Phish
Phish performing at Alpine Valley in East Troy, Wisconsin in July of 2003. The Alpine Valley Music Theatre is a 40000 capacity Amphitheatre in East Troy Wisconsin. Left to right: Page McConnell, Trey Anastasio, Jon Fishman, Mike Gordon. Page Samuel McConnell (born May 17, 1963 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania) is a pianist/organist/keyboardist most noted for his work with the Trey Anastasio (born Ernest Joseph Anastasio III on Jon Fishman (born February 19, 1965) is an American Drummer best known for his work with the Jam band Phish. Mike Gordon (born June 3, 1965 in Sudbury, Massachusetts) is a bass player and vocalist most noted for his work with the rock band
Background information
Origin	Burlington, Vermont, USA
Genre(s)	Jam, rock, jazz, jazz fusion, progressive rock
Years active	1983 — 2000 2002 — 2004
Label(s)	Elektra JEMP
Website	http://www.phish.com/
Former members
Trey Anastasio (1983–2004) Mike Gordon (1983–2004) Jon Fishman (1983–2004) Page McConnell (1985–2004) Jeff Holdsworth (1983–1986) Marc Daubert (1984–1985)

Phish was an American rock band noted for their extended jam sessions and musical improvisation. Burlington is the largest city in the US state of Vermont and is the shire town ( County seat) of Vermont ( is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. The United States of America —commonly referred to as the A music genre is a categorical and typological construct that identifies musical sounds as belonging to a particular category and type of music that can be distinguished from other Jam bands (or jambands) are musical groups whose albums and live performances relate to a fan culture which originated with the 1960s group Grateful Dead and continued Rock music is a genre of Popular music often though not necessarily employing Electric guitar, Bass guitar, and Drums. Jazz is an American Musical art form which originated in the beginning of the 20th century in African American communities in the Southern United States Fusion or more specifically jazz fusion or jazz rock, is a Musical genre that merges Jazz with elements of other styles of music particularly Progressive rock (often shortened to " progressive " " prog " or " prog rock " is a form of Rock music that evolved Major releases Michael Jackson's Thriller, the highest-selling album of all time as well as the best-selling album of 1983 and 1984 was released See also 2000 in music (UK Musical groups established in 2000 Record labels This is a list of notable events in music that took place in the year 2002 See also 2004 in music (UK Musical groups established in 2004 Record labels In the Music industry, a record label can be a Brand and a Trademark associated with the Marketing of music recordings and Music Elektra Records is a now-dormant American Record label owned by Warner Music Group (WMG and from 2004 on operating under WMG's Atlantic Records JEMP Records is a Record label that was created at the beginning of 2005 by the Phish Organization in Burlington Vermont, specializing in archival releases from the Trey Anastasio (born Ernest Joseph Anastasio III on Mike Gordon (born June 3, 1965 in Sudbury, Massachusetts) is a bass player and vocalist most noted for his work with the rock band Jon Fishman (born February 19, 1965) is an American Drummer best known for his work with the Jam band Phish. Page Samuel McConnell (born May 17, 1963 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania) is a pianist/organist/keyboardist most noted for his work with the Jeff Holdsworth was a founding member of the rock band Phish. Marc Daubert was the Percussionist for the rock band Phish for a brief time in their early history joining the band in September 1984 and leaving the band in The United States of America —commonly referred to as the Rock music is a genre of Popular music often though not necessarily employing Electric guitar, Bass guitar, and Drums. A jam session is a Musical act where Musicians gather and play (or "jam") without extensive preparation or predefined Arrangements Musical Improvisation is the creative activity of immediate Musical composition, which combines performance with communication of emotions and instrumental Formed at the University of Vermont in 1983, the band's four members performed together for over 20 years until their breakup in August 2004. The University of Vermont is a national public research university and the state of Vermont's land-grant university Their music blends elements of a wide variety of genres^[1], including rock, jazz, bluegrass, and funk. Each of their concerts was original in terms of the songs performed, the order in which they appeared, and the way in which they were performed.

