Attendance Bias

Hi Everybody, and welcome to Attendance Bias!

My guest today is the Editor-in-Chief of The Recount, Slade Sohmer. Slade chose to discuss Phish's legendary show on February 28, 2003 at the Nassau Coliseum.

Soon after I launched this podcast, a friend of mine shared it on the journoPhish email listserv. It wasn't long before I received messages from members of that listserv, asking if they could appear on the show. I was thrilled that Attendance Bias was starting to resonate with fans outside of my immediate circle of friends.

As Slade and I messaged back and forth to narrow down which show to discuss, two things became clear: First, he has impeccable taste in Phish, especially with shows that took place in the Chicago-land area; Second, he and I had A LOT in common when it came to our Phishy upbringings. It was like chatting with an old friend. After hearing about our early shows and love of the band, Slade decided on the Nassau '03 show from their February "comeback" tour, one of the tentpoles of the 2.0 era.

With the long-awaited return of "Destiny Unbound," a big-time "Tweezer," an ascendant "Walls of the Cave," and much more, please enjoy my conversation with Slade Sohmer of The Recount.

Enjoy!

Audio for today's episode: Phish @ Nassau, 2/28/03

Welcome to the eighth mini-episode of Attendance Bias! Mini-episodes feature a breakdown of a single song or jam from a show that I’ve attended. I’ll pick a song or jam for any given reason—it was the highlight of the show, it meant something special to me, it's widely renown--who knows?

Mini-episodes are posted on a bi-weekly basis in between full episodes of Attendance Bias, when a guest and I will go over a full Phish show.

Today's episode focuses on "46 Days," played on 8/7/10 at the Greek Theater in Berkeley, California. This show was last of three nights at the small outdoor venue in the San Francisco Bay Area. Not only was this run my first time at this venue but it was my first time in California! My girlfriend, at the time, and I spent a week in San Francisco to explore the city leading up to this wonderful trio of shows.

I don't remember many big musical highlights from the 2010 Phish calendar year, but for some reason I remember almost every time I saw them play "46 Days" in 2010. Since the band's return for 3.0, their overall arena sound was much bigger. Much more suited to their bombastic playing and their ability to make venue explode. The Greek Theater is significantly smaller than most of the venues they've played since returning in 2009, and "46 Days" exemplifies their best version of arena rock.

This version of "46 Days" left the Greek run on a high note. It was powerful, it was ferocious, and it demonstrated how much of a guitar rock God Trey still was. Among the fanbase, there was still some doubt of what Phish was capable of in 2010, but rocking the hell out of a venue was never in doubt. If there was, then this "46 Days" put it to rest.

AUD recording for this episode: "46 Days," The Greek Theater, 8/7/10

Welcome to the eighth mini-episode of Attendance Bias! Mini-episodes feature a breakdown of a single song or jam from a show that I’ve attended. I’ll pick a song or jam for any given reason—it was the highlight of the show, it meant something special to me, it's widely renown--who knows?

Mini-episodes are posted on a bi-weekly basis in between full episodes of Attendance Bias, when a guest and I will go over a full Phish show.

Today's episode focuses on "46 Days," played on 8/7/10 at the Greek Theater in Berkeley, California. This show was last of three nights at the small outdoor venue in the San Francisco Bay Area. Not only was this run my first time at this venue but it was my first time in California! My girlfriend, at the time, and I spent a week in San Francisco to explore the city leading up to this wonderful trio of shows.

I don't remember many big musical highlights from the 2010 Phish calendar year, but for some reason I remember almost every time I saw them play "46 Days" in 2010. Since the band's return for 3.0, their overall arena sound was much bigger. Much more suited to their bombastic playing and their ability to make venue explode. The Greek Theater is significantly smaller than most of the venues they've played since returning in 2009, and "46 Days" exemplifies their best version of arena rock.

This version of "46 Days" left the Greek run on a high note. It was powerful, it was ferocious, and it demonstrated how much of a guitar rock God Trey still was. Among the fanbase, there was still some doubt of what Phish was capable of in 2010, but rocking the hell out of a venue was never in doubt. If there was, then this "46 Days" put it to rest.

AUD recording for this episode: "46 Days," The Greek Theater, 8/7/10

My guest today is the anchor of Fox 5 News at 5 and 10 in New York City: Steve Lacy. Steve chose to discuss Phish's July 12, 1999 show at the Great Woods Amphitheater. Having grown up in Massachusetts, this was a hometown show for Steve. Not only that, but it was the band’s first show back at Great Woods after a wild weekend in 1995, and it felt like a homecoming for all involved.

