Attendance Bias 8/9/04 @ Hampton Coliseum w/ Jonathan Hart
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.