Although the group received little radio play or MTV exposure, Phish developed a large and dedicated following by word of mouth, via Phish.net (originally a mailing list, then a Usenet newsgroup, now a website), and the exchange of live recordings. MTV ( Music Television) is an American Cable television network based in New York City. Word of mouth, is a reference to the passing of Information by verbal means especially recommendations but also general information in an informal person-to-person Usenet, a Portmanteau of "user" and "network" is a world-wide distributed Internet discussion system Rolling Stone hailed them as "the most important band of the 90s" and stated that the band helped to ". Rolling Stone is a United States -based Magazine devoted to Music, Politics, and Popular culture that is published . . spaw[n] a new wave of bands oriented around group improvisation and superextended grooves. Groove is the sense of propulsive Rhythmic "feel" or sense of " Swing " created by the interaction of the music played by a band's Rhythm section " ^[2]

History

1983-1992

Phish was formed at The University of Vermont in 1983 by guitarists Trey Anastasio and Jeff Holdsworth, bassist Mike Gordon and drummer Jon Fishman. The University of Vermont is a national public research university and the state of Vermont's land-grant university Trey Anastasio (born Ernest Joseph Anastasio III on Jeff Holdsworth was a founding member of the rock band Phish. Mike Gordon (born June 3, 1965 in Sudbury, Massachusetts) is a bass player and vocalist most noted for his work with the rock band Jon Fishman (born February 19, 1965) is an American Drummer best known for his work with the Jam band Phish. For their first gig, at a Halloween dance in the basement of the ROTC dormitory, the band was billed as Blackwood Convention, a reference to a bidding convention in contract bridge. Halloween, or Hallowe’en, is a Holiday celebrated on the night of October 31. ROTC links here For other uses see ROTC (disambiguation A Reserve Officers' Training Corps ( ROTC) ROTC produces officers in all branches The Blackwood convention is a popular bidding convention in Contract bridge that was developed by Easley Blackwood Sr Contract bridge, usually known simply as bridge, is a trick-taking Card game of skill and chance (the relative proportions depending Their second gig — and their first billed as Phish — was November 3 in the basement of Slade Hall at UVM,^[3] though another source gives the date as December 2. Events 644 - Umar ibn al-Khattab, the second Muslim Caliph, is killed by a Persian slave in Medina. Events 1409 - The University of Leipzig opens 1755 - The second Eddystone Lighthouse is destroyed by fire ^[4] The band was joined by percussionist Marc Daubert in the fall of 1984;^[5] he left the band early in 1985,^[6] and Page McConnell joined on keyboards in September. Marc Daubert was the Percussionist for the rock band Phish for a brief time in their early history joining the band in September 1984 and leaving the band in Page Samuel McConnell (born May 17, 1963 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania) is a pianist/organist/keyboardist most noted for his work with the A keyboard instrument is any musical instrument played using a Musical keyboard. Holdsworth left the group after graduation in 1986, solidifying the band's lineup of "Trey, Page, Mike, and Fish" — the lineup that would remain for the rest of the band's lifespan. ^[6]

Following a prank at UVM with his friend and former bandmate Steve Pollak — also known as "The Dude of Life" — Anastasio decided to leave the college. Steve Pollak, best known by his stage name The Dude of Life, is a Musician and Lyricist, who has co-written numerous Phish songs including "Suzy With the encouragement of McConnell (who received $50 for each transferee), Anastasio and Fishman relocated in mid-1986 to Goddard College, a small school in the hills of Plainfield, Vermont. Goddard College is a private college located in Plainfield, Vermont, that grants bachelor degrees ( BA and BFA) and master degrees ( MA Plainfield is a town in Washington County, Vermont, United States. Vermont ( is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. ^[6] Phish distributed at least six different experimental self-titled cassettes during this era, including The White Tape. Phish (also known as The White Tape) is an album released by Phish as a casette in 1986. ^[7] This first studio recording was circulated in two variations: the first, mixed in a dorm room as late as 1985, received a higher distribution than the second studio remix of the original four tracks, circa 1987. Phish is an American Jam band noted for their Musical improvisation, extended Jam sessions and cult following The older version was officially released as The White Tape in 1998. ^[8]

By 1985, the group had encountered Burlington, Vermont, luthier Paul Languedoc, who would eventually design two guitars for Anastasio and two basses for Gordon. Burlington is the largest city in the US state of Vermont and is the shire town ( County seat) of Vermont ( is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. Paul Languedoc was the soundman for rock group Phish prior to the band's breakup in 2004; as the band's chief sound engineer and house mixer In October 1986, he began working as their sound engineer. Since then, Languedoc built exclusively for the two, and his designs and traditional wood choices have given Phish a unique instrumental identity. ^[9] Recently, however, Languedoc has begun crafting guitars on custom order and, on a very limited basis, to the general public through local music shops.

