11/2/96 @ Coral Sky Amphitheater w/ Josh Buswell-Charkow

Hi everybody and welcome to today’s episode of Attendance Bias. I am your host, Brian Weinstein. There are a lot of Phish shows that are seen as turning points in both the band’s career and the evolution of their sound over 40 years. The Paradise in 1988, Gamehendge in Great Woods, New Year’s ‘95, Halloween 1996, and dozens more. Those are the high profile ones. Because there are also shows that can fit the description of “turning points” but don’t get the same sort of attention as the ones I just mentioned. Today’s guest, Josh Buswell-Charkow was in attendance for such a show: November 2, 1996 at the Coral Sky Amphitheater in West Palm Beach, Florida.

This show isn’t exactly an unknown–Phish did release a DVD of it after all–but it does get lost in the hubbub of the band’s Talking Heads Halloween costume and then the insane Las Vegas show that closed the tour in December.  The popular narrative often goes that Phish covered Remain in Light on Halloween, played small venues in Europe in the winter of 1997, and changed their sound to the cow funk we all know and love by the middle of the summer.

However, there were little steps in between those touch points and today’s show is one of them. Guest starring percussionist Karl Parazzo for the entire show, the listener can hear the band changing their overall sound almost on the spot, infusing the Talking Heads-style repetitive rhythm while purposely making space for the guest star. 

But there’s even more to it than that. Let’s join Josh to talk about the best time to be in Florida, the best Phish guest stars, and more as we discuss November 2, 1996 at the Coral Sky Amphitheater.