Osiris Releases Phish ‘After Midnight’ Big Cypress Narrative Podcast: Episode 1

The 20th anniversary of Phish‘s historic Millennium Eve celebration at the Big Cypress Indian Preserve in Florida’s Everglades is celebrated in the Osiris original narrative podcast After Midnight. Hosted by journalist Jesse Jarnow, the first of five After Midnight episodes has arrived.

Phish drew 85,000 fans to Big Cypress which made the event the largest Millennium Eve celebration on earth. The band famously brought the multi-day festival to a close with a seven-hour set that began at midnight on January 1, 2000 and ended when the sun came up. Phish guitarist Trey Anastasio and drummer Jon Fishman, as well as former manager John Paluska, former tour manager Brad Sands and JamBase co-founder Andy Gadiel, are just a few of those who gave interviews featured as part of After Midnight’s first episode.

The debut episode starts with a profile of the band’s early days, the history of rock festivals and Phish’s model for their own festivals. Paluksa discusses the quartet’s aversion to corporate sponsorship and the adjustments venues and promoters made in order to host Phish. Anastasio then recalls the group’s preliminary talks of how they would celebrate the Millennium. Jarnow goes on to dive into the “big gig,” an idea the band had in their bag of tricks for years before finally pulling it off at Big Cypress. The second half of the episode focuses on the many deadends Paluksa hit in planning the event ahead of signing a deal with the Seminole Tribe to host the Millennium Eve celebration at Big Cypress.

“We’re thrilled to pay tribute to one of the most unique concerts in the history of rock music,” said RJ Bee, CEO of Osiris Media in a statement. “Jesse’s storytelling and knowledge provides the perfect foundation for bringing a diverse set of voices together to reflect on this monumental festival. We admire Phish for their legendary ability to ignore what everyone else in music is doing, and to blaze their own trail. After Midnight encapsulates that state of mind perfectly.”

Listen to the first episode of After Midnight below:

https://after-midnight-phishs-big-cypress-festival.simplecast.com/episodes/episode-1-the-plan