Attendance Bias

Send a textHi 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.Support the show

Send a textHi 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.Support the show

Send a textDo 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!Support the show

Send a textHi 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.Support the show

Send a textHi 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.Support the show

Send a textHi 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.Support the show

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Send a textHi 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 SkyJeff's a capella quartet: Generation GapNote: the a capella song that opens the episode is performed by Jeff’s previous a capella group, Party of FiveSupport the show

Send a textHi 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.Support the show

Send a textHi 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.Support the show