As his senior project, Anastasio penned The Man Who Stepped into Yesterday, a nine-song concept album that would become their second studio experiment. The Man Who Stepped Into Yesterday was the senior study of Trey Anastasio, guitarist and primary vocalist of the rock band Phish, written while he Recorded between 1987 and 1988, it was submitted in July of that year, accompanied by a written thesis. Elements of the story — known as Gamehendge — grew to include an additional eight songs. Gamehendge is the fictional setting for a number of songs by the rock band Phish. The band performed the suite in concert on five occasions: in 1988, 1991, 1993, and twice in 1994 without replicating the song list. ^[10]

Beginning in the spring of 1988, the band began practicing in earnest, sometimes locking themselves in a room and jamming for hours on end. Dubbed "Okipa Ceremonies" (also spelled Oh Kee Pa), one such jam took place at Anastasio's apartment, and a second was at Paul Languedoc's house in August 1989. ^[11] The band attributes the sessions to Anastasio, who discovered the concept in the films A Man Called Horse and Modern Primitives. For the film see A Man Called Horse ''(1970 film. A Man Called Horse was originally published as a short story in Collier's ^[12] As a result of this dedication, the band issued their first mass-released recording, a double album called Junta, later that year.

On January 26, 1989, Phish played the Paradise Rock Club in Boston, Massachusetts. Events 1340 - King Edward III of England is declared King of France. Year 1989 ( MCMLXXXIX) was a Common year starting on Sunday (link displays 1989 Gregorian calendar) The owners of the club had never heard of Phish and refused to book them, so the band rented the club for the night. The show sold out due to the caravan of fans that had traveled to see the band. ^[13]

By late 1990, Phish's concerts were becoming more and more intricate, often making a consistent effort to involve the audience in the performance. In a special "secret language,"^[14] the audience would react in a certain manner based on a particular musical cue from the band. For instance, if Anastasio "teased" a motif from The Simpsons theme song, the audience would yell, "D'oh!" in imitation of Homer Simpson. (help·info) In 1992, Phish introduced collaboration between audience and band called the "Big Ball Jam" in which each band member would throw a large beach ball into the audience and play a note each time his ball was hit. Teasing is a word with many meanings In human interactions teasing comes in two major forms playful and hurtful. In so doing, the audience was helping to create an original composition.

In an experiment known as "The Rotation Jam", each member would switch instruments with the musician on his left. On occasion, a performance of "You Enjoy Myself" involved Gordon and Anastasio performing synchronized maneuvers on mini-trampolines while playing their instruments. You Enjoy Myself, known in short as YEM by Phisheads is a Phish song written by Trey Anastasio. ^[15]

Phish, along with Bob Dylan, the Grateful Dead and The Beatles, was one of the first bands to have a Usenet newsgroup (rec.music.phish), which launched in 1991. Bob Dylan (born Robert Zimmerman, May 24 1941 in Duluth, Minnesota) is an American singer-songwriter author poet and painter who has been a major The Grateful Dead was an American rock band formed in 1965 in the San Francisco Bay Area. The Beatles were a pop and rock band from Liverpool, England formed in 1960 Usenet, a Portmanteau of "user" and "network" is a world-wide distributed Internet discussion system A newsgroup is a Repository usually within the Usenet system for messages posted from many users in different locations Aware of the band's growing popularity, Elektra Records signed them that year. Elektra Records is a now-dormant American Record label owned by Warner Music Group (WMG and from 2004 on operating under WMG's Atlantic Records The following year A Picture of Nectar was complete: their first major studio release, enjoying far more extensive production than either 1988's Junta or 1990s Lawn Boy. A Picture of Nectar is Phish's fifth Studio Album. It was released on February 12, 1992, and was Phish 's Lawn Boy was Phish 's fourth Album, hitting stores on September 21, 1990. These albums were eventually re-released on Elektra, as well.

