discuss October 24, 2021 at the Forum in Los Angeles.

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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:

We all remember our first Phish show–all of us, that is, except today’s guest, Mike Radicone. Mike’s first show was one of the greatest shows ever played by the band, but he literally didn’t know what he was getting into. But there’s a silver lining to having no memories of your first show: you get to have another first show! 

As we are getting ready for Phish’s return to MSG for the New Year’s Run, I felt it would only be appropriate to have Mike here to tell about his second show: December 30, 2010–the night before the night, when Phish summarized the 2010 calendar year in one show. Listening to this show and then talking about it brought back a flood of memories for me, but it was refreshing talking to an enthusiastic guest, more of a casual fan, who spoke as if he were experiencing all of this for the first time.

Meanwhile, Mike is also the founder of Datability–a program that helps gather information for special education students–and the host of a new podcast: Mastered with Mike, where he speaks to everyday people who indulge their passions to create and master something they love. I think a lot of Phish fans can relate! 

But I don’t want to get it wrong or step on Mike’s shoes. So let’s join him to talk about Irish bars, fairy wings, and more, as we discuss December 30, 2010 at Madison Square Garden.

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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 today, I want to remind you that you can support Attendance Bias in several ways: you can visit www.buymeacoffee.com/attendancebias and donate anything you can afford to keep the podcast going, you can leave a rating and a review of the show wherever you get your podcasts, and you can follow attendance bias on social media. Now, on with today’s show:

I received a message on Instagram a few weeks ago from today’s guest, Patrick Quinn. It was a thoughtful and complimentary fan message, telling me how he enjoys Attendance Bias and how our histories as Phish fans seemed to intersect in a number of ways. I love receiving fan mail, and so I clicked on this person’s profile to see who he was, beyond his profile picture.

What I found was an artist who works in one of the most interesting mediums: Pat is a metal forger who helps run and teach newcomers how to forge and shape metal. I was immediately intrigued–when I think of forging metal and blacksmiths, I picture what is probably the most generic image: a medieval peasant, covered in cloaks with soot all over his face, hammering at a piece of metal over an anvil, with sparks flying everywhere. While some things never change, Pat’s organization: The Center for Metal Arts in Johnstown, Pennsylvania is bringing something old to the new millennium. He and his colleagues host workshops where people come to learn ancient arts that result in beautiful, heirloom-quality tools. It has to be seen to believed, and there is a link to the CMA in today’s show notes.

Then, of course, there is Pat’s selection for today’s episode. Pat chose to talk about Phish’s performance of “Most Events Aren’t Planned,” which closed set 1 of July 24, 2024 at the Mohegan Sun Arena. The Vida Blue original is typical for a Page McConnell song–it’s mid-tempo, contains thoughtful lyrics about change and loss, and has a few time changes that whip both the band and the crowd into a frenzy. This version at Mohegan Sun is a stellar performance.

So I didn’t know what to expect diving into today’s conversation, and finished it excited and satisfied. Let’s join Pat to talk about Hartford, metal work, and sandwich cookies, as we revisit “Most Events Aren’t Planned” from 7/24/24 at Mohegan Sun. 

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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, I want to remind you  that you can support Attendance Bias by going to www.buymeacoffee.com/attendancebias and donating  anything you can manage–we are reaching the end of the calendar year and I would love it if we could meet our goal to cover expenses before 2026 rolls around. You can also leave a rating or a review of the show wherever you listen to podcasts. Now, onto today’s episode:

If you’ve been listening to Attendance Bias for any amount of time, you’ve probably heard me mention the date of my first Phish show: December 29, 1997. There’s been plenty of discussion of the 1997 New Year’s run on here, but with one notable exception: the ‘97 New Year’s run was made up of four shows: 1 show at the Capitol Center in Landover, MD on 12/28, and then the best-known shows–12/29-31 at MSG. For years, I’ve wondered about what went on at that one-off show in Maryland. So you can imagine my excitement when today’s guest, Dan Wagener, reached out to ask if he could come on Attendance Bias to talk about one of the best jams from that underrated night: “Runaway Jim” from 12/28/97.

Was the first night of the 1997 New Year’s run a warm-up show? An underrated gem? A throwaway remnant before the big time shows at MSG? Find out today as we join Dan to talk about the Capitols, mimes, and ghosts in the machine as we break down “Runaway Jim” from December 28, 1997 at USAir Arena in Landover, MD.

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Hi everybody and welcome to today’s episode of Attendance Bias. I am your host, Brian Weinstein. Certain Phish shows can be seen as flashpoints for the band’s career–Amy’s Farm in 1991, New Year’s ‘95 at MSG, Big Cypress for sure, the Wingsuit set...many of them have been covered on this podcast. Much more rare is a three or four-night run that can be pointed to as a turning point. And I don’t know if there’s a better-known four-show run that is universally praised and seen as a high-water mark as 1998’s Island Tour. Even at the time, we knew that we were seeing and hearing something special, but its place in Phish history only became clear as the years went by.

However, at the time, not everybody had the best time at the Nassau Coliseum and the Providence Civic Center. Today’s guest, artist Patrick Smith, tells of an unsettling experience during the first set of the first show of the Island Tour–April 2, 1998. Still new to Phish and making some rookie mistakes in 1998, not everything went according to plan for Patrick and his friend, but I’ll let him tell the story, including why we are only covering the first set on today’s episode.

More exciting than the show, though, is the fact that Patrick is an artist, and THE artist who created the iconic four-portrait cover of the Pharmer’s Almanac, Volume 6–a seminal and essential guide to the band that was released in 2000. My copy has disintegrated from overuse over the past 25 years, but all of its information, including the cover that Patrick illustrated has pretty much merged with my Phish DNA and lives forever in my memory.

Keeping things in-house, Patrick learned about Attendance Bias from another special guest who had a crucial part to play in the Island Tour, but again, I’ll let Patrick tell the story.

For now, join Patrick and I to talk about hotel reservations, timing your boomers, and Norman Rockwell as we discuss set 1 of April 2, 1998 at The Nassau Coliseum.

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Hi everybody and welcome to today's episode of Attendance Bias. I am your host, Brian Weinstein. I have a feeling that, pretty soon, I’m going to have to rename this podcast “Recency Bias,” since I’ve received a ton of requests from people who want to come on the show and talk about shows from Phish’s 2025 summer tour. Not that it hasn’t happened before, but there was something about this tour that awakened the fanbase. People who saw Phish for the first time, or the 200th time are eager to talk about 2025. Luckily, for today’s episode, my friends Casey and Jenn have a great story to tell, as we explore their summer through bookends of the 2025 tour. We review the third night of the opening run in Manchester, June 22, 2024 then fast forward to the tour closing show: night three at Saratoga, 7/27/25.

If you are a regular listener, you may remember Casey and Jenn from their preview of the SNHU Arena in Manchester during the summer venue preview series. They both live in Manchester, and decided to get married before night 1 of that run. That obviously made the night special in its own way, but it wasn’t until the third night of Manchester where Phish dropped a Tweezerfest in the 2nd set where everything clicked musically.

Then there’s the third night of SPAC where Phish played one of the most memorable shows in years. The first set caught everyone off guard as the band blended great, cohesive jamming with unprecedented setlist games, playing Tweezer Reprise to end nearly every song. Although the venue was still standing as we left, our minds were shattered in the best ways possible.

It’s not often that the first and last stands of a summer tour have the same energy and memorable personalities, but 2025 is the gift that keeps on giving. Join Casey and Jenn to hear about baked beans, Lee’s Campground, bingo boards, and more as we discuss Summer 2025 bookends from Manchester and Saratoga. 

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Hi everybody and welcome to today’s episode of Attendance Bias. I am your host, Brian Weinstein. It seems like every other tour, we acknowledge that the band is getting older, and how lucky we are to still have the opportunity to see them. While that is undoubtedly true, we don’t always take the time to recognize that we, as a fanbase, are also getting older. As a result, our lifestyles, our habits, and our needs change. One of those needs, if we’re lucky enough, is how to handle our money for the future. Today’s guest, Tedd Kanakaris, is here to help us do just that. Tedd is the founder and financial advisor for Sandpiper Wealth, a financial planning firm dedicated to helping the Phish community manage their finances. We talk about how the traditional world of money management was a major turn off for Tedd and how the changing demographics of the Phish community helped him realize that he wanted to help the community in a way that most of us probably didn’t need about 15 years ago.

We also talk about beer. Tedd is a member of the Gotta JiBrew Club: a group of fans, with some familiar names, who get together to visit different breweries and were lucky enough to collaborate with one of the best breweries on the east coast…but I’ll let Tedd tell that story in just a few minutes.  

Finally, there’s Tedd’s musical pick for Attendance Bias: 2001, from 12/29/98 at Madison Square Garden. Played in the heart of one of the best shows of that year, Tedd explains how the funk cover is a “flashpoint” for the band’s evolving musical style in the late 90s as they approached their trademark ambience toward the end of the century.

As you can tell, it’s a packed episode. Let's join Tedd to talk about TD Bank, Ballantine Ale, and Glow worms, as we discuss “2001” from December 29, 1998 at the Madison Square Garden.

And just a reminder, right before we start, please visit www.buymeacoffee.com/attendancebias to support the podcast.

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Hi everybody and welcome to today’s episode of Attendance Bias. I am your host, Brian Weinstein. Several guests have come on the podcast to discuss Phish’s famous Halloween shows, and there’s always plenty to say. Today’s guest, Kevin Rovner of the Kevin Rovner Band chose not only the most controversial Halloween show in Phish’s history–the infamous Wingsuit set from 2013, but he also chose to zero in on one specific song from that set: “You Never Know.” The last song from that set, and it hasn’t been played since that night.

When it comes to Phish Halloween shows, the discussion always reveals a lot about the guest, and today’s conversation is quite refreshing. Although today’s episode really focuses on the fall 2013 tour and the unprecedented step of Phish playing a brand new album in front of an unsuspecting audience, there’s also a deep discussion of how the Wingsuit Halloween was a turning point for the band. Looking back 12 years later, it’s easy to see how the playing playing “an album from the future” changed the very concept of a musical costume, and helped direct the band to more recent Halloween sets that break from tradition.  

But there’s more to it than that. Kevin brings our attention to one of the lesser-known Phish songs, “You Never Know,” that gives us a brief lesson in Phish history, and also provides a notable contrast between the music and the story that inspired it. In other words, one could argue that it proves how Phish was still pushing themselves even within the premise of that unbelievable set of all new music.

So let’s join Kevin to talk about Spongebob SquarePants, SPAC, and Abe Vagoda, as we discuss “You Never Know” from October 31, 2013 at the Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City.

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Hi everybody and welcome to today’s episode of Attendance Bias. I am your host, Brian Weinstein. Today, we continue and conclude our venue preview series for Phish’s 2025 September run with a look at the Hampton Coliseum in Virginia. I don’t often get nervous or intimidated on this podcast, but occasionally, a topic or show seems too big, too well known, too respected to sum up in one episode. Luckily, today’s episode features the best guest possible to help pull the weight for one of the most revered venues in Phish’s history: my friend Greg from Virginia. 

Greg has participated on Attendance Bias before, mostly to help with recaps and show notes. But today, he gives us the full-fledged history and preview of Hampton Coliseum; a venue that is so simple on the inside, yet holds tremendous weight and history not just for Phish, but for all of rock history, going back to the late 1960s. Granted, Phish is not the first band to leave their mark on the Mothership but at this point, they’ve played over 20 shows there, including some of the most important of their career.

So you can see why it was a bit scary to tackle this beloved venue when I began listening and taking notes for today’s episode. BUT I hope that Greg and I did well enough, as you get pumped for Phish’s 3 shows–September 19, 20, and 21, at Hampton Arena.

Let’s join Greg to talk about Colonial Williamsburg, NASA, and the best way to the beach as we preview and review Phish’s history at the Hampton Coliseum.

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Hi everybody and welcome to Attendance Bias. I am your host Brian Weinstein. Today, we continue our 2025 miniseries where we preview each venue on Phish’s late summer tour by visiting an old favorite: the Ameris Bank Amphitheater in Alpharetta, GA–colloquially known simply as “Alpharetta.” And when I say “an old favorite,” I mean for the band and fans.

Today’s guest -Dave Defeo–has never missed a Phish show at Alpharetta, and has lived in the area for over two decades, so he’s well equipped to give us the skinny on the amphitheater and its surrounding area. What I love most about this episode is that, since Phish has been playing Alpharetta for 15 years, there’s not too much new information to give about it (although we do our best), but there is a treasure trove of Phish history at Alpharetta. I don’t have the patience or capacity to check this, but I think there are more musical clips in today’s episode than any previous Attendance Bias episode. All good ones, too!

More than that, Dave owns and operates a restaurant just outside Atlanta called “My Parents’ Basement” that sounds like a dream come true–food, arcade games, comic books–all the stuff you wish you had in one place. But he’ll describe it more in just a few minutes.

So let’s talk about pinball, Lakewood, and Rage Against the Machine with Dave DeFeo to get ready for September 16 and 17 at the Ameris Bank Amphitheater in Alpharetta.

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Hi everybody and welcome to Attendance Bias. I am your host Brian Weinstein. Today, we continue our 2025 miniseries of previewing each venue on Phish’s late summer or early fall tour with a brand new venue–not just new to Phish fans but new to the world–the Coca Cola Amphitheater in Birmingham, Alabama.

Today’s guest to give us the inside scoop on the amphitheater is none other than the co-host of the Phish Phry Podcast and Alabama native, Bobby Shirley. Bobby and his son Oliver were on Attendance Bias about two years ago to tell about their experience at the Orion Amphitheater in Huntsville, Alabama where Bobby took Oliver to his first show and they were lucky enough to meet Trey before the show started. 

Bobby returns today to review Phish’s long history in the Birmingham area, diving into their two appearances in 1994, and their several performances at the Oak Mountain Amphitheater over the next 20-plus years. 

More than that, the Coca-Cola Amphitheater just opened at the time that Bobby and I spoke, so for all of you listeners who are planning to catch Phish at in Birmingham, we’ve got good news: this seems like the perfect place for a mid-September two night stand in the south.

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Hi everybody and welcome to Attendance Bias. I am your host Brian Weinstein. We are at the start of the late summer/early fall 2025 tour, and so it is time to look ahead to the venues Phish will be playing. This run is 8 shows in 4 separate venues, including today’s preview of the Bourbon and Beyond Festival in Louisville, KY on September 12.

While the rest of this tour is made up of familiar, or at least traditional, venues, this one night show on September 12 is the first time Phish is playing this particular festival, and the first time that Phish has played in Louisville since 1995. Our friend Andrew from Louisville is a resident of the city who has been waiting for Phish to announce a show in his hometown for a long time and was thrilled when the festival announced Phish as a headliner, although we both agreed that it’s a bit of a head scratcher. As we’ll hear Andrew explain, Bourbon and Beyond isn’t a typical music festival, although the musical headliners over the past few years have become more and more impressive, with Phish topping the list (at least for him). 

But the reason Phish is playing the festival doesn’t matter. The important thing is that the band is returning to the city that might best represent their theater era of the mid-90s, so who knows what they’ll bring to the stage when they play the Derby City in September. 

So let’s join Andrew as he gives us the history, the recommendations, the tips, and tricks to prepare for Phish’s headlining spot at the Bourbon and Beyond festival on September 12, 2025.

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Hi everybody and welcome to this week’s episode of Attendance Bias. I am your host, Brian Weinstein. I think that all Phish fans, or fans of live music in general, would agree that the venue in which you see a show is inextricably linked to your experience at that show. It’s almost impossible, at least for me, to separate the setting from the experience. We go deep into that idea with today’s guest, Jordan, the founder and owner of the VenueLlama website as well as Fire on the Mountain Chicken Wings. 

Today, Jordan chose a segment from one of his favorite shows that he thinks expresses pretty much everything a Phish show can be: the second half of September 3, 2022 at Dick’s: the portion we discuss includes The Moma Dance, No Quarter, 2001, and Split Open and Melt. Dick’s may be the most-represented venues on this podcast and I’m thrilled that Jordan chose this section and this show, because it’s another gem to explore. 

A chicken wings restaurant speaks for itself, but a theme that runs throughout our conversation is our opinions, references, and general romanticizing of various concert venues for live music both domestic and international. Of course, a venue can provide the ultimate Attendance Bias, and I think Jordan and I did a good job investigating that aspect of the concert going experience, as well as how he hopes that VenueLlama can make the experience the best it can be.

So let’s join Jordan to talk about chicken wings, Spanish architecture, and Freetown Christiana as we discuss the last segment of September 3, 2022 at Dick’s.

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Hi everybody and welcome to today's episode of Attendance Bias. I am your host, Brian Weinstein. Today’s guest is journalist and writer Mike Ayers. Mike’s new book, “Sharing in the Groove: The Untold Story of the ‘90s Jamband Explosion” covers exactly that–it’s an oral history of how a new scene and community developed, grew, and thrived in from the late 80s to the turn of the century. I read it in about 2 and a half days, and if you have any interest at all about the roots of our current jamband scene, it’s a must read.

If I may sound both nerdy and pretentious at the same time, I do consider myself a student of history. I’m fascinated by how customs, cultures, and patterns develop over time, whether or not we’re aware of them at the time. I love looking back, or listening to others–primary sources–look back and tell their stories with wisdom and insight. Park me in front of a Ken Burns documentary, and I’m occupied for hours. 

Now, if you do that and then make the topic something that I experienced and am genuinely interested in, I’m hooked. That is what Mike’s book did for me. I caught the 2nd half of the 90s jamband explosion once I broke away from mainstream radio and got into Phish, moe., and then other lesser known jambands in the latter-half of the 90s. But all I knew about them were their music, the names of the bandmembers, and the basics of their history.  What Sharing in the Groove offers is the behind the scenes look as to what brought this music, and this scene to me, and to you, and how everyone had a role whether or not we knew it at the time. Mike and I talk about different topics that the book touches on for nearly an hour of this episode, yet we barely scratch the surface. Again, “Sharing in the Groove” is a must-read.

On top of that, Mike chose an all-time jam for his Attendance Bias pick: The Went Gin, “Bathtub Gin” from the Great Went festival, August 17, 1997. When he first suggested it, I was genuinely surprised that it hadn’t been discussed on this podcast already. Now, we don’t go deep into the festival itself, but this singular 15 minute jam is enough to break down and appreciate as much as any other track ever discussed on here.

But enough from me. Let’s join Mike to talk about fraternity budgets, tape trading, file sharing, God Street Wine, and more as we discuss his book Sharing in the Groove, as well as the Went Gin from August 17, 1997. 

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Hi everybody and welcome to this week’s episode of Attendance Bias. I am your host, Brian Weinstein. Whenever a guest messages me and wants to tell a story about a show from the fall 1995 tour, it’s nearly impossible to say no. And when it’s a guest who has previously been on the podcast, I know it’ll be a compelling conversation. Such is the case today, when Brian Blatt joins me to tell about Phish’s incredible show from December 7, 1995 at the Niagara Falls Convention Center in Niagara Falls, NY.

Brian is the host of the High Pitched Cavitation radio show, and has previously came onto Attendance Bias to discuss his experience seeing Phish in April, 1994 at the Concert Hall in Toronto. That conversation centered around seeing Phish in the great north at a time when they were at the tail end of their theater and smaller venue era but still playing large venues in the summer and the end of the year. They had a foot in both worlds, in a transition period. By today’s show in December 1995, the transition is nearly complete. Phish was at the end of a 3-month tour where they would play anything and everything. 

It came to a head in a most explosive way at Niagara Falls, and fans of a certain tape-collecting age know all about it. If you’re a newer or newish fan, you might know that this show has been released officially by LivePhish. Whether or not this show is new to you, it’s worth a listen for sure.

So let’s join Brian to talk about West Coast Phish, Western New York Phish, and Tetris, as we discuss December 7, 1995 at the Niagara Falls Convention Center, in Niagara Falls, NY.

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Hi everybody and welcome to today’s episode of Attendance Bias. I am your host, Brian Weinstein. I would imagine that most of us have been there: a Phish show where the first set gets off to a typical start, and then something happens-maybe a bustout or a special guest-that makes the show instantly memorable. Or maybe a show where the weather takes a turn for the worse and the show has to end early or there’s a downpour that’s almost as memorable as the music. Well, today’s guest, Ric Hickey is here to tell us about a show that has both: July 1, 1999 at the Starwood Amphitheater in Antioch, Tennessee. 

When Phish comes to Nashville, it’s not a given that there will be special guests onstage, but the odds are in your favor. Ric tells us about seeing Phish in the early 90s around the Cincinnati area and various parts of Ohio, but also how he became familiar with the Nashville area. The 1999 summer tour has become a popular time to discuss on Attendance Bias, and Ric was there for the tour’s first few shows in the southeast. While he wasn’t a bluegrass aficionado at the time, he was still impressed by the lineup of country royalty that joined Phish during the first set of this show for a mix of bluegrass standards and Phish originals. Then, a rollicking rainstorm caused an early end to the 2nd set, leaving most fans went, muddy, disoriented, but hopefully satisfied. But we’ll let Ric tell the story.

Let’s join Ric to talk about the complex chord progression of Billy Breathes, short-lived DAT recordings, and what a dobro guitar sounds like as we discuss July 1, 1999 in Nashville.

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 Hello everybody and welcome to today's bonus episode of Attendance Bias. Today is a recap episode, so it's going to be a little different from what you may expect from normal episodes. I do have a co-host today that is JW Josh from the Stub Me Down Podcast. He and I tend to do recaps after Phish runs that we've attended either together, or at least both of us attended at the same time.

And today is hot on the heels of the Forest Hills 2025, summer, two-night run, we both had a lot of thoughts about this two night run, about the crowd and the environment, the venue, as well as the music play. So today's gonna be a little different because I did not edit even a word of this, and I also did not include any music clips.

I thought it would be in the best interest to get it out as soon as possible. So whether you were at the Forest Hills two night stand, one night of them, or you weren't there at all, but you just want to get a look or a listen as to what it was like to be there, give it a listen. You could always hear Stub Me Down, Josh's podcast, anywhere you get podcasts, and then we'll continue regular episodes of Attendance Bias after the summer tour is over.

In the meantime, enjoy today's Forest Hills recap with myself, Brian Weinstein and Josh from the Stu Me Down podcast.

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Hi everybody and welcome to the last episode of this Attendance Bias mini-series, in which we previewed each venue Phish will play during their upcoming summer 2025 tour: We just took a look at a new venue to the Phish world: Forest Hills Stadium. Today, we turn our attention to an old favorite; a venue that has been a part of the Phish conversation longer than some fans have been alive, literally.

Today, I am joined by family: My sister in law, Liz Ratto, who coincidentally is not only a Phish fan who has been to SPAC several times, but is also a resident of Saratoga Springs! When planning out this series, I was a little nervous about this episode, because Phish has been playing this venue for so long, who knows what new information we could provide? But the answer is: a lot! Liz gives some great pro tips for not only attending the show, but things to do around Saratoga while you’re in town for these three nights that close the tour: July 25, 26, and 27.

Phish has a long history at SPAC, but an even longer history in Saratoga. But lets hear it from the locals. Join me and Liz to hear how to make the best of Phish’s final run of tour in Saratoga

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Hi everybody and welcome to Attendance Bias. I am your host Brian Weinstein. Get ready for some venue whiplash; after three nights at the largest indoor venue on the tour in Chicago, Phish leaves the second city to arrive in New York. More specifically, July 22 and 23 at Forest Hills Stadium in Forest Hills, Queens; home to The Ramones, Simon and Garfunkel, and Peter Parker. 

If you’ve listened to Attendance Bias for any amount of time, you’ve probably heard me mention that I live in Forest Hills, so today’s episode is a homecoming; I don’t think I’ve ever lived closer to any music venue. Before these shows, I’ve never been able to walk to a Phish concert from my front door. And who would be the best guest in the world to give a preview of this venue and this neighborhood? None other than my wife, Michela Ratto. Michela has been on Attendance Bias once before, and while I mostly give background information and context about this venue that is new to the Phish world, she gives plenty of tips and tricks to help any listeners coming to these two shows, filling everyone in on what to expect.

We cover a lot in today’s episode; the history of the Forest Hills Tennis Stadium, what the neighborhood is like, the best ways to get there, and of course we give our takes on the controversial headlines about the stadium that crop up ahead of every summer concert season. Ironically, this is the longest episode of this venue preview series, but there are no music clips, since Phish has not only never played the stadium before but they’ve never played the entire borough of Queens!

So join Michela and I to get the inside scoop on the Forest Hills Stadium, our theories as to why Phish chose to play the smallest New York City venue they’ve played in years, and where to get the best food once you get inside on July 22 and 23rd. 

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Hi everybody and welcome back to the Attendance Bias mini series of previewing each venue of the Phish 2025 summer tour. By now, we’ve gotten the scoop on the SNHU Arena in Manchester, The Pete in Pittsburgh, the Moody Center in Austin, Folsom Field in Boulder, the Schottenstein Center in Columbus, the North Charleston Coliseum, and the Mann in Philadelphia. We are nearing the end of this series as our episode today focuses on Phish’s three-night run at the United Center in Chicago on July 18, 19, and 20. 

Today, I am joined by Brendan, longtime resident of the Chicagoland area, and he has seen his share of Phish shows in and around the Windy City. More to the point, he has seen tons of sporting events at the United Center, and attended two out of Phish’s three inaugural shows at the massive arena in the fall of 2023. 

Since Phish has only played one previous run at the United Center, there isn’t a lot to dig into there, but there is a ton to talk about when it comes to Phish’s Chicago history, the background of the venue itself, and obviously, recommendations for things to do around Chicago during this three-day run. Let’s join Brendan to talk about it all.

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Hi everybody and welcome to Attendance Bias. I am your host Brian Weinstein. We are just past the mid-point of this Attendance Bias mini-series, in which we preview each venue Phish will play during their upcoming summer 2025 tour. We are coming off our visit to the Palmetto State for the North Charleston Coliseum, and today’s episode is all about a venue that feels like it’s been around forever in the Phish world: the Mann Music Center in Philadelphia, PA. I always group Philadelphia in with Merriweather Post, SPAC, and Jones Beach as part of the I-95 Corridor tour circuit, and while there is truth to that, there is a richer Phish history at The Mann than most venues. 

Today, I am joined by my friends Tom and Stephanie who have long-standing roots to Philadelphia and Tom especially has a long history with the Mann. While there may not be too much for northeast Phish fans to learn about Philadelphia, we do our best to offer recommendations, tips and tricks, and wallow in some good old nostalgia about past Phish shows in Philadelphia, as is our want here on Attendance Bias. 

So get pumped for July 15 and 16, as Tom, Stephanie, and I take a long look at the Mann Music Center in Philadelphia.

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Hi everybody and welcome to Attendance Bias. I am your host Brian Weinstein. We are at the halfway point of the tour by now, having just visited the Schottenstein Center in Columbus for the first time, it is now time to visit an old favorite: The North Charleston Coliseum in Charleston, South Carolina for a THREE NIGHT weekend run! A city brimming with both American history and Phish history, we are lucky enough today to be joined by Charleston native Dave Scozarro who tells us about both: places to see, things to do, and highlights from Phish’s 35 years playing The Holy City. 

