Back on the Chain

FundamentalsX: @Fundamentals21mnostr: npub12eml5kmtrjmdt0h8shgg32gye5yqsf2jha6a70jrqt82q9d960sspky99gREAD THE BOOK: https://zeuspay.com/btc-for-institutionsJasonnostr: npub19l2muzvelq07kfx8glfqmpf8jdcj2xp733rhjfc05t2g2mt9krjqrae40wREAD THE FCKING BOOK!!^^Intro: My Friend, My Friend - Phish 12/31/25 New York, NY https://relisten.net/phish/2025/12/31/my-friend-my-friend-40730?source=3188523Background and Outro: It's Ice Cream: Harry Hood > 2001 > Tweezer - Phish 12/31/25 New York, NY https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=In3FMYG4eZ8Happy New Year and welcome Back on the Chain. In this episode, we catch up on missed plans, family vacations, and why neither of us made it to the Phish New Year’s run—despite multiple golden-ticket invites. Then we dive deep into 12/31: first-set musical standouts (a blistering My Friend, My Friend), the surprising Cream tease and whether it was a spontaneous pop-culture nod or part of a longer runway, and a full walkthrough of the  It’s Ice/Cream/Harry Hood/Freezer/2001/Tweezer production. We explore competing theories behind the NYE concept—from benign Ben & Jerry’s “It’s Ice Cream” lore to heavier interpretations—and how the setlist could (or couldn’t) support them, before zooming out to what really matters: the band delivered a rare, third-set, 30-minute Tweezer and top-tier playing throughout. We close with the Spock’s Brain encore, uncanny Rock Paper Bitcoin synchronicity, and some reflections on audience capture, network effects, and keeping the focus on the music as 2026 kicks off.  Resources and mentions: 12/31 set highlights (My Friend, My Friend; Lifesaving Gun; It’s Ice → Cream → Harry Hood; 30-min Tweezer; Spock’s Brain), Ben & Jerry’s limited “It’s Ice Cream” flavor (2018, WaterWheel 21st anniversary), Hood Milk references, Bader Field/The Met anecdotes, Stranger Things finale timing and Prince needle-drops (When Doves Cry, Purple Rain), and the ongoing art-versus-interpretation debate within the Phish community.

FundamentalsX: @Fundamentals21mnostr: npub12eml5kmtrjmdt0h8shgg32gye5yqsf2jha6a70jrqt82q9d960sspky99gREAD THE BOOK: https://zeuspay.com/btc-for-institutionsJasonnostr: npub19l2muzvelq07kfx8glfqmpf8jdcj2xp733rhjfc05t2g2mt9krjqrae40wREAD THE FCKING BOOK!!^^Intro: Back on the Train - Phish 09/13/25 Birmingham, ALAlternate HD Video 04-18-24 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7cySKvPB62kBacking Track: Phish Set 1 (most) 12-07-95 Niagara Falls, NY https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=48ayMjaJBvM Outro: Punch You in the Eye - Phish 12-08-94 San Diego, CA  Punch You in the Eye | 1994-12-08 | Phish | Relisten Other Mentions:Phish 12-07-97 Dayton, OH https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLVvTb-YlijNyQYl3tUOVyfgdOjVRFTOGEIn this week’s Back on the Chain, we spin 12/07/1995 Niagara Falls while diving deep into why late ‘95 remains peak “innocence and innovation” Phish. From bluegrass bookends (My Old Home Place > Uncle Pen) and a cappella closers to a bonkers Split Open and Melt opener and the rare, exploratory “digital delay” Weekapaug, we unpack the setlist craft—highlighting the sly Demand > Set II Melt callback to Hoist’s car-crash epilogue. We contrast Fall ’95’s audience-connected era (secret language, Big Ball Jam, on-tour chess) with the steamrolling “Phish Destroys America” dominance of Fall ’97, preview a future 12/07/95 vs 12/07/97 Dayton debate, and revel in Reba’s jet-fueled tempos. We also revisit Hoist as a signal-rich trove: Demand (human agency, “demand,” evolution) and Julius (Caesar cipher nods, time dilation, Orange Julius Gen X lore) join the canon. Then, worlds collide: the growing alignment between Phish’s Sphere runs and the Bitcoin conference in Las Vegas, plus a look back at Tom Marshall’s “phish loving bitcoiner” acknowledgment that helped spark this very show. We tease ideas for Vegas side events and celebrate how these scenes continue to intersect—on-chain and on tour.Setlist highlights we discuss from 12/07/1995 (Niagara Falls Convention Center): My Old Home Place opener, Demand in Set I, Split Open and Melt opening Set II, a type II Weekapaug “digital delay jam,” a cappella endings (Hello My Baby, Amazing Grace), and an Uncle Pen encore.

