12/1/95 @ Hershey Park Arena w/ Jeff Carroll

Hi everybody and welcome to today’s episode of Attendance Bias. I am your host, Brian Weinstein. 

There are certain months and seasons in Phish history that represent more than just a page on a calender: August ‘93, Fall ‘97, June ‘94…but there is one that overrides them all: December ‘95. A month that not only has some of the best music of Phish’s 40 year career, but a month that represents their ascent from large theaters and college campuses to city-center arenas across the nation. Today’s guest, Jeff Carroll, brings us to the very beginning of that month as we discuss Phish’s show from December 1, 1995 at Hershey Park Arena.

One month before the band would conquer Madison Square Garden, they laid waste to central Pennsylvania by demonstrating everything they had mastered up to that point, and every reason a fan would want to see them: musical mastery, a dash of Gamehendge, and Fishman running around the stage in a light-up cape after singing some late-stage Elvis. But according to Jeff, there was much more to this show than even all that.

So let’s join Jeff to chat about when Stash goes dark, Shakespeare, amusement park Phish as we break down December 1, 1995 at the Hershey Park Arena, in Hershey PA.