In a sense, you can track Phish’s entire career arc by keeping track of the venues they’ve played in Charleston since 1990. From small clubs, to larger clubs, to small theaters, and finally, the N. Charleston Coliseum. They moved in in 1995 and never left. Sure, they played two shows at the local tennis stadium a few years ago, and Dave explains why it may not be such a great idea for the Phish crowd for them to continue there.

But there’s so much to love about both Charleston and the coliseum. World-class food in the city, general admission seating in the venue, and almost four decades of music to dig into. Let’s join Dave as he prepares us for July 11, 12, and 13 in Charleston.

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Hi everybody and welcome to Attendance Bias. I am your host Brian Weinstein. We are almost at the halfway point of the tour by now, arriving from Phish’s 3-night holiday weekend stand at Folsom Field to one of the larger indoor venues on tour: the Schottenstein Center in Columbus on the campus of THE Ohio State University. This is Phish’s first time playing at the Schot, and luckily, today’s guests have a deep well of knowledge about both Columbus and the venue itself. My friends Ryan and Shannon are here to tell about different neighborhoods of Ohio’s capital city, great restaurant recommendations, and stories galore from Phish’s history in Columbus.

For the most part, the modern Phish touring machine has always stopped at the now-defunct Polaris Amphitheater when it was time for the tour to visit Columbus. However, a legendary storm–some remember it as a tornado–made its way over the city during a show in 2000, and Phish hasn’t been back since. The summer of 2025 is the return of the king.

In addition to huge venues and college campuses, that reinforces another trend of this upcoming tour; the band’s return to cities and towns that have been long-dormant on the Phish tour itinerary. Manchester, Boulder, Austin, and now Columbus fans are thrilled to welcome Phish back to their respective cities. Certainly, you can hear the excitement in Shannon and Ryan’s voices.

So let’s dive into pro digs for college kids with Ryan and Shannon to get ready for July 9 at the Schottenstein Center in Columbus, OH.

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Hi everybody and welcome to Attendance Bias. I am your host Brian Weinstein. After an odd summertime Texas stop in Austin, Phish is keeping us disoriented this year: it’s now time for a holiday weekend run in Colorado…but not the one we expect. Instead of the end-of-summer blowout at Dick’s over Labor Day Weekend this summer, we are instead celebrating our country’s independence with a July 4th weekend party at a college football stadium almost double the size of Dick’s: July 3, 4, and 5 at Folsom Field, in Boulder, CO.

Today’s guest, Bryan from Boulder., has lived in the college town for over 20 years and has a lot to offer Attendance Bias listeners today. While thousands of Phish fans have made Dick’s their summer family reunion this year is a change of scenery, not to mention an adjustment to the calendar. When these shows were rumored, and then announced, there were mixed feelings among the fanbase (at least those who made their opinions known online). Bryan explains why there’s so much to look forward to in Boulder, and how, in many ways, Folsom Field has a lot to offer, compared to Dick’s. 

But it’s not all just a comparison of two Colorado stadiums. There’s also the band’s history in Boulder, the activities within and around the city, restaurant and brewery recommendations, and more. I think a lot of us are curious about what this run is going to look like, and today’s episode might be able to give us some answers to frequently asked Folsom questions.

So let’s join Bryan from Boulder, longtime resident, to give us the lowdown on what to expect for July 4th weekend at Folsom Field in Boulder, Colorado.

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Hi everybody and welcome to Attendance Bias. I am your host Brian Weinstein. After two days off and a very very long drive, we are at the third stop of our tour: The Moody Center in Austin, Texas for June 27 and 28. It’s rare that Phish stops in Texas, rare that they stop in Texas for the summer, and even more rare that they’ll play in Austin–it’s been about 15 years since the capitol city entertained the band and its fans. 

Today’s guest, Dianna Hank (known in social media circles as Dianna 2Ns) lives in Austin and is thrilled for Phish to come back to the offbeat city and help keep it weird. If Austin is a city you haven’t gotten around to visiting, Dianna makes a strong case for why you should make your way to the City of the Violet Crown, for Phish or otherwise.

While Phish has a respectable history in Austin, including an appearance on the long-running PBS show Austin City Limits, and an appearance at the related festival, this 2025 weekend run is primed to be the best. This is the band’s first time playing the new, air-conditioned, indoor venue for a two-night run with guaranteed pre-show and post-show live music to be found, great vibes and delicious food in abundance, and more. 

So whether you’re on tour, a Texas native, or flying into town just for the weekend, Dianna is here to give us the lowdown on June 27 and 28 at the Moody Center in Austin, Texas.

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Hi everybody and welcome to Attendance Bias. I am your host Brian Weinstein. We are fully on tour by now, having visited Manchester, New Hampshire and now on the 9-and-a-half-hour drive to the Pete–that is the Petersen Events Center, on the University of Pittsburgh campus–in Pittsburgh, PA. For whatever reason, the band decided to skip Star Lake in Burgettstown in favor of this modest-size collegiate arena that has played host to Phish twice in recent memory. 

But if you’re on tour and decide to skip Pittsburgh because it’s out of the way, you’re missing out on a whole lot. Today’s guest, Emily Bush, bleeds black and gold. With deep family roots in Pittsburgh, and an understanding of the city’s amenities and history, she offers an insider’s guide to what Phish fans should see, do, eat, drink, and expect for the first single-night stop of the tour.

Although I don’t think a visit to Pittsburgh is in the cards for me this summer, there were points during today’s conversation, when I wanted to suggest to my wife that we move to the Steel City. After I got off the call with Emily I started to Google some of the apartment complexes and neighborhoods she mentions, and although I’m staying in New York for the foreseeable future, moving to Pittsburgh is not a 0% option, regardless of how Phish plays this summer.

So let’s get excited for the second stop of the tour: June 24, as Emily gives us the low down on The Petersen Events Center, and Pittsburgh as a whole in today’s episode.

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Hi everybody and welcome to the first episode of this new series of Attendance Bias: over the next few weeks, we are going to take a look at venue Phish is going to play on their upcoming 2025 summer tour; from old favorites like SPAC and The Mann, to first-time visits for Phish, like Folsom Field and Forest Hills Stadium.

Today, I am joined by returning guest Chris Casey and his partner Jenn, both New Hampshire natives, to give us a local view of the SNHU Arena, or the “SNU,” at which Phish will open their summer tour with a 3-night run on June 20, 21, and 22.

Phish doesn’t have a big history at the venue, but Chris and Jenn have a long history in Manchester, and New Hampshire as a whole. So, what follows is a mix of a venue preview and a travelogue. I hope you enjoy it and look forward to our previews of other venues on the summer tour.

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Hi everybody and welcome to today’s episode of Attendance Bias. I am your host, Brian Weinstein. Not many guests have come on the podcast to talk about anything from the year 2000. It’s kind of a lost year when most fans consider the tail end of 1.0. 1999 gets a lot of love, Big Cypress is the unquestioned greatest of all time, but what about those 52 shows that capped the 1.0 era? 

Today’s guest, Brad Rosen, joins us today all the way from Israel to help plug in that gap. Brad went to a bunch of shows on the 2000 fall tour, and if he had his way, I have a feeling that he would want to have an episode about every single one. But we were able to whittle today’s guest spot down to highlights from the Albany 2000 run: September 8 and 9 2000 at the Knickerbocker Arena, known then as the Pepsi Center.

Phish was just about a month away from their first hiatus, but this 2-night stand presents a band that has it all, with maybe the edges beginning to fray as they drift from one jam to another with few boundaries in sight. Throughout the show, you can hear the crowd responding to the band with ceaseless energy, although we’ll also hear Brad explain how, if there were few boundaries in the music, things were definitely fraying in the lot scene. 

So give Farmhouse another spin, make some room for Michael Ray, and don’t forget to stop at Hershey as Brad and I discuss September 8 and 9, 2000 in Albany.

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Hi everybody and welcome to today’s episode of Attendance Bias. I am your host, Brian Weinstein. At Dick’s in 2013, Phish famously used the setlist to spell out the phrase: “Most Shows Spell Something.” It was a good goof at the time, but it also inspired thousands of fans to take the message literally and inspect the band’s song choices at any given show and, sometimes, craft a motif, theme, or narrative that might change a listener’s perspective and they would see and hear the show through a completely different lens than usual. 

Today’s guest, Jeffrey Rosenberg tells us that at least one show spelled something. Jeffrey chose to discuss August 9, 2024 at the Bethel Woods Center for the Arts. Where most of us would hear a standard-great Phish show that night, Jeffrey heard meditations on love, action, addiction, recovery, and more. At times, today’s conversation may sound like the podcast version of the Always Sunny in Philadelphia Pepe Silvia meme, but as you listen, I hope you can hang with Jeffrey and I, whether or not you think the theory holds water.

But in the end, that’s what Attendance Bias is for: every fan gets their own story, and every fan’s perspective is valid. As you’ll hear me say a few times during today’s episode, I’m grateful that Jeffrey came on the show to share his perspective, because he was able to talk about songs that I’ve heard literally hundreds of times and, with a few sentences, provide a new way for me to consider the lyrics. It stuff like that, that makes this podcast such a joy. I hope you feel the same way after today’s episode.

So let’s join Jeffrey to talk about New York tornadoes, summer 2000, and The Mary Tyler Moore show as we discuss August 9, 2024 at Bethel Woods.

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Hi everybody and welcome to today’s episode of Attendance Bias. I am your host, Brian Weinstein. Today, we have a returning guest: published author Rachael Wesley, who–as of today–has released her memoir, “Second Set Chances,” published by Vine Leaves Press. 

The last time Rachael was on Attendance Bias, about three years ago, she was working on the sixth draft of what would become Second Set Chances. At the time, she didn’t have much to say about the memoir, as it was still very much a work in progress. Instead, we focused on her favorite genre of writing–Creative Nonfiction–and we went deep into talking about the version of “Simple” from 8/29/14 at Dick’s.

But this time is a bit different. Rachael is back, and Second Set Chances is available at her website, RachaelWesley.com and at VineLeavesPress.com. You’ll hear how Rachael took these last three years to make her story become a fully published work. Just as importantly for THIS podcast, you’ll also hear us break down Down with Disease into Carini from December 29. 2013 at Madison Square Garden; an incredible sequence that capped off the best year of 3.0 to that point, and two jams that hold up 12 years later.

So let’s join Rachael to talk about Second Set chances, DNA strands, and the best flavors of La Croix as we discuss Down with Disease into Carini from Madison Square Garden on December 29, 2013. 

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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.

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Hi everybody, and welcome to Attendance Bias. I am your host, Brian Weinstein. You know, prom night is full of cliches: carnations, gowns, tuxedos, slow dances, limousines, and so on. Now, take all those tropes and add an unexpected twist: your afterparty is taking your limo with a bunch of friends into Manhattan to see Phish play two sets at the hottest live music club in the city. And THAT is the story of today’s guest, Josh Gertz, who is here to tell us about his prom afterparty: Phish’s show on June 9, 1990 at the Wetlands Preserve. My prom afterparty was to go to the Limelight Nightclub and then to Wildwood, New Jersey for the weekend. I’d trade that for Josh’s experience in a heartbeat.

Phish was in a transitional period in 1990; they were still composing their multi-part nerd-rock opuses, but were also poking out of the comfort of the northeast, slowly growing their audience while they infused their strange band personality with musical virtuosity. It’s arguably for the better that Josh didn’t know what he was getting himself into, because even 35 years ago, the band was figuratively and literally pushing their boundaries.

This incredible music all played out against the backdrop of the Wetlands Preserve. Talking about lower Manhattan is a constant refrain in today’s conversation; Josh is originally from Northern New Jersey, and I’m originally from Long Island, so two households, both alike in dignity, going to the city to see live jamband music bore some common talking points. And that was just the beginning of our conversation.

So bring your change of clothes, cool off if you need to, and give Trey a high five as Josh Gertz tells us about Phish at the Wetlands on June 9, 1990.

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Hi everybody and welcome to today’s episode of Attendance Bias. I am your host, Brian Weinstein. Today’s guest is kickass bassist, singer, songwriter, bandleader, musical omnivore and big-time Phishhead, Karina Rykman.

If you’ve been paying attention to the jamband and jamband-adjacent scene for any time over the past 5 years or so, or maybe a bit longer than that, I imagine that you’ve heard of, seen the same of, or been lucky enough to hear Karina Rykman. She performs live with her guitarist and effects-man Adam November and drummer Chris Corsico as a psychedelic bass-led power trio that will blow you away. For those of you who are on a strict Phish diet and may not be familiar with Karina, you should be aware that she has played bass onstage with Mike Gordon in several different configurations and, as of this episode, is preparing to open for him in New Orleans during Jazz Fest. In addition, she has roots with Trey Anastasio and his family going all the way back to her middle school days, and Trey co-produced her debut album, Joyride.

Karina and I cover a lot of topics in today’s conversation, including our experiences in New York City, her influences in terms of music and life, what it was like to record her album, and her upcoming gig at Webster Hall in New York City on Saturday, May 10. But fear not: there are Phish references and chatter about the band sprinkled throughout our conversation.

Also, it wouldn’t be an Attendance Bias episode if the guest didn’t pick out a special Phish experience, and Karina chose a doozie: October 30, 2010 at Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City where Phish truly blew everyone’s minds with a Tweezerfest that weaved bits and pieces of Led Zeppelin songs throughout.

But there’s so much more to it than that. Let’s join Karina to talk about songwriting craft, rocks off boat cruises, and the best place in Manhattan for smoked salmon as we discuss October 30, 2010 in Atlantic City, and much more.

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Hi everybody and welcome to today’s episode of Attendance Bias. I am your host, Brian Weinstein. I do my best to be modest about this podcast, but I have to say: today’s episode has pretty much everything that makes this show a joy to listen to and produce: an enthusiastic guest who came with plenty to say about herself and the show she chose, a Phish show that provided plenty of rabbit holes to go down, comparisons between Phish’s past and present, and of course, a high-profile guest star that caused a bit of controversy in the Phish community after the show. Today’s wonderful guest is Patty Gambill, and the show she chose to discuss is from August 6, 2024 at Van Andel Arena, in Grand Rapids Michigan.

This show, and the next night were Phish’s first shows at the minor league hockey arena since 1998, and an indoor show during summer tour as well. There were plenty of signs to predict that these would be special shows, but the summer of 2024 seemed to shake something loose in both the band and the fanbase, so it’s hard to call any specific show special, when almost every show was special. We try to get to the heart of it but I think that this will be an ongoing conversation for a long while.

But enough from me. Let’s join Patty to talk about special guests, bluegrass, and more as we August 6, 2024 at Van Andel Arena in Grand Rapids. 

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Hi everybody and welcome to today’s episode of Attendance Bias. I am your host, Brian Weinstein. Today’s guest is Ian from Montana, who is here to tell about his experience seeing Phish on July 24, 2015 at the Shoreline Amphitheater in Mountain View, CA where he went from being a casual 3.0 Phish fan to a Phish family man. The show marked a turning point for him and what a Phish concert experience could be like.

2015 was a transformative year for Phish. Not only did Trey kick off the year with the legendary Fare Thee Well Grateful Dead celebration, but the summer tour began with nearly a full album’s worth of new material, but each member of the band came ready to play with an array of new effects and sounds that seemed to gel right from the get-go at the tour opener in Oregon. Today’s show was the next stop on the tour, and the band capitalized on their auspicious opening just a few days before.

While the show was a mixed bag in terms of jamming, Ian was there with his whole family–his wife and his two young children. As we discuss, taking kids to a Phish show can be a contentious topic in our small community, but he pulled it off with aplomb, and this was the show they were all meant to see. So let’s join Ian to talk about west coast crowds, Round Room, and Bill Graham as we discuss July 24, 2015 at Shoreline Amphitheater in California.

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Hi everybody and welcome to today’s episode of Attendance Bias. I am your host, Brian Weinstein. By now, everyone recognizes just how special last summer’s Mondegreen festival was, inclusive of the music and the overall experience. Today’s guest, Seamus Gallivan had a premonition of how special the festival would be to him, and emailed me several weeks ahead of time and asked me if he could kind of reserve the festival, to come on the podcast and talk about it after it was played.

No one has ever asked to reserve a show before, so I wasn’t sure how to respond. I told Seamus to hold off and see how the festival went, what his experience was, and what there would be to talk about. But in the end, Seamus was right. There was plenty to discuss. While I did release a full-festival recap soon after the festival was over, Seamus got back in touch and asked if he could tell his story about night three of Mondegreen: August 17, 2024. Certainly to both of us, it was the musical highlight of the weekend.

And you can hear it in our voices during today’s conversation. Seamus came prepared with tons of notes and observations, many of which mirrored mine, demonstrating that we were on the same page. You can even hear our voices rise and we start to speak faster and faster as we approach some of the night’s musical highlights. 

And, believe me, there’s no shortage of highlights. Let’s join Seamus to talk about Trey’s kooky guitar tones, the San Francisco Bay Area, and much more as we discuss night 3 of the Monegreen Festival from August 17, 2024 The Woodlands in Dover, Delaware.

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Get ready for Wednesday's full episode about 8/17/24 in Dover, DE with Seamus Gallivan! In the meantime, Attendance Bias listeners called in to share some of their favorite memories, and odd musings, from this past summer's Mondegreen Festival! Kill a few minutes in anticipation of Wednesday's full episode. Enjoy!

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Hi everybody and welcome to today’s episode of Attendance Bias. I am your host, Brian Weinstein. If you’re a regular listener of the podcast, you know the typical format. But I love it when a guest has an idea and we have to think a little out of the box so that the guest can tell his or her story while still keeping the familiar segments of the show. Today, Ryan Miners helped make that happen. Rather than choosing one specific show or jam, Ryan wanted to talk about two sequences that both involve the insane instrumental, “Buried Alive:” The first one is Buried Alive into Poor Heart from November 9, 1996 at the Palace at Auburn Hills, and the second one is Buried Alive into AC/DC Bag from August 11, 2024 at Bethel Woods. Two Buried Alive segues, roughly 28 years apart. 

But even though we didn’t cover an entire show, there was no shortage of content for Ryan and and I to cover. Between the 28-year gap of these two segues, we touched on a tremendous amount of information, not hesitating to go off on tangents where, at one point, Ryan flips the script and puts me on the hot seat!!

There’s something about a good Phish segue that brings out the best in the audience, and Ryan was able to explain exactly what made these two so special. But I don’t want to spoil it. Let’s join Ryan to talk about the Wetlands Preserve, the history of Deer Creek, and what it means to hear the line “Thank you Mr. Miner,” as we discuss segues from Buried Alive from 1996 and 2024.  

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Hi everybody and welcome to this week’s episode of Attendance Bias. I am your host, Brian Weinstein. While we’ve spent a good amount of time on Attendance Bias discussing the fall 1995 tour, there was a short southeast swing after the Quadrophenia Halloween show that we’ve never touched on, and that I have to admit, I don’t think I’ve ever listened to. After Halloween in Chicago, the band took an 8-day break and then played three nights in Atlanta before 4 consecutive nights traveling and playing shows in the state of Florida. Today’s guest, Matthew Wheelwright is here to tell about one of those shows: November 14, 1995 at the University of Central Florida Arena in Orlando.

Matthew is an ideal guest to tell us about this outstanding show from fall 95: he’s seen a ton of shows since 1990, he is a knowledgeable fan who can tell about the show both in real time and in context of Phish history, and is just as excited to talk about the show today in 2024 as he was 19 years ago. 

Not only does the audience recording from this show sound pristine, but there’s plenty to highlight: a psychedelic version of “Free,” a fully acoustic “I’m Blue, I’m Lonesome,” and the best known part of this show: an insane sequence the kicks off with “Stash” and goes in and out of several segments before closing with “You Enjoy Myself.” 

But all that just scratches the surface. Let’s join Matthew to talk about dynamics, clean cut college kids, and why you should thank a taper today, as we discuss Phish’s show from November 14, 1995 at The UCF Arena in Orlando.

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Hi everybody and welcome to today’s episode of Attendance Bias. I am your host, Brian Weinstein. 

Today’s guest, Cris Coey, chose to speak about Phish’s show at the Rupp Arena in Lexington, Kentucky from November 7, 1996. It’s a show that is famous in Phish history for mostly one reason–the long, multi-faceted version of Bathtub Gin that is jammed out in the middle of the 2nd set. The has been released twice on soundboard by LivePhish, and for good reason: widely known as the “Rupp Gin,” the jam perfectly encapsulates everything that was great about Phish in 1996. There are innumerable great Phish jams, but this is a rare one that gets a specific name based on its location. Yeah, one of those jams.

However, this episode is not just about that Bathtub Gin. As Cris and I discuss, Phish had a lot to offer in 1996 as they embraced their newfound dominance in arenas and large-scale venues, coast to coast. They were done with theaters and the occasional arena. With Billy Breathes demonstrating their maturing songwriting skills and expertise in the studio, as well as having conquered the abstract rock madness of 1995, Phish had one foot in the past and one in the future, when they had yet to destroy America. Although the Bathtub Gin is the centerpiece of the show, there’s much more to it.

As we talked, it became obvious that Cris is a fan’s fan. He’s obviously attended a lot of great Phish shows in his time, and we had a lot in common, but also some disagreements in our opinions. It was really a pleasure to hear some new points of view when I took my opinions for granted. But I don’t want to get ahead of myself.

Let’s join Cris to chat about Frankenstein, the YEM vocal jam, and whether or not northeast Ohio is Phish country as we break down November 7, 1996 at The Rupp Arena in Lexington.

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Hi everybody and welcome to today’s episode of Attendance Bias. I am your host, Brian Weinstein. We’ve discussed several shows from the legendary Baker’s Dozen on Attendance Bias, but this is the first episode where we talk about the Baker’s Dozen’s little brother: a show from Phish’s 7-show run in the summer of 2023. Today’s guest is Lucas Jordan who came on the podcast to talk about his experience at Madison Square Garden on August 1, 2023-the fourth show of that seven show residency.

Now, it’s a bit unfair to mention this show in the same breath as the Baker’s Dozen, especially since Lucas wasn’t a big Phish fan back in 2017. In the beginning of our conversation, it was hard to shake the comparisons. But as we went on, it’s clear that the 2023 residency could stand on its own. This wasn’t Lucas’ first Phish show, but it was the one where he truly became absorbed in the impact the live scene can have on a fan, penetrating his sense of what is possible at a live concert. 

But that’s Lucas’ story to tell. Let’s join him to talk about Chicago venue, the rarity of Timber Ho, who’s got the best voice in the band, and more as we discuss August 1, 2023 at Madison Square Garden.

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Hi everybody and welcome to today’s episode of Attendance Bias. I am your host, Brian Weinstein. Today’s guest is Katie, but she is probably better known as The Phunky Witch around the Phish Twitter community. For today’s episode, Katie chose a stunning, psychedelic segment from Phish’s visit to the Sphere in Las Vegas: “Theme from the Bottom into Split Open and Melt” from April 19, 2024. 

Even though the band’s 4-show stand at The Sphere happened fairly recently, I just knew it was a matter of time before a guest chose to talk about the music from that run. From any perspective, The enormity of The Sphere seems to be the perfect venue to discuss attendance bias. Is it possible to convey the experience of being at The Sphere in words? Or does one have to be in attendance to understand what it’s like? Luckily, Katie chose a segment of the show where we can hear the musical magic and she does a great job explaining why it was special to be there.

So let’s join Katie to talk about red eye flights, the Nassau Coliseum, and black eyes as we discuss “Theme from the Bottom into Split Open and Melt” from April 19, 2024 at The Sphere in Las Vegas.

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Hi everybody and welcome to this week’s episode of Attendance Bias. I am your host, Brian Weinstein. Today, we welcome back guest Adam Jerugim. Adam previously told about seeing “Harry Hood” on April 18, 1992 at Stanford University, and after today, he seems to be the Attendance Bias resident expert on west coast Phish in the 90s. 

In today’s episode, Adam and I expand our conversation to a full show, and that full show is Phish at the Warfield Theater in San Francisco on May 27, 1994. This was the third of three shows at the Warfield, and it came toward the last week of the 1994 spring tour. 

On Attendance Bias, we often talk about transitional years and signposts to major musical changes in the Phish evolution but when it comes to late spring and summer of 1994, it’s okay to just sit back and show to love to a band at a major peak. This show, while maybe not a tentpole of a peak year, still has superlative versions of David Bowie, Harry Hood, Reba, plus some trademark Phish goofiness and oddity appearances. But we get into all that in a moment.

One theme I loved talking about with Adam was Phish’s growing popularity on the west coast at this time. While the band would make their debut at Madison Square Garden late in the year and celebrate New Year’s Eve at Boston Garden, they were still reasonably in the middle of the pack when it came to the west coast. Selling out three nights at The Warfield seemed to send a signal that things were about to change, big time. Today’s show, as classic as it is, still frames the band at a time when they were about to blow up big time up and down the Pacific coast. There’s a lot going on.   

So let’s join Adam to talk about the Bay Bridge, opera singers, and whether shushing is better than wooing as we discuss May 27, 1994 at The Warfield Theater.

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Hi everybody and welcome to today’s episode of Attendance Bias. I am your host, Brian Weinstein. If you pay attention to the Phish podcast world, or the Goose podcast world, then you’re certainly familiar with today’s guest: Ryan Storm. Ryan is the host of the Almost Always There podcast as well as We Move Through Stormy Weather on Osiris Media, and you’ll find his reviews, commentary and general thoughts about the jamband scene at all of his outlets, which you can find in today’s show notes.

Ryan previously appeared on Attendance Bias in the summer of 2023 for a Madison Square Garden recap, and we were trying to arrange a traditional Attendance Bias appearance since even before that! Today is that day! Ryan chose to tell his story about the Phish show from October 22, 2021 at the Ak-Chin (though I knew it as Desert Sky) Pavilion in Phoenix, AZ.  While the summer 2021 tour was a mixed bag in terms of Phish and the Phish community  coming back from  quarantine and getting back on its feet, the fall tour was full of musical highlights and the true beginning of the 4.0 era.

Plus, this was likely the last traditional Phish tour; the band would announce several dates all over the west coast, with several being one-night stands. It’s likely that this tour will be the last time that you could go city to city and see just two shows. Along with the slew of new songs and keyboard and guitar effects, this was the end of one era and the beginning of another. 

So let’s join Ryan to talk about family, tension, and much more as we discuss October 22, 2021 in Phoenix Arizona.

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As we prepare for Ryan Storm's episode about 10/22/21 at The Desert Sky Pavilion in Phoenix, we also are preparing for our next episode with Adam Jerugim: 5/27/94 at The Warfield in San Francisco.

Have memories from spring 1994? Call 516-366-5732 and leave a message of your thoughts, opinions, and memories from spring 1994!

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Hi everyone! Do you have memories, thoughts, ideas, or criticisms about 10/22/21 at Desert Sky Pavilion? Want to share them? Call 516-366-5732 and leave a message as we get ready for the next Attendance Bias episode with Ryan Storm of Osiris Media! I can't wait to hear from you!

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Hi everybody and welcome to today’s episode of Attendance Bias. I am your host, Brian Weinstein. There are a lot of Phish shows that are seen as turning points in both the band’s career and the evolution of their sound over 40 years. The Paradise in 1988, Gamehendge in Great Woods, New Year’s ‘95, Halloween 1996, and dozens more. Those are the high profile ones. Because there are also shows that can fit the description of “turning points” but don’t get the same sort of attention as the ones I just mentioned. Today’s guest, Josh Buswell-Charkow was in attendance for such a show: November 2, 1996 at the Coral Sky Amphitheater in West Palm Beach, Florida.