The first annual H.O.R.D.E. festival in 1992 provided Phish with their first national tour of major amphitheaters. Horizons Of Rock Developing Everywhere or HORDE festival was a touring summer rock Music festival originated by The lineup, among others, included Phish, Blues Traveler, The Spin Doctors, and Widespread Panic. Blues Traveler is an American rock band formed in Princeton New Jersey in 1987 Spin Doctors are an American Jam band / Alternative rock group formed in New York City, best known for their 1993 hits " Two Princes " Widespread Panic is a rock 'n' roll band from Athens Georgia. That summer, the band toured Europe with the Violent Femmes and later toured Europe and the U. The Violent Femmes, formed in Milwaukee Wisconsin, in 1980 are an American Alternative rock band noted for laying the groundwork for Folk punk. S. with Carlos Santana. For the Costa Rican football player see Carlos Santana (footballer; for the Mexican academic see Carlos Santana Morales.

Poster for Phish's 1995 Halloween extravaganza

1993-1995

Phish began headlining major amphitheaters in the summer of 1993. That year, the group released Rift packaged as a concept album and with heavy promotion from Elektra. Rift is the sixth studio album by rock band Phish. It is the band's second Concept album, whose narrator is dreaming about the rift in his relationship In Popular music, a concept album is an Album which is "unified by a theme which can be instrumental compositional narrative or lyrical" In 1994, the band released Hoist. Hoist is the seventh studio Album by the Jam band Phish. The album was the best selling Phish album at the time of its release To promote the album, the band made their only video for MTV, "Down With Disease", airing in June of that year. MTV ( Music Television) is an American Cable television network based in New York City. Down With Disease is a Phish song that appeared on their album Hoist. On Halloween of that year, the group promised to don a fan-selected "musical costume" by playing an entire album from another band. Halloween, or Hallowe’en, is a Holiday celebrated on the night of October 31. Musical costume is a term for the band Phish 's elaborate Halloween concerts that involved the band performing an entire album by another artist and including it as After an extensive mail-based poll, Phish performed The Beatles' self-titled album — as the second of their three sets at the Glens Falls Civic Center in upstate New York. The Beatles were a pop and rock band from Liverpool, England formed in 1960 Glens Falls Civic Center is a 4806-seat multi-purpose Arena located in downtown Glens Falls New York. Following the death of Grateful Dead frontman Jerry Garcia in the summer of 1995 and the appearance of "Down With Disease" on Beavis and Butthead, the band experienced a surge in the growth of their fan base and an increased awareness in popular culture. The Grateful Dead was an American rock band formed in 1965 in the San Francisco Bay Area. Jerome John "Jerry" Garcia (August 1 1942 &ndash August 9 1995 was a Musician, Songwriter, Artist, and Lead guitarist and Beavis and Butt-head is an American Animated television series created by Mike Judge.

In their tradition of playing a well-known album by another band for Halloween, Phish contracted a full horn section for their performance of The Who's Quadrophenia in 1995. In a Symphony orchestra the horn section is the group of musicians who play the horn (sometimes referred to as the French horn a brass instrument descended Musical costume is a term for the band Phish 's elaborate Halloween concerts that involved the band performing an entire album by another artist and including it as The Who are an English rock band formed in 1964. The primary lineup consisted of guitarist Pete Townshend Quadrophenia is the sixth album by the English rock band The Who. Their first live album — A Live One — which was released during the summer of 1995 became Phish's first RIAA certified gold album in November 1995. A Live One is a live Album by Phish. It was released on June 27, 1995 by Elektra Records and was the band's first ^[16]

