Attendance Bias

Brian Weinstein
  • 5.0 (122)
  • Music Interviews
  • Updated Semimonthly

Attendance Bias is a podcast for fans to tell a story about an especially meaningful Phish show.

  1. 1d ago

    Venue Preview: Lakeview Amphitheater, Syracuse, NY w/Beth Ann Kempf

    Send us Fan Mail Hi everybody and welcome to Attendance Bias. I am your host Brian Weinstein. Today, we continue our miniseries of previewing each venue on Phish’s 2026 summer tour with a newish venue in a longtime favorite Phish town: the Empower Federal Credit Union Amphitheater at Lakeview in Syracuse, NY. But for the purposes of this episode, we’re just going to call it Lakeview. Other than Walnut Creek, this is the only venue to host just one Phish show this summer, but it has all the makings to be a special show. Today’s guest, Beth Ann Kempf helps explain why.  Phish has played the Lakeview Amphitheater just twice leading into the show this summer, but their history in Syracuse goes all the way back to 1989. In fact, you could argue that it goes even farther back than that, because Jon Fishman is from the area, and the band remembers that seemingly every time they play there. A recurring theme of today’s discussion is that there is on stage banter in virtually every show played in Syracuse, going back to 1989, which was just a few years after Fishman graduated high school!  On top of that, Beth Ann tells us about the amphitheater itself, along with plenty of things to do in and around Syracuse, should you find yourself looking for things to do in The Salt City before or after the show. She’s been seeing the band since 1991, and has lived near Syracuse for most of her adult life. She’s an excellent tour guide for anyone hitting this show.   So let’s dive into Central New York with Beth Ann Kampf as we prepare for Phish’s show at the Lakeview Amphitheater on July 21, 2026. Support the show

    44 min

  2. Jun 10

    Venue Preview: Merriweather Post, Columbia, MD w/Stub Me Down

    Send us Fan Mail Hi everybody and welcome to Attendance Bias. I am your host Brian Weinstein. Today, we continue our miniseries of previewing each venue on Phish’s 2026 summer tour with an old favorite: Merriweather Post Pavillion in Columbia, Maryland. We are at the mid-point of the tour, having just visited Walnut Creek, and on the way to Lakeview in Syracuse for a one night stop after these two shows. Today’s guests to give us the inside scoop on MPP should be familiar voices to anyone listening; we have familiar friends today: JW and Skinny from the Stub Me Down podcast. As you’ve come to hear, these guys are not only intelligent and experienced Phish fans, but they both live nearby the venue, within a half hour or, in Skinny’s case, 8 minutes exactly.  Together, we review the history of the legendary venue, its connection to the jamband scene and, of course, our favorite memories of seeing Phish there since 1998, although JW is quick to point out that the band’s first performance on that stage was in 1992 opening for Santana. But let’s hear it from Skinny and JW as we prepare for Phish’s 2-night run, their first at MPP since 2022, on July 18 and 19, 2026. Support the show