This show isn’t exactly an unknown–Phish did release a DVD of it after all–but it does get lost in the hubbub of the band’s Talking Heads Halloween costume and then the insane Las Vegas show that closed the tour in December.  The popular narrative often goes that Phish covered Remain in Light on Halloween, played small venues in Europe in the winter of 1997, and changed their sound to the cow funk we all know and love by the middle of the summer.

However, there were little steps in between those touch points and today’s show is one of them. Guest starring percussionist Karl Parazzo for the entire show, the listener can hear the band changing their overall sound almost on the spot, infusing the Talking Heads-style repetitive rhythm while purposely making space for the guest star. 

But there’s even more to it than that. Let’s join Josh to talk about the best time to be in Florida, the best Phish guest stars, and more as we discuss November 2, 1996 at the Coral Sky Amphitheater.

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Hi everybody and welcome to this week’s episode of Attendance Bias. I am your host, Brian Weinstein. It was an absolute thrill to talk to today’s guest, Michael Benjamin about July 6, 2012 at SPAC. It was a thrill for two main reasons: First, I knew I was talking with a real fan about a genuinely exciting show, because he drove over 6 hours to get to the venue, and crossed the border, since Michael lived in Canada at the time. 

But also, today’s conversation selfishly granted me a wish that I didn’t even know I had. Michael comes to us today from Stockholm, Sweden. I’ve had Canadian guests before, so Michael isn’t the first international guest, but I’ve never had a European guest! Attendance Bias has gone intercontinental! We are everywhere!

But a little more close to home: this show was the first night of a 3-night run at the beloved upstate New York venue during a peak year of Phish music. It’s a common thread of this podcast to wonder when Phish was actually “back” after they returned in 2009, and 2012 seems to be as good a year to suggest, for a number of reasons that Mike and I discuss in just a few minutes.   

So let’s join Mike to talk about touring costs, whether or not Ocelot is a bathroom songs, and when the band will return to Toronto as we discuss July 7, 2012 at SPAC.

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Hi everybody and welcome to today’s episode of Attendance Bias. I am your host, Brian Weinstein. With all of the lore and inside jokes of the Phish universe, conspiracy theories are part and parcel of being a superfan. When we learn the lyrics to new songs, see the artwork announcing a new tour, or even an offhand comment from a band member on a PhishRadio interview, Phish fans are always looking for signs and asking: “What does it meeeeean?”

Today’s guest, James Del, is the perfect fan to answer that question. James works closely with people the creative sector, and he chose one of Phish’s most creative, if inscrutable performances to discuss today: The SciFi Soldier set from October 31, 2021 at the MGM Grand Arena in Las Vegas Nevada.  

Phish Halloween sets are always fun and always generate controversy, but there was so much to the SciFi Soldier set that it almost transcended the idea of a Halloween costume set: the songs were practiced, but the vocals sounded spontaneous. Instead of a Phishbill, there was a comic book. There were themed shows leading up to the 31st that may or may not have connected to Halloween night. And that’s all to say nothing of the poor ventilation and Covid aftermath of this run that ended the fall 2021 tour. 

All that is to say that James and I had plenty to talk about, even when dissecting one set of a three set show. While I was fairly passe about SciFi Soldier, James was seeing entire worlds in these songs. Not a line went by that James didn’t ascribe a deeper meaning and a grander sense of scope to the wider Phish experience. I can honestly say that, after this conversation, I will never listen to this set the same way again.

So let’s join James to talk about passion fruit, Gamehendge, and the Phish codex as we discuss set 2 of October 31, 2021 in Las Vegas, Nevada.

Passion Fruit Newsletter
We've Got a Band podcast

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It's been about 2 weeks since Phish's 11th festival, and we are just starting to come back to Earth. Luckily, I am joined by the best to recap those 4 amazing days in Delaware. Skinny and JW of the "Stub Me Down" podcast, along with Scott King, have a free-form conversation to reflect, rank, and simply shoot the breeze about Phish's long-awaited festival.

Other than the introduction and outro, this episode was not edited.

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Hi everybody and welcome to this week’s episode of Attendance Bias. I am your host, Brian Weinstein. You know, everybody has their own standards for what constitutes a “special” Phish show: a killer setlist, monster jams, rarities, meeting up with old friends, making new  friends, going to your hometown venue, and more. I mean, that’s the entire premise of this podcast! But every now and again, Phish plays a show that is an undisputed SPECIAL SHOW. A show that encapsulates all of the above, and maybe even a little more. Today’s episode with guest Chris Bojar revisits such a show from the recent past: July 14, 2019 at Alpine Valley in East Troy, Wisconsin. 

There can be little doubt that Phish has a special affinity for the summertime shed, as they’ve played several great shows there. However, few shows are as explicit as this one, where the band went out of their way to tell the crowd how much they love playing at Alpine Valley, both directly and through goofy antics and banter, including a breakout version of Ruby Waves and putting the pressure on a certain couple to get married. Throw in the fact that Chris is from Wisconsin, and was able to have a buddies weekend at the height of summer and the table is set for an all time great show. And, boy, did Phish deliver.  

So let’s join Chris to talk about planning setlists, Spock’s Brain, and getting harassed by Kentucky police as we discuss July 14, 2019 at Alpine Valley.

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Hey all, I'm testing out an idea for a late-summer episode about Coventry. For several reasons, I always figured that it would be impossible to do an Attendance Bias episode about Coventry because...well...who would be biased in thinking that Coventry was a great show because they were there?! BUT a listener emailed me with what I think is a pretty clever idea: What if listeners called in with one positive memory about Coventry? It could be something as big and concrete as having a blast with friends, or a specific jam, or something as minor as eating a good stack of pancakes the morning after it was over? Not to whitewash it, but to pick out the little joys of even a bad Phish experience ("finding your joy" as the hippies say).

I opened a number on Google Voice for people to call in and leave messages, which I'll then download and include in the episode. If anyone here is willing to test-run it, and you can think of ONE GOOD THING from the Coventry weekend, can you call 516-366-5732, leave your name and where you're from, and your one positive thing that you can say about Coventry? I really appreciate it! 

This is new for me, so I hope it works!

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Hi everybody and welcome to this week’s episode of Attendance Bias. I am your host, Brian Weinstein. Today’s special guest is a returning champion: Thom Epps, who was a guest on attendance bias way back in the summer of 2020, when the podcast was just getting off the ground. Somehow, with the excitement on my part of hosting a podcast, and Thom’s excitement of being a guest on a podcast, his that early episode completely missed the point: Thom picked a show that he did not attend, and I didn’t see anything wrong with that, even during the interview!

Fast forward a couple of years, and when Thom and I saw one another at Atlantic City this past summer, he asked if he could redeem himself by coming back on the pod to talk about a show that he did attend. Of course he could and he is here today to talk about Phish’s show from June 22, 2000 at the Amsouth Amphitheater in Antioch, TN–basically Nashville.

I’d heard chunks of this show throughout the years, but never listened to it straight through. My focus was always on the special guests toward the end of the 2nd set, but there is so much more to appreciate here, including a bouncy version of Sand, a silky smooth 2001, and much more.

So let’s join Thom to talk about No Quarter, Einstein Bagels , and the zeitgeist in 2000 as we discuss June 22, 2000 in Nashville.

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Hi everybody and welcome to today’s episode of Attendance Bias. I am your host, Brian Weinstein. Today’s special guest is Jamie Boldt, and boy, did he pick a winner to review today: 10/31/95 at the Rosemont Horizon in Chicago, Illinois.

Regular listeners of Attendance Bias will note that The Who was THE band for me as I made the transition from classic rock and alternative radio in my early teens to exploring the world beyond the corporate record stores and Top 40 radio. To say it another way: before Phish, there was The Who. As you’ll hear Jamie and I discuss in just a little while: it was a major turning point for me when I found out about this Halloween show. 

 In the bigger picture, this was Phish’s 2nd Halloween musical costume. After the unmitigated success of The White Album Halloween show in 1994, the band chose to go a different route, playing a huge venue in the midwest, and choosing a relatively obscure album that required additional musicians. But there’s more to this show than the musical costume; the first and third set are masterpieces that stand on their own.

Jamie chose to discuss this show for a number of reasons, and one of them is that he wanted to get my take on the convergence of Phish and The Who. While I am the host of this podcast, and I get my thoughts in there, Jamie is the guest and we get to hear what it was like to witness this epic show that continues to live on the top shelf of Phish history.

So let’s join Jamie to talk about Greenwich Village, mod  culture, and Jon Fishman’s relatives as we discuss October 31, 1995 in Chicago.

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Episode Playlist

The Improbable, Unstoppable Rise of Goose, by Charlie Werzel for The Atlantic

Welcome back, everyone! Today, Megan Glionna and Brian Brinkman of The Helping Friendly Podcast join Attendance Bias as we morph back into "Flocking Outside: A Miniseries About Goose From 3 Phish Lifers."

About a year ago, the three of us released a 3-episode miniseries to get a handle on the sharp rise of Goose, and the tension that was building between the fanbases of Goose and Phish. Those episodes are still available if you scroll back to Attendance Bias episodes from June, 2023. In those three episodes, Brian and Megan gave me information about Goose's history as a band, and we discussed the context in which their profile was rising in the jamband scene.

A year has passed since then, and Goose's story, as well as each of our own stories, has changed and expanded. In today's episode, which I think is a coda to the previous three, Megan, Brian, and I discuss the band's development of the past calendar year, how they've changed musically, how they've separated themselves from the jam scene, and how we've changed as fans. 

We hope you enjoy episode 4 (coda) of "Flocking Outside!"

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Hi everybody and welcome to this week’s episode of Attendance Bias. I am your host, Brian Weinstein. Today’s guest, Brian Blatt, takes us back 30 years to April 6, 1994 at the Concert Hall in Toronto, Ontario. Phish had just started their spring tour promoting Hoist, but also showcasing their increasing ability to play anything and everything–from straight rock and roll, to bluegrass, to latin jazz, to a capella tunes, and more. Plus, a recurring theme of today’s show was the band’s improvisational exercises paying off. Whereas in 1993, they could segue in and out of any song in their repertoire, now they were jumping off the ledge into the unknown, not knowing where they’d end up, or whether they’d come back to the song at all. 

On top of all that is Brian’s experience. He drove from Rochester, NY to Toronto for this show; a drive of about  3 hours. This was not his first time seeing Phish, but this was his first time seeing Phish sober. That new experience of clarity allowed him to remember, even 30 years later, the exact moment where he GOT IT. The exact moment when he was hooked.

I don’t want to spoil it, so keep listening as we join Brian Blatt to talk about vocal jams, garbage plates, Weird Al, and more as we discuss Phish’s show from April 6, 1994 at The Concert Hall in Toronto.

Audio of 7/28/92

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Hi everybody and welcome to today's episode of Attendance Bias. I am your host, Brian Weinstein. 

When I began this podcast, I didn’t know too much about the key shows of the end of 1.0. The years 1999 and 2000 weren’t exactly lost to me, but it was harder then than it is now to get the most recent recordings. And even if you were lucky enough to get a recording of a recent show at the end of the century–or the beginning of the new one–chances are that the recording didn’t quite capture the intricacies and details that you would need to hear in order to appreciate what the band was playing at the time.

That’s a long way to say that today’s guest–Will Little-shines a ton of light on the technical aspect of what Phish was up to, musically speaking, during the summer, 2000 tour. Will chose to discuss his memories from July 4, 2000 when Phish played the 2nd of two nights at Camden. While many guests on Attendance Bias, and I’m guilty of this as well, focus on the fan perspective of their chosen show, Will focuses mostly on what made the soundscapes and atmospheric playing of 2000 so interesting and compelling. For years, I’ve known that soundboard recordings of this tour were high-level, dense stuff but never had the vocabulary to explain why. I still don’t have the vocabulary, but luckily we have Will here to help out.

And boy, did he pick the right show. July 4, 2000 encapsulates the “2000” sound as well as any other show that year. In fact, the second set is a legendary 5-song second set that opens with a 30-minute Gotta Jibboo. If you’re the type of fan who likes to press play, lay back, listen, and then wonder “how are they doing this?!”, then this is your show and your episode.

If you haven’t figured it out by now, Will is a multi-instrumentalist from the south-east who is typically involved in a number of projects, including longtime Asheville-based band East Coast Dirt, and by the time this episode airs, he’ll be playing with Phish tribute band, “Nectar: A Picture of Phish.” He’ll give more details about his projects once the conversation starts.

So let’s join Will to chat about the the nuance of specialized guitar effects, what the funk siren really is, and whether or not Backwards Down the Number Line is a great Phish song as we break down July, 2000 in Camden.

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Hi everybody and welcome to today’s episode of Attendance Bias. I am your host, Brian Weinstein. Today’s guest, Matt Hoffman, takes us back to an instant classic: December 2, 1997 at The Philadelphia Spectrum, the first night of a 2-night run that has since been released officially by Live Phish. The fall 1997 tour has been reviewed on this show before on Attendance Bias…and basically any other conversation about Phish, but today’s discussion focuses more on the micro–this specific show, and Matt’s experience seeing the band for the first time at a career peak. 

By this point of the tour, Phish was a well-oiled machine, and Philadelphia was as close to a hometown stop for Trey as the band would get at the time. Donning a Flyers jersey for the show, Trey and the band would offer up a setlist full of fan favorites, including a 7-song 2nd set, 5 of which appear on the Phish.net jamcharts.

Meanwhile, there is a particular Philadelphia flavor to this conversation, as Matt grew up and still lives in the Philly area, so keep listening as we join Matt to talk about the Mann Music Center, cover bands, taking naps, and more as we discuss Phish’s show from December 2, 1997 at The Spectrum.

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Hi everybody and welcome to this week’s episode of Attendance Bias. I am your host, Brian Weinstein. Today’s episode is about a Phish show, to be sure, but in the larger picture, it’s about an entire tour. Today’s guest, Jordan Kahn, chose to tell his story from June sixteenth, 2000, when Phish played Zepp Suminoe-ku, in Osaka, Japan. Four years into this podcast, it’s not often that a guest chooses a show from a tour that has not yet been covered, but Jordan saw nearly every show from the Japan, 2000 tour and man, I was excited to hear all about it.

In retrospect, we all know that, just a few months after Phish played Japan in 2000, they would go on a year-and-a-half long hiatus. When listening to this show, and others from the tour, they don’t sound tired, or as if they need to stop the Phish touring machine. Maybe it was being in small clubs with quiet, respectful audiences that provided the band with the relaxing feel to experiment toward the beatless, futuristic, ambient sound that would dominate 2000. But that’s all speculation. Let’s stick to what we know. 

Jordan provides us with a personal, yet universal, experience of what it was like to travel from the United States to the Land of the Rising Sun, and parts of this conversation veers away from the Phish experience and becomes something of a travelogue with a jamband flavor.

So let’s join Jordan to talk about bullet trains, superior sushi, and why a day off during a tour is okay as we discuss June 16, 2000 from at Zepp, Osaka.

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Hi everybody and welcome to this week’s episode of Attendance Bias. I am your host, Brian Weinstein. Today’s guest is Steven Gripp, the creator of the Phish Mapping Project. Steven is here today to tell about one of his favorite segments of Live Phish he’s ever witnessed: “46 Days>The Dogs>46 Days” from the Austin 360 Amphitheater on July 28, 2015, in Austin Texas.

Steven and I also talk quite a bit about his project: If you’re a nerdy fan like me who could spend hours down a wormhole on Phish.net or used to read and re-read the Pharmer’s Almanac, the Phish Mapping Project is right up your alley. Basically, Steven took years of research and meticulous mapping of every Phish show on record and created an interactive worldwide digital map of their history, using Google Tours and Google Maps. If you have a favorite show but always wanted to know what the venue looked like, or where it actually is, the Phish Mapping Project has you covered. There are more dimensions to it than I could explain here, but that’s why we have Steven here to tell us about all the angles of this magnificent contribution to the Phish fan experience. 

In addition, we cannot forget the 46 Days/The Dogs musical sandwich that Steven brought to the episode. The summer 2015 tour peak Phish, and even an “average great” show would have highlights that would stand out when all was said and done. This power rock combination certainly meets that criteria and after all, who doesn’t love a flawless segue?

So let’s join Steven to talk about 1993 Phish, the best versions of Crosseyed and Painless, and Phish in the Lone Star State as we discuss “46 Days>The Dogs>46 Days” from July 28, 2015 at the Austin 360 Amphitheater.

Phish Mapping Project

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Hi everybody and welcome to this week’s episode of Attendance Bias. I am your host, Brian Weinstein. Today’s guest is Anton Milioti, bass player from the acoustic-ish Grateful Dead cover band, Crickets and Cicadas. Today, Anton and I spend a good deal of time talking about the Grateful Dead and live performance, but the majority of our conversation centers around a show that was Anton’s first, and still holds up in Phish history–December 30, 2013 at Madison Square Garden.  

When a guest chooses a show to discuss, I tend to get excited over shows from the mid-1.0 era; 1992, 1995, 1998...but over the course of today’s conversation, Anton mentioned a few times that it’s been 10 years since the 2013 NYE run. And when we break down some of the jams and remember the Phish zeitgeist around the end of 2013, an argument can be made that they were as different 10 years ago as they were 10 years before that! 

On top of that, there is the recurring theme of the band celebrating its 30 year anniversary in 2013, which takes on extra resonance now, considering that we recently had the privilege of celebrating the band’s 40th anniversary! When taken in that context, this show takes on an entire different dimension.

So let’s join Anton to talk about Phil Lesh, A Live One, and dream setlists as we discuss Phish’s show from December 30, 2013 at Madison Square Garden.

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Hi everybody and welcome to today’s episode of Attendance Bias. I am your host, Brian Weinstein. 

When I first began collecting tapes, I would always keep my eyes out for Phish shows at Jones Beach. Having grown up on Long Island, going to concerts at Jones Beach was a summer tradition. It didn’t even matter who was playing–the venue was a 10 minute drive for me, and on a nice night, it’s one of the best outdoor venues in New York. So you can imagine my reaction when I found out that my new favorite band had played there a number of times. 

It’s with that genuine delight and natural curiosity that I approached today’s guest, Jonathan Frederic, about his chosen show: July 23, 1993, Phish’s first time headlining their own show at Jones Beach. 1993 was an amazing time to learn about Phish, as they were just dipping their toes in the water to jump from small theaters to larger amphitheaters, a transition that would continue for approximately the next two years. During that time, the band was introducing new music from Rift, beginning their craziest musical exploration and experimentation, and creating new ways to connect to the audience, as they couldn’t maintain un-mic’d a capella performances and the Big Ball Jam in these sprawling arenas and amphitheaters.

It was a pleasure to hear a first-person experience from someone who experienced all of these changes in ONE SHOW, especially at my one-time hometown venue. So let’s join Jonathan to talk about when to eat carbohydrates, ending up front-row center at the venue, and The Pixies as we go over July 23, 1993 at the Jones Beach Amphitheater.

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Hi everybody and welcome to today’s episode of Attendance Bias. I am your host, Brian Weinstein. 

I am ecstatic to introduce today’s episode, as it features both a knowledgeable guest who is well known within certain circles of the Phish community, and a thorough, wide-ranging discussion about three of the greatest improvisational rock concerts ever played: Phil and Friends at the Warfield Theater in San Francisco on April 15, 16, and 17, 1999.

While not a Phish show, or even a Grateful Dead show, this run of concerts was a milestone for both bands. Not only was it the first time that members of the two major jambands shared a stage, it’s notable that songs from both Phish and the Grateful Dead were played over the three nights. 

I’ve been listening to these shows since soon after they were played and they haven’t aged a day. When Charlie Dirksen of Phish.net and The Mockingbird Foundation volunteered to discuss them and tell about what it was like to actually be there, I couldn’t wait to hear about it. These shows have lived in my head for over 20 years, so to hear a first-person account of what they were like made for one of my favorite conversations I’ve ever had for this podcast.

This episode easily could have been three hours long–every time a song was mentioned, it took a lot of willpower on my end not to insert yet another music clip. But there was so much to discuss before we even get to the music. Let’s join Charlie to chat about his responsibilities at Phish.net, Steve Kimock’s guitar wizardy, and where John Molo fits into everything, as we break down Phil and Friends from April 15, 16, and 17 at the Warfield Theater, in San Francisco, CA.

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Hi everybody and welcome to today’s episode of Attendance Bias. I am your host, Brian Weinstein. 

Today, we’re taking on one of the big ones: one of the most pivotal shows in the band’s 40 year career. Guest Jeff Paradise was at the first modern Phish Halloween show, October 31, 1994 at the Glens Falls Civic Center, where the band played a 3-set show that included the band’s first musical costume; a full cover of The Beatles’ White Album in the second set. The full show lasted about 5 hours, concluding at around 3:30am in a remote upstate New York minor league hockey arena.

Jeff was in college in Ithaca, NY at the time, bouncing around college towns to see Phish, frequently at the behest of his friends, since Jeff was the guy with the car. At this point of the band’s career, being a college student in upstate NY or New England was a golden age of being a Phish fan. Chances are that, if they weren’t playing withing a few hours drive this week, they would be next week. 

It’s easy to look back now and see how monumental this show was–a band covering a double album of the most famous band in rock and rock history, and Jeff points out that, even compared to other big Phish shows of the era, the historicity of the show was apparent even in real time. Anyone in the audience in Glens Falls that night knew that they were witnessing history.   

Even with that, we have a lot more to cover about this five-hour, three-set show. So join Jeff and I as we discuss Dark Side of the Moon fakeouts, mailing in postcards, and making it back in time for class with October 31, 1994 at the Glens Falls Civic Center.

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Hi everybody and welcome to today’s episode of Attendance Bias. I am your host, Brian Weinstein.

We’ve covered plenty of shows from the summer of 1999 on Attendance Bias but, lest we forget, there was a lot more to that year than a raucous summer tour. There was also a fall tour and a lesser-explored December tour, which took place entirely within the last month of the millennium. Today’s guest, Brent Summerville, chose one of the last Phish shows of 1999–December 16 at the Reynolds Coliseum in Raleigh, NC–to review today. Although portions of the show are available on YouTube, there are certain nuances that we can only hear from someone who was in attendance. Luckily, we have Brent here to tell us all about it.

At the time, Brent was moving back to North Carolina from Michigan, and had been seeing Phish for five years. He brought a friend to this show, which he rarely did at the time, and was on his old college campus where he had lots of ties to this small basketball court-turned-concert venue.   

Phish broke out a monster second set for this show, and it joined the fabled 5-song second set club, with a version of Sand full of soundscapes, as well as a soul-cleansing Tweezer. But there’s more to it than that. Let’s join Brent to chat about college basketball, Trey’s keyboard setup, and cold Michigan winters as we revisit December 16, 1999 at the Reynolds Coliseum in Raleigh, NC.

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Hi everybody and welcome to today’s episode of Attendance Bias, or more really, the third and final episode of “This Time Will be Different: 15 Years Since Hampton.” I am your host, Brian Weinstein.

Today’s episode ends our look back at what led to Phish’s comeback at Hampton, 15 years ago on March 6, 2009. If you haven’t listened yet, previous episodes have covered The pressures that led to the hiatus in 2000, the multi-faceted hot mess that was 2004, and the rebirth of the Phish experience in the early spring of 2009.

When I first had the idea for this miniseries, I figured that today’s episode, the one about Hampton 2009, would be an enormous undertaking. A full weekend of shows, easily making up the most important run of the band’s career, marking the turning point from the past to the present that would introduce the 3.0 era. Yet, as my co-hosts and I were speaking–Charlie Dirksen and Scott Marks from Phish.net and The Mockingbird Foundation–it became more about our experiences and our personal feelings during that all-important March weekend.  

In the end, that’s what Attendance Bias is about–each guest’s own experience at any given show. There is a lot more of this story to be told but, for now, this love-fest about Phish coming back to life  will settle things for now.To wrap things up, please welcome Scott Marks and Charlie Dirsken of Phish.net and The Mockingbird Foundation as we continue This Time Will be Different, Episode 3.

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Hi everybody and welcome to today’s episode of Attendance Bias, or more accurately, episode two of “This Time Will be Different: 15 Years Since Hampton.” I am your host, Brian Weinstein.

Today, I join my two co-hosts: Scott Marks and Charlie Dirksen of Phish.net and the Mockingbird Foundation, to take a look at the 2.0 era, as well as Phish’s breakup in 2004. For those of you who listened to episode 1, it was clear but not obvious, that Phish needed a break after Big Cypress, and it was never really in doubt that they would get back together. But in the second half of 2.0, mostly in the 2004 calendar year, it was glaringly obvious that Trey’s physical health was in jeopardy, and the scene as a whole was rotting from the inside. 

In a little while, you’ll hear Scott compare these three episodes to the original Star Wars trilogy–today’s episode is The Empire Strikes Back. Our heroes are at their lowest point, and you have to be knocked down before you can rise up and win the day. 

It’s telling that on Attendance Bias, 2.0 has, by far, the least number of shows represented by guests. It was, and continues to be, a divisive time in the band’s history. I originally planned this episode to be about the time of Phish’s breakup-2004 to 2008, and what the scene was like without the biggest band on tour. However, this conversation took a different route and we just went with it. It wasn’t always a pretty ride, but it has heart and makes the comeback in the next episode all the more meaningful.

But we have to have the darkness before the dawn. Today, please welcome Scott Marks and Charlie Dirsken of Phish.net and The Mockingbird Foundation as we continue This Time Will be Different, Episode 2.

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Hi everybody and welcome to today’s episode of Attendance Bias. I am your host, Brian Weinstein.

The first week of March is always a conspicuous part of the year for me. No religious or secular holidays, no birthdays or wedding anniversaries in my social circle, but there is one series of dates that will always deserve some deep thoughts, if not any flowers, chocolate, or greeting cards: March 6-8 , 2009, when Phish returned to the live stage at the Hampton Coliseum. 

As of 2024, it will be 15 years since that beautiful weekend. Being a Phish stats nerd, round numbers hold significance for me, and looking back, it sometimes feels like the reunion happened to a completely different person. This is the topic for a three-episode miniseries, called: “This Time Will Be Different: 15 Years Since Hampton.” 

For the next three episodes, I will be joined by two co-hosts, Scott Marks and Charlie Dirksen of Phish.net and the Mockingbird Foundation. The three of us will take a look back, not only at the 2009 Hampton Reunion, but at the major Phish events that led to it, including the band’s hiatus from 2000-2002, the breakup from 2004-2008, and then episode 3 will focus on that glorious weekend in March 2009. 

But let’s not skip too far ahead. Today, please welcome Scott Marks and Charlie Dirsken of Phish.net and The Mockingbird Foundation as we open This Time Will be Different, Episode 1.

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Hi everybody and welcome to today’s episode of Attendance Bias. I am your host, Brian Weinstein. 