During this fall tour, the band challenged their audience to two games of chess, with each show of the tour consisting of a pair of moves. Chess is a recreational and competitive Game played between two players. The band made their move during the first set, and, during the break between sets, the audience members could vote on their collective move at the Greenpeace table. Greenpeace, originally known as the Greenpeace Foundation, was founded in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada in 1972 The audience conceded the first game at the November 15 show in Florida, and the band conceded the second at their New Year's Eve concert at Madison Square Garden. Events 655 - Battle of Winwaed: Penda of Mercia is defeated by Oswiu of Northumbria. Phish New Year's Eve 1995 - Live at Madison Square Garden is a live recording by the Jam band Phish, released in 2005. Madison Square Garden, often abbreviated as MSG, and known colloquially as The Garden, has been the name of four Arenas in New York City. Having played only two games, the score remains tied at 1-1. ^[17] This year-end concert would later be named as one of the greatest concerts of the 1990s by Rolling Stone magazine. Rolling Stone is a United States -based Magazine devoted to Music, Politics, and Popular culture that is published ^[18]

1996-2000

Phish retreated to their Vermont recording studio and recorded hours and hours of improvisations, sometimes overlaying them on one another, and used those tracks as a basis to write most of the songs on the second half of Billy Breathes, which they released in the fall of 1996. Billy Breathes was the eighth studio album by rock band Phish. Alongside traditional rock-based crescendos, the album has more acoustic guitar than their previous records, and was regarded by the band and some fans^[19] as their crowning studio achievement.

That summer, they mounted their first two-day festival — The Clifford Ball — at a decommissioned Air Force base in Plattsburgh, New York. Plattsburgh is a City in Clinton County, New York, United States. New York ( is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern regions of the United States and is the nation's third most populous Between 70,000 and 80,000 people were in attendance; MTV was on-hand to document the experience. MTV ( Music Television) is an American Cable television network based in New York City. In Phish's own makeshift city, Great Northeast Productions created an amusement park, restaurants, a post office, playgrounds, arcades, and movie theaters, and for two days Plattsburg AFB was the ninth largest city in New York. Aside from six "traditional" sets, the band rode a flatbed truck through the campground, serenading the audience at 3 a. m. ^[20] The concert's production company went on to host six more Phish festivals.

By 1997 jams were becoming so long that several sets contained only four songs; their improvisational ventures were developing into a new funk-inspired jamming style. Funk is an American musical style that originated in the mid- to late-1960s when African American musicians blended Soul music, Soul Vermont-based ice cream conglomerate Ben & Jerry's launched "Phish Food" that year and proceeds from the flavor are donated to the Lake Champlain Initiative. Ice cream or ice-cream (originally iced cream) is a frozen dessert made from Dairy products such as Milk and Cream, combined B&J redirects here For the beverage company see Bartles and Jaymes. Part of Phish's new non-profit foundation, The WaterWheel Foundation was also comprised of two other now-defunct branches: The Touring Branch and the Vermont Giving Program. The WaterWheel Foundation was created by Phish in 1997 to oversee their charitable activities ^[21]

The Great Went, Phish's second large-scale festival, was held that summer at Loring Air Force Base in Limestone, Maine, just miles from the Canadian border. Loring Air Force Base is a former United States Air Force base that was under the operational control of the Strategic Air Command (SAC for most of its existence Limestone is a town in Aroostook County, Maine, United States. The State of Maine ( is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America, bordering the Atlantic Ocean The band drew 65,000 people, qualifying the festival to be the largest city in Maine. ^[22] Band and audience collaborated yet again in a colossal work of art: individual pieces of art by fans were connected to a large piece of art by the band. A giant matchstick was lit, burning the resultant tower to the ground. ^[23]

Lemonwheel

Phish returned to Limestone in the summer of 1998 for the Lemonwheel festival, and 70,000 fans again made the event the largest city in Maine. Phish headlined Farm Aid in October, sharing the stage with Willie Nelson, Neil Young, and Paul Shaffer. Farm Aid started as a Benefit concert on September 22, 1985, in Champaign Illinois, held to raise money for Family farmers in the Willie Nelson (born April 30, 1933) is an American country Singer-songwriter and Actor. Neil Percival Young OM (born November 12, 1945, Toronto Ontario) is a Canadian Singer-songwriter, Musician Paul Allen Wood Shaffer, CM (born November 28, 1949 in Fort William, now Thunder Bay, Ontario) is a Canadian Again, altering their approach to studio releases, the band recorded hours of improvisational jams over a period of several days and took the highlights of those jams and wrote songs around them. The result was The Story of the Ghost in October and the instrumental The Siket Disc released the following year. The Story of the Ghost is the ninth studio album by the Jam band Phish. The Siket Disc is the tenth Album of the American band Phish. On Halloween in Las Vegas, Nevada, the group performed Loaded by The Velvet Underground; two nights later they played Pink Floyd's The Dark Side of the Moon unannounced and in its entirety to an audience of 4,000 in Utah. Las Vegas ( Spanish: "The Meadows" is the most populous City in the state of Nevada, the seat of Clark County, and an internationally Loaded is the fourth album released by American rock band The Velvet Underground. This article is about the band For their self-titled album see The Velvet Underground (album; for the book see The Velvet Underground (book Pink Floyd are The Dark Side of the Moon (titled Dark Side of the Moon in the 1993 CD edition is a Concept album by the British Progressive The State of Utah (ˈjuːtɔː or) is a western state of the United States.

