Podcast Summary: Holmberg's Morning Sickness – BBTL Break 1 – Winter Olympics & Innings Festival Recap

Date: February 23, 2026
Host: Brady Bogen (standing in for John Holmberg) with Larry McFeely, Brett Vesely, Lisa, and Mike
Main Theme: Monday’s episode focused on recapping the Winter Olympics, discussing the recent Innings Festival at Tempe Beach Park, and sharing personal anecdotes, all with Holmberg absent due to retina surgery.

Episode Overview

This lively episode opens with Brady Bogen running the show in John Holmberg’s absence due to ongoing recovery from retina surgery. The group dives into highlights from the Winter Olympics—especially men’s hockey, curling, and some viral athlete drama—before pivoting to a detailed and often humorous breakdown of the crowd, performances, and inside scoop from the Innings Festival. The conversational tone is easygoing and friendly, reminiscent of old friends catching up about pop culture, sports, and Arizona events.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Holmberg’s Absence & Team Banter

• Brady sets the stage, stepping into the main host role and joking about “Brady’s Morning Cup” replacing “Holmberg's Morning Sickness.”
• [01:33] “We were talking to Holmberg on Friday... Now, if you don't know already, John Holmberg had this retina surgery, and he is face down, although he's upright now. Yeah, well, I don't know if he's upright all the time.” – Brady
• The team jokes about Holmberg’s misery during recovery and shuffles microphones, setting a familiar, chaotic tone.

2. Winter Olympics Review

USA Men’s Hockey Historic Win

• [02:35] Larry recounts missing the USA men’s hockey game but catching wind of its significance:
  • “It wasn't like the 1980 Miracle on Ice, but it's been since then.” – Larry McFeely
  • Lisa points out the timing: “It was 46 years to the day, right?” – Lisa [03:00]

Olympic Curling Confusion & Humor

• The gang riffs on their bafflement with curling rules but admits the sport is weirdly captivating.
• [03:40] “That curling thing, I don't understand it, but I sat there and watched it for two and a half goddamn hours. I'm like, what is this? I don't even know how they win.” – Brett Vesely
• Lisa compares curling to cornhole; Larry and Brady puzzle through strategy and scoring.

Other Notables

• Full-on mockery of curling lingo: “What’s the hammer?” “It's just a cool term. I have no idea…” – Larry [04:23]
• Lisa: “You can have five strategy yellow and one red in the middle, and red wins.” [04:10]

Women’s Curling Representation

• Brett quips about the looks/style of the U.S. women’s curling team:
  • “They were Gilbert moms… I mean, they were curlers.” [04:51]

Medals Tally & Perceptions

• Larry: “We ended up finishing with the most golds that we've had in the Winter Olympics. … 12 gold.” [05:00]
• Lisa: “I kept seeing how many we lost,” and references Michaela Shifrin’s struggles. [05:06]
• Brady admits he only watched the robot dancing at the opening ceremony:
  • “Oh, that was enough for me. I was like, robots. Cool.” [05:27]

Biathlon Anecdote – Athlete Love Drama

• Norwegian biathlete admits on live TV he cheated on his girlfriend, hoping for forgiveness after his bronze medal.
  • [06:04] Lisa: “That was the guy that won bronze. And then he immediately admits he cheated on his girlfriend.”
  • [06:22] Brett: “What a puss.”
  • Outcome: She refuses him on international TV.
    • “She did good. So denied him in front of everybody.” – Brady [06:51]
    • “I'm going for the silver and gold. Screw you, bronze.” – Brett [06:55]

3. Innings Festival at Tempe Beach Park

Attendance & Atmosphere

• Larry attended the festival via a VIP pass.
  • “We drove by it. There's 30,000 people on that infield.” – Larry [07:30]
  • “I've never seen Tempe beach park built up ... more of a bowl.” – Lisa [07:42]

VIP & Platinum Experience

• “VIP, as I understand, were 600 each… per day.” – Larry [08:16]
• VIP had exclusive bars, seating, but food/drinks still cost extra.
  • “16 bucks for, you know, beer, thimble, 20 bucks…” – Larry [08:54]
• Platinum passes closer to the stage, $800–$1,000 per day.

Logistics & Strategy

• Larry used a guest parking spot at a nearby senior living facility:
  • “Her cousin lives in the senior home, Mirabella … So we just guest parked there.” – Larry [09:54]
• Emergency-use of parent handicap pass stories ensue.