If you’ll indulge my Grandpa-Simpson waxing poetic about the past for a second: when I was first getting into Phish, there were some shows (mostly from the early-90s) that lived in legend. There were stories about them, but it wasn’t so easy to find internet posts or first-person narratives about them. One of those shows was June 21, 1994 at the Cincinnati Music Hall. Phish began the show as usual when, about a half hour in, the venue’s fire alarm went off, forcing everyone to clear out. The show resumed with a “2nd set” that lasted an hour and 40 minutes! Luckily, social media has advanced to the point where we can instantaneously get in touch with other fans and hear about their experience at shows like that one.

That’s basically the premise of this podcast, and so I was absolutely thrilled that today’s guest, Kev Hollo of Charleston, South Carolina got in touch and wanted to tell about his experience at that exact show. Kev is a long time Phish fan, a musician, and happy to discuss all things Phish, which we do over the course of the episode. While the 1994 Cincinnati show is the basis of today’s episode, by no means do we stop there. The conversation ranges from music theory, to ghost stories, to the past, present, and future of the band.  

Let’s join Kev to chat about it all as we revisit June 21, 1994 at the Cincinnati Music Hall, in Cincinnati, OH.

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Do you remember where you were when you heard that Phish was returning to Hampton in 2009?

To celebrate 15 years since Hampton, I’d love to hear about where you were and what you thought when you found out about Hampton ‘09. I think it would be fun to put together an audio collage of fans’ memories of where they were, what they thought, and how they felt. If you are down to contribute, I have a set of directions and a sample script. It’s quite easy, and I think it will be a lot of fun for all listeners. Swipe over and keep reading if you’re interested:

1 ) Record a voice memo on your phone or any convenient recording device. Introduce yourself, and tell your memory. Whether it was from the official announcement, a friend calling/texting you, whatever! How did you feel and what are your memories of hearing that PHISH IS COMING BACK?!

2 ) The recording should be a minimum of 30 seconds and a maximum of 2 minutes. 

3 ) Email the recording to attendancebias@gmail.com as an audio file (m4a, mp3, etc.)

Sample script: “Hi, this is (your name) from (hometown, if you’d like).” And then tell a little bit about your experience of hearing that Phish would be playing 3 shows at Hampton in March ‘09. 

Thanks so much for participating and for listening!

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Hi everybody and welcome to today’s episode of Attendance Bias. I am your host, Brian Weinstein. 

Halloween is, without question, one of the highest profile nights of the Phish calendar. All Phish Halloween shows are judged, compared and, for better or worse, claim their spot in the band’s mythology. But, as part of a pattern that’s been discussed on this podcast before, it’s not always the high profile night that gets the best show. It’s usually the night before the night. December 30 for New Years Eve, and in this case, October 30 for Halloween. 

Today’s guest, Eric Doyle, chose to tell us about his experience at October 30, 1998–the night before Phish covered all of The Velvet Underground’s classic album, Loaded. While that Halloween show has its supporters and detractors, the night before should be celebrated for its combination of factors that make it one of the best representations of 1998 that Phish had to offer.

With The Story of the Ghost having been released just days prior, the band making high profile appearances on David Letterman, Sessions at West 54th, and other promotional outlets for the new album, Phish was at a crossroads as to how involved they would become with the record industry at large. History has explained that part of the Phish story, but with mixed mainstream success at the time, no one was sure what would happen.

All of those aspects were apparent during this two-night Las Vegas run in 1998, but it didn’t stop the band from delivering a killer show on the night before Halloween. Let’s join Eric to talk about Phish’s history in Atlanta, Fishman leading the way, and more as we discuss October 30, 1998 at the Thomas and Mack Center in Las Vegas.

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Hi everybody and welcome to today’s episode of Attendance Bias. I am your host, Brian Weinstein. 

I would guess that most of us have had the experience at a Phish show where the band is communicating to us, directly. Not communicating with the crowd; I mean, the members of the band are playing a show that speaks to our exact life experience. Whether or not you’ve ever made eye contact with Trey right before they leave the stage after the first set, there’s no denying that the best kind of art is the kind that speaks to you; the kind that you can understand and appreciate through your own personal lens. Today’s guest, Nate Schwerin, had a life-changing experience at the Phish show at Dick’s on September 5, 2015. As you’ll hear Nate describe, it was right out of a cheesy movie but happened to him in real life.

It’s no surprise that Nate’s game-changing show happened at Dick’s Sporting Goods Park; including 2023, Phish has played 38 shows at the venue. It’s no surprise that some fans have had some of their most meaningful experiences there. 

But that’s enough from me, it’s Nate’s story to tell. Let’s join Nate to chat about Big Sky Montana, The Catcher in the Rye, and being 13 years old at your first show as we break down September 5, 2015 at Dick’s Sporting Goods Park, in Commerce City, CO.

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Hi everybody and welcome to today’s episode of Attendance Bias. I am your host, Brian Weinstein. 

I’ve mentioned a number of times on this podcast that, when I’m not spouting gibberish with strangers about Phish, I am a middle school teacher. I try not to offer too much personal information on the podcast for obvious reasons, but I am overly thrilled to say that, today, my personal life on the podcast and my professional life at school intersect in the most glorious way.

That way is through today’s guest:  Jared Cowen. Jared is the lead singer and guitarist of up-and-coming jamband Baked Shrimp. If you frequent any of your local music venues or attend pretty much any summer jamband festivals, you’ve seen Baked Shrimp’s name on the lineup. The trio frequently combines progressive arrangements and dexterity with extended, fist-pumping jams. They rule.

Oh, and did I mention that Jared was my student in 7th and 8th grade? Teachers often say that the best part of the job is when we see the legacy and success of our students as they grow older and into their adult selves. Jared and I were lucky enough to spot each other as Phish fans as teacher and student, and since then, we’ve gotten to know each other as people–not just in school–and I’ve gotten to know Jared’s family well, often seeing them at MSG or various other shows in the tri-state area.

So as Baked Shrimp prepares to release a new album, it only made sense for Jared to make an appearance on Attendance Bias. For today’s episode, Jared chose to discuss set two of December 31, 2010–one of the best NYE shows of Phish’s career, and one could argue a turning point in the jamming style of the 3.0 era. We break it all down.

Let’s join Jared to talk about middle school memories, high ceilings, low floors, and the Meatstick heard round the world, as we revisit set two of New Year’s Eve 2010 at Madison Square Garden.

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Hi everybody and welcome to this week’s episode of Attendance Bias. I am your host, Brian Weinstein. It is another family affair today on the podcast, as we welcome father and son Adam and Jeff Winik to tell us about Phish’s show from July 22, 2017 at Madison Square Garden, also known as Strawberry Night of the Baker’s Dozen.

This is not the first time that a father and son have shared guest duties on Attendance Bias, nor is it the first time that a couple of dogs appear in the background–Adam’s dog Maggie and my dog Duncan can be heard at various points of the conversation. While it’s not unusual for a heady parent to bring their kids to their first Phish show, that usually results in a story that’s seen through the parent’s eyes, with observations from the kid. This time it’s the son who brought his father (as well as his mother), and I find it especially interesting to hear what the show was like through the eyes of Jeff, the father. As you’ll hear me say in just a few minutes, my parents were only interested in Phish insofar as I was going to see them play live and was listening to them 24/7 in high school.

Add on the layer that this show was the beginning of the Baker’s Dozen–the unprecedented record-breaking MSG event that instantly became legendary in the Phish community–and there’s plenty more to discuss. For this episode, Adam was excited to talk about Strawberry Night, and you can hear the emotion in both his and Jeff’s voice, and we decided to discuss the entire first set, and then the parts of the second set for which his parents were present–I was not surprised to learn that they left right around “Split Open and Melt.” So we can consider this episode Strawberry Night set 1 and highlights from set 2. 

But there’s much more to it than that. Let’s join Adam and his father Jeff to talk about barbershop quartets, the best Moma Dance ever, and July 22, 2017–Strawberry Night–at Madison Square Garden.

Adam's Phish Tribute Band: The Divided Sky

Jeff's a capella quartet: Generation Gap

Note: the a capella song that opens the episode is performed by Jeff’s previous a capella group, Party of Five

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Hi everybody and welcome to this week’s episode of Attendance Bias. I am your host, Brian Weinstein. Phish shows can be special for a million reasons, and there are times when “coincidence” doesn’t even begin to describe the crossroads of music, surroundings, timing, and information that all occurs at once and makes us feel as though something bigger must be at play. I shy away from the word “magic,” and I’m not the religious type, so I’ll just call it Phish synergy. Today’s guest, David Factor, is here to tell us about one of those moments of Phish synergy from “Beneath a Sea of Stars” during the second set of 7/25/23 at The Mann Music Center in Philadelphia.

At the time of this recording, Phish has just wrapped up their two benefit shows at the Saratoga Performing Arts Center. Even though the show at the Mann, and David’s story, happened a month before the SPAC benefit shows, the fact that the benefit shows were so crowd pleasing only adds resonance to David’s experience when he found out about them in the first place. Trust me, it will make sense when you listen to him tell the story. 

But enough from me: let’s join David to talk about Worcester, Limestone, and Beneath a Sea of Stars from July 25, 2023 at The Mann.

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Hi everybody and welcome to today’s episode of Attendance Bias. I am your host, Brian Weinstein. Today’s guest–Derek Hill–picked an outstanding show from an underappreciated year: August 14, 2009 at the Meadows Music Center in Hartford, CT. Long-time listeners of Attendance Bias may remember that I recorded a mini-episode about the version of “Icculus” from this show, which was played right in the heart of the 2nd set. 

And that leads to just one of several themes that come up during today’s show: the idea that Phish was back during their summer 2009 tour, but were they all back? Derek and I happened to see several shows throughout this tour, separately, yet we had many of the same thoughts. It was extremely fun to catch up on a summer tour from 14 years ago with a complete stranger.

But that’s the thing about this podcast: when the guest is passionate about his or her choice, we are not complete strangers! Derek took his time to pick this Hartford show and once we began talking, it was very obvious that he made the best choice possible. There were times where it felt like this could have been a three-hour episode, just about that Icculus…not to mention many other bustouts and killer jams.

But enough from me; let’s join Derek to talk about the IT festival, selling quesadillas on lot, and second chances as we discuss August 14, 2009 at the Meadows Music Center in Hartford.

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Hi everybody and welcome to this week’s episode of Attendance Bias. I am your host, Brian Weinstein. Today, we are taking a ride on the the way-back machine as guest Jay Wilson takes us to the UNH college campus and tells us about his second show–April 11, 1994 at Sively Arena.

1994 was a pivotal year for the band in so many ways. In addition to this spring tour promoting Hoist–which was produced to be their most commercially viable album–the band was really showing off their schizophrenic musical style, combining absurdity with prodigious talent, and they were making the final leaps from large theaters to amphitheaters, at least in their most popular markets. Places like The Beacon Theater in New York would soon be replaced by Madison Square Garden, and this was when New England was still their  stomping ground. By 1995 virtually all of New England would be left behind, except for the occasional stop.

Today’s conversation touches on virtually all of those aspects of 1994 Phish. But there’s much more to it than that. Let’s join Jay to talk about New Years Eve shows, falling in a hole, and jazz, as we discuss Phish’s show from April 11, 1994 at Snively Arena.

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Hi everybody and welcome to this week’s episode of Attendance Bias. I am your host, Brian Weinstein. I am not a parent, but something that I frequently hear from my friends who have kids is that one of the best parts of being a parent is that you get to see the world, and the things you love, through the eyes of your kids. If that is a benefit of having kids, then today’s guests must be two of the happiest people in the world of Phish.

Those guests are Bobby and Oliver from the Phish Phry podcast; a father and son duo who are doing a deep dive into Phish’s studio albums and release biweekly podcast episodes to talk about their impressions of each album. It’s an informative and fun listen! For today’s episode of Attendance Bias, though, Bobby and Oliver chose to talk about an excerpt from their first show: “Oblivion” and “Chalkdust Torture” from July 11, 2023 at the Orion Amphitheater in Huntsville, AL. This was the first live show for both father and son, and it ended with a wallop.

Not only do we get to talk about studio recordings, first shows, and new songs, but a certain guitarist makes a guest appearance that made this first show extra special. But it’s not my story to tell. Let’s join Bobby and Oliver as we talk about “Oblivion” and “Chalkdust Torture” from July 11, 2023 at The Orion Amphitheater.

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Hi everybody and welcome to this week’s episode of Attendance Bias. I am your host, Brian Weinstein. Today’s guest is Sam Huber, from the Philadelphia area. Sam is an enthusiastic fan who picked a show where the crowd energy just seeps through the audience recording–July 5, 2013 at SPAC in Saratoga, NY.  

A few themes come up repeatedly in today’s conversation: how special SPAC is, peacefully surrounded by trees that seem to have an affect on the energy and vibes of any given show, the idea of the band messing with the fanbase by playing certain songs at certain places in the setlist, and how getting in the car unprepared can lead you to the greatest of adventures.

On top of that, there is the main idea that SPAC is a family gathering–a homecoming on the east coast. Although it’s just a few hours from New York City, SPAC carries the reputation of being the summer home for Deadheads and Phish fans. Although this was not his first show, Sam was ready to be received by the community at this legendary state park.

So let’s join Sam to talk about the reaction to Energy, when the band will break open Yarmouth Road, and more as we discuss the Phish’s show from July 5, 2013 at SPAC. Just a note about today’s recording: there are a few audio glitches toward the beginning of the conversation, but they stop at about the halfway mark.

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Hi everybody and welcome to this week’s episode of Attendance Bias. I am your host, Brian Weinstein. Today’s guests are able to offer a unique insight into Phish’s music because they each play in a Phish cover band. Not only that, but they both play keyboards in separate Phish cover bands! 

Nate plays keyboards in a Phish coverband called Adam Knight’s Buried Alive, and Hannah plays keys for the Lumpy Heads. Both bands are based out of the Carolinas and play around the southeast. So if you’re a Phish fan from Ascheville to Atlanta, keep your eyes out for Adam Knight’s Buried Alive and the Lumpy Heads.

 It may not be a shock to find out that both Nate and Hannah run in the same circles. As a result, Nate took Hannah to her first Phish shows–July 31 and August 1 of 2021; Phish’s first tour back after the postponed 2020 summer tour. While both shows are excellent, Nate and Hannah agreed on one major highlight to discuss today: The band’s 30-minute version of Tweezer that was played on night 2: August 1, 2021. 

A major highlight of the year, and possibly of the band’s career, this Tweezer journeys all over the place, with ambience, straight rock, funky start/stop jamming, and more. So let’s join Nate and Hannah to talk about why Foam is easier to play than you think, getting some alone time on the lawn, and much more as we discuss “Tweezer” from August 1, 2021 in Alpharetta, Georgia.

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Hi everybody and welcome to this week’s episode of Attendance Bias. I am your host, Brian Weinstein. Today’s guest is Ryan Thompson who is here to tell us about Phish’s show from August 10, 1997 at Deer Creek. The fall 1997 tour is the one that is better known, but there were a lot of quirks, idiosyncrasies and highlights in the summer of that . 8/10/97 features all of this and more.

When I listened to this show, I understood almost immediately why Ryan chose it. Aside from the musical highlights, which we discuss at length, the famed “cow funk” isn’t all quite there, but we see the inklings of it. In addition, this wild and wacky second set makes this show perfect for Attendance Bias; it’s one of those shows where the second set only really makes sense if you were there. Summer ‘97 had a few of those moments in the years before webcasting when the listener had to picture what was happening on stage because the audio recording alone couldn’t do it justice.

So let’s join Ryan Thompson to talk about Tinley Park, King Crimson, and Phish’s show from August 10, 1997 at Deer Creek.

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Hi everybody and welcome to this week’s episode of Attendance Bias. I am your host, Brian Weinstein. If you have a pet, especially a dog or a cat, you may want to bring him up to the speakers for today’s episode. That is because today’s guest is Jordan Sheldon, the founder and operator of Dog Faced Toys–the online pet shop for Phish themed dog toys. For today’s show, Jordan chose to tell his story of being surrounded by friends at a high point in his life’s journey: June 30, 2019 at Camden.

You all know that I love dogs, so when Jordan’s business began to pop up in my social media feed, I knew that I had to have him on the show. Really, it was pictures of his Corgi, Butters, that convinced me. 

All joking aside, Jordan picked a show that exemplified the entire summer 2019 tour, and also expanded upon a previous episode with friend of the podcast Alyssa Poland, who chose a show from the same 3-night run. It was a tremendous amount of fun, and Jordan clearly has a lot of passion and excitement for this show that had an old-school setlist, yet simultaneously presented some of Phish’s best new material at the time. So let’s join Jordan Sheldon of Dog Faced Toys to talk about squeak toys, rarities, and taking the ferry back to Philly as we discuss Phish’s show from June 30, 2019 at Camden.

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Hi everybody and welcome to this week’s episode of Attendance Bias. I am your host, Brian Weinstein. As a podcast host, I am always on the lookout for new podcasts and I recently found out about one that I really enjoy, and so I reached out to the hosts to come on Attendance Bias. Luckily, of the two hosts, one of them is a big Phish fan, while the other is…well, less so. I’m never one to exclude, so today, I welcome the co-hosts of the podcast Rock Docs: Andy and Dave. For today’s episode, Andy chose to tell about his homecoming show: October 23, 21 at Chula Vista.

Rock Docs is a podcast where our two hosts choose a music documentary (not always rock and roll), and provide an extensive review of it. It combines two of my favorite interests: music and movies, taking a look at both some of my longtime favorites like Festival Express and The Last Waltz, as well as introducing me to new music and movies that I otherwise would never pay attention to. Rock Docs is available wherever you find your podcasts.

It was also fun that, while Andy had emotional ties and experiences to today’s show at Chula Vista, Dave is the first Attendance Bias guest who is not a Phish fan but still listened to the nearly-3 hour show and was able to contribute and outsider’s view to balance all of the gushing and hyperbole from your resident fans. So let’s join Andy and Dave of Rock Docs to talk about Garth Brooks, light funk, and much more as we discuss Phish’s show from October 23, 2021 at Chula Vista.

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It's over! The Lucky 7 shows of Phish at MSG over the summer of 2023 has come and gone...and BOY do we have a lot to say about it.  Join me and friend of the podcast Ben Fortgang as we review the last two nights of the MSG run, and the summer residency as a whole.

Thank you for listening and regular episodes of Attendance Bias will resume this week. Cheers!

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It's mid-week and we are now officially more than halfway through Phish's 7-night run at Madison Square Garden. I get the feeling that we could ALL use a day off, and what better thing is there to do on your day of than...talk about Phish?!

Ryan Storm of Storm Sound was gracious enough to take time on his day off to recap the Tuesday and Wednesday night MSG shows! It's another quick and dirty recap with no edits, music clips, or extraneous info, but plenty of uses of the word "energy" when discussing the Garden.

Enjoy your day off and have a great end of the run!

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It's only been a day since Phish finished their first three nights at MSG! A lot went down, and JW and Skinny from the Stub Me Down podcast are here to recap all of it! 

This was a quick and dirty recap, so no edits, no Lightning Round, no music clips, etc. Just three guys giving our thoughts on nights 1-3 at MSG. 

Enjoy and see you for round 2!

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Hi everybody and welcome to this week’s episode of Attendance Bias. I am your host, Brian Weinstein. Today’s guest is entertainment writer and contributing editor, Jordan Hoffman. I first became of Jordan through his twitter feed, and we tried for a while to set up a show and a date to record. After a while, Jordan chose what is, at the time of this recording, chose the second live performance NOT from Phish. But as we discuss early in the episode, it is Phish-adjacent: today we’re talking about TAB–the Trey Anastasio Band–and their show from April 29, 2019 at Brooklyn Bowl in Williamsburg. 

When Jordan and I began speaking, his enthusiasm and excitement to tell his story about this show was immediately apparent. Normally, I like to think of myself as being pretty quick on my feet when discussing Phish, and although TAB is just one degree of separation, there have been so many iterations of the band and so many songs I don’t know that I had to let Jordan take the wheel for much of the conversation.And man, I am so glad that was the case. Jordan takes us on an emotional and always entertaining journey about how he found his way through trauma and hope to end up just a few rows back from one of his favorite bands at the legendary New York City club.

So let’s join Jordan to talk about They Live, Peaches en Regalia, and Bonnie Raitt as we discuss the Trey Anastasio Band’s show from April 29, 2019 at Brooklyn Bowl.

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Hi everybody and welcome to this week’s episode of Attendance Bias. I am your host, Brian Weinstein. Today’s guest is Bill Stadler who came to discuss one of the best jams from one of the best tours: “Tweezer” into “Izabella” from December 6, 1997 at The Palace at Auburn Hills, Michigan.

When it comes to the fall of 1997, there’s no shortage of shows or jams to break down, and between all of the Phish podcasts out there, lots of it has been covered by fans. That said, most guests on Attendance Bias have chosen entire shows from this tour, and not so many specific jams. This one-two punch that opened the second set at Auburn Hills provides enough music and stylistic variety to carry a full conversation about this time in Phish history, and much more!

Accordingly, Bill came correct. You all know that I’m a teacher and my favorite kind of Attendance Bias guest is the guest who comes prepared. You can’t see it, but Bill came with notes, statistics, dates, and personal history, all ready to talk about this gig, this jam, and who he was at the time that it was played. 

So let’s join Bill to talk about Page’s setup, the 1992 Santana tour, and much more as we discuss the “Tweezabella” from Phish’s show on December 6, 1997 at The Palace at Auburn Hills.

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Hi everybody and welcome to this week’s episode of Attendance Bias. I am your host, Brian Weinstein. You know, April 2022 doesn’t sound like it was that long ago. In fact, at the time of this recording, it was just one year ago. But in terms of atmosphere and the public’s attitude toward Covid and indoor, live events, it could have been a life time ago. Compare April 2022 with April 2023, and for those of us with immunocompromised conditions, it’s a completely different world.

In my world, the beginning of that mental and emotional mindset was solidified during Phish’s 4-night run at Madison Square Garden from April 20th to 23rd, which was actually a set of rescheduled shows from New Year’s Eve, postponed due to a spike in Covid cases.

Today’s guest, Adam Perle is here to remind us of how that outstanding run began, with an 18+ minute “Carini” that kicked off night 1 and ran through several segments before the band remembered that they have 8 sets to go!

But Before we begin today’s episode, I just want to make a note that Adam and I are longtime friends, and this is–I think–just the 2nd Attendance Bias episode to be recorded live in person. So if the audio sounds a little bit different, or if you hear the microphone pick up a plane or police siren in the background, it’s just that we were in a room with the windows open to be comfortable while recording.

But that aside, let’s join Adam to talk about imposter syndrome, the Phish Live in Brooklyn DVD, and much more as we discuss “Carini” from April 20, 2022 at Madison Square Garden.

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Episode 3 Playlist

Earthling or Alien?--8/13/22
Borne--8/17/22
Dripfield--10/1/22
Pancakes--10/7/22
Arrow--11/12/22
Hollywood Nights--11/12/22
Arrow--11/12/22
Wysteria Lane--12/16/22
Drive--3/8/23
Earthling or Alien?--3/8/23
Echo of a Rose--3/24/23
Hungersite--3/31/23
Madhuvan--4/1/23
Echo of a Rose--4/22/23
Borne--4/25/23

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Playlist for Episode 2: 2nu.gs/43wuPRn

A Western Sun--6/15/21
Echo of a Rose--6/15/21
Tumble--8/22/21
Into the Myst--11/17/21
The Empress of Organos--1/29/22
This Old Sea--2/7/22
Rockdale--3/10/22
Hungersite--6/25/22
Arcadia--6/25/22

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Click HERE for the episode playlist

Madhuvan--6/27/19
Drive--11/16/19
Factory Fiction--6/26/20
Madhuvan--9/16/20
Time to Flee--10/2/20
Arrow--11/7/20

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Hi everybody and welcome to this week’s episode of Attendance Bias. I am your host, Brian Weinstein. 

For us fans who remember the days of tape collecting, certain dates probably stand out as core memories as we learned more about this mysterious band who had delightful stories and secrets, even as the songs were played in plain sight. A key puzzle piece to understanding the lore of Phish is the entire notion of Gamehendge–Trey’s senior year thesis and the genesis of several fan favorite songs. Once tape trading and the internet in general became more accessible to fans, one date, even among the Gamehendge tapes, stood above the rest: March 22, 1993 at the Crest Theater in Sacramento, CA.

Today’s guest, Mike Reppy, was not only one of the few fans in attendance for that show but he also played a key role in sharing the soundboard recording with the emerging online Phish community. So if you came across the soundboard of the Gamehendge show from the Crest Theater while you were collecting tapes, it’s almost certain that Mikey had a hand in getting it to you somewhere along the way.

This is the second Gamehendge show that has been discussed on Attendance Bias, and it comes with the caveat not to ignore set 1! There’s lots of good stuff before the word Gamehendge is even uttered.

So let’s join Mikey to talk about sharing setlists before the internet, Fishman’s woodblocks, and much more as we discuss March 22, 1993 at the Crest Theater, in Sacramento, CA.

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Hi everybody and welcome to this week’s episode of Attendance Bias. I am your host, Brian Weinstein. As I’ve mentioned on previous episodes of Attendance Bias, I was not that well informed about the Phish scene during the summer of 2022. Only a few general thoughts about the band’s playing crept their way to my consciousness at the time. However, before Phish hit the road that summer, Trey did a solo acoustic tour that contained a very special highlight in Grand Rapids, Michigan. A young fan named Jovi was called up on stage by Trey to sing “Bug,” which she did with confidence and aplomb. Within 48 hours, video of the duet spread far and wide and before we knew it, “Let Jovi Sing” became a tagline in the Phish community with outlines of a fist-pumping Ms. Unicorn appearing on tshirts and tank tops. 

If you haven’t figured it out by now, today’s guests are Mark and Jovi, the father and daughter pair who helped make that special highlight possible. Mark and Jovi tell their story about how the spontaneous and now legendary “Bug” came to be, but they also break down Jovi’s first big-time Phish show–August 3, 2022 at Pine Knob Amphitheater. I’ve done duo interviews before, but Jovi is by far the youngest guest I’ve had on Attendance Bias. I was nervous, and I hope that doesn’t come through too much.

But for now, let’s join Mark and Jovi to talk about clapping during Stash, whether to stand or sit at a Phish show, and much more as we discuss August 3, 2022 at Pine Knob.

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Hi everybody and welcome to this week’s episode of Attendance Bias. I am your host, Brian Weinstein. 1999 has been a very popular year to discuss on Attendance Bias, and for some reason, July of 1999 has been chosen 7 separate times by various guests. With today’s episode, we are nearly through the first two weeks of that tour, which is becoming legendary…at least for me and my various guests.

Today’s guest is Brad Gordon, who chose to discuss Phish’s show from July 4, 1999 at the Lakewood Amphitheater in Atlanta. July 4th is always an extra fun show, and today’s is no exception. But what made today’s conversation extra fun was Brad’s preparation and enthusiasm. Brad clearly loves this show, but he REALLY loves talking about it and spreading the good word about July 4, 99. Not only that, but he’s an avid listener of this podcast and so he knew my common opinions and even went so far as to quote former guests from prior episodes. Although Brad and I had never met in person, the conversation felt familiar and I was enthusiastic for hours after we ended the recording. I hope that the energy comes through over the next hour or so.

So let’s join Brad to talk about the rumors surrounding the millenium, Vultures, and much more as we discuss July 4, 1999 at the Lakewood Amphitheater, in Atlanta, GA.

