Venue Preview: Fenway Park, Boston, MA w/Dave Hamilton

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:

We’ve made it–the tour closer. Phish is closing the 2026 summer tour with a pair of shows at a venue with a complicated Phish history: Fenway Park in Boston. It’s no stretch to say that Boston is a pivotal city when it comes to Phish history. It’s a straight line from Burlington to Boston to New York, with occasional stops in Colorado when it comes to “Crucial Places on the Phish Map.” Yet, since the mid-90s, Phish has become a bit shy when it comes to playing Beantown. And when they do play in Boston, it’s at the oldest active stadium in Major League Baseball: Fenway Park; a venue loved by baseball fans and loathed by live music fans.  

To help us bridge that gap is today’s guest, Dave Hamilton. Dave has more than his share of experience behind the mic and behind the drum kit. He plays in at least two bands: Casual Gravity and Bitter Pill. He also hosts, or co-hosts the podcasts Gig Gab about music and musicians, Mac Geek Gab about Apple products, and Business Brain for entrepreneurs. So you can tell he’s got experience at speaking about his passions, not to mention a touch of Casey Kasem in his vocal tone. In other words, he knows what he’s talking about and it’s fun to listen to him tell us what he knows,

For today’s purposes, Dave tells us about what makes Fenway great, what makes it not-so-great, and what Phish’s ascent throughout New England in the 90s and early 2000s so meaningful. In addition, we make sure to touch on key moments and gigs from Phish’s extensive history in Boston, and what to expect for these upcoming Fenway shows, based on their previous performances at the stadium.  

So let’s join Dave as we close out the Summer Tour Preview at Fenway park on July 31 and August 1, 2026.