Attendance Bias

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"

Welcome to Part 2 of my conversation with Dartmouth College professor David Lutz about Camp Oswego, day two, on 7/18/99. If you haven't listened to Part 1, please go back and listen to it as its own separate episode and as a prelude to this episode. Part 1 focused on Dave's history as a Phish fan, his background, and how he ended up at Camp Oswego as a teenager without a car. We got so deep into our nerdy Phish chatter that it took us over an hour just to get to set 1 of the show!

We pick up here where we left off. Part 2 requires no introduction and we kick off with the set two opener, which happened to be a 24 minute Runaway Jim! In most shows, that Jim would be the highlight of the show. But Oswego was no ordinary show. Throughout this episode, we go over the mega-fast Piper, the Catapult/Icculus/Smoke of the Water insanity, and the legendary closing of Fluffhead and Harry Hood.

If Part 1 was a deep dive into Phish geekery, theories, and history, then Part 2 is fully about the MUSIC. Both episodes add up to a comprehensive look back at what may be Phish's most under-appreciated festival.

Audio for this episode: http://phish.in/1999-07-18

Welcome to Part 2 of my conversation with Dartmouth College professor David Lutz about Camp Oswego, day two, on 7/18/99. If you haven't listened to Part 1, please go back and listen to it as its own separate episode and as a prelude to this episode. Part 1 focused on Dave's history as a Phish fan, his background, and how he ended up at Camp Oswego as a teenager without a car. We got so deep into our nerdy Phish chatter that it took us over an hour just to get to set 1 of the show!

We pick up here where we left off. Part 2 requires no introduction and we kick off with the set two opener, which happened to be a 24 minute Runaway Jim! In most shows, that Jim would be the highlight of the show. But Oswego was no ordinary show. Throughout this episode, we go over the mega-fast Piper, the Catapult/Icculus/Smoke of the Water insanity, and the legendary closing of Fluffhead and Harry Hood.

If Part 1 was a deep dive into Phish geekery, theories, and history, then Part 2 is fully about the MUSIC. Both episodes add up to a comprehensive look back at what may be Phish's most under-appreciated festival.

Audio for this episode: http://phish.in/1999-07-18

Steve Lutz is a professor of Environmental Studies at Dartmouth University. He is also the most detail-oriented Phish fan I know. By coincidence, we both started seeing Phish at the same show (12/29/97), and met a few years later on a Phish-centric message board. Since then, we've geeked out about EVERYTHING related to the band. Dave's knowledge of Phish-minutiae far exceeds my own, so when he chose to talk about day 2 of the 1999 Oswego Festival, I knew it would go deep.

I was right. By the time we were an hour into the conversation, we had barely scratched the surface of set 1. We just couldn't stop thinking of extra details to dive into! This day of the festival is so dense with incredible jams, guest sit-ins, and more, I had to split the episode in two.

In Part 1, Dave and I talk about what led him to the festival at such a young age, why Oswego felt hastily assembled compared to previous Phish festivals, and the heat that persisted throughout the weekend.

Audio used for this episode: http://phish.in/1999-07-18

Some of the media mentioned throughout this episode:

• Phish: A Trip to Oswego (Video Documentary)
• MTV article that suggests Oswego may be a single-night show

Steve Lutz is a professor of Environmental Studies at Dartmouth University. He is also the most detail-oriented Phish fan I know. By coincidence, we both started seeing Phish at the same show (12/29/97), and met a few years later on a Phish-centric message board. Since then, we've geeked out about EVERYTHING related to the band. Dave's knowledge of Phish-minutiae far exceeds my own, so when he chose to talk about day 2 of the 1999 Oswego Festival, I knew it would go deep.

I was right. By the time we were an hour into the conversation, we had barely scratched the surface of set 1. We just couldn't stop thinking of extra details to dive into! This day of the festival is so dense with incredible jams, guest sit-ins, and more, I had to split the episode in two.

In Part 1, Dave and I talk about what led him to the festival at such a young age, why Oswego felt hastily assembled compared to previous Phish festivals, and the heat that persisted throughout the weekend.

Audio used for this episode: http://phish.in/1999-07-18

Some of the media mentioned throughout this episode:

• Phish: A Trip to Oswego (Video Documentary)
• MTV article that suggests Oswego may be a single-night show

Welcome to the fifth 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 "2001," played on 8/11/04 at Great Woods Amphitheater in Mansfield, Massachusetts. This show was the second of two nights at the venue. These shows were played at the tail end of Phish's 2004 summer tour before the Coventry Festival which, at the time, we thought would be their last shows ever. The first night of the run, 8/10, doesn't hold any memories for me except for the good jam in "Possum," and the band slowing down the end of "Weekapaug Groove" for Trey to tell the story of how that song was written.