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Hi everybody and welcome to today’s episode of Attendance Bias. I am your host, Brian Weinstein. 

There are certain months and seasons in Phish history that represent more than just a page on a calender: August ‘93, Fall ‘97, June ‘94…but there is one that overrides them all: December ‘95. A month that not only has some of the best music of Phish’s 40 year career, but a month that represents their ascent from large theaters and college campuses to city-center arenas across the nation. Today’s guest, Jeff Carroll, brings us to the very beginning of that month as we discuss Phish’s show from December 1, 1995 at Hershey Park Arena.

One month before the band would conquer Madison Square Garden, they laid waste to central Pennsylvania by demonstrating everything they had mastered up to that point, and every reason a fan would want to see them: musical mastery, a dash of Gamehendge, and Fishman running around the stage in a light-up cape after singing some late-stage Elvis. But according to Jeff, there was much more to this show than even all that.

So let’s join Jeff to chat about when Stash goes dark, Shakespeare, amusement park Phish as we break down December 1, 1995 at the Hershey Park Arena, in Hershey PA.

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Hi everybody and welcome to this week’s episode of Attendance Bias. I am your host, Brian Weinstein. As we all know, 1999 is a very popular year to discuss on Attendance Bias. However, the overwhelming majority of shows or jams from that year on the podcast are from the summer. It’s a little more rare that a guest picks something from the fall or December tours to break down. That is the case today as our guest, Andrew Matranga, chose the two night run that closed the fall tour–Albany ‘99 from October 9 and 10.

It would take a four hour podcast episode to cover both nights, as well as an overall look at the tour. But this two night, tour closing run, deserves discussion. So Andrew and I agreed to talk about set one from October 9, and set two from October 10. 

When Andrew and I began speaking before I began to record the conversation, I knew that this episode would be a good one. Not only were we digging into an under-appreciated tour, but the energy he brought when talking about the New York State capital is infectious and undeniable.

So let’s join Andrew Matranga to talk about Strangefolk, the original TAB trio, and October 9 and 10, 1999 from the Knickerbocker Arena, in Albany, NY.

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Hi everybody and welcome to this week’s episode of Attendance Bias. I am your host, Brian Weinstein. Every once in a while, Phish acknowledges their musical inspirations in interviews, by playing cover songs, or in some very rare cases, playing a certain band’s style within Phish’s own original songs and also acknowledge something that’s going on outside the insular world of the show. When they blend it all together successfully, we all win and go home happy.

This was the case on June 25, 2010 at Camden–the first anniversary of the death of pop icon Michael Jackson– when the band started up 2001 right in the middle of the 2nd set and infused several  teases of Michael Jackson’s songs into a spectacular version of 2001.

Today, Scott Marks–member of phish.net and the mockingbird foundation–returns to the podcast to break down that jam, as well as the larger picture: phish in the summer of 2010, separating the art from the artist, and crowd reactions to unexpected twists and turns. So let’s  join Scott to talk about “2001” from June 25, 2010 in Camden.

The Mockingbird Foundation
Neighbor

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Hi everybody and welcome to this week’s episode of Attendance Bias. I am your host, Brian Weinstein. A few months ago, I arranged an episode with a guest who wanted to talk about Phish’s performance of “Free” from August 2, 2022 at the Blossom Music Center in Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio. After trying to set up a recording date and time with the guest, things eventually fell through. I was left with a great jam and a boatload of notes with no one to talk to about it.

I put out a call on Phish Twitter and got such a response! It seemed like everybody wanted to talk about this jam, and I can see why. Luckily, we were able to arrange two guests for this fantastic jam: one returning guest–Mike Lowe, who was previously on Attendance Bias to discuss the all-time version of “Fluffhead” from Alpine Valley ‘99, and a brand-new guest: Mercedes from Phish Twitter, or you may know her better as ZzBenz. Either way, it was a perfect way to blend the familiar with the new to go over what several people referred to as the 2022 Jam of the Year.

Moving through several sections, Phish took the second set opener and took the audience on a musical journey that felt like it was composed and spontaneous at the same time. But I don’t want to spoil it. Let’s join Mercedes and Mike to talk about Summer 2022, planetarium music, and Hansen, as we discuss “Free” from August 2, 2022 at Blossom.

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Hi everybody and welcome to this week’s episode of Attendance Bias. I am your host, Brian Weinstein. It’s not unusual for musical theater to pop up as a conversation topic on this podcast–after all, despite their down to earth appearances, Phish is a very theatrical band. But today’s guest may be the first professional musician who has played percussion and drums in Broadway level pit bands! Today’s guest is Ashley Baier, and as a fan of drums, theater, and of course Phish, I am thrilled to welcome her to Attendance Bias 

For today’s episode, Ashley chose to discuss the Phish show played on July 4, 2012 at the Jones Beach Amphitheater. In the summer of 2012, Phish seemed to make an effort to play as many individual songs as possible over the course of a tour. This show, with its bustouts over the holiday made for a very fun, if somewhat unoriginal show.

But it wasn’t the music that convinced Ashley to pick this show; it’s the plethora of stories before, after, and during this Independence Day Phish show. So let’s join Ashley Baier to talk about Stephen Sondheim, spotting Trey on the upper west side, and whether or not 2012 counts as “Old School Phish” as we discuss July 4, 2012 at Jones Beach.

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Hi everybody and welcome to this week’s episode of Attendance Bias. I am your host, Brian Weinstein. Today’s guest is Collin Stangle, from Brooklyn, New York. Collin is a longtime listener of Attendance Bias and he simply reached out to me on Twitter to ask if he could come on the show, and here we are. It was as simple as that! For today’s episode, Collin chose to discuss a major highlight from the early part of the Baker’s Dozen: “Down with Disease” from July 22, 2017 at Madison Square Garden

I’ve mentioned a number of times that the most commonly chosen era of Phish jams discussed on this show is the summer of 1999. I haven’t done an exact count, but the Baker’s Dozen might be second. Even with our breakdowns of the run on this show, and the Undermine podcast’s in-dept analysis of the record-breaking run, there is something intangibly unique about the band’s idiosyncratic residency at Madison Square Garden, 5 years ago. For Collin, it was even more unique because it was his first show, followed quickly by several more during the run. In today’s discussion, Collin explains the universally exciting feeling we all got from our first show, and then we blend that experience with figuring out the bits and pieces of the most impressive Phish experience of this century.

So let’s join Colin to talk about donuts, crowd reactions, and sneaking snacks into a show as we discuss “Down with Disease” from July 22, 2017 at Madison Square Garden. 

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Hi everybody and welcome to this week’s episode of Attendance Bias. I am your host, Brian Weinstein. Today’s guest is Todd M, who chose one of the last remaining Phish festivals not yet discussed on this podcast: the underrepresented and possibly underappreciated Festival 8, from October 30 to November 1, 2009 in Indio California. Like most festivals covered on Attendance Bias, it would be the longest episode ever if we covered every song from a three day festival, so Todd chose highlights from each set from that weekend.

Although 2009 doesn’t garner much discussion among the Phish fanbase, Festival 8 had a lot going for it: it was a festival, obviously, which is notable in itself, but it also was the first festival in 3.0, it was on the west coast, it was during Halloween, and it even contained a scheduled morning acoustic set. It felt like Phish knew about all of high-profile fun stuff that us fans love about the band and stuffed most of it into one weekend. On top of that, of course, is the music.

Todd fleshes out what it was like to be at such an event, where all of these favorite Phish checklist items intersected at once. He also tells us about midwest roadtrips, street names at the festival, and the best versions of Suzy Greenberg ever.

Just a note: around halfway through today’s interview, the cord on my microphone jarred loose and the audio quality on my end isn’t as good for the 2nd half. It’s easy to get used to, but I hope it doesn’t bother you as much as it bothers me. Cheers, and enjoy today’s episode with Todd.

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Hi everybody and welcome to this week’s episode of Attendance Bias. I am your host, Brian Weinstein. Today’s guest is Michael K, who chose to discuss Phish’s show from July 30, 2003 at what was then the Tweeter Center in Camden.

The end of July 2003 was, at least in my opinion, the pinnacle of the 2.0 era. The band had the February tour to get reacquainted with the road, and the longer summer tour hit all of the familiar and favorite venues. By the time they reached the end of July, 2003, the band and the fans were on the precipice of the ultimate expression of the Phish experience: the IT festival. But before IT, the band had a lot to say through their instruments, and today’s show said a lot through lots of rarities, off-beat covers, and the long-sought after four song second set.

Michael is a longtime listener of Attendance Bias, and you’ll hear him explain how a combination of listening to the podcast and his love for the Velvet Underground led him to get in touch to share his love for this show in Camden. So enough from me; let’s join Mike to talk about bootleg tshirts, the Velvet Underground, and Fishman’s China cymbal, as we discuss Phish’s show from July 30, 2003 at the Tweeter Center in Camden, NJ.

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Hi everybody and welcome to this week’s episode of Attendance Bias. I am your host, Brian Weinstein. The phrase “attendance bias” typically means that you enjoy a show, or find it special, to a degree that might be irrational compared to a more objective assessment. But today’s guest took the term and expanded its meaning a bit. He chose a show that was extremely meaningful to him in a way that no other guest thus far has approached. It is not a stretch to say that today’s guest tonally broke new ground for the podcast. 

All that said, today’s guest is the host of the Brokedown Podcast, co-host of the Helping Friendly Podcast, and musician, Jonathan Hart. If you’ve listened to the excellent Helping Friendly Podcast, then you’ve heard Jonathan’s voice alongside his co-hosts RJB, Brian Brinkman, and Megan Glionna, who have all appeared here on attendance bias. While RJ, Brian, Megan, and virtually all Attendance Bias guests have chosen shows or performances that thrilled or impressed them, Jonathan bucked the trend and picked a show from Phish’s lowest point: August 9, 2004 at the Hampton Coliseum. 

As you’ll hear us discuss extensively, Jonathan chose not to attend Coventry, so at the time, this Hampton show was presumably the last time he would ever see Phish. With expectations and emotions at an all-time high, it wasn’t so great when the band didn’t deliver. So while Jonathan has attendance bias toward this show, it’s not for the usual reasons.  

So let’s join Jonathan to talk about August 2004, why the band loves Hampton so much, and the meaning behind Crowd Control as we discuss Phish’s show from August 9, 2004 at the Hampton Coliseum.

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Hi everybody and welcome to this week’s episode of Attendance Bias. I am your host, Brian Weinstein. When Attendance Bias was first getting off the ground about two years ago, it seemed like every guest chose a show or a jam from the summer of 1999. Even though I didn’t see any shows from that tour, it seemed that within a few weeks, I became an expert on that time and place of Phish history. 

Then, as more and more guests came on the podcast, we ventured all throughout Phish history, and summer ‘99 took a back seat. But today’s guest is here to bring us back to our roots. That guest is Jenn Moore, who you may have previously heard on the Helping Friendly Podcast. Jenn chose to discuss set 1 of July 25, 1999 at Deer Creek. 

Surely, there is a virtually unlimited supply of special moments from Deer Creek, but Jenn chose this set for many sentimental reasons that you’re about to hear, but also because this set, with its bustouts, rarities, new material for the time, community vibe and goofiness, sticks out in her showgoing life. 

So let’s join Jenn to talk about New York hippie towns, traveling through the midwest, and being a budding hippie in law school, as we discuss Phish’s first set from July 25, 1999 at Deer Creek.

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Hi everybody and welcome to this week’s episode of Attendance Bias. I am your host, Brian Weinstein. In the film Almost Famous, which I’m guessing is a favorite among many Phish fans, there’s a scene toward the very beginning where the hero’s older sister leaves home and secretly donates her extensive record collection to her younger brother. He sorts through them, settling on The Who’s Tommy and plays “Sparks.” That scene is the literal transition from the character being an immature young wallflower, into a young man with solid musical tastes and a sure sense of what he was put on earth to do. 

While today’s guest is not Cameron Crowe, that scene from my favorite movie came to mind more than once as we spoke. Today’s guest is AJ Masko, and he chose to speak about Phish’s performance of Down With Disease into While My Guitar Gently Weeps from July 15, 2000 at the Polaris Amphitheater. AJ was not exactly brand new to Phish, but he was still in his honeymoon period where every new discovery from the band takes you back to your classic rock phase that you cherished and loved for so many years. If you have no idea what I’m talking about, then don’t worry; you’ll still be able to appreciate today’s conversation.

On top of that, AJ also captures the feeling of late-1.0; the layered ambient music, the exploding population of the scene, the dangers at the edges, and the post-Cypress glow of the entire Phish experience. Even though we didn’t see many of the same shows or tours, AJ and I had similar Phish feelings around the time of Y2K, and this conversation was a true pleasure.

So let’s join AJ to talk about 11-minute jams, the need for more late 1.0 soundboards, and godlike ferris wheels, as we discuss  Down with Disease into While My Guitar Gently Weeps from July 15, 2000 at The Polaris Amphitheater.

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Hi everybody and welcome to this week’s episode of Attendance Bias. I am your host, Brian Weinstein. Although it’s arguably  the most important year of Phish’s career, not many Attendance Bias guests pick shows or jams from 2009. It’s understandable–2009 isn’t exactly overflowing with standout jams from Phish’s entire catalogue, but this podcast is about what’s special to the guest; not necessarily the most mind blowing music out there. However, today’s guest–Lindsay Hope–chose a show that has it all: August 7, 2009 at The Gorge.

Any Phish show at The Gorge is special by its very nature. But in 2009, it felt like all of us who were into the band in 1.0 or 2.0, were getting a second chance to experience everything we’ve always wanted to do with Phish. Even though the music wasn’t always mind blowing, there were dozens of special experiences, and Lindsay had to face her share of obstacles to make her dream of seeing Phish at the Gorge come true.

So let’s join Lindsay to talk about the Denver police department, Ken Kesey and the Merry Pranksters, and windy condoms, as we discuss Phish’s show from August 7, 2009 at The Gorge.

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Hi everybody and welcome to this week’s episode of Attendance Bias. I am your host, Brian Weinstein. Today’s guest is Derek Hartley of Portland, Maine. Derek chose to speak about July 26, 2017, better known as Powdered Night of the Baker’s Dozen at Madison Square Garden. 

Two nights of Phish’s landmark residency have already been covered on Attendance Bias, so I initially wasn’t sure what else could be said, but immediately after emailing with Derek, I was brought back to the absolute splendor that was Powdered night. Since it was played, I’ve considered it to be the best night of the Baker’s Dozen, musically speaking, and this was a great opportunity to hear someone else’s view of it, to dig a bit deeper into what made it such a successful night. 

Derek is originally from northern Maine, and since he got into Phish right at the end of 2.0, he didn’t have much opportunity to see the band live. But he and his wife took a fortuitous trip to New York City in the summer of 2017 to make up for lost time, and hit what was arguably the best three consecutive nights of the dozen. 

So let’s join Derek to talk about calling songs during the dozen, Raspberry Beret, and the best beers in Maine as we discuss Phish’s performance from July, 26 2017 at Madison Square Garden.

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Hi everybody and welcome to this week’s episode of Attendance Bias. I am your host, Brian Weinstein. Today’s guest is Chris from the Phish Just Jams website and app. We all love Phish songs, but sometimes you just want to get straight to the jams, and that’s what Chris, and his brother Brian, created: a database that allows fans to do just that.  In addition to Just Jams, Chris is here to talk about the second set of an out-of-nowhere, or in the middle of nowhere, show: November 16, 1996 at the Civic Auditorium in Omaha, Nebraska. 

1996 has taken a little bit of a beating on this podcast and in general when it comes to Phish. We’ll get into it deeper, but myself and many guests have referred to 1996 as an “off year” or an “in between year” when it comes to Phish’s development. I’ve certainly realized the folly in that description, and according to Chris, it this type of show that caused that type of generalization in the first place. While the 2nd set is everything anyone could ever want in a Phish show, the first set is nothing remarkable. So in a time when it wasn’t so easy to just pick and choose which part of a show you wanted to hear, anyone listening to this first set may incorrectly assume that there’s nothing special about the show in general. That’s one reason that we are reviewing just the second set of this 1996 show in Omaha.  

So let’s join Chris to talk about Trey’s percussion setup, standing up during Kung, and turkey legs as we discuss the second set of Phish’s performance from November 16, 1996 at the Omaha Civic Auditorium.

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Hi everybody and welcome to this week’s episode of Attendance Bias. I am your host, Brian Weinstein. We have a very special guest for today’s episode. For the most part, Attendance Bias is focused on fans of the band, and each fan tells his or her story. But once in a long while, a person directly associated with the band will come on the podcast to talk about their history with Phish and to break down a special show or jam. Tom Marshall has been on the pod, Sue Drew who was the band’s A&R rep at Elektra Records told her story, and today’s guest ranks right up there in his ability to tell about his Phish experience from the inside out. And today’s guest is member of the Giant Country Horns and current trumpet player for Roomful of Blues, Carl “Gears” Gerhard. Carl chose to tell about his gig with Phish at Arrowhead Ranch, NY, on July 21, 1991.

If you got into Phish at a time when tape collecting was still part of the experience, there is no doubt that this gig came across your radar at some point. The second of two shows, this fan favorite was the midway point of the July 1991 horn tour, and you could tell that the band–the full band–was feeling it, full throttle. 

Aside from the music, though, a main goal of this podcast is to help the listener feel as though he or she is right there with the guest, feeling and experiencing the show that’s being discussed. What makes today’s episode special is that Carl is able to get us backstage and onstage with Phish as he tells us about the conversations and decisions that led to the horn tour, and what it felt like to collaborate with Phish and the other members of the Giant Country Horns. More important than anything, though, is that Carl was extremely generous with his time and his words, welcoming us into the world that was Phish tour in the early 90s.

So let’s join Carl to talk about Tony Bennett, life in the Navy, and 48 hour marathon rehearsals, as we discuss Phish's show from 7/21/91 at Arrowhead Ranch.

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Hi everybody and welcome to this week’s episode of Attendance Bias. I am your host, Brian Weinstein. Today’s guests are Jack and Fraser of PhanSets.com, who are here to tell about their NFT startup, Phansets, as well as their chosen attendance bias show: August 15, 2012 at Long Beach Arena, in Long Beach, CA. 

If you got into Phish at a certain time in their history, you probably obtained a tape, or if you’re like me, hundreds of tapes. Everything about obtaining a tape was special: finding someone who had a tape you were looking for; reaching out to that person whether it was by a letter, a forum, or an email, agreeing to a trade or a B+P, and then when the tape arrived in the mail, the most unique thing about it, aside from the music, was the J-Card; the little piece of paper or thin cardboard that listed the set of music found on that tape. Everyone had their own special ritual and preferences when it came to the J-Cards. If you pretty much fetishized the tapes as much as I did, then you may have had special symbols to denote a segue, or a song debut, or a special guest, and so on.

Tapes have long vanished from the typical Phish scene, but Frazer and Jack of Phansets have dug deep into that nostalgic part of being a fan and want to update it to the present by using the concept of NFTs. In a minute, you’ll hear both guests explain how PhanSets brings back the love of special sets and JCards. But before then, we don’t want to forget the show!

Jack and Fraser were lucky enough to attend the August 15, 2012 show in Long Beach with some special guests; probably the biggest pop stars in the world at that time. So while you listen to today’s episode, imagine that you’re at the show. Now imagine that your brother in law is Justin Bieber’s musical director and guitarist. Now imagine that you and your brother in law convinced Justin Bieber to come see Phish with you. I don’t want to spoil the best parts, but you see where this is going.

So let’s join Frazer and Jack to talk about Phish Sets, Southern California venues, and the limits of an all-access pass as we discuss Phish’s performance from August 15, 2012 at the Long Beach Arena.

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Hi everybody and welcome to this week’s episode of Attendance Bias. I am your host, Brian Weinstein. Today’s guest is Drew Plettner of Charlotte, North Carolina. For today’s episode, Drew chose what is likely the most recent show for any guest, if you leave out any of the recap episodes: August 6, 2021 at Deer Creek.

The summer 2021 tour was an odd time for Phish and Phish fans. It was really an odd time for the world at large. This was the postponed 2020 tour, and fans didn’t know what to expect in terms of large gatherings, in terms of further postponements or cancelations, or in terms of their own comfort level. Luckily, Phish tends to deliver their best when we venture into the unexpected. 

Drew is a fairly new fan as he first got into the band in 2018 and these two shows at Deer Creek in 2021 was when he felt the most prepared and ready to go as a fan. He picked a good weekend to show his stuff, because this Friday night show, august 6, delivers the goods. Great jams, fan favorite songs, and tons of crowd energy made it feel like 2020 never happened. I was unfamiliar with this run before Drew chose it and I am grateful to him for opening my eyes and ears to this special show. 

So let’s join Drew to talk about country music, 2.0 vs 3.0 vs. 4.0, and the coin toss that is lot food as we discuss Phish’s show from August 6, 2021 at Deer Creek Amphitheater.

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Hi everybody and welcome to this week’s episode of Attendance Bias. I am your host, Brian Weinstein. Today’s guest is Andy Michels of JEMP Radio. For today’s episode, Andy chose to discuss one of the best jams during a summer full of the best jams: “Simple” from July 15, 2017 at Northerly Island in Chicago, Illinois.

JEMP Radio is an internet radio station that occupies a special space within the jamband scene. It’s been around longer than most Phish-centric music sources, it’s totally free, and it’s run and organized by fans instead of algorithms. This truly isn’t a paid advertisement, but I’ve been listening to JEMP radio for over a decade and so it was truly a thrill to have Andy on the podcast for today’s episode to hear the background of the radio station, his insight into Phish’s recent history, and a look into the summer of 2017 outside of the Baker’s Dozen.

So let’s join Andy to talk about The Residents, fuzzy synthesizers, and the marimba lumina, as we discuss “Simple” from July 15, 2017 at Northerly Island.

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Hi everybody and welcome to this week’s episode of Attendance Bias. I am your host, Brian Weinstein. Today’s guest is Scott King of Ontario, Canada. For today’s episode, Scott chose to discuss a show for which we BOTH have attendance bias: February 22, 2003 at the U.S. Bank Arena in Cincinnati, Ohio. 

The February, 2003 tour was a special time to be a Phish fan. During the band’s 18-month hiatus, dozens of jambands gained prominence and began to specialize in specific genres popularized by Phish to jamband fans and ironically, Phish’s absence made them more popular. When they returned for this winter tour, anticipation was at an all-time high, and Phish delivered, offering all-time career highlight jams and shows in a brief, 12-show tour.

Scott was going through a transformative time in his life and, being Canadian, did not usually get the opportunity to see Phish that often. Byt sometimes the starts line up and he was able to see a few shows on this memorable tour, and this 2nd night of a 2-show run in Cincy during a rainy weekend would be a healing time when he was going through a tough time. 

So let’s join Scott to talk about bbq Frito twists, Walls of the Cave, filling up your gas tank as we discuss Phish’s show from February 22, 2003 at The U.S. Bank Arena in Cincinnati.

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Hi everybody and welcome to this week’s episode of Attendance Bias. I am your host, Brian Weinstein. Today’s we have a returning guest: Shawn Fausett of Colorado. 

Shawn previously appeared on Attendance Bias to tell his story from Phish’s show from December 6, 1996 at the Aladdin Theater in Las Vegas. He is originally from the southwest, so While discussing that legendary Las Vegas show, it casually came up that he also attended the show we are discussing today: November 2, 1998 at the E Center in Salt Lake City Utah. I almost stopped that recording immediately and wanted to pivot to talk about that show, the colloquial “Dark Side of the Moon” show. But in an instant, I thought better of it and Shawn agreed, on the spot, to come back for a 2nd episode to talk about that Dark Side show. What you’re about to hear is the result of that promise. 

While November 2, 1998 is the focus of today’s conversation, and we do our best to keep it there, there are many references to the 1996 Vegas show, the 1998 Halloween show, and even a jump or two to the Baker’s Dozen. So if you’re a casual Phish fan, you may need to do a little bit of homework to gain an understanding of the context of today’s legendary show. But before that, let’s talk about Halloween cover albums, the reputation of the Dead Goat Saloon, the loudest crowd reactions ever as Shawn Fausett tells about November 2, 1998 at The E Center in Salt Lake City.

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Hi everybody and welcome to this week’s episode of Attendance Bias. I am your host, Brian Weinstein. Today’s guest is the newest co-host of the Helping Friendly Podcast, Megan Glionna. I’ve had hosts of the HFPod on before, notably RJ Bee and Brian Brinkman. The HF Pod is filled with facts and analysis, and Megan brings a lot of personality to the table. Although stats and facts are always a part of Attendance Bias, I’m in it for the personalities and the stories, so I was thrilled when Megan agreed to come on the show. For today’s episode, Megan chose to discuss Phish’s show on July 21, 1997 at the Virginia Beach Amphitheater in Virginia Beach. 

A benchmark show of a legendary year in Phish’s history, the Virginia Beach show was the band’s first American show of that year, during which they introduced not only a bevy of new songs to the audience, but also their new-at-the-time cow funk sound. As you’ll hear Megan and I discuss, they didn’t crawl into the summer tour with warm up shows, but as this Virginia Beach show proves, they hit the ground running.  

There’s more to it than the music, though. So let’s join Megan to talk about taking your parents to a show, coping with a recent breakup, and the high school drama club as we discuss Phish’s performance from July 21, 1997 at The Virginia Beach Amphitheater.

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Hi everybody and welcome to this week’s episode of Attendance Bias. I am your host, Brian Weinstein. Today’s guest is Michela Ratto of New York, by way of San Francisco. For today’s episode, Michela chose to discuss Phish’s performance of “The Moma Dance” with a segue into “We Are the Champions” by Queen from the Bill Graham Civic Auditorium in San Francisco on October 29, 2014.

Baseball has come up a number of times on this podcast, most notably with Hal Hansen, who chose to discuss Phish’s show from June 28, 2000 at the Garden State Arts Center. The baseball aspect of that conversation was more about the comparison of obsessed Phish fans with statistic minded baseball savants. Today’s talk with Michela goes a lot deeper and more specific than that, as she brings up the specific feeling of what it was like to be in San Francisco, rooting for her hometown team in the World Series at a Phish show, and what it’s like when they clinch the championship right at the start of the second set. 

But that’s just one part of it. Today’s conversation covers a lot of ground as we discuss the fall 2014 tour, sisterhood, working at Chili’s, and so much more. On top of that, there are those times at shows when something even bigger than Phish is going on in the city they’re playing and yet they manage to fuse it into their playing, harnessing the excitement in the air both outside and inside the venue. For Michela and San Francisco Giants fans at the Bill Graham, this was one of those nights.  

You’ll also hear Michela mention a few times that she and I go to a lot of shows together–there’s a good reason for that. We’re engaged! By the time this episode airs, she and I should be on our way to getting married, so this was a personal interview in a lot of ways.

But that’s a bigger story even than Phish. So in the meantime, let’s join Michela to chat about the best sandwiches in Saratoga Springs, the king of ground scores, and JT Snow saving the life of a young child as we go over “The Moma Dance from October 29, 2014 at The Bill Graham Civic Auditorium in San Francisco.

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Hi everybody and welcome to this week’s episode of Attendance Bias. I am your host, Brian Weinstein. Today’s guest is Robert Miller. 

