Hi everybody and welcome to Attendance Bias. I am your host Brian Weinstein. Get ready for some venue whiplash; after three nights at the largest indoor venue on the tour in Chicago, Phish leaves the second city to arrive in New York. More specifically, July 22 and 23 at Forest Hills Stadium in Forest Hills, Queens; home to The Ramones, Simon and Garfunkel, and Peter Parker.
If you’ve listened to Attendance Bias for any amount of time, you’ve probably heard me mention that I live in Forest Hills, so today’s episode is a homecoming; I don’t think I’ve ever lived closer to any music venue. Before these shows, I’ve never been able to walk to a Phish concert from my front door. And who would be the best guest in the world to give a preview of this venue and this neighborhood? None other than my wife, Michela Ratto. Michela has been on Attendance Bias once before, and while I mostly give background information and context about this venue that is new to the Phish world, she gives plenty of tips and tricks to help any listeners coming to these two shows, filling everyone in on what to expect.
We cover a lot in today’s episode; the history of the Forest Hills Tennis Stadium, what the neighborhood is like, the best ways to get there, and of course we give our takes on the controversial headlines about the stadium that crop up ahead of every summer concert season. Ironically, this is the longest episode of this venue preview series, but there are no music clips, since Phish has not only never played the stadium before but they’ve never played the entire borough of Queens!
So join Michela and I to get the inside scoop on the Forest Hills Stadium, our theories as to why Phish chose to play the smallest New York City venue they’ve played in years, and where to get the best food once you get inside on July 22 and 23rd.
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