Send us a text

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.

Support the show

Send us a text

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. 

Support the show

Send us a text

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.

Support the show

Send us a text

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.

Support the show

Send us a text

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.

Support the show

Send us a text

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.

Support the show

Send us a text

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.

Support the show

Send us a text

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.

Support the show

Send us a text

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.

Support the show

Send us a text

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. 

Support the show