I love every episode of Attendance Bias, and while hosting this podcast, it’s become clear that the word “special” or “meaningful” means something different for every Phish fan. Some people want to talk about their first show, others have a special connection with the venue or city where the show was played, and sometimes, it’s simply a matter of the music. Other times, a fan has a memory and an emotional connection to a particular song played one night. That is the case for today’s episode, where Rob picked “If I Could” from October 11, 1995 at the Compton Terrace Amphitheater in Phoenix, Arizona. Rob was in college at the time, and we’ve all been there; we go on an adventure with someone who starts off as a friend. But during the adventure, we get tunnel vision, and we want the friend to become something more than a friend. Sometimes it works, and sometimes it doesn’t. But there are times when our favorite band becomes the soundtrack to that memory, and a specific song gains meaning and weight as it somehow describes the situation in the moment.  

It’s not always that simple, but it sometimes makes for a good story, and that’s why we are all here today. 

So let’s join Rob to chat about the fall ‘95 tour, our dream special guests, and when it is and isn’t okay to take a piss break as we break down “If I Could’ from October 11, 1995 at The Compton Terrace Amphitheater in Phoenix.

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Hello everyone, and welcome to Attendance Bias! I am your host, Brian Weinstein. Before anything, I want to begin today’s episode with a message of gratitude. A few weeks ago, I put out two requests to you, the attendance bias audience. First, I had to swallow my pride and ask for monetary donations. Attendance Bias, or any podcast, is not free to produce. It does take quite a bit of money to produce each episode on a weekly basis, and I’m happy to cover it, as long as I can. After all, as the listener, you pay for it. Not with money, but with your time and attention. And those are the most important commodities we have, so I am truly grateful to every one of you. If you would still like to donate to keep the lights on at Attendance Bias, you can go to www.buymeacoffee.com/attendancebias and contribute anything you can. Every penny will go to the operating costs of the podcast.

Now if you’ve listened to every episode of this podcast, you’ve heard me introduce myself and the episode literally 99 times. That is because today is a special episode. It marks 100 episodes of Attendance Bias, and I cannot believe it. From the day I had the idea of beginning a podcast about Phish and their fans, it took me nearly three months to put one episode together. Now, two years later, we are at the 100th episode of Attendance Bias.

For Phish fans, 100 shows is a sort of milestone. In one sense, it’s pointless gatekeeping, as a person’s first, ninth, 57th or 90th show could be just as meaningful as their 100th. But as a culture, we celebrate anniversaries and round numbers, for whatever reason. A couple’s 10 year wedding anniversary. A baseball player’s 20th season. 40 years since a classic album came out, and so on. For Phish fans who are obsessed with statistics, happenstance, coincidence, and and date numerology, 100 shows takes on a significance that could mean everything and nothing at the same time.

I fell victim to this, for sure. When Phish announced their 2016 holiday run at Madison Square Garden, I took a look at my stats and realized that my 100th show would be on the same date, at the same venue as my first: it would be on December 29, 2016, exactly 19 years after my first show on December 29, 1997. What did this mean? Double rainbow? It meant that that the Phish gods somehow conspired to make this incredible coincidence…or it just meant that I’ve lived in the NYC area for virtually my entire life and it was only a matter of time? Either way, I was so jazzed about it that I began to write a blog called Phish100. In it, I detailed every Phish show I’d seen, leading up to my 100th. In many ways, it was a precursor to Attendance Bias. The biggest difference, though, was that Phish100 was entirely about my experience at Phish. Attendance Bias is about the guest’s experience at his or her special show. 

So how does this 100 show threshold translate to a podcast? The fetish for round numbers holds tight in this case, but again, Attendance Bias isn’t really about me–it’s about the audience. So for today’s celebration of 100 episodes of Attendance Bias, I wanted to split the stories. For the first half of today’s episode, I’ll review my 100th show on December 29, 2016 and then for the second half, I’ll hand it over to the Attendance Bias listeners. So many of you reached out to tell your stories about your 100th Phish show, and I’m thrilled to share them. But first, let’s start with Phish at MSG on December 29 2016 at Madison Square Garden.

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Hi everybody and welcome to this week’s episode of Attendance Bias. I am your host, Brian Weinstein. Today’s guest is Shawn Fausett of Colorado. 

For me, there are some Phish shows that I’ve always taken for granted as being part of the DNA of the assumption that Phish is one of the greatest bands of all time. Every fan may have his or her own list, but I always assumed that there are some that are inarguably great, with a capital “G,” and are agreed upon as the best. For this episode, Shawn picked one of those shows: December 6, 1996 at the Aladdin in Las Vegas, Nevada. It’s been released as an official triple album by Phish, it was their first show in Sin City, there’s a Harpua encore with special guests, and jams galore. Personally, it was also one of my very first tapes, and probably the first time I ever hear some of the greatest Phish songs ever. But for Shawn, it was the time when he decided that he was all in on this goofy band from Vermont. 

Shawn was 16 years old at the time, had just seen his first Phish show a few months prior, and Vegas was all he needed to become submerged into the world of Phish. 

So let’s go over the reputation of 1996, reap the benefits of the Clifford Ball, and feel the spirit of Elvis as Shawn Fausett tells about December 6, 1996 at The Aladdin in Las Vegas.

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Hi everybody and welcome to this week’s episode of Attendance Bias. I am your host, Brian Weinstein. Today’s guest is fan Eric Creighton of Illinois. 

For this episode, Eric picked a show that was an instant classic from a legendary tour: December 7, 1997 at the Ervin J. Nutter Center in Dayton, Ohio. I know, I know. This show is often cited as a top tier show from one of the best tours in Phish history but believe it or not, the only thing I knew from this show before Eric selected it was its version of Tube. A signature performance, to be sure, but there is so much more to this amazing concert a top notch version of theme from the bottom, a funky "Possum," and-oh yeah-an "AC/DC Bag" into "Psycho Killer!" 

More important than that, it was the best experience to hear Eric talk about what it’s like to see shows in and around the Chicagoland area. Aside from one trip to the Windy City in 2015, I’d never seen a concert there. And between Northerly Island, UIC Pavilion, and even the Cubby Bear, Phish has such a strong history in Chicago that it was a lesson for me just to hear Eric talk about the band and his hometown city. 

So witness the growth of "Timber Ho," brush up on your Motown, and watch out for Bart backstage as Eric Creighton tells his story about December 7, 1997 at The Nutter Center in Dayton, Ohio.

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Hi everybody and welcome to this week’s episode of Attendance Bias. I am your host, Brian Weinstein. Today’s guest is Luke Hall, and he is here to talk about an old-school favorite: December 11, 1995 at the Cumberland County Civic Center. 

I love speaking and learning from all different kinds of guests on Attendance Bias, and Luke offered a new perspective; one which I haven’t heard before: Luke is Canadian! And while that isn’t wildly different from any other fan, it does offer a unique perspective. Phish isn’t huge in Canada, and they rarely play the country these days. There’s nothing new about a person getting into Phish when they weren’t well-known, but imagine if you were learning about Phish and there was barely any interest on a NATIONAL scale, let alone a local scale. Throw in the fact that Luke first got into Phish during the mid-90s, when Phish was just becoming nationally known in America, and there’s a perspective certainly worth hearing.

Plus, Luke picked a show that is considered a Phish classic–December 11, 1995 at the Cumberland County Civic Center–that features many Phish classics at the end of one of their best tours, as well as Dog Log goofiness and a guest appearance by Warren Haynes, and both of us had lots to say.

So let’s join Luke to talk about Fall ‘95, Canadian/American exchange rates, and when we should expect an officially released Dog Log album, as we discuss Phish’s performance on December 11, 1995 at The Cumberland County Civic Center in Portland, Maine.

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Hi everybody. And welcome to today's episode of attendance bias. I am your host, Brian Weinstein. 

Today's guest is the founder of the Oceans of Osyrus message board, Damon Callisto. 

For today's conversation, Damon picked Phish's show from October 8th, 1995 at the Adams Fieldhouse at the University of Montana in Missoula. Now, this is a pretty unique pick for a number of reasons. Number one, it was played in 1995. And as I combed back through the Attendance Bias episodes, the only other show from that year was December 31st, 1995; the legendary New Year's Eve show. And yet the fact that so many fans cited as their favorite year of Phish, I was just. surprised that no one else had picked a show from '95. So I was really glad that Damon chose it. Also, it's a show from Montana. And if you look up the statistics, Phish has played Montana just twice in their whole career.

And Damon did a really great job melding the history of Montana and the culture of Montana with  this show that was played at the Adams Fieldhouse in 1995. So, I was thrilled to learn a little bit more background about the show and about the state.

Something that really surprised me was the amount of bluegrass that fish played in the show. And Damon is really wonderful at explaining  how it made him feel throughout the entire show, because it felt like a hometown show and you don't get to say that very often if you live in Montana.

So let's join Damon to talk about one of the best message boards out there for Phish and Phish related content, to hear about the history of Montana and Phish, and also to hear why "Suspicious Minds" should make a comeback as we talk about Phish's show from October 8th, 1995 at the Adams Fieldhouse at the University of Montana in Missoula.

Oceans of Osyrus message board
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Hi Everybody, and welcome to Attendance Bias. I am your host, Brain Weinstein. This is not a full episode of Attendance Bias, as it’s more of an announcement and a request. And then of course, one of my favorite tracks because I could not in good conscience ask you to listen to an episode of Attendance Bias without any Phish music.

First and foremost, Attendance Bias is a true labor of love. I never expect to get any sort of monetary profit out of it, and that doesn’t bother me for a second. My priority now remains the same as when I began this podcast during the early summer of 2020: to meet people who had a story about Phish, and who were eager to talk shop about the most unique live music experience possible in our lifetime.  In terms of satisfaction, Attendance Bias has paid for itself a million times over.

Like any other hobby or new venture, podcasting comes with its own costs. Without going into too much detail, a lot goes into the back-end of producing an episode of Attendance Bias. Many of the services that I utilize run on a subscription basis, meaning that there is a monthly cost that makes it a somewhat expensive hobby. Unlike a hobby such as painting or playing the guitar, where there’s a startup cost and then the rest of what you spend is by choice, podcasting has recurring costs on a monthly basis. 

To be clear, I don’t mind paying these costs. Attendance Bias has been one of the most satisfying creative projects of my life. I would pay double the amount to do it, if I had to. But  some of the services that I signed up for two years ago have recently upped their subscription costs, and like a toll bridge or a Ticketmaster surcharge, once the price goes up, it’s a safe assumption that it’s not going to come back down. 

It’s here where the hopeful begging comes in. I signed up for a page on BuyMeACoffee.com to accept donations from listeners, and I’m asking you to donate anything you can to help keep the lights on at Attendance Bias. I didn’t set a price point or a monetary goal because like I said, costs are part of the deal when creating something that people enjoy. But now that some costs are rising for essential piece of the podcast, I see the writing on the wall and would appreciate any help any of you could provide to offset the costs and make it financially easier for me to keep the show up to the standard that you deserve. Seeing as this is just me in my apartment, I don’t foresee advertisements on Attendance Bias, and aside from the guest or guests on each episode, this is a one man show from start to finish. 

If you enjoy Attendance Bias and have the ability to donate even a small amount of money, please go to buymeacoffee.com/attendancebias. The website is spelled exactly as it sounds. Once you visit there, there are options for how much you want to donate, and believe me, every cent is appreciated and will 100% go toward the operating costs of Attendance Bias. 

I want to thank everyone who has already contributed, and thank you in advance to anybody who contributes in the future. Again, if I’m lucky enough to receive your contribution, the website is buymeacoffee.com/attendance bias. Thank you a million times over.

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Buymeacoffee.com

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Hi everybody and welcome to this week’s episode of Attendance Bias. I am your host, Brian Weinstein. Today’s guest is author Peter Conners. If you’re a reader of nonfiction and enjoy books about The Grateful Dead or the jamband scene at large, chances are that you’ve at least heard of Peter and hopefully read some of his books. Some of his titles include: “JAMerica: The history of the jam band and festival scene,” “White Hand Society: The Psychedelic Partnership of Timothy Leary and Allen Ginsberg,” “Cornell ‘77: The Music, The Myth, and the Magnificence of the Grateful Dead’s Concert at Barton Hall,” “Growing up Dead: The Hallucinated Confessions of a Teenage Deadhead,” and “Beyond the Edge of Suffering: a book of prose poems.” You’ll notice that these titles have at least two things in common: first, they all somehow revolve around the Grateful Dead or the Jamband scene, and second, they’re all works of non fiction. 

However, Peter’s latest release is a novel–his first published fictional work. It is called “Merch Table Blues,” and by the time this episode airs, it should be available everywhere you get books. Listen carefully to the first segment of this interview, and you’ll hear more specific websites where you can find it and simultaneously support independent booksellers. Also, you can find relevant links in today’s show notes.

For today’s episode, Peter picked “Chalkdust Torture” from July 20, 1991 at Arrowhead Ranch. I was thrilled when he chose that track and that show because it’s lived in my mind’s eye for so long. The 1991 horn tour provided so many of my first tapes so long ago that the Arrowhead Ranch shows in particular have gained legendary status. The first night of that two-night run opened with “Chalkdust,” which was a new song at that point, and the band never looked back. It was satisfying to hear about that show and that venue after listening to it for so many years.

So let’s join Peter Conners to talk about his writing process, upstate New York, and how Phish in 1991 was the same band, and yet entirely different, from the band we know today, as we discuss Phish’s performance of “Chalkdust Torture” from July 20, 1991 at Arrowhead Ranch in Parksville, New York.

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Manic D Press

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Hi everybody and welcome to this week’s episode of Attendance Bias. I am your host, Brian Weinstein. Today’s guest is fire dancer Kate Houlihan of Austin, Texas. 

At the beginning of this podcast, I was surprised that so many guests picked shows from 1999. But now that we are two years into the show, a new trend has developed: the holiday run. For a multitude of reasons, many special moments in Phish history happen during the holiday run. By now, at least six guests have come on Attendance Bias to talk about a personal experience they’ve had from one of the legendary Phish shows from December 28 to 31st of any given year. For this episode, however, Kate picked the cream of the crop: Phish’s show on December 30, 1997 at Madison Square Garden. 

While the 1994 and 1995 holiday runs have been covered on Attendance Bias, this is the first time that the 1997 run of shows has been chosen by a guest. It’s a thrill for me, because this was the stretch when I saw Phish live for the first time. For Kate, it wasn’t her first time, but you’ll hear how this show, on the 30th, was when she got it and decided that she was all in on this band that we love so much.

So put on your best speakers, get your lunchboxes full of olive loafs and fried eggs, and make sure that you make that last train out of Penn Station as Kate Houlihan tells her story about December 30, 1997 at Madison Square Garden.

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Hi everybody and welcome to this week’s episode of Attendance Bias. I am your host, Brian Weinstein. Today’s guest is my friend Bobby from Massachusetts who, for privacy purposes, is speaking under a pseudonym today. 

For today’s episode, Bob picked Phish’s show from September 14, 2000 at the Darien Lake Performing Arts Center near Buffalo, NY. 

I recorded a mini episode about the Suzy Greenberg from this show that closed the first set but there is so much more to this show than that. Musically speaking, this is one of the most dense shows I’ve ever heard–out of 12 songs in the first and second set, eight of them are on the Phish.net jam charts. But there was so much more to it than the music. Bob was there with his friends, I was there with my brother, there were the rumors of the impending hiatus (which was not yet officially announced), and pretty much the same jam throughout the night, weaving its way in and out of almost every song. Bob and I had a great time breaking it all down.

So start wooing, don’t underestimate Prince Caspian, and  make sure to bring a change of dry clothes as Bobby F Weaver and I go over September 14, 2000 at the Darien Lake Performing Arts Center.

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Hi everybody and welcome to this week’s episode of Attendance Bias. I am your host, Brian Weinstein. Today’s guest is my friend Robert Murray. When Rob first reached out to me, he had a novel idea: he knew that I already spoke about the epic performance of David Bowie from December 29, 1994 in Providence with Tom Marshall. But Rob thought that the Providence show deserved its own full episode, even without the David Bowie! I had never revisited the same show twice before, but I thought that Rob’s idea was creative enough to work–everyone knows the “Providence Bowie,” but what else happened that night? That’s what today’s show is for. 

And once we started putting together notes for this episode, I knew I met my match; normally, guests are a little taken aback by how much I write to prepare for an episode. But Rob outdid me! When I sent him my half of the notes, the document was about 14 pages. When he was done, it was 28 pages. Our conversation was just as cheery as the notes. If you’re a severely jaded vet and can’t stand when fans gush over just about everything Phish does, you may want to fast forward through this episode. Rob and I have a lot of good things to say about this show. The word “perfect” gets thrown around quite a bit, but when you’re talking about the 1994 Phish holiday run, it’s justified.

 And one last note about that: this episode has a pretty long running time. That is largely due to the number of music clips included in the conversation. Once I started listening back, I couldn't help myself. This show is just so good that it became more difficult to decide which songs NOT to include. But enough from me–listen for yourself as Rob Murray and I discuss Phish’s performance on December 29, 1994 at the Providence Civic Center.

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12/29/94 "David Bowie," with Tom Marshall

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Hi everybody and welcome to this week’s episode of Attendance Bias. I am your host, Brian Weinstein. Today’s guest is Phish twitter mainstay, Scott Marks of Phish.net and The Mockingbird Foundation. If you’ve ever looked up a setlist on Phish.net, noticed a tease in the middle of a jam, or discovered a crazy bustout statistic, Scott is part of the team that keeps track of all of that on Phish.net. 

I first knew about Scott years ago when he band to tweet setlist updates in real-time on Twitter at shows he’s attended. Many times, his tweets beat out the official Phish From the Road account, if even by just a few milliseconds. And in this world of on-demand information where we all desire instant gratification for Phish updates, his feed is priceless. 

Once I got in touch with Scott, he was game to come on the podcast, but we had some trouble figuring out which show or jam to select. Scott threw out a lot of ideas and dates, but so many of them were taken that we had to go pretty far down the list until settling on segments of September 6, 2015 at Dick’s, which featured the famous “THank You” encore. I’m glad that’s where we ended up because there was so much to talk about in this fun show, even just in segments. Phish’s rich history at Dick’s, themed shows, and even surprising encore stats, plus more, are all touched on today. 

 So let’s join Scott to talk about Bye Bye Foot, long awaited bustouts, and why themed setlists mean so much to us, as we discuss Phish’s performance on September 6, 2015 at Dick’s Stadium in Commerce City, Colorado

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Hi everybody and welcome to this week’s episode of Attendance Bias. I am your host, Brian Weinstein. Today I am speaking with returning guest Scott Mikita who previously appeared to talk about the “Cavern” that closed the Island Tour on April 5, 1998. 

But for today’s episode, Scott moved from talking about a single song to a full set. And that set is one of the most legendary of Phish’s career: Set 2 of December 31, 2013, otherwise known as the JEMP Truck set. 

Forgive the hyperbole, but Phish fans can be quite a devise fanbase. What one fan considers to be the greatest performance every seen, the next fan over may consider the same show to be the band’s lowest point ever. It is exceedingly rare for the fanbase to agree that a song, a set, or an entire show is special but this set hits that mark. Taking us back in time to an era that is long gone, Phish simultaneously celebrated their past, their present, and their future at the end of their 30th year through their stage setup, their setlist choices, and straight narration to the audience.

But I don’t want to spoil it. Let’s join Scott Mikita to talk about the secret security entrance to Madison Square Garden, bringing a pen light to read during a show, and rumors that never happened as we dig into the JEMP Truck set from December 31, 2013 at Madison Square Garden.

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Hi everybody and welcome to this week’s episode of Attendance Bias. I am your host, Brian Weinstein. Today’s guest is writer Rachael Wesley. 

As an English teacher who has certainly dabbled with writing for publication, I’ve always been interested in speaking to writers who have pursued the art as a living. I first became aware of Rachael’s writing through Instagram, and the more I dug into her career and her social media posts, it seemed like we had a lot in common but also some very different life experiences. A common thread, of course, is that we both love Phish. It was with this in mind that I asked her to appear on Attendance Bias.

When I saw that she described herself as “an author of creative nonfiction,” I needed to know more. As you’ll soon hear, I’m a huge fan of nonfiction and wanted to know more about this genre and how she takes the factual and turns it into a narrative. What follows is a fun and sometimes deep conversation about literature, about writing, about the difference between facts and truth, and of course, Phish’s performance of “Simple” from August 29, 2014 at Dick’s, which features an amazing jam that bounces around for nearly 25 minutes.

So let’s join Rachael to talk about taking second chances in life, how Phish on Halloween cannot be missed, and how words aren’t needed when your body speaks to you as we discuss Phish’s performance of “Simple” on August 29, 2014 at Dick’s in Commerce City, Colorado.

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Hi everybody and welcome to this week’s episode of Attendance Bias. I am your host, Brian Weinstein. Today’s guest is my friend George from Astoria, Queens. 

For today’s episode, George chose one of the most epic Phish shows of all time and a true milestone of their career: December 30, 1994. As you’ll hear us mention several times, this was Phish’s first time playing at Madison Square Garden, and you’ll hear the excitement both in their playing and in George’s memories of the night. George is a native New Yorker and even though MSG was his second home since childhood, it didn’t take away from the novelty of seeing our little Vermont band take over Manhattan for the night. 

Pretty soon, the entire 1994 holiday run will be covered on this podcast, and I’m completely thrilled to help break down this all-time great run in Phish’s history. So let’s join George to talk about the thrill of being a Rangers fan in 1994, Phish at SUNY Buffalo, and how one song can contain an entire year’s worth of jamming as we discuss Phish’s performance on December 30, 1994 at Madison Square Garden.

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Hi everybody and welcome to this week’s episode of Attendance Bias. I am your host, Brian Weinstein. I am so excited to share today’s episode with you, because it’s one of my favorite kind’s: the kind where I just ask one question or bring up one topic, and the guest gets to be the story-teller. And boy, does today’s guest have a lot of great stories to tell.

That guest is Matt Busch, who has held several jobs with bands that you and I are familiar with but his current post is as Bob Weir’s personal manager. He’s been part of the Grateful Dead family for about 20 years. But before he became associated with the Grateful Dead Family in an official capacity, Matt was an employee at Prime Cuts, the Long Island shop that has been covered and mentioned several times on this podcast. It was through there that I got in touch with him, and it should be no surprise that he was and is a big Phish fan before he became professionally well-known within the jamband world.

You may notice that today’s episode is a bit longer than usual. I normally try to edit our episodes down to about an hour but the more I listened to today’s recording, the less I wanted to cut. If you’re like me, you love hearing anecdotes about your favorite band, and today’s episode is a series of anecdotes about two of our favorites–Phish and all of the Grateful Dead and Bob Weir acts since the early 2000s.

To help narrow it down, Matt and I decided to go through his Attendance Bias shows like a slideshow–he thought of the more memorable or influential shows he’s seen or been a part of and it became story-time with Matt Bush. In order, we decided on Phish’s show at the Mid-Hudson Civic Center in Poughkeepsie, NY on February 12, 1993, the Grateful Dead 50th Anniversary Fare Thee Well celebration in 2015, Phish’s show on July 25, 2015 at the Forum in Los Angeles where Matt took Bill Walton to his first Phish show, and then ended up in Nashville’s Ascend Amphitheater on October 18, 2016 when Bob Weir sat in for most of the 2nd set and the encore.

But I’m taking too long. Let’s hear Matt tell the stories about how to write Dead and Company setlists, Bill Walton vs. the Railriders, and how to pick the encores to epic shows in today’s episode of Attendance Bias.

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2/12/93
Fare Thee Well
7/25/15
10/18/16

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Hi everybody and welcome to this week’s episode of Attendance Bias. I am your host, Brian Weinstein. You know, if you’re anything like me, you absolutely need a cup of coffee to start your day. And if you’re anything like me, you also like to support small businesses. And if you’re anything like me, you like to especially support small businesses run by Phish fans. And that leads us to today’s guest and show, Josh Millman–a fan who is the owner and founder of Passion House Coffee out of Chicago.

As you’ll hear me say, I was turned onto Passion House Coffee by and unsolicited mention of it by friend of the pod RJB on the Helping Friendly Podcast. I’m always in the market for new coffee, and when I heard RJ mention Passion House, I immediately checked out the website and ordered two pounds of Passion House coffee for myself and two pounds as a Christmas gift for friends of mine. After it arrived and I had my first cup, I knew that I wanted to speak with Josh about Passion House, about coffee in general, and of course about Phish!

For today’s episode Josh picked Phish’s show at Deer Creek Amphitheater on August 13, 1996. This show was the 2nd of two nights at Deer Creek during the lead up to The Clifford Ball. Summer 1996 being an underrepresented tour on Attendance Bias, I was super excited to listen and dig into this show and this era. 

 So let’s join Josh to talk about why 1996 stands up against any other year in 1.0, asking a small town sheriff for directions when you miss your exit, and how a big Mike’s Song can last forever, as we discuss Phish’s performance at Deer Creek on August 13, 1996

Audio used in today's episode

Passion House Coffee  Coupon Code: VOLTRON

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Hi everybody and welcome to this week’s episode of Attendance Bias. I am your host, Brian Weinstein. This week’s guest is Adam Rosenberg. 

At first Adam had some difficulty narrowing down the show or jam he wanted to discuss. It seemed like every choice he suggested had already been chosen by a previous guest. Then, it seems like he took a moonshot and suggested one of Phish’s best jams ever: “Chalkdust Torture” from Camden, played on July 10, 1999. While many guests on this podcasts have told their stories about shows or jams from the summer of 1999, this absolute monster was still up for grabs, and man, am I glad that Adam took this opportunity. 

 Although separated by a few years, Adam and I had very similar introductions to Phish and hit it off immediately. The conversation felt instantly familiar, even though we had just been in touch for a few weeks.

 So let’s join Adam to talk about phony college interviews, Steve Vai and Reddit, and what it’s like when your parents know more about goo balls than you do, as we discuss Phish’s performance of “Chalkdust Torture” from July 10, 1999 at the E Center in Camden, New Jersey.

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Hi everybody and welcome to this week’s episode of Attendance Bias. I am your host, Brian Weinstein. This week’s guest is Clay Bird, who is the host of the “We Are Everywhere” Phish podcast. As you’ll hear Clay explain, “We Are Everywhere” features Clay and a rotating lineup of guests talking about their Phish experiences, stories, and lives. “We Are Everywhere” and “Attendance Bias” share some of the same DNA, but they are very different shows. 

Soon after Clay posted his first “We Are Everywhere” episode, I gave it a listen and enjoyed it very much. I immediately reached out to him to see if he would be down to have us guest on each other’s shows. He was down, and within weeks, I was a guest on episode four and we had an engaging, enlightening, and plain old fun long-form conversation about Phish. It was fun being the guest for once! 

When it was time for Clay to come on Attendance Bias, he chose “Chalkdust Torture” from June 3, 2011 at the DTE Energy Music Center in Clarkstown, MI… a venue name that continually gives me fits when I try to say it. I don’t know why! During a year when very few shows and jams seem to stand out in the long run, Clay pulled a diamond in the rough and opened my eyes to this excellent version of Phish’s long-running jam vehicle. 