FundamentalsX: @Fundamentals21mnostr: npub12eml5kmtrjmdt0h8shgg32gye5yqsf2jha6a70jrqt82q9d960sspky99gREAD THE BOOK: https://zeuspay.com/btc-for-institutionsJasonnostr: npub19l2muzvelq07kfx8glfqmpf8jdcj2xp733rhjfc05t2g2mt9krjqrae40wREAD THE FCKING BOOK!!^^ Intro: Back on the Train - Phish 09/13/25 Birmingham, ALAlternate HD Video 04-18-24 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7cySKvPB62kOutro: Roses are Free (Ween cover) - Phish 04/03/98 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SkHjnoex2gUBacking Track: String Cheese Incident 07-23-10 Red Rocks, CO https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL3FF7BFB0275FCD64Other Mentions:Christmas - Blues Traveler, A Very Special Christmas 3 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bBGiQBLLuiEIn this episode, we welcome Dan from High Hash Rate for his first podcast appearance in a year, and we waste no time diving into why the show mattered, why it paused, and how the culture has shifted under the weight of AI slop and performative internet discourse. We trace High Hash Rate’s origins as a stoned, idea-first antidote to price talk, the joy of making a cohost crack up, and the awkward frictions of creative goals versus commercial incentives. From Prague to Red Rocks to backstage at Blues Traveler, we wander the jam-band map—String Cheese, Panic, Umphrey’s, Ween—and connect it to Bitcoin’s meatspace ethos, the Sphere’s uncanny VR immersion during the halving, and why real experiences still surprise you. We talk TV-raised generations, trolling in the dial-up era, Zappa-to-Ween lineage, and how a culture of ubiquitous access turned everything into slop—unless you show up, contribute, and risk being vulnerable in person.On the Bitcoin front, we get practical and philosophical: UTXO scarcity, why ETF rails are effectively a layer two for casual users, proof-of-reserves tradeoffs, and how Bronta’s payment verification mirror helps prevent address-swaps and man-in-the-middle attacks. We unpack the current governance kerfuffles through Gamehendge, argue for better in-person debates, and admit that “it’s not fair” is a seductive but empty frame. Maybe the fourth turning’s throughline is simple: find the signal, build resilient culture, and keep showing up—at shows, at meetups, and in the conversations that matter. Also, a pro tip for festivals and life: don’t buy drugs from the only guy on the beach wearing tennis shoes.

FundamentalsX: @Fundamentals21mnostr: npub12eml5kmtrjmdt0h8shgg32gye5yqsf2jha6a70jrqt82q9d960sspky99gREAD THE BOOK: https://zeuspay.com/btc-for-institutionsJasonnostr: npub19l2muzvelq07kfx8glfqmpf8jdcj2xp733rhjfc05t2g2mt9krjqrae40wREAD THE FCKING BOOK!!^^Intro:  Turtle in the Clouds - Phish, 10/31/18  Las Vegas, NV https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-jNGnAcNj5IOutro:  While My Guitar Gently Weeps - Phish, 10/31/94  Glen Falls, NY https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3alrPKnKZ14In this special Halloween episode (recorded Oct 31), we dive deep into why 10/31 is sacred to both Phish and Bitcoin culture—and how those worlds have overlapped in surprising ways. I share first‑person memories from the early Internet days on rec.music.phish, the electricity of Fall ’94, and waking up on 11/1/94 to discover Phish had played the Beatles’ White Album in full at Glens Falls. From there, we trace the evolution of the “musical costume” tradition—its peaks, lulls, and reinventions—through Quadrophenia, Remain in Light, Loaded (and my infamous Vegas misadventure), the long hiatus, Exile on Main St., the polarizing Wingsuit set, the triumphant Chilling, Thrilling Sounds of the Haunted House, the transcendent Ziggy Stardust, the masterminded Kasvot Växt troll, and the futuristic Sci‑Fi Soldier—with the samples, memes, and new staples each era left behind.Along the way, we compare the cultural arcs of Phish Halloween and Bitcoin milestones (White Album vs. White Paper), unpack how online communities shape peak moments, and talk candidly about personal inflection points—how a first Phish trip flipped a switch in life and career, and how 2008’s market chaos felt from inside the machine. We close by wondering whether Halloween may be retired… or merely waiting for Phish to find Bitcoin before the next great costume emerges.