In 1999, the band decided to forego the annual summer festival to prepare for the New Year's Eve millennium celebration. New Year's Eve is on December 31, the final day of the Gregorian year and the day before New Year's Day. However, at the eleventh hour, Camp Oswego was held in July at the Volney Airport in upstate New York, with 65,000 in attendance. Volney is a Town in Oswego County, New York, United States. The population was 6094 at the 2000 census

For the Millennium Celebration, Phish traveled to the Big Cypress Indian Reservation in the Florida Everglades. The Big Cypress Indian Reservation is located in southeastern Hendry County and northwestern Broward County in southern Everglades is also the name of a city in Collier County Florida Of the major New Years Eve concerts around the globe — Sting, Barbra Streisand, Billy Joel — at 85,000, Phish had the largest attendance of any paid concert event that night. Gordon Matthew Thomas Sumner, CBE (born October 2, 1951) better known by his Stage name Sting, is a three time Academy Award Barbra Streisand (ˈstraɪsænd "STRY-sand" born April 24 1942 is an American Singer, Film and Theatre Actress William Martin Joel (born May 9 1949 is an American Pianist and Singer-songwriter. ^[24] During ABC's millennium coverage, Peter Jennings and World News Tonight reported on the massive audience and featured the band's performance of "Heavy Things". The American Broadcasting Company ( ABC) is an American Television network. Peter Charles Archibald Ewart Jennings, CM (July 29 1938 &ndash August 7 2005 was a Canadian-American Journalist and News anchor. World News with Charles Gibson (previously known as World News Tonight, often called ABC World News Tonight, also often abbreviated Called "Big Cypress", the enormous festival culminated with an extended seven-and-a-half hour set that began at midnight and ended at sunrise.

2000 saw no Halloween show, no summer festival and no new songs: May's Farmhouse contained material dating from 1997. Farmhouse is the eleventh studio Album by the American Jam band Phish. That summer, the band announced that they would take their first "extended time-out" following their upcoming fall tour. ^[25] During the tour's last concert on October 7, 2000 at the Shoreline Amphitheater in Mountain View, California, they played a regular show and left without saying a word as The Beatles' Let It Be played over the sound system. Events 3761 BC - The epoch (origin of the modern Hebrew calendar ( Proleptic Julian calendar) California ( is a US state on the West Coast of the United States, along the Pacific Ocean. The Beatles were a pop and rock band from Liverpool, England formed in 1960 "Let It Be" is a song by The Beatles, released in March 1970 as a single and as the Title track of their album Let It Be.

The hiatus allowed the members of Phish to explore more deeply their musical side projects. Anastasio continued the solo career he'd begun two years earlier, formed the group Oysterhead, and began conducting an orchestral composition with the Vermont Youth Orchestra. Since 1998, Trey Anastasio, best known from Phish, has toured and recorded with a several backup bands including several side-projects organized and led by guitarist Oysterhead is a supergroup rock band featuring guitarist Trey Anastasio of Phish, bassist Les Claypool of Primus Gordon made an album with acoustic guitar legend Leo Kottke and two films before launching his own solo career. Leo Kottke (born 11 September 1945, Athens, Georgia, US) is an acoustic guitarist. Fishman alternated between Jazz Mandolin Project and his band Pork Tornado, while McConnell formed the trio Vida Blue. The Jazz Mandolin Project is a Jazz trio from Burlington Vermont, led by Mandolinist Jamie Masefield Pork Tornado is a band founded in 1997 by former Phish drummer Jon Fishman, Dan Archer (guitar vocals Joe Moore (saxophone vocals Aaron Hersey Vida Blue was an electronic trio fronted by Page McConnell of Phish and included Oteil Burbridge of The Allman Brothers Band and Russell

