Fans of Phish and American Dad! were in for a surprise on Monday as the latest episode of the Seth MacFarlane-created adult animation series took place within the confines of Phish lot. The episode, entitled “Shakedown Steve”, saw Steve Smith and his pothead brother-in-law Jeff Fischer navigate the highs and lows of Shakedown Street.
While this wasn’t the first adult cartoon to pay homage to the Vermont jam juggernauts, the new episode mainly focused on the environment outside a Phish concert, rather than inside. It hosted no special guest appearances from the band and played none of its music. Instead, “Shakedown Steve” highlighted the tie-dyed ecosystem of Phish lot, featuring encounters with the nitrous mafia, wooks, custies, and, of course, NBA legend Bill Walton.
Though Steve Smith is certainly no Phan, he ends up on the road with Jeff in an attempt to bond with him as an older brother. Eventually, this leads to Jeff bringing Steve to the parking lot of a Phish show to hang out for a few hours. In a shocking turn of events, it’s revealed that the stoned slacker actually has a talent for making grilled cheese sandwiches between two irons as well as a business acumen for selling them in the parking lot.
Steve quickly becomes enamored with the lot life and insists they follow the band on tour. The two are seen driving across the country from Hampton, VA—with a detailed drawing of Hampton Coliseum appearing in the background—through stops on the map in Cuyahoga Falls, Alpine Valley, and more. Along the way, Jeff gives Steve key definitions of wooks, custies, miracles, and more, as well as cautions him to stay far away from the nitrous mafia. Unfortunately, in an effort to make enough money to attend the upcoming Phish festival, Steve makes a deal with the mafiosos that goes south.
Related: Director Offers Snapshot Of Fall Tour Phish Lot In ‘Talk’ Documentary [Interview/Video]
For many plugged into the Phish internet community, “Shakedown Street” was expected. American Dad! writer Tim Saccardo gave everyone a heads up about the post on Reddit on Friday ahead of the episode’s Monday premiere. This is far from the first Phish reference Saccardo has snuck into the show throughout its 16 years on the air, but this is by far the most Phish-centric episode. As a devoted fan, Saccardo also filled the episode with many subtle references, including mentions of “Col. Forbin”, an appearance by Fishman’s donuts, and even a tech worker named Ernie who bears more than a passing resemblance to Trey Anastasio.
Check out a clip from the episode below and head over to the TBS website to watch the new Phish-themed episode of American Dad!, “Shakedown Steve”.
Grilled Cheese Bros can’t let down their fans.
Watch an all-new episode of #AmericanDad TONIGHT at 10/9c on @TBSNetwork. pic.twitter.com/3tCCedMEtf
— American Dad (@AmericanDadTBS) May 10, 2021
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