So let’s join Clay to talk about Detroit geography, what this “Down with Disease” has in common with “Waves,” and where to find missing ticket stubs as we discuss Phish’s performance of “Down with Disease” from June 3, 2011 at the DTE Energy Music Center in Clarkston, Michigan.

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"We are Everywhere" podcast

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Hi all! 

With this especially stressful and busy holiday season, I need to take a short break from recording new episodes of Attendance Bias. 

A lot of work goes into Attendance Bias and, aside from each week’s guest, it’s a one-man show to put each episode together. I find immense joy in talking with guests, getting feedback from listeners, and of course listening to Phish. During the holiday season, there have been a lot of scheduling glitches and it’s been difficult to produce the best episodes possible.

So I’ve decided to take January to rest, regroup, and hopefully get some episodes recorded and in the can so that I can keep up the weekly schedule that so many of you have reached out to tell me that you enjoy. 

In the meantime, so many new listeners have discovered Attendance Bias over the past year or so. To keep up with a weekly schedule, I thought it might be fun to re-release previously recorded episodes as “Classic” Attendance Bias. I did that last week with the Tom Marshall episode, and I’d like to shine a spotlight on some episodes that I think some people may have skipped over and would enjoy during Phish’s off-season before Mexico…if it even happens.

My aim is to come back better than ever with new episodes beginning in February. I hope that you all stick around for a few weeks, spread the word, and continue to enjoy classic episodes of Attendance Bias.

And just so we don’t break on an awkward note, I’m going to leave you with a full recording of one of the best jams I’ve ever seen: “Reba” from December 30, 1998. This was the third show of my first multi-show run, and this “Reba” closed the first set. I could not believe how long the set ran. The whole first set was an hour and thirty minutes, and “Reba” was placed after what I assumed would be a set-closing “Loving Cup.” Enjoy this jam as Phish was and still is, the band that keeps on giving.

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Hi everybody, and welcome to Attendance Bias. I am your host, Brian Weinstein. My guest on today’s episode of Attendance Bias is Scott Mikita of Wook Plus. We’ve had Tim of WookPlus on the podcast previously, and those guys do such a good job that it was exciting to dip back into the well and have another member of the team to talk about a favorite jam.

Scott chose to talk about “Cavern” from April 5, 1998 at the Providence Civic Center in Providence, Rhode Island. There’s something about the Island Tour that is indefinable. Something both concrete and abstract that makes it so meaningful to so many fans. It’s come up at least twice before on this podcast, but almost no one has brought up April 5th, the last night of the four shows. When Scott suggested the song that closed the second set of night 4, it was an obvious yet meaningful choice. You can hear in his voice how joyful Scott was at this show while witnessing a version of this fan favorite song that sounded unlike any other version played before or since.

So let’s join Scott Mikita to hear about why he loves Deer Creek so much, why fall tour is the best, and what the Island Tour meant for the Cow Funk era.

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In 1999, we were all high school juniors, 17 years old and getting our licenses. My friend Mike was given permission to borrow his parents’ car for the show and we got our tickets. However, roughly 48 hours before we were due to leave, Mike’s parents had a sudden change of heart and told him that he was too new, too young and inexperienced, to drive three of his friends to Hartford from Long Island. Now, at 39 years old, I totally agree with them;  But at the time, I flipped out. This was putting a death knell in our long-awaited plans. From all of the tapes I listened to, all of the books I read, and all of the discussion I had, it seemed to be intrinsic to the Phish experience to travel for shows. There is joy to be had for a hometown show, but traveling far with your buddies to a new destination is an adventure. All of that excitement that had been building for over a month was just kiboshed with one phone call. I’m sure my self-righteous, entitled 17-year old mouth said some pretty awful things about two loving people who were making the best decision for their kid and his friends.

Regardless, after some shameless begging and angry back-and-forth, we procured Amtrak tickets from Penn Station to Hartford. 

We got to Hartford right at the razor’s edge of the show’s start time.  I remember that the scene outside was loud and raucous, but not pushy. Apparently, Dave Matthews Band played the venue earlier in the year, and there was a massive riot and fighting between drunken fans and cops during that show.This armed presence caused tension, instead of preventing or abating it. To my memory, there were no issues or violent episodes outside the venue but fans were definitely on edge.

The extra security caused a longer-than-usual wait to enter. We sat down just as the lights went down, thrilled to have finally made it after such trials and tribulations.

All of our difficulties and obstacles overcome, lights go down, and the band opens with…Heavy Things? Even today, that would be seen as a lame move. Back in 1999, when the fans were still getting used to the Farmhouse songs, “Heavy Things” was seen as the persona non grata; it was the album’s single, played five months later on David Letterman’s show and it barely varied from performance to performance. During set break, my friends and I kind of made polite chatter, none of us wanting to admit that maybe that first set didn’t deliver what we wanted. We were too proud.

Soon the lights went down for the second set, and it opened with a 31-minute version of “Drowned.” My Who-loving self went crazy for the novelty of hearing it for the first time, and I was drawn in by the mesmerizing jam that, at the time, may have been the longest continual song I’d ever heard live. 

I walked out knowing I witnessed a less-than-stellar show. Aside from “Drowned” there was nothing compelling about this show. The fact that we had gone through what we considered a major emergency just to make it to the venue only rubbed salt in the wound. This was where I learned: no matter what, Phish does what they do. Sometimes it’s great, sometimes it’s average, sometimes it’s life-changing, and rarely-but-sometimes, it’s a disappointment. In the 16 years since this show, I’ve learned this lesson over and over again and am much more mellow about the whole thing (Coventry helped a lot in that regard). But back in 1999, I wasn’t ready for that. I was such an enthusiastic new fan that I was entitled and expected every show to shoot me into the reaches of the universe with unbridled joy. This show brought me back down to earth.

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Hi everybody and welcome to this week’s episode of Attendance Bias. I am your host, Brian Weinstein. This week’s guest is fan and teacher, Scott Barsamian. Scott contacted me a while ago about discussing Phish’s first large-scale festival, The Clifford Ball. Now, when an Attendance Bias guest chooses a festival, I always get hesitant. Phish festivals are so big, they loom so large in the imagination, and in reality, I am intimidated to take them on for an hour-long discussion. But once the guest and I talk for a bit, we narrow down the highlights and figure out the best way to approach the show. For today’s episode, Scott chose to talk about the first day of the festival, August 16, 1996, and he picked one song from each of the three sets.

Nowadays, we know exactly what to expect when Phish throws a festival. But in 1996, everything was brand new. My favorite part of this conversation was hearing about Scott’s expectations as he traveled to the festival. Phish hadn’t done anything on this scale before. What would they pull off? In 2021, we have the benefit of hindsight but in 1996, it was a surprise to all, probably including the band. 

Also, throughout today’s conversation, you may hear from two special guests. That would be my dog, Duncan, and Scott’s dog, Roscoe, who couldn’t help but contribute.

So let’s join Scott Barsamian to hear about the drive to Plattsburgh, Trey’s tone from 1996, and a confounding “Harpua” encore as we discuss Phish’s performance on 8/16/96, day 1 of the Clifford Ball at the Plattsburgh Air Force Base in New York.

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Hi everybody, and welcome to Attendance Bias. I am your host, Brian Weinstein. And boy, do I have a heck of a show for you today. A few things to note before we get started:

First, I was so excited to talk to today’s guests that I literally forgot to plug in my microphone before I hit record. Yes, really. As a result, the computer mic picked up my voice, and it doesn’t sound as clear as usual. I couldn’t believe it once I noticed, but after about two minutes of listening back to the recording, I barely noticed. I hope that you have the same experience. Sorry about that.

Second, today’s episode features a lot--and I mean a lot--of references and name-checks of locations around Long Island. There are two guests today, and all three of us are from the area. Plus, the focus of today’s episode is a store that was on Long Island, along with a show from the Nassau Coliseum. So if you grew up on or near Long Island--especially in the 80s or 90s, today’s conversation will stir up tons of memories, and put a smile on your face. If you’re not from Long Island, you can either break out a map or you can just nod along as the references come out fast and hard.

All that said, today’s episode completes a full circle for me, and answered questions that I’ve been wondering about for decades. This podcast is a passion project of mine, and speaking to today’s guests is something I’ve wanted to do for a long time. As personal as it is, I suspect that it will be meaningful to fans who had a similar upbringing to mine, and especially fans from the northeast, or at least the tri-state area.

Today’s guests are Don Kantor and Cara Polizzi, the owner and manager, respectively, of Prime Cuts, a no-longer-operational head shop that was primarily located in Rockville Center and then Bellmore, Long Island.

You’ll hear me say this in just a few minutes, but soon after I discovered Phish, I discovered Phish tapes. For a young teenager who didn’t have full time access to the internet and not knowing other fans made it pretty difficult to access any unofficial Phish recordings. Through a friend’s sister, I discovered Prime Cuts. And Prime Cuts is where I discovered the world of Phish tapes, as well as tapes from many many other bands.

Prime Cuts was more than a store. It was a discovery, it was a connection to a wider world, it was a community center, and it was an oasis for those who were into the scene and didn’t know how to find like minded fans. 

In today’s conversation with Don and Cara, we all go deep into the origins of the store, the nuts and bolts of how the taping process worked and answer the long-debated question of whether or not Prime Cuts’ taping allowance was sanctioned by Phish.

For the Attendance Bias segment of the episode, Don chose to discuss the 2nd set of April 3, 1998 at the Nassau Coliseum, and Cara chose to talk about Fluffhead and You Enjoy Myself from Phish’s 3.0 comeback show on March 6, 2009 at the Hampton Colisum. Both picks are epic highlights of the band’s career and I was also thrilled at how much crossover there was with other Attendance Bias stories from past guests. 

Well, enough from me. I hope you can feel the love and joy in this conversation with Don and Cara of Prime Cuts.

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Hi everybody and welcome to this week’s episode of Attendance Bias. I am your host, Brian Weinstein. This week’s special guest is Brian Brinkman of Osiris Media. Brian is all over the place in the Phish podcasting world, having co-hosted Beyond the Pond, current host of The Drop and The Ravine, and the producer of Undermine as well as 36 From the Vault. I’ll have to check again, but I think I got it all. 

During Phish’s 2021 summer tour, Brian hosted wrap up episodes of every run on live versions of The Helping Friendly Podcast. He invited me to help him wrap up Phish’s run at The Gorge, and speaking with him one-on-one was a completely different experience than what I’m used to hearing  him host his podcasts. It’s clear in both scenarios that Brian is knowledgeable, educated, and serious about Phish. But his ability to discuss the band goes well beyond their music. Brian is able to drift off the main topic at hand and connect different eras of his life, his personal experiences, other Phish shows  and jams, and general knowledge to virtually any topic being discussed. This conversation went on longer than we both expected but I hope you agree with me that there is no wasted time.

For today’s episode of Attendance Bias, Brian chose to discuss Phish’s performance of “Ghost” from 12/30/16 at Madison Square Garden. As you’ll hear him tell the story, Brian was going through an incredibly difficult and traumatic experience at the time, and this version of Ghost, in conjunction with the entire show, acted as something of an oasis in the middle of a crisis. It’s a compelling story and an outstanding jam in an overall uneven year of Phish. 

So let’s join Brian Brinkman to hear about his history in podcasting, the importance of Rattle and Hum, and what it’s like driving on a desert by yourself in the middle of the night as we discuss Phish’s performance of “Ghost” from December 30, 2016 at Madison Square Garden.

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Hi everybody and welcome to this week’s episode of Attendance Bias. I am your host, Brian Weinstein.

This week’s guest is the co-host of the very popular podcast, “The Corner of Grey Street,” Bruce Woodall. “The Corner of Grey Street” is a podcast centered around the Dave Matthews Band. Bruce and his co-host Nolan are huge fans of DMB, and their podcast dives into the past, present, and future of the band. Personally, my passion for the Dave Matthews Band is firmly rooted in the past, but talking with Bruce, I was surprised at how easily I could recall details of when I first discovered DMB, my thoughts about them at the time, and when my fandom began to drift off as they became ever more popular. I was also surprised at how easy it was to discuss the crossovers and commonalities between Phish and DMB years as well as the long lasting friendship between Trey and Dave.

For today’s episode of Attendance Bias, Bruce chose to discuss his first show that happened to be on his college campus, 12/5/09 at the John Paul Jones Arena in Charlottesville, Virginia. Closing an extensive comeback year for Phish, this was a marathon show that put an exclamation point on a celebratory year for the band.

So let’s join Bruce Woodall to hear about how Dave Matthews helped bring Trey back on stage following his recovery, the animosity between the two band’s fanbases, and how to run like a naked guy out of control as we discuss Phish’s performance on December 5, 2009 at the John Paul Jones arena in Charlottesville, Virginia.

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Hi everybody and welcome to this week’s episode of Attendance Bias. This week’s guest is Dennis Baker, who first came to my attention toward the beginning of the pandemic in the spring of 2020. At that time, I noticed someone on a Twitter account who began to stream video of Phish shows throughout their history. Sort of like a do it yourself version of Dinner and a Movie. The big difference is that Dennis was streaming these videos every single night.

After watching a few of Dennis’ videos, in addition to the regular Dinner and a Movie shows, it dawned on me that even though I’d been listening to Phish for 25 years, I’d been missing out on an entire perspective of the band. So many shows that I love and hold close to my heart have only existed in my mind’s eye. I’d never seen what shows from 1996 or 1991, or festivals before IT, looked like. Seeing these shows was almost like hearing the show for the first time all over again, and I have Dennis to thank for that opportunity.

For today’s episode, Dennis picked November 27, 1998 from the Worcester Centrum. Better known as “The Wipeout Show,” it deserves comparison with the Tinley Park 1993 Antelope show, the February Roxy show from 1993, and the Tweezer Led Zeppelin show from Atlantic City in 2010, as Wipeout weaves in and out of the 2nd set, punctuating outstanding performances of fan favorites. It was also a hometown show for Dennis, with the crowd being made up of long time New England Phish fans, adding to the heartfelt feeling.

So let’s join Dave to hear about Phish videos, what makes Phish in '96 and '98 so special, and November 27, 1998 at the Worcester Centrum.

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Hi everybody, and welcome to today's episode of Attendance Bias. I am your host, Brian Weinstein.

I have to be honest: I love every single episode of Attendance Bias. I'm proud of every episode and I'm grateful to every single guest who's willing to come onto the show and talk about a favorite jam or a favorite show.

That said, I also have to tell you that, just like everyone, my interest of Phish goes beyond the music and extends into their history, the mythology of the band's early success, their behind-the-scenes action, and their business.

So an episode like today, where I get to interview a person who was absolutely crucial in their development, not only as a musical group, but as a force to be reckoned with within the music industry makes me come away glowing. And that interview today is with music industry legend, Sue Drew of Kobalt Music Publishing.

Not only does Sue work at Kobalt, but for a time in the late eighties and early nineties, she worked at Elektra Records. And during that time, she stumbled across a young foursome that was playing in New York City, known as Phish. I don't want to spoil the details, but Sue Drew, long story short, is the person who signed Phish to EleKtra records.

Even more importantly, Sue not only talks about the business side of her relationship with Phish, but it's very clear throughout her discussion that she is a fan dyed in the wool of the band and their music.

For today's episode sued decided to speak about December 28th, 1990 at a small venue that no longer exists in New York city called The Marquee. This is the first time that Sue ever saw Phish and, even more exciting, she tells us what inspired her to approach them, to sign them.

So that's enough from me. I just want to get to the episode as quickly as possible. Let's listen to my interview with superfan Sue Drew of Kobalt about December 28th, 1990 at The Marquee in New York City.

Links Mentioned in the Episode:

*Elektra Press Kit to promote "Rift"

*Phishbase interview with Sue from 2017

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Hi everybody and welcome to this week’s episode of Attendance Bias. I am your host, Brian Weinstein.

This week’s guest is a name that Phish podcast fans will recognize: RJB, the CEO and Co-Founder of Osiris Media. As a podcaster, I’m always looking up to the professionals and in the Phish podcast world, you can’t get more professional than Osiris Media. A few months ago, I had Tom Marshall on Attendance Bias to talk about being the face of Osiris Media, the Undermine podcast which was then wrapping up its first season, and Phish’s performance of “David Bowie” from December 29, 1994 in Providence. Tom was excited to talk about everything but he was unable to give too many details about Undermine, Osiris’ flagship podcast that tells about Phish’s history and experience in a non-linear way, since it was just completed. With season 2 of Undermine scheduled to air next week, I was eager to hear more about it and RJ was happy to share what listeners can expect when season 2 gets underway on September 8.

For today’s episode of Attendance Bias, RJ picked “46 Days>Bug” from August 15, 2015 from Merriweather Post Pavilion in Columbia, Maryland. Played right before the Magnaball festival, RJ and I break down  how the band was experimenting and discovering different musical avenues throughout the summer 2015 and how that came to fruition as this MPP run was the last stop on the road toward the ultimate summer culmination: the Magnaball Festival.

So let’s join RJB to hear about season 2 of Undermine, the temporary return of the Helping Friendly Podcast, and “46 Days>Bug” at MPP from August 15, 2015.

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Hi everybody and welcome to this week’s episode of Attendance Bias. I am your host, Brain Weinstein. 

This week’s guest is the John Purcell, who I’ll refer to as Purcy throughout the conversation. As you’ll hear us explain during the episode, Percy and I went back and forth a few times about which show or jam to discuss.  As the host, I do my best to stay out of the decision making process, since the story and the Attendance Bias belongs to the guest. In this case, Purcy had a little trouble settling on one show, and so he came up with a good idea: he wanted to talk about how different shows reflected different points of his life. After some back-and-forth, he picked three different shows, years apart, and we would review highlights from each one. 

The three shows that Purcy chose for today’s episode are: New Year’s Eve 1994 at the Boston Garden, the Great Went, August 17, 1997 at Loring Air Force Base, and then December 28, 2019 at Madison Square Garden. Due to the back-and-forth decision making process, plus a typo here and there, you may hear me mistake the date of the Madison Square Garden show during our conversation. But, officially, it’s December 28, 2019.

So let’s join Purcy to hear about what actually happened with the hot dog on New Year’s 1994, the incredible Harry Hood from the Great Went, and how Phish can be there for you through good times and bad over the course of 25 years.

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Hi everybody, and welcome to this week’s episode of Attendance Bias. This week’s guest is the host of the Cinema Dave Media YouTube channel, Dave Burland. When Dave and I got in touch, two things stood out to me that made me want to speak with him about Phish: first, he is a huge fan of The Who, just like I am, so we have a lot of shared musical DNA.

Second, he is a huge movie buff. And although I wouldn’t call myself a film buff, I will say that, after music, movies are my biggest passion. So this seemed like a perfect match.

For today’s episode, Dave picked July 30, 2017, better known as the “Jimmies” night of the Baker’s Dozen. In an earlier episode with author Jason Gershuny, he and I went over Glazed Night, the final night of the run, but Jimmies Night just seemed to hit different. It was the same summer, but tonally, it was completely different and you’ll hear Dave and I spend a lot of time about the details, the appeal, and the tone of the Baker’s Dozen as a whole.

So let’s join Dave to hear about the Criterion Collection, Phish’s version of Drowned, and Baker’s Dozen setlist predictions, as we discuss July 30, 2017.

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Hi everybody and welcome to today's episode of Attendance Bias. I am your host, Brian Weinstein. Today, we wish Attendance Bias a HAPPY BIRTHDAY since it appeared on Apple Podcasts for the first time one year ago today, August 11, 2020. 

It's been a full year of episodes, and I'd like to thank you all SO MUCH for listening. In celebration, I thought it would be fun to have a guest host so I could take a break and be the guest for once. I was lucky enough to have previous Attendance Bias guest, Justin Bruce of Las Vegas, to be our guest host for today. Justin previously appeared on Attendance Bias to talk about 7/7/00 at Burgettstown.

As a favor to the podcast, Justin was gracious enough to come on the show and interview me and give some background information about myself, who I am as a person, as a music fan, as a Phish fan, and as a podcaster.

So today, you won't hear about one specific show or jam, but you'll hear tidbits about 7 or 8 different ones, as well as different bands, and get a look behind the curtain at what makes Attendance Bias happen.

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Hello everybody and welcome to this week’s episode of Attendance Bias. This week’s guest is Illinois native, Brett Kreiner. Brett messaged me on Phish.net, explaining that he was a fan of the podcast and that an earlier episode, where actor Luke LaGraff talked about the importance of the song “Lizards,” inspired him to reach out and tell his story about “Miss You.”

At first, Brett said that he wanted to talk about the performance of “Miss You” from October 28, 2018 at Allstate Arena in Rosemont, Illinois. But as Brett explained the importance of the song overall--not just from that performance--it became clear that “Miss You” means more to Brett and his family than one 7-minute performance in 2018.  

But I’ll leave it to Brett to tell the details. So let’s join him to hear about 1980s WWF stars at Indio, the importance of Phish ballads, and making peace with your hometown venues as we talk about “Miss You.”

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Hi everyone, and welcome to today's episode of Attendance Bias. My guest today is Dave Waxman. Dave is a former employee of Phish Dry Goods, he worked at a bar with former Phish road manager Jason Colton, and he also recently created a merchandise website called Maybe So Maybe Lot.

While I was promoting an earlier episode, Dave messaged me and asked that if I ever needed anyone to discuss the band's version of "Waste" from 8/9/98, that he was available. "Waste" is usually a disposable song, especially from that show in Virginia where the band busted out the famous "Terrapin Station" encore. Since he messaged me about "Waste" and not "Terrapin Station," I figured that there must be something great to talk about. 

After I listened to "Waste," it was obvious why Dave wanted to discuss it...and we'll get into that later. We also discussed that it would be silly of us, almost stubborn, to not talk about "Terrapin Station," even if it's not the focus of the episode.

So let's join Dave Waxman to talk about both "Waste" and "Terrapin Station" from the Virginia Beach Amphitheater on August 9, 1998.

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Hi everybody and welcome to this week’s episode of Attendance Bias.

This week’s guest is the Director of Marketing for AA minor-league baseball team, the Somerset Patriots, Hal Hansen. If you’ve ever played a trivia game between innings, watched a bunch of sausages race around the bases, or caught a t-shirt launched by an air cannon at a Somerset Patriots game, Hal is the guy to thank. We had a great time today talking about Phish and baseball.

For today’s episode Hal chose a huge show from the summer 2000 tour: June 28, 2000 at the Garden State Arts Center. Although I know very little about this tour, Hal did a great job explaining some of the high points of the summer of 2000, and how this show represented not only a great time in his life, but a crossroads between college and his professional career...although there would be some crossover

So let’s join Hal to hear about turbo Gin, the similarities between a no hitter and a set of Phish, and a leaked version of Backwards Down the Numberline for June 28, 2000 at Holmdel.

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Hello everybody and welcome to this week’s episode of Attendance Bias. This week’s guest is the host of The Bar Line Shift on HomeGrown radio, Amanda Cadran.

As you’ll hear Amanda explain, HomeGrown Radio is an internet radio station with deep ties to the Railroad Earth family and Amanda’s show features a thematic playlist made up of everything from jam-centric music to obscure world music that you’ve probably never heard. I caught a few episodes of The Bar Line shift and immediately wanted to have Amanda on the show.

For today’s episode Amanda chose a monster: Phish’s show on New Year’s Eve 1995 at Madison Square Garden. In addition to being an all-timer, it was Amanda’s first show. Imagine that! 

Long considered to be the holy grail of Phish shows, I was intimidated to tackle it, but once I spoke with Amanda ahead of time, I knew it would be easy and fun to just geek out about this fan favorite.

You also may notice that I kind of went overboard with song clips in this episode but when you’ve got a show like this where virtually every track is a highlight...well...what are you gonna do?

So let’s join Amanda to hear about spotting Bruce Springsteen at Toys R Us, chess games, and The Gamehendge Time Laboratory for December 31, 1995.

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Hello everybody and welcome to this week’s episode of Attendance Bias. This week’s guest is trumpet for DC-based bands, Skyscrapers and the Monumental Brass Quintet, Mike Lowe. As Mike’s band played their first gigs and figured out their sound as indie jam rock, COVID hit and the band had to take a forced hiatus from the stage. But as you’ll hear him say in today’s episode, they’re getting ready to return to the U Street bars in Washington.

For today’s episode, Mike picked a monster jam; “Fluffhead” from July 24, 1999 at Alpine Valley. Indeed, this version of Fluffhead is unlike any other that the band has played. Stretching for over 32 minutes, with a type 2 jam that is almost entirely led by Mike’s melodic bass playing, the band has yet to play a version that displays an equal amount of musical creativity. Mike describes how fans had their jaws drop to the floor after it was played, unexpectedly as the second song of the show. 

So let’s join Mike to talk about his band Skyscrapers, Phish’s sound in 1998, and "Fluffhead" from July 24, 1999 at Alpine Valley.

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Hi everybody, and welcome to Attendance Bias. I am your host, Brian Weinstein. My guest today on Attendance Bias is sound engineer, Phish.net contributor, and the man responsible for the recent remastering of previously unreleased Phish recordings, Jeff Goldberg. Jeff chose to discuss the legendary Phish show from July 8, 1994 at Great Woods in Mansfield, Massachusetts.

If you’ve been paying attention to Phish.net or the Phish.net blog over the past few years, you may have noticed that, every once in a while, the site announces the release of an archival show that was previously uncirculated. To be clear, these are separate from the band’s official releases. For example, the most recent release at the time of this recording is the show from April 9, 1990 at the Fly Me to the Moon Saloon in Telluride, Colorado. If you’ve listened to that show, a link to which is posted in the show notes, you’ve heard Jeff’s audio expertise.

I’ve known Jeff for a while through an online Phish message board, and have always been impressed with his expansive knowledge of Phish, and his ability to act as an audio archeologist; to find an artifact, clean it up, and present it to the public. I was so curious about the nuts and bolts of remastering poor quality tapes, about being one of just a few to hear a show that is mostly unknown to the public at large, and his background as a Phish fan.

More than that, I was thrilled that Jeff picked the show from Great Woods. Although it’s a high-profile show, very few guests on Attendance Bias have brought up anything related to Gamehendge, so Jeff and I relished the opportunity to talk about the band’s formative rock opera.

 So let’s join Jeff Goldberg to hear about on July 8, 1994 at Great Woods.

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Hi everybody, and welcome to Attendance Bias. I am your host, Brian Weinstein. My guest today on Attendance Bias is Nate Tobey of Northern California. Nate chose to discuss August 2, 2003 at the Loring Air Force Base in Limestone, Maine. If this date sounds familiar to you, it is because it is the first day of the IT festival.

IT was my first overnight festival experience and we both had a lot of say about not just the music, but the entire experience. For decades since the festival, I just took for granted that night two was the better night. Set two of the second night was everything I wanted in 2003. But listening back to night one in preparation of this podcast, it dawned on me just how great it is.

This podcast has helped me place late 1.0 in context, and go deeper in understanding the rhythm and flow of 2.0. During today’s conversation, Nate calls the IT festival the “demarcation” of 2.0’s signature sound. I couldn’t agree with him more and appreciate the preparation he put into this episode.

So get your best camping gear, stay up late for the soundcheck and the tower set, and take care of your shoes in that mud as we join Nate Tobey to talk about August 2, 2003, day 1 of the IT festival.