    1h 5m

  3. Jun 3

    Venue Preview: Walnut Creek, Raleigh, NC w/Bryan Rodgers

    Send us Fan Mail Hi everybody and welcome to Attendance Bias. I am your host Brian Weinstein. Before we get started with today’s episode, I wanted to remind you that you can support Attendance Bias by rating and reviewing the show wherever you get your podcasts, you can follow Attendance Bias on social media, and you can visit www.buymeacoffee.com/attendancebias and donate anything you can. Now, onto the show: Today, we continue our miniseries of previewing each venue on Phish’s 2026 summer tour with a peek at Coastal Credit Union Music Park at Walnut Creek, or for the purposes of today’s episode: Walnut Creek. We are firmly in the “Thunderstorms with 110% humidity” leg of summer tour. The last venue was Enmarket Arena in Savannah, this week we are in Raleigh, North Carolina for Walnut Creek, and next up will be Merriweather Post. Although there are some quirks to this summer tour, Walnut Creek is a well-established venue for Phish fans, going all the way back to 1994. In fact, with just one or two exceptions, Phish’s history in Raleigh is their history at Walnut Creek, which makes this a very exciting stop on the tour and an exciting episode.  Our tour guide today is Bryan Rodgers; a long-time Phish fan who has lived in and around the Raleigh-Durham area for nearly all his life. Bryan not only tells us about the literal geography of Raleigh, but explains the recent history of Raleigh, where and how the jamband scene fits in over the past 30 years, active venues, and venues long gone, and the best places to get North Carolina Raleigh-style barbecue. In addition, Bryan and I review Phish's history in Raleigh and at Walnut Creek; I’ll be honest: there are a lot more music clips in today’s episode than there usually are in the venue previews. Walnut Creek deserves and demands it. Whether it’s jamming during a thunderstorm, or a mashup between Runaway Jim and Run Like An Antelope, Bryan has us covered today.   So let’s get right to it as we prepare for Phish’s show at Walnut Creek on July 17, 2026. Support the show

    1h 4m

  4. May 27

    Venue Preview: Enmarket Arena, Savannah, GA w/Earth and Jessie

    Send us Fan Mail Hi everybody and welcome to Attendance Bias. I am your host Brian Weinstein. By now, we are off and running. The tour started in Madison, WI for the long-awaited return to the Kohl Center, we spent a 3-night run at the long-time favorite Deer Creek, and now it’s time to visit the dirty south to visit a brand new venue–both in construction and for Phish–the Enmarket Arena in Savannah, Georgia. Not only is the venue new to Phish, but imagine my surprise during my research when I found out that Phish has never played in Savannah before. This summer we are going to witness a first! On top of breaking ground in the historic city, they’re also playing for two nights! All that said, this means there’s a lot of unknowns for fans traveling to Georgia for these two shows. Luckily, today’s guests have you covered. Earth and Jessie live in Savannah, and have plenty to say about their hometown. I helped guide the conversation during the recording, but I feel like I could have asked one question: “Tell me about Enmarket Arena and what there is to do in Savannah” and we would have everything we need to know for Phish’s visit. Actually, even though I’m not going to these two shows, I was ready to book a flight to Savannah just to try and do all of the recommendations Earth and Jessie gave during today’s conversation! They cover everything: what to do, where to eat, where to drink, where to walk, and even where to get zoned out by floors made of crystal and glass containing dinosaur fossils. But also more practical details like what the area around the venue is like, how to get there, where to park…you know, the stuff this podcast series is for.   But let’s hear it from Earth and Jessie, as they are pumped for Phish’s two shows at the Enmarket Arena on July 14 and 15, 2026. Support the show

    53 min

  5. May 20

    Venue Preview: Deer Creek, Noblesville, IN w/Ben Karle

    Send us Fan Mail Hi everybody and welcome to Attendance Bias. I am your host Brian Weinstein. Welcome back to our 2026 miniseries of previewing each venue on Phish’s summer tour. Last time, we opened the series by visiting an arena we haven’t seen in a long time: the Kohl Center in Madison, Wisconsin. Today, we are going to preview an amphitheater that is embedded in Phish lore to the point where it seems like we’re talking about a family reunion: Deer Creek Amphitheater in Noblesville, Indiana. The mere mention of the words “Deer Creek”--excuse me, the “Ruoff Music Center”--elicits dozens, if not hundreds of memories and anecdotes in the Phish universe. The band has been playing the venue for a shade over 31 years, yet there’s plenty to preview and review. Luckily, today’s guest–Ben Karle–has seen Deer Creek change from an amphitheater in the middle of a series of cornfields to the centerpiece of a suburb, complete with its own downtown, since the venue opened in 1989.  There’s plenty to debate whether the growth of Deer Creek, or the town that’s grown up around Noblesville over the past 37 years is for better or worse, but for today’s episode, Ben and I simply review the venue’s history, remember stories from Phish’s illustrious past shows at the Creek–from Moby Dick to Soul Planet–and he offers his opinions on the best and not-so-best parts of seeing a show at the classic venue.  So whether or not you’re staying at Sleepy Bear Campground or a downtown AirBnB, let’s join Ben to get ready for a 3-spot on July 10, 11, and 12 at Deer Creek in Noblesville, Indiana. Support the show