Acts and Notable Moments

• Bands seen: Cage the Elephant and Twenty One Pilots.
  • “Is that what Kirby wanted to see?” – Brady [09:28]
• Public Enemy and Blink 182 played Sunday, plus Sublime (now featuring Bradley Nowell’s son):
  • “He's in the family again.” – Lisa [11:13]

Stage Spectacle

• Dramatic performance by 21 Pilots’ drummer:
  • “They had his drum set up on top of this tower probably 40, 50ft up. And he played a couple of songs up there...” – Larry [11:34]
• Jared Leto/30 Seconds to Mars flashback:
  • “Jared Leto didn’t want everybody knowing it was Jared Leto ... I'm trying to keep it on the merit of my music.” – Brady [12:07]
  • “Okay, Mozart, relax.” – Brett [13:26]

Festival Growth & Demographics

• The event grows annually, with massive crowds and ever-expanding VIP and platinum tiers.
• Larry: “It just keeps growing… there must be, I don't know, 2,000 of those people in the VIP side of it…” [13:54]
• Large Native American presence noted among attendees.

Setlist & Artists

• Lineup discussion: Katie Turner, Vertical Horizon, Deer Tick, Silver Sun Pickups, Dashboard Confessional, The Fray, Lord Huron. [15:00]
• Some bands sparked nostalgia, others confusion:
  • “One song, right? Yeah, One song is all I remember from them [Vertical Horizon].” – Brett [15:05]

Crowd & Police

• “About four or five Tempe Police guys … Hey, big fan of the show.” – Larry [15:20]

Upcoming Country Festival

• “Not me, Luke Bryan, Dirks Bentley, Brothers Osborne, Kane Brown, Hardy … Hardy puts on such a good show.” – Brady [15:46]

Festival Setup

• Multiple stages, long changeovers between acts prevent overlap:
  • “You couldn't even hear … That's how far it was separated.” – Larry [16:19]

Festival Criticism

• Brett: “My problem with some of these festivals is… so many bands … you get a half hour set, maybe 40 minutes. You don't get the full pyro. You don't get the full show.” [16:33]
• Larry & Brady note 21 Pilots and Cage the Elephant did come with full effects/pyro.

Memorable Quotes

• [03:40] Brett: “That curling thing, I don't understand it, but I sat there and watched it for two and a half goddamn hours. I'm like, what is this? I don't even know how they win.”
• [06:22] Brett: “What a puss.” (regarding the Norwegian biathlon athlete’s public apology)
• [07:30] Larry: “We drove by it. There's 30,000 people on that infield.”
• [08:16] Larry: “VIP, as I understand, were 600 each… per day.”
• [11:34] Larry: “The drummer for 21 Pilots climbed even higher. And they had his drum set up on top of this tower probably 40, 50ft up. And he played a couple of songs up there…”
• [12:07] Brady: “He didn’t want everybody knowing it was Jared Leto. I'm trying to keep it on the merit of my music.”
• [13:26] Brett: “Okay, Mozart, relax.” (mocking Leto's secrecy)
• [16:33] Brett: “My problem with some of these festivals is… you get a half hour set, maybe. Maybe 40 minutes. You don't get the full pyro. You don't get the full show.”

Timestamps for Key Segments

• 01:33 – Update on John Holmberg’s surgery and absence
• 02:35 – USA Men’s Hockey and Miracle on Ice memories
• 03:40–04:30 – Curling observations and confusion
• 05:00 – USA’s gold medal count in Winter Olympics
• 06:04 – Norwegian biathlete’s public apology drama
• 07:09 – Innings Festival crowd, logistics, and highlights discussion begins
• 08:16–09:13 – Ticket pricing and VIP experience at the festival
• 10:03 – Creative parking hacks for festival access
• 11:34 – Onstage theatrics with 21 Pilots’ drummer
• 15:00 – Festival set lists and notable bands
• 16:33 – Pros and cons of multi-band festival formats

Tone & Style

The conversation is energetic, irreverent, and teasing, with plenty of jokes at each other’s expense and honest reactions to both major sporting events and local music festivals. Even when dissecting Olympic rules, pop culture moments, or festival logistics, the team maintains a playful Arizona flavor.

For Listeners

If you missed the episode, you missed a fast-paced, personality-driven dive into current events, local festival culture, and pop culture absurdity—with all the unscripted banter and left turns expected from Holmberg’s Morning Sickness. Whether you love sports, live shows, or just the camaraderie of Arizona’s #1 morning radio team, this recap covers the highlights.