"JEMP Truck" set from 12/31/13 w/ Scott Mikita

Attendance Bias

Hi everybody and welcome to this week’s episode of Attendance Bias. I am your host, Brian Weinstein. Today I am speaking with returning guest Scott Mikita who previously appeared to talk about the “Cavern” that closed the Island Tour on April 5, 1998.

But for today’s episode, Scott moved from talking about a single song to a full set. And that set is one of the most legendary of Phish’s career: Set 2 of December 31, 2013, otherwise known as the JEMP Truck set.

Forgive the hyperbole, but Phish fans can be quite a devise fanbase. What one fan considers to be the greatest performance every seen, the next fan over may consider the same show to be the band’s lowest point ever. It is exceedingly rare for the fanbase to agree that a song, a set, or an entire show is special but this set hits that mark. Taking us back in time to an era that is long gone, Phish simultaneously celebrated their past, their present, and their future at the end of their 30th year through their stage setup, their setlist choices, and straight narration to the audience.

But I don’t want to spoil it. Let’s join Scott Mikita to talk about the secret security entrance to Madison Square Garden, bringing a pen light to read during a show, and rumors that never happened as we dig into the JEMP Truck set from December 31, 2013 at Madison Square Garden.
Audio used in today's episode