When I was a kid, probably 9 or 10 years old, I got a TV in my room. My curfew was to go to sleep at 10, but my parents said that I could stay up until 10:30 if I watched the news before going to sleep. As a result, I became a die-hard fan of Fox Five News at 10 in New York. This is the local city news—NOT to be confused with FoxNews the cable channel. So when I found out that the current anchor for the Fox 5 news is also a big Phish fan, I knew that I would love to talk shop with him. I’m also a big Howard Stern fan, and Steve is occasionally name-checked there, famously when he wrote an essay to rebut Howard’s negative response to Phish back in 2015.

The bottom line is that I want have everybody on Attendance Bias; everyday fans and friends, but also well-known names within the community. In the end, we’re all the same. We just want to talk endlessly about Phish, and I think that came through in today’s discussion of July 12, 1999 at Great Woods.

Enjoy!

Audio for today's episode: 7/12/99 @ Great Woods Amphitheater

My guest today is the anchor of Fox 5 News at 5 and 10 in New York City: Steve Lacy. Steve chose to discuss Phish's July 12, 1999 show at the Great Woods Amphitheater. Having grown up in Massachusetts, this was a hometown show for Steve. Not only that, but it was the band’s first show back at Great Woods after a wild weekend in 1995, and it felt like a homecoming for all involved.

When I was a kid, probably 9 or 10 years old, I got a TV in my room. My curfew was to go to sleep at 10, but my parents said that I could stay up until 10:30 if I watched the news before going to sleep. As a result, I became a die-hard fan of Fox Five News at 10 in New York. This is the local city news—NOT to be confused with FoxNews the cable channel. So when I found out that the current anchor for the Fox 5 news is also a big Phish fan, I knew that I would love to talk shop with him. I’m also a big Howard Stern fan, and Steve is occasionally name-checked there, famously when he wrote an essay to rebut Howard’s negative response to Phish back in 2015.

The bottom line is that I want have everybody on Attendance Bias; everyday fans and friends, but also well-known names within the community. In the end, we’re all the same. We just want to talk endlessly about Phish, and I think that came through in today’s discussion of July 12, 1999 at Great Woods.

Enjoy!

Audio for today's episode: 7/12/99 @ Great Woods Amphitheater

Welcome to the seventh mini-episode of Attendance Bias! Mini-episodes feature a breakdown of a single song or jam from a show that I’ve attended. I’ll pick a song or jam for any given reason—it was the highlight of the show, it meant something special to me, it's widely renown--who knows?

Mini-episodes are posted on a bi-weekly basis in between full episodes of Attendance Bias, when a guest and I will go over a full Phish show.

Today's episode focuses on "Down with Disease," played on 2/21/03 at the U.S. Bank Arena in Cincinnati, Ohio. This show was the first of two nights in Cincinnati, and my first shows back from the band's hiatus. It was a cold, windy, rainy weekend in Cincy and my first time seeing Phish in the midwest. I was excited to get back into the groove of Phish shows, and even moreso by going on a roadtrip from college in Buffalo.

My roommate and I went to both nights in the Blue Chip City, and the run has only grown in stature since 2003. Most people agree that the next night, 2/22, is musically superior to the first night, but I tend to enjoy night one better. The jams may not have been superior but it was more of a straight-up rock show, which I like.

This "DwD" is from the first set of night 1, and has a big jam that would be my introduction to the 2.0 sound. Phish was on fire during this "comeback" tour, and great jams were being thrown at us, left and right. Between the guitar theatrics, the "bliss" vibes, and the proto-electronica ending, this version of my most-heard song set the table for what I could expect at the best of times over the next year-and-a-half.

AUD recording for this episode: Down with Disease, Cincy, 2003

Welcome to the seventh mini-episode of Attendance Bias! Mini-episodes feature a breakdown of a single song or jam from a show that I’ve attended. I’ll pick a song or jam for any given reason—it was the highlight of the show, it meant something special to me, it's widely renown--who knows?

Mini-episodes are posted on a bi-weekly basis in between full episodes of Attendance Bias, when a guest and I will go over a full Phish show.

Today's episode focuses on "Down with Disease," played on 2/21/03 at the U.S. Bank Arena in Cincinnati, Ohio. This show was the first of two nights in Cincinnati, and my first shows back from the band's hiatus. It was a cold, windy, rainy weekend in Cincy and my first time seeing Phish in the midwest. I was excited to get back into the groove of Phish shows, and even moreso by going on a roadtrip from college in Buffalo.

