Attendance Bias 10/31/21 @ The MGM Grand w/ James Del
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.