    53 min

  6. May 13

    Venue Preview: The Kohl Center, Madison, WI w/Mike from Madison

    Send us Fan Mail Hi everybody and welcome to Attendance Bias. I am your host Brian Weinstein. I’m thrilled to welcome you to today’s episode–the first of our 2026 venue preview series, as we preview each venue on Phish’s 2026 summer tour. In today’s episode, Mike from Madison reintroduces us to a venue that Phish has visited before, but not since 1998: The Kohl Center in Madison, Wisconsin where Phish will start their 2026 summer tour with two shows on July 7th and 8th.  Mike has lived in Madison for 20 years, and knows the ins and outs of the small Wisconsin city, offering tips on how to get around, places to eat, drink, and hang out for anybody who is going to the shows from out of town. Whether its the best tavern for a brat or thin crust pizza, or losing your mind touring a Frank Lloyd Wright designed fun house, this episode is to help you discover the joys of Mad City. More than that, we review Phish’s history in Madison. Although the band hasn’t played the Kohl Center, or in Madison in nearly 30 years, the city of lakes was a crucial building block during the band’s van years of the very early 1990s. Madison was a regular stop, usually in the fall, and you could trace Phish’s rise by looking at the different sized venues they played in Madison throughout the 90s. But there’s so much more to it. Join Mike and I as we kick off the Attendance Bias Venue Previews with the Kohl Center in Madison, Wisconsin on July 7 and 8, 2026. Support the show

    1h 4m

  7. May 6

    Attendance Bias 2026 Summer Tour Venue Preview

    Send us Fan Mail Hi everybody and welcome to Attendance Bias. I am your host, Brian Weinstein. Before we get started with today’s episode, I just want to remind everyone that if you enjoy the podcast, you can show your support by leaving a rating and review of it wherever you get your podcasts. You can also visit www.buymeacoffee.com/attendancebias and donate anything you can to keep the podcast going. Now, onto today’s episode. Today is a preview of a preview. Leading up to Phish’s summer tour last year, 2025, I thought it would be fun to do a deep dive into two new venues Phish was playing: Forest Hills Stadium in New York City, and Folsom Field in Boulder. I keep an eye on the online Phish community on Twitter, Bluesky, Facebook, Reddit, etc. and it seemed like fans had the most questions about those venues. I was lucky to find people who were willing to come on the show and pretty much answer a Q&A about each venue. It was kind of the same format as a regular Attendance Bias episode, except the episode was about a venue and not a particular show. Then, a friend recommended that I shouldn’t stop at Forest Hills and Folsom; I should record an episode for every venue on the 2025 tour. I loved doing it, and so that’s what happened. I was very proud of it, and by the end, I felt like I could hop on tour at any moment and know everything I needed to know about any given venue. Once Phish announced their 2026 summer tour this past February, I felt that impulse to record another “Venue Preview” miniseries–you know when you feel that feeling that says: “This is going to be difficult, it’s going to take a lot of work, but I really, really, really want to do it?” Once I saw their tour, that’s the feeling I felt. I immediately went to work, contacting friends, working through a few false starts, and doing a ton of research of places I’ve never visited–sure, I could tell you the basics of seeing a show at Merriweather Post Pavilion, but the Enmarket Arena in Savannah, Georgia may as well be in Taiwan. Plus, I had to think of ways to preview the most familiar Phish venues: how exactly does one give a heads up about seeing Phish at Madison Square Garden or Deer Creek? I had my work cut out for me. Regardless, the next 10 weeks of Attendance Bias episodes will sound like that: The 2026 Summer Tour Venue Preview Series. Now that the 3 weekends at the Sphere are done, here are Phish’s next stops, along with the guests who will help tell us about each venue and city: *July 7 and 8 at the Kohl Center in Madison, Wisconsin with Mike Lancaster *July 10, 11, and 12, at Deer Creek with Ben Karle *July 14 and 15 at the Enmarket Arena in Savannah, GA with my friends Earth and Jessie *July 17 at Walnut Creek in Raleigh, NC, with Bryan Rodgers *July 18 and 19 at Merriweather Post Pavilion in Columbia, Maryland with Skinny and JW from the Stub Me Down podcast *July 21 at the Lakeview Amphitheater in Syracuse, NY with Beth Ann Kempf *July 22-29 at Madison Square Garden with Megan Glionna *July 31 and August 1 at Fenway Park with Dave Hamilton *Finally, September 4-6 at Dick’s with Stacie Ledden Whether or not you’re seeing a show at any given venue on the tour, I would recommend listening to each episode. It gives you a flavor of what it’s like to see Phish at that venue and what it’s like to be in that city. I loved it. I do what to take a moment to thank every guest I just named for being generous with their time and their knowledge. Want to know what to do if you arrive in Madison a day early or end up staying a day late? Are you a barbecue fiend and want to know the best place to stop in Raleigh? Need to know how tight security is in Savannah? These guests have you covered.  To wrap it all up, just a few notes: This coming Monday, May 11, Phish.net will post a blog entry I Support the show