My roommate and I went to both nights in the Blue Chip City, and the run has only grown in stature since 2003. Most people agree that the next night, 2/22, is musically superior to the first night, but I tend to enjoy night one better. The jams may not have been superior but it was more of a straight-up rock show, which I like.

This "DwD" is from the first set of night 1, and has a big jam that would be my introduction to the 2.0 sound. Phish was on fire during this "comeback" tour, and great jams were being thrown at us, left and right. Between the guitar theatrics, the "bliss" vibes, and the proto-electronica ending, this version of my most-heard song set the table for what I could expect at the best of times over the next year-and-a-half.

AUD recording for this episode: Down with Disease, Cincy, 2003

If you've been into the Phish scene for any amount of time, you've heard of, or been to a PhanArt show. For years, artists have creators have sold their wares outside of venues but it wasn't until relatively recently that they've had a localized, organized location to set up shop. And who got this whole shebang organized? Pete Mason--otherwise known as PhanArt Pete.

For today's episode of Attendance Bias, Pete chose Phish's legendary show on 7/29/03 at the Starlake Amphitheater in Burgettestown, Pennsylvania. This show was a major peak of Phish's 2.0 era, and if you weren't around at the time, it's hard to communicate just how crazy and unexpected the setlist was. Filled with rarities, bustouts, and era-defining jams, it was a show that went deep.

For today's show, I would like to emphasize two things:

• For every download and listen today's show gets through Friday 11/20, I will donate $1 to Trey's Divided Sky Fund, up to $500. The donation will be made during The Beacon Jams on 11/20.
• Pete is not letting the coronavirus pandemic get in the way of connecting artists to their fans. There will be a virtual PhanArt show this coming Saturday, 11/14 at PhanArt.net. More info available at that site.

Please don't forget to share, rate, and review Attendance Bias wherever you get your podcasts. Enjoy!

This week's audio: 7/29/03 @ Star Lake Amphitheater, Burgettstown, PA

If you've been into the Phish scene for any amount of time, you've heard of, or been to a PhanArt show. For years, artists have creators have sold their wares outside of venues but it wasn't until relatively recently that they've had a localized, organized location to set up shop. And who got this whole shebang organized? Pete Mason--otherwise known as PhanArt Pete.

For today's episode of Attendance Bias, Pete chose Phish's legendary show on 7/29/03 at the Starlake Amphitheater in Burgettestown, Pennsylvania. This show was a major peak of Phish's 2.0 era, and if you weren't around at the time, it's hard to communicate just how crazy and unexpected the setlist was. Filled with rarities, bustouts, and era-defining jams, it was a show that went deep.

For today's show, I would like to emphasize two things:

• For every download and listen today's show gets through Friday 11/20, I will donate $1 to Trey's Divided Sky Fund, up to $500. The donation will be made during The Beacon Jams on 11/20.
• Pete is not letting the coronavirus pandemic get in the way of connecting artists to their fans. There will be a virtual PhanArt show this coming Saturday, 11/14 at PhanArt.net. More info available at that site.

Please don't forget to share, rate, and review Attendance Bias wherever you get your podcasts. Enjoy!

This week's audio: 7/29/03 @ Star Lake Amphitheater, Burgettstown, PA

Welcome to the sixth mini-episode of Attendance Bias. Mini-episodes feature a breakdown of a single song or jam from a show that I’ve attended. I’ll pick a song or jam for any given reason—it was the highlight of the show, it meant something special to me, it's widely renown--who knows?

Mini-episodes are posted on a bi-weekly basis in between full episodes of Attendance Bias, when a guest and I will go over a full Phish show.

Today's episode focuses on "Character Zero," played on 7/20/16 at the Bill Graham Civic Auditorium in San Francisco, California. This show was the last of three nights at the venue. These shows were played during the 2nd half of the 2016 summer tour, when the band took a west coast swing from the Gorge, then south to San Francisco before heading down the coast to the Forum in Los Angeles. The first set of this show was filled with rarities, which thrilled me, and the 2nd set was a bit more conservative (but still fun!).

And there's nothing more conservative and traditional than a "Character Zero" encore. However, this "Zero" was unique. Rather than the simple structure of a quiet opening before guitar fireworks (although there was that), the audience immediately took over vocal duties for the verses. I'd been in loud venues before. I'd heard loud singalongs before. But never so up close to the point where the band stepped back from the mics and let the crowd completely take over.

It was more than a singalong; it was synergy. It was a direct link between the crowd and the band in real time. I'd felt and witnessed a lot of things at Phish, but never something like this before or after.

AUD recording for this episode: "Character Zero"