Osiris Releases Phish ‘After Midnight’ Big Cypress Podcast Finale

The final episode of Osiris‘ After Midnight podcast offers a deep dive into the aftermath of Phish‘s all-night set at the Big Cypress in Florida’s Everglades on December 31, 1999/January 1, 2000. Hosted by Jesse Jarnow, the fifth and final After Midnight installment includes interviews with Phish guitarist Trey Anastasio and drummer Jon Fishman as well as former manager John Paluska, former tour manager Brad Sands and others who either attended or helped organize the biggest Millennium Eve gathering in the world.

Phish and Paluksa flew out from Big Cypress on a private plane within 30 minutes of ending their seven-plus hour performance. Fishman discusses the moments after the set, while Anastasio recalls the contrast of rocking out in front of 75,000+ music fans to hanging out with his family at home within a three-hour period. Most attendees weren’t so lucky and had to deal with traffic getting out of the site. After Midnight‘s finale includes memories of leaving Big Cypress from some fans and how staffers dealt with the cleanup.

The episode also looks at the legacy of Big Cypress and compares the mostly peaceful event to the turbulent Woodstock ’99. Additionally, the members of the band, Paluska, Sands and others offer perspectives on the difficulty of Phish following up such a monumental event and how the event was a turning point. “Big Cypress feels like a part of the early history of the band … my youth,” Fishman said. “That was really a line in the sand, that was the top of the hill of that section of Phish’s life too.” Anastasio discusses the problems that led to the band taking a hiatus just over nine months after Big Cypress and breaking up for a five-year period that started in 2004. “Big Cypress was Phish’s career compressed into a single, very long night,” notes Jarnow towards the end of the episode as he explains the festival’s place in Phish history.

Listen to the fifth and final episode of After Midnight below:

https://after-midnight-phishs-big-cypress-festival.simplecast.com/episodes/episode-5-aftermath