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Hi everybody, and welcome to Attendance Bias. I am your host, Brian Weinstein. My guest today on Attendance Bias is the creator of the Phish Stats website and the author of “This Has All Been Wonderful: A Travel Monologue from Summer 1994, the Year Phish Became Phish,” David “Zzyzx” Steinberg. Jeff chose to discuss the Phish show from September 22, 1990 at the Student Union Ballroom at UMass Amherst in Amherst Massachusetts.

When I first discovered Phish’s internet presence, Dave’s statistics website was one of my first stops. As you’ll hear me say early in our conversation, I would become obsessed with checking my stats after every show. I needed to know how in many states or time zones I’d seen the band, how many time zones, what the probability was that I would see “Glide,” my most seen first set openers, my most seen second set openers, and so on. As you can tell by my fact checks at the end of each podcast episode, all of my Phish opinions have to be qualified with some sort of objectivity. Dave’s stats page provided an ever-evolving form of that. 

When Dave told me that he wanted to discuss a show from the fall of 1990, I was immediately interested. Of course there’s nothing wrong with more recent shows on Attendance Bias, but it’s important for everyone to revisit the band’s roots, and I never before had the opportunity to sit down for a long conversation with a person who was in the band’s orbit so early on.

 So get your hand stamped, say hi to Page at the pool table, and perk up those ears for the secret language as we join Dave Steinberg on September 22, 1990 at the Student Ballroom at UMass Amherst.

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Welcome to this week’s episode of Attendance Bias! This week’s guest is President of The Mockingbird Foundation, Adam Scheinberg. The Mockingbird Foundation turns 25 years old this year, and to celebrate, the Foundation is hosting The Mockingbird Sessions; a series of live streams, performances, and masterclasses on Fans.live for free from June 4-6, 2021. 

The Mockingbird Foundation is somewhat synonymous with Phish charities, and so I was thrilled to have the opportunity to hear about the inner workings of the foundation, Adam’s role within it, as well as the details about the Mockingbird Sessions.

Adam chose to discuss Phish’s show at The Grey Hall in Copenhagen, Denmark on July 2, 1998. Throughout today’s conversation, Adam talks about what brought him to Europe in the summer of 1998, the slate of new songs debuted on this tour, and the all-time version of “Ghost” that was played at this show.

So let’s join Adam to hear about all of the topics  and more.

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My guest today’s mini-episode of Attendance Bias is JoeJo Casone of Easthampton, Long Island. You may not recognize JoeJo’s name offhand but you’ve certainly heard of him. Remember during the April 3rd, 1998 show of the Island Tour when someone jumped onstage during "Loving Cup" before getting chased off by Pete Carini? And then the band teased Carini for the following "Antelope" and the rest of the tour? That someone was JoeJo.

For today’s episode, JoeJo chose to tell us about “Loving Cup” from November 13, 1997 at the Thomas and Mack Center in Las Vegas. Moreover, JoeJo was very gracious and happy to talk about his unplanned stage appearance at the Nassau Coliseum in 1998. I originally thought that the "Loving Cup" from the Island Tour would be the focus of the episode, but as we spoke, it became clear that the Nassau version and the version from Vegas 5 months earlier were inextricably tied together.

More than that, Joejo was eager to talk about his love of Phish, his connection to Tigger, and how he escaped not only Pete Carini, but the Nassau Coliseum security. So let’s join JoeJo Casone to hear about “Loving Cup” from both The Island Tour and November 13, 1997 at The Thomas and Mack.

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About his epic Lord of the Rings trilogy, writer JRR Tolkein said: “the tale grew in the telling.” That phrase crossed my mind more than once while I spoke with Matt Campbell about the legendary "Ghost" played on May 22, 2000 from Radio City Music Hall. 

Mini episodes are usually structured to last about 25 to 30 minutes, but as I spoke with Matt about Phish in 2000, this version of Ghost, and his love for the 2.0 era, it became clear that if I were to edit the conversation to  30-minutes, it would be a disservice to the conversation, to Matt, and to all of you.

Like some other guests on Attendance Bias, I got in touch with Matt through the Phish community on Twitter. I noticed that in conversations, responses, and cross-talk, Matt would always stand up for 2.0 Phish. It didn’t matter which song, which jam, or what the conversation was--he seemed to be the go-to guy for all things 2.0. He even compiled a collection of thoughts, media, and publications of all things from the 2003 February and summer tours. Obviously he had a lot to say.

Even with his love for 2.0, I was surprised but not shocked when Matt picked the Radio City "Ghost."  A legendary jam at a busy time in the band’s career, there’s a lot to say about it.

So enjoy my conversation with Matt Campbell about the Radio City Ghost from 5/22/00 at Radio City Music Hall in New York City.

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My guest today on Attendance Bias is Las Vegas meteorologist and host of the Phish Recaps podcast and co-host of the Deeper Listening podcast, Justin Bruce. Justin chose to discuss the Phish show from July 7, 2000 at the Star Lake Amphitheater in Burgettstown, Pennsylvania. 

It seems that in the year since COVID became a national and worldwide crisis, everyone started a podcast, myself included. Phish fans would be no different. After listening to, and ranking, every show from the late 1.0 era of Phish on Twitter, Justin decided to launch a podcast based on the same premise, but instead of 180-character summaries, Phish Recaps polishes each show from 1999-2000 to a 15 minute review. As you’ve all heard me say on this podcast, I am not well-versed in this era of the band, so I was immediately interested in having Justin come on the show.

And boy was I blown away. I thought I could hang with the best of them when talking Phish, but Justin’s knowledge of Phish in 1999 and 2000 is on another level. Citing specific shows, jams, and even segments of a tour, it was just a matter of time before I sat back and let him teach me.

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Today's special guest on Attendance Bias is Phish lyricist and Co-Founder of Osiris Media, Tom Marshall. Tom chose to discuss the 35-minute version of "David Bowie" from December 29, 1994 at the Providence Civic Center, in Providence, RI. 

Most of us know Tom for his lyrics, and there's plenty of information out there about Tom as a lyricist--he has been very open about his relationship with Phish, his lyrics, and more on his podcast, Under the Scales, which has now morphed into a new podcast called Undermine...but we'll get to that later.

Since Tom has already said plenty about his lyrics, I wanted to hear more about his life and history as a podcaster; about Under the Scales, Undermine, and Osiris media. And of course, I wanted to know his thoughts about that incredible, all-time version of "David Bowie."

As a huge Phish fan, it was a thrill to speak with Tom. As a podcaster, it was fascinating to hear about the history of his success. I am an unabashed fan of Under the Scales, Undermine, and plenty of other Osiris Media podcasts, including Phemale-Centrics, whose host, Dawneebee, was a guest on episode 4 of Attendance Bias. I had a natural curiosity to hear about his podcasting background, So let’s join Tom Marshall to talk about podcasting, Undermine, Osiris Media, and “David Bowie” from 12/29/94 at the Providence Civic Center.

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My guests this week are JW and Skinny from the Stub Me Down podcast.

It seems that since the pandemic got serious in March, lots of Phish podcasts have popped up, with mixed results. One of the better ones that I heard is called “Stub Me Down,” in which our two guests today literally pick a ticket stub from their collection and use it as a jumping off point to discuss the show, stories, music, and their friendship. I immediately thought that we were of a like mind and wanted to have them on Attendance Bias.

JW and Skinny chose to discuss Phish’s show from July 3, 2000 at the E Center in Camden. I only saw one show in 2000, so I was eager to hear all about their podcast, Phish’s evolving sound at the time, and how to receive a 30-minute Runaway Jim in real time.

So cross the Ben Franklin Bridge, watch out around the bathrooms, and enjoy the digital delay loop as JW, Skinny, and I talk about Phish in Camden on July 3, 2000.

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My guest on todays mini-episode of Attendance Bias is the founder and creator of Tour Stories, Lizzie Morelli.  Tour Stories is a website that provides reviews, features, and interviews to share "the stuff fans rarely get to know about."

For today's episode, Lizzie chose to discuss Phish's performance of "Makisupa Policeman" from 5/28/11. This was the second of three shows from the band's first, and only, visit to the upstate New York outdoor venue. While the shows are generally regarded as "average great" 2011 Phish, it is the memories of the venue and the vibe of the flawless weekend that sticks with most fans.

Lizzie chose this version of "Makisupa" because of all highlights that weekend, the comic relief and weird audio effects during the song followed her throughout the weekend. Hear her tell all about it, explain Tour Stories, and a breakdown of  this hilarious section of a dramatic three night run in today's mini-episode.

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My guest for today’s episode is Alyssa Poland of The Phunky Fox Etsy shop. If you’re looking for fun, glittery, Phish related show gear the Phunky Fox should be your first stop. 

Alyssa chose Phish’s show at the BB&T Pavilion, otherwise known as Camden, on June 28, 2019. My first thought was that the show was so recent! How much could there be to say about it? The answer was: a lot! As discuss, the summer 2019 tour was just a year and a half ago, but with quarantine, it seems like a lifetime. So I’m really glad that Alyssa was able to remind me of just how good and influential that tour was, and especially this particular show--the opening of a three night run in Camden.

So get your cheesesteak, make sure you have your ferry ticket, and refresh your copy of Ghosts of the Forest, as we join Alyssa Poland from the Funky Fox to take a look back at June 28, 2019 in Camden.

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Hometown shows,  cookie dough, and Atlanta in August.

In today's episode, NYC resident Brad Mislow talks us through Phish's performance of "2001" from the Verizon Wireless Amphitheater at Encore Park, or simply, Alpharetta. This version closed a 3-night run and is, to date, the only version of the song to close a show.

Although he has lived in New York for the past 21 years, Brad is originally from the Atlanta area and these were his first shows in the area since 1997.  A classic version of one of Phish's best covers, Brad chose this version because it exemplifies why he will see them again and again. It starts out as your standard 2001 build but in the middle Trey starts adding “You Sexy Thing” quotes and the band follows. He then adds “Tweezer Reprise” quotes, and all of a sudden, they're playing three songs at the same time. Mind blowing.

Important links mentioned in this episode:

Recording used in this episode

Batter Cookie Dough

Follow Brad on Twitter

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 It’s a family affair today on Attendance Bias! My guests for this episode are father and son, Jeff and Ben Fortgang. Jeff and Ben chose to discuss the Phish show from July 15, 2016 at the Gorge, the legendary outdoor amphitheater in George, Washington. 

When Ben told me that his dad is a veteran taper who went to over 300 Grateful Dead shows, yet it was Ben who got his father into Phish, there was so much more I wanted to know. As you’ll hear in the episode, my parents know about my Phish obsession but they’re far from understanding it, and even farther from participating in it. So the opportunity to explore the musical relationship between a father and son, and their adventure to The Gorge was immediately compelling. Add the fact that I grew up in the same general area of New York as Ben and Jeff, and we’ve unknowingly been to at least a dozen of the same shows, and there was so much to explore.

Once Ben brought the first night of The Gorge in 2016, I was flooded with memories. Most of the memories were NOT of the music, but of the journey to the venue, the vibe once inside, and of the stunning visuals that surround the stage. I was eager to dive back into the show and relive the first night of my only visit to this unique venue.

 So fill up your gas tank, get your camping pass, and pack your hoodie as we join Jeff and Ben Fortgang to take a look back at July 15, 2016 at the Gorge.

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We first met Chris on one of Attendance Bias’ earliest episodes, where we spoke about 11/28/97 at the Worcester Centrum. If anyone wants to hear more about Chris’ background as a fan or as an artist, please feel free to go back and listen to that episode. 

This show was played toward the beginning of the 1999 December tour, which was fourteen shows total. The whole tour built up to Big Cypress, and 14 shows in something like 19 days helps explain how and why they were so prepared for the festival. This was show number 6 of the tour.

Sand was played as the 2nd set opener of this show, which also featured a 14-minute Ya Mar and several other notable jams. This is only the 8th time Sand was played.

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Missed opportunities. Everyone’s had at least one. when it comes to Phish, there’s always the one that got away. The show you decided to skip because you had a test the next day. The one that was just too far away to make it back before work. The one you slept on getting tickets for and couldn’t find an extra. Hopefully, it doesn’t happen too often…but unfortunately it does happen And with Phish, it’s the worst feeling in the world when those shows become all-timers. For me, there were two that fit this category: 12/30/97 at MSG–the legendary “Harpua” and the 45-minute encore–and 2/28/03 at the Nassau Coliseum–one of the best “Tweezers” ever played and the long awaited return of the biggest Phish bustout of them all: “Destiny Unbound.”

When I was deep into The Phish Compendium and The Pharmer’s Almanac (Vol. 4), the impression was that “Destiny Unbound” was the great white whale of Phish setlists. Played frequently in the early 90s and then shelved, it developed a cult following and old-school fans clamored for its return. When Trey suggested that the band would play it again if all the fans in the front row sang the first line at the same time, leave it to Phish fans to take him up on it at Red Rocks and the Hampton Coliseum in the mid- and late-90s, respectively. Denied, the song stayed on the shelf.

As I learned more and more about the Phish mythos, the prospect of “Destiny Unbound” greatly interested me. I found it difficult to track down a recording of the song, and so for many years I had no idea what it actually sounded like. It wasn’t until the February 2003 “return tour” that the concept of actually hearing “Destiny” came back to me.

I was a junior in college at the time at SUNY Buffalo. My roommate and I had tickets to see the band in Cincinnati and passed on the opportunity to fly home to see the show a week later at the Nassau Coliseum. In retrospect, it would have been fairly easy to attend. We had plenty of friends going who could find us extras; back when JetBlue was still fairly new on the scene, you could get a round trip flight from BUF to JFK for about $100; plus, it was college–missing a day or two of classes was far from an emergency. But we were so jazzed about the road trip to Cincinatti that we saw the Nassau show as an adventure that we didn’t need to take.

Bummer.

When I saw the setlist after it was played, my jaw dropped. “Destiny Unbound?” They played it? REALLY? ? And I missed it. At the time, I figured it was my only opportunity. As you can hear in earlier episodes of Attendance Bias with Slade Sohmer of The Recount and Pete Mason of PhanArt, we talked about how setlists in 2.0 were fairly predictable with few exceptions. Two of those exceptions were their show in Burgettstown, PA in the summer of 2003, and this show at the Nassau Coliseum that February. 

Phish broke their own mold. They played, at that time, what felt like the ultimate bust out. Maybe not in terms of “number of shows since it was last played,” but in terms of community relevance–it felt like I had missed some sort of cosmic event that only occurs once every 500 years; a special eclipse or passing of an obscure comet. The fact that it was played in my hometown venue only added salt to the wound.

Pretty dramatic, yes.

Luckily the band brought “Destiny” back into the rotation for 3.0. The simple tale of Highway Bill and Highway Jill doesn’t pop up frequently, but at least it’s in the cards. Those of us who absorbed the band’s history and self-referential universe knows that it’s special every time it’s played, simply because there were decades when that wasn’t the case. For me, the sense of closure finally came when the band played it at the 2010 summer tour closer at one of my hometown venues, Jones Beach Amphitheater.

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Hi everybody, and welcome to Attendance Bias. I am your host, Brian Weinstein. My guest for today’s episode is Tim of Wook-Plus, also known by his Twitter handle, @WeekendWook. 

If you’ve engaged with the Phish community on Twitter over the past three years, no doubt that you’ve come across one of Tim’s “Phish Brackets,” in which songs, tours, or venues are pitted against one another, round-robin style, to compete for the title of Best. When I first encountered the brackets, I was immediately intrigued to get to know the person behind competitive Phish, and Tim was gracious enough to accept my invite. If you haven’t engaged with Phish Twitter, now is the time to do it, as the 2021 Phish song bracket tournament is going on right now. Follow @weekendwook and join the fun!

For today’s episode, Tim chose to discuss Phish’s show on July 27, 2014 at Merriweather Post Pavilion in Columbia, Maryland. Opening with a strong set, the band really brought things to another level with the 3.0 version of “TweezerFest” throughout set two. Certainly a notable show, and one of the best of 2014. In this episode, Tim talks about his intentions behind the Phish brackets, theories on when the band does or doesn’t plan ahead, and the benefits and disadvantages of bringing friends to their first show. 

So reserve your MPP parking pass in advance, get to the lot early to avoid the garage, and make a stop at Wegman’s, as we join Tim from WookPlus to take a look back at July 27, 2014 at Merriweather Post

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Mini-Episode #14: Twist, 12/31/15, Madison Square Garden, New York, NY

If New Year’s Eve is traditionally about celebration, reflection, and renewal, then NYE 2015 was tailor made for me. As I discussed in the first mini-episode of Attendance Bias, I was divorced toward the beginning of 2015. With Fare Thee Well and Phish’s extensive summer tour in 2015, I took every opportunity I could to clear my head and treat myself to every show I could manage that year. The shows were great in themselves, but the most meaningful part of my adventures was the social aspect; seeing friends I hadn’t seen in months or years, getting into the swing of traveling to new cities, new venues, and re-establishing my comfort of going on tour, since I had done it with my ex-wife ever since Phish ‘s return in 2009. But the most meaningful part of 2015 was right in my backyard—during the new year’s run at Madison Square Garden.

My plans for the first couple of nights were uncertain, but New Year’s Eve was where most of my confusion lay. For years I was used to attending shows with my ex-wife. Then, when I began to see shows with my new interest, I had to adjust to a new show-going routine. This is not as easy as it sounds. I thought that we would see the shows together since we had been saying for nearly six months at the time.

In retrospect, it’s clear that this was a terribly selfish way to think. But it makes sense; after being so horribly hurt, I was much more concerned with my happiness than anyone else’s. But expecting someone to change their show habits wasn’t the right thing to do, and it caused me mental turmoil over the course of the run.

12/31/15 wasn’t a perfect show, but it was the best NYE show, top-to-bottom, that I’d seen since 2010. Every set had highlights and pinpoint setlist choices. The “gag” was artful and aesthetically pleasing in every way. Even when the band played “Tube” for the encore at 1am, I was wishing that the show could go on for another 90 minutes.

The second set is where things got notable. A nicely-extended “The Wedge” and “Wilson” brought back memories of NYE 2012, with the golf setlist references. The band kicked things up a notch from “”Kill Devil Falls” through “Twist.” Especially “Twist.” Oh boy, this  “Twist.” My personal musical highlight of the show, and maybe the entire run (“Tweezer” from 1/2 is another contender). BIG, DRAMATIC power and a patient, building jam–my favorite kind. The band clearly thought the same as an official video of the song was released soon after the show:

With no words, Phish delivered me again, as they had before. I needed them and they were there for me. The next two nights of the run, and most of 2016, didn’t quite compare to what I experienced in the calendar year of 2015. But if I were to end my Phish year on any particular point, I’m glad that it was New Year’s eve 2015. This Twist is a moment that will stay with me forever. It’s not usual that I can pinpoint, in real time, when I feel my soul being cleansed and a force outside myself communicating that it’s time to move forward. But this Twist did just that.

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By now, it’s a cliche to state that 2020 was an awful year for. But it needs to be noted that for Phish,  2020 was not an TOTAL loss. Let’s remember that for four  days and nights in February of 2020, Phish played incredible shows at the Moon Palace resort in Cancun.

I was lucky enough to attend those shows, and when the pandemic hit, I frequently went back to pictures, relistened, and would text my friends who were also there. Remembering Mexico became a coping mechanism to soothe my soul that missed all things Phish throughout 2020.

After scrolling through the pictures for the millionth time, I decided that it would be better to talk about and remember the event with other friends who made it one of the greatest Phish experiences I’ve ever had.

Today, in recognition of one year since Phish last took the stage, I proudly present the Attendance Bias Mexico 2020 roundtable. I’m joined by my friends Greg Ewan, Mike Cappilino (Cappy), and Chase Turner, to talk about the Moon Palace resort, the oddity of wearing shorts on the beach in February, and of course, the best music of the year.

Pack your bags, bring sunscreen and have another margarita as we go back to February 20th-23rd to Cancun, for Phish at Riviera Maya.

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Mini-Episode #13: Suzy Greenberg, 9/14/00, Darien Lake Performing Arts Center, Darien, NY

 Hi everybody, and welcome to mini-episode #13 of Attendance Bias. I am your host, Brian Weinstein. Mini-episodes of Attendance Bias feature a breakdown of a single song or jam from a show that I’ve attended. I’ll give a little background about what makes the song or jam so special to me, and then we dive right in.

These mini-episodes are posted on a bi-weekly basis in between full episodes of Attendance Bias, when a guest and I go over a full Phish show. Today’s mini-episode features “Suzy Greenberg” from September 14, 2000 at the Darien Lake Performing Arts Center in Darien Center, NY. 

I am the only Phish fan in my family. I don’t have, and never had, a familial tie to the band or the scene. My older brother didn’t turn me on to Phish, my older cousin never “saw a few shows in college,” and my parents weren’t Deadheads who led me down the path toward psychedelic music. Aside from a few friends who were also into the band, I was pretty much on my own when I began to explore the Phish world at 14 years old. 

I tried to bridge that family gap once, at this show, and it didn’t quit take. But before the experiment failed, there was some fun to be had. That fleeting moment happened at setbreak during the band’s show at Darien Lake on September 14, 2000, right after an all-time Suzy Greenberg.

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My guest today on Attendance Bias is Jeff Sommar. Jeff reached out to me on the Phish.net forum and asked if he could come on Attendance Bias because he would love to talk about seeing phish during his backpacking days in Europe.  Eventually, Jeff chose to discuss the Phish show from July 12, 1996 at the Melkweg Theater in Amsterdam, Holland. 

Once he brought up Phish’s Europe ‘96 tour, I felt compelled to hear about it. Not only is this the earliest show brought up on the podcast, but it was in Amsterdam! Seeing a show when Phish had the reputation of being THE stoner band, playing in one of the only cities where marijuana was easily accessible, I thought that my listeners would love to hear what that was like.

Jeff was excited to share details explaining his first show in Syracuse in 1994, what it was like inside this small venue, and what led to this...how should I put it….musically uneven show. 

So get your backpack together and exchange your dollars for guilders as we join Jeff Sommar on July 12, 1996 at the Melkweg in Amsterdam.

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When Phish announced their early summer tour in 2009, the comeback tour, two dates stood out to me: June 4 and 5 at Jones Beach Amphitheater. Like the Nassau Coliseum, Jones Beach has a special place in my life. Though I’ve seen fewer and fewer shows there in recent years, several of my formative musical experiences happened there.

Jones Beach Amphitheater  is a beautiful concert venue. It sits on Zach’s Bay as part of Jones Beach State Park, a beachside park built during the Great Depression as part of Franklin Roosevelt’s WPA program. It even has an obelisk once you reach the end of the parkway next to the beach that fits right in with the art deco architecture of the time.

The amphitheater was built a number of years after the park, in the early 1950s. Since then, it’s gone through a number of renovations and updates, the most recent being the mezzanine of dark red seats at the top of the theater. On a nice summer night, it’s one of the best outdoor places in the state or maybe even the country to see a concert. I’ve enjoyed dozens of nights with sunsets behind the monolith, easing into a cool, breezy night watching a performance on its huge stage.

That being said, Jones Beach also has the potential to be one of the worst venues in the country on any given night. A windy or rainy night can absolutely destroy the sound quality for anyone seated outside of the orchestra section. Being on the water also makes the entire area freezing cold on a night that’s doesn’t have optimal weather.

I remember being down low in the orchestra section for this show, Fish side. Although the band played a show at Fenway Park two nights earlier, this felt like the proper tour opener. The band debuted a couple of songs that would become more or less staples in the 3.0 era, and extra loud cheers greeted the more familiar “oldies” like “Runaway Jim” and “Cities.”

While there weren’t too many all-time highlights at the show, this show felt like coming back to a childhood restaurant in your hometown after many years away. All your old favorites are still on the menu (“Foam,” “Reba,” “Mike’s”), some new stuff is there and you’re unsure what you think of it (“Kill Devil Falls,” “Stealing Time”), and even some old items that you forgot about in your time away (“Driver,” “If I Could”). It may add up to less than the sum of its parts, but you’re thrilled to be back.

These three nights at Jones Beach felt more like the start of a proper tour. Most of the first set was thrilling for the simple fact that Phish was back! Not only back, but at a New York area venue that wasn’t Madison Square Garden. There weren’t too many memorable musical highlights from this show, or even from this run as a whole, but it really hit me that things were back for real and a little different when the band closed the first set with the sublime rarity “If I Could.”

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This week, my guest is the cultivation director at the 7 Points Cannabis Cultivation Facility in Portland Oregon: Joseph Rosenberg. Joseph and I have never met in person, but we’ve been talking, discussing, and occasionally arguing about Phish for nearly two decades on a small online Phish forum. Over that time, I’ve learned that Joseph is very opinionated about Phish, and also has the background and extensive knowledge to back up his opinions. We don’t always agree, but we always love to talk.

For today’s episode, Joseph and I agreed on the standout status of the show: December 11, 1999 at the Spectrum in Philadelphia. This show reached legendary status soon after it was played, and it has a legitimate claim as the best show of the year, if you don’t count Big Cypress. Throughout the interview, you’ll hear why Joseph agrees with this ranking, about his history of getting into Phish at a young age, and plenty more.

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When it comes to naming your favorite Phish song, I have my stock answer, and then maybe question it with a few backup answers. But it’s been a constant in the 24 years that I’ve been listening to Phish—my first favorite song is still my favorite today, and that song is Glide. I’ve mentioned it several times on this podcast, but Glide was the big bang for me. Every show I’ve seen, album I’ve bought, show I’ve downloaded or streamed, and opinion I’ve had can be traced back to track number ten on A Picture of Nectar.

The quick version of my Phish origin story is that I was 13 years old at summer camp in Massachusetts. I was with a group of older kids in a van, on a field trip to New Hampshire to hike up Mount Washington. It’s about a 4-hour drive from the camp to the mountain, so I packed a lot of music for the ride. I remember listening to Live at Leeds, by The Who, which I still consider the best live album ever officially released. Eventually I took a break from my headphones to hang with the group. The driver put A Picture of Nectar on the car stereo, and I was transfixed. From the opening track of Llama, I was totally engrossed and locked in. I wanted to hear more. And more. And more. Eventually, the album got to Glide, and I was transfixed.

I don’t know what it is about the song that grabbed me. I think it’s the cowbell opening before the power chords that I connected to the opening of The Who’s Pinball Wizard; one instrument playing a complex part before the rest of the band barges in. The vocal harmonies and key changes definitely had something to do with it too. I loved garden variety classic rock at the time but maybe I was subconsciously looking for something more musically complex and challenging. Phish certainly provided that.

 I was singing the song to myself all weekend. Up Mount Washington, back down, and on the four-hour ride back to camp. The day I got home from camp that summer, I went straight to Sam Goody at the Roosevelt Field mall and bought A Picture of Nectar and wore it out, probably by the end of that year. I hadn’t seen Phish live yet, but I hoped at every show I saw that Glide would make an appearance.

 The one time I heard Glide live at a show wasn’t exactly a celebratory moment: they started it up at Coventry and it became a Monkey’s Paw moment: it was the song I was most desperate to hear, and ended up being the single song performance we would most want to strike from the record. It wasn’t until 2009 that I would hear a cohesive, genuine Glide live, and then I would hear it several times more. But no time was more meaningful as when they opened the JEMP Truck set with it on New Year’s Eve, 2013 

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