Even with that "Possum" encore, I was completely deflated. Here I was, following Phish all over the place--with two more shows before a festival--they weren't playing anything worth hearing, and the scene was getting ickier by the show. I remember thinking, "If this is how they're going to play, then it's good that they're ending it all."

The next night changed all of that. The entire show on 8/11 was focused, tight, and compelling. The "2001," especially, demonstrated creativity, dance music, and innovation just before the whole enterprise came crashing down. For years, I called 8/11 "The Last Great Phish Show." On one hand, I'm glad I was there for it, and on the other hand, I'm glad I was wrong.

AUD recording for this episode: "2001," from Great Woods Amphitheater, Mansfield, MA

Welcome to the fifth 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 "2001," played on 8/11/04 at Great Woods Amphitheater in Mansfield, Massachusetts. This show was the second of two nights at the venue. These shows were played at the tail end of Phish's 2004 summer tour before the Coventry Festival which, at the time, we thought would be their last shows ever. The first night of the run, 8/10, doesn't hold any memories for me except for the good jam in "Possum," and the band slowing down the end of "Weekapaug Groove" for Trey to tell the story of how that song was written.

Even with that "Possum" encore, I was completely deflated. Here I was, following Phish all over the place--with two more shows before a festival--they weren't playing anything worth hearing, and the scene was getting ickier by the show. I remember thinking, "If this is how they're going to play, then it's good that they're ending it all."

The next night changed all of that. The entire show on 8/11 was focused, tight, and compelling. The "2001," especially, demonstrated creativity, dance music, and innovation just before the whole enterprise came crashing down. For years, I called 8/11 "The Last Great Phish Show." On one hand, I'm glad I was there for it, and on the other hand, I'm glad I was wrong.

AUD recording for this episode: "2001," from Great Woods Amphitheater, Mansfield, MA

There is something about Phish's summer 1999 tour that deeply resonates with fans. On one hand, lots of fans see it an an underrated and underrepresented tour. On the other hand, everybody loves to talk about it! That's certainly the case with today's guest, Thom Epps of San Diego, CA.

Thom threw me for a loop when he suggested this show, because he wasn't there! He calls it "What should have been" his first show. Non-attendance bias? Nevertheless, we go over it with a fine-tooth comb and marvel over how the band eases into their new material ("Farmhouse" and "Back on the Train"), the band's masterful control of dynamics, and a time in our lives when our parents not letting us use the car was the biggest problem in getting to a show.

NOTE: In this episode, We talk a bit about how this show, MPP 1999, was Phish's first show headlining MPP. I'M AN IDIOT and they very obviously and famously KILLED Merriweather for one night in 1998. My mistake!

Phish.in provides a very good AUD recording of this show, and I highly recommend listening to it if you want to hear the speedjams and impeccable playing that led to the legendary Oswego festival, just a week ahead.

Audio used for this episode: 7/9/99 at Merriweather Post Pavilion

There is something about Phish's summer 1999 tour that deeply resonates with fans. On one hand, lots of fans see it an an underrated and underrepresented tour. On the other hand, everybody loves to talk about it! That's certainly the case with today's guest, Thom Epps of San Diego, CA.

Thom threw me for a loop when he suggested this show, because he wasn't there! He calls it "What should have been" his first show. Non-attendance bias? Nevertheless, we go over it with a fine-tooth comb and marvel over how the band eases into their new material ("Farmhouse" and "Back on the Train"), the band's masterful control of dynamics, and a time in our lives when our parents not letting us use the car was the biggest problem in getting to a show.

NOTE: In this episode, We talk a bit about how this show, MPP 1999, was Phish's first show headlining MPP. I'M AN IDIOT and they very obviously and famously KILLED Merriweather for one night in 1998. My mistake!

Phish.in provides a very good AUD recording of this show, and I highly recommend listening to it if you want to hear the speedjams and impeccable playing that led to the legendary Oswego festival, just a week ahead.

Audio used for this episode: 7/9/99 at Merriweather Post Pavilion

Welcome to the fourth 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 "Twist," played on 11/1/13 at Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City, New Jersey. This show was the second of three nights of the band's 2013 Halloween run. The vibe going into the venue was strange. The previous night's Wingsuit set really knocked us off our rocker, as this was the first time that Phish did not play a full album by another band for Halloween. Rather, they played an entire set--80 minutes long--of new material. Even though the third set of 10/31 was excellent, things didn't quite feel the same afterwards.

"Twist" from the next night changed all that for me. It felt as though Phish, and the audience, had a lot of steam to blow off after the tension of the Halloween set, and "Twist" blew that steam right off. It has everything: exploration, triumphant bliss-rock, "Under Pressure" quotes, and abstract dissonance. It's since become one of my favorite jams.

AUD recording for this episode: Twist