FundamentalsX: @Fundamentals21mnostr: npub12eml5kmtrjmdt0h8shgg32gye5yqsf2jha6a70jrqt82q9d960sspky99gREAD THE BOOK: https://zeuspay.com/btc-for-institutionsJasonnostr: npub19l2muzvelq07kfx8glfqmpf8jdcj2xp733rhjfc05t2g2mt9krjqrae40wREAD THE FCKING BOOK!!^^Intro:  Buried Alive - Phish 11/22/94 Columbia, MO https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RyheX9gJQLYOutro:  September - Earth, Wind & Fire https://open.spotify.com/track/2grjqo0Frpf2okIBiifQKsOther Mentions:Fundamentals' "Phish and Bitcoin" Essay https://fundamentals.ghost.io/phish-and-bitcoin-a-continuum-of-genius-network-effects-and-unintentional-foreshadowing/Most Shows Spell Something https://liveforlivemusic.com/features/phish-dicks-spell/In this emergency episode, we unpack Phish’s instantly legendary “21 Show” at Hampton—the tour closer that wove the number 21 through nearly every musical and meta choice. From the 21-song setlist and precisely timed 21-minute segments (Mike’s Groove, What’s Going Through Your Mind, and Sense and Subtle Sounds) to first-set winks like First Tube > Twenty Years Later, 2001, Most Events Aren’t Planned, and encore symmetry clocking 21 minutes—this night was deliberate signal, not coincidence. We connect the numerology and cultural resonance to long-running Phish lore (Gamehendge, Golgi, ACDC Bag’s “Mr. Palmer,” sharing in the groove) and to wider cultural currents, including a rising season in Bitcoin culture, unified consciousness, and the idea of artists as vessels channeling something bigger. We also touch on the Hampton parking lot incident contextually, then return to the band’s reply-in-art: closing with Earth, Wind & Fire’s “September” on 9/21—the perfect exhale to a meticulously crafted rite at the Mothership. Resources referenced or related: Golgi apparatus essay (Phish x Bitcoin), prior discussions on Rock Paper Bitcoin and High Hash Rate, numerology threads from the community, and background on Phish era markers (1.0–4.0).In this emergency episode, we unpack Phish’s instantly legendary “21 Show” at Hampton Coliseum and the uncanny web of 21s woven throughout the night—from 21 total songs and multiple 21-minute jams to setlist choices, numerology, and the encore’s miner tip of the cap. We connect these breadcrumbs to broader cultural currents in Bitcoin, including Rod Palmer’s viral monologue, themes of sharing, unified consciousness, and why Phish so often acts as a vessel for signals they may not consciously intend. Along the way, we revisit key tracks (AC/DC Bag, Golgi Apparatus, Mike’s Groove, What’s Going Through Your Mind, Sense and Subtle Sounds, Ghost, Chalk Dust Torture, Harry Hood), the preshow/exit music Easter egg of Earth, Wind & Fire’s “September,” and the Hampton context—including the shakedown incident and how the band historically “responds” with art.  If you’ve ever wondered how Phish and Bitcoin keep intersecting in symbolism and timing, this tour closer at “the Mothership” is the latest—and perhaps clearest—signal. We make the case for why 21 matters, why it landed on 9/21, and why sometimes “most events aren’t planned”… until they are.