    19 min

  8. Apr 29

    7/3/95 @ Sugarbush Mountain w/ Shoheen Owhady

    Send us Fan Mail Hi everybody and welcome to Attendance Bias. I am your host, Brian Weinstein. Before we get started with today’s episode, I just want to remind everyone that if you enjoy the podcast, you can show your support by leaving a rating and review of it wherever you get your podcasts. You can also visit www.buymeacoffee.com/attendancebias and donate anything you can to keep the podcast going. Now, onto today’s episode: Today’s guest, Shoheen Owhady, is the keyboard player for Uncle Ebeneezer, a Phish cover band based out of New Jersey, AND the keyboard player for The Dude of Life Band. And it just so happens that today’s show we discussed: July 3, 1995 at Sugarbush Mountain in Vermont, is Page’s show. Between Strange Design, Loving Cup, A Day in the Life, and monster solos in The Squirming Coil, Possum, and David Bowie, this is one that anyone interested in Phish keyboards should pay extra close attention.  Then, just as important as the music, is the context. On Attendance Bias, we talk about different eras and milestones that certain shows represent. There’s a pretty strong argument that this show on the mountain was the end of an era. It was the last show the band would play before the death of Jerry Garcia, and we all know how that would affect the Phish scene started just a few months later in the fall of 1995. It was also the last Phish show to be played in their home state of Vermont until 1997, and the last major show to be played there until the Coventry festival in 2004. As we discuss, the end of an era. But in between that is all the passion for the music. Phish played Sugarbush the previous year in the summer of 1994–a show immortalized as a highly tradeable tape and released as one of the original Live Phish albums. The band decided to double-down for 1995 and play two nights, complete with on-site camping. When you hear Shoheen describe the crowd and hear his story of how he got in, it’s no wonder that the band would produce their own festival, The Clifford Ball, the following year. There’s so much more, though. Let’s join Shoheen to discuss the evolution of Simple, the Sigma Oasis album, and how a moose ends up on stage on July 3, 1995 at Sugarbush Mountain. Support the show

    1h 20m
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About

Attendance Bias is a podcast for fans to tell a story about an especially meaningful Phish show.

Information

  • Creator
    Brian Weinstein
  • Years Active
    2020 - 2026
  • Episodes
    252
  • Rating
    Explicit
  • Copyright
    © 2026 Attendance Bias
  • Show Website
    Attendance Bias

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