2002-2004

Over two years after the hiatus began, Phish announced that they were getting back on the road with a New Year's Eve 2002 concert at Madison Square Garden. New Year's Eve is on December 31, the final day of the Gregorian year and the day before New Year's Day. They also recorded Round Room in only three days. Round Room is the twelfth studio Album by jam rock band Phish. In their return concert, McConnell's brother was introduced as actor Tom Hanks. Thomas Jeffrey "Tom" Hanks (born July 9 1956 is an two-time Academy award and Emmy winning American Film actor, director The doppelgänger sang a line of the song "Wilson", prompting several media outlets to report that the actor had "jammed with Phish. A doppelgänger ( or fetch is the ghostly double of a living person a sinister form of Bilocation. "

At the end of the 2003 summer tour, Phish held their first summer festival in four years, returning to Limestone for It. The festival drew crowds of over 60,000 fans, once again making Limestone the most populous city in Maine. In December, the band celebrated its 20th anniversary with a 4 show mini-tour culminating at Boston's Fleet Center. TD Banknorth Garden is a sports Arena in Boston Massachusetts. During the Albany date on this tour, Phish invited founding member Jeff Holdsworth onstage for the first time since 1986.

In order to avoid the exhaustion and pitfalls of previous years' high-paced touring, Phish played sporadically after the reunion, with tours lasting about two weeks. After an April 2004 run of shows in Las Vegas, Anastasio announced on the band's website that after a small summer tour the band was breaking up. Las Vegas ( Spanish: "The Meadows" is the most populous City in the state of Nevada, the seat of Clark County, and an internationally Their final album, Undermind, was released in late spring. Undermind is Phish 's thirteenth and most recent album released on June 15, 2004.

The band jammed with rapper Jay-Z at their second Brooklyn show in the summer of 2004, and performed a seven-song set atop the marquee of the Ed Sullivan Theater during The Late Show with David Letterman to fans who had gathered on the street, a move reminiscent of The Beatles' final performance on the rooftop of the Apple building in London. Shawn Corey Carter (born December 4 1969 better known as Jay-Z, is an American Rapper and former CEO of Def Jam Recordings and Roc-A-Fella Brooklyn (named after the Dutch town Breukelen) is one of the five boroughs of New York City. The Ed Sullivan Theater, which is located at 1697-1699 Broadway between West 53rd and West 54th Streets in Manhattan, is a venerable radio and The Late Show with David Letterman is an Emmy Award -winning American late-night Talk show hosted by David Letterman on CBS The Beatles were a pop and rock band from Liverpool, England formed in 1960 Let It Be is a 1970 film about The Beatles rehearsing and recording songs for the album Let It Be in January 1969 Their final show was also the last Phish summer festival — Coventry — named for the town in Vermont that hosted the event. 100,000 people were expected to attend, and it was simulcast to thousands more in movie theaters across America.

Phish's final bow, August 15, 2004

After a week of rain that prompted rumors of a sinking stage, Gordon announced on the local radio station that attendees should turn around, no more cars were being allowed in. Events 778 - The Battle of Roncevaux Pass, at which Roland is killed "MMIV" redirects here For the Modest Mouse album see " Baron von Bullshit Rides Again " As only about 20,000 people had been admitted, many concert-goers abandoned their vehicles on highway roadsides, shoulders and medians and hiked to the site, some as far as thirty miles. With the number of people that walked in, the crowd grew to an estimated 65,000 in attendance.

The band broke down crying onstage several times during the final concert, most notably when McConnell choked up during the ballad "Wading in the Velvet Sea" and elicited Anastasio to say a few words of farewell. After their last song, The Beatles' "Let It Be" played over the PA system. The Beatles were a pop and rock band from Liverpool, England formed in 1960 "Let It Be" is a song by The Beatles, released in March 1970 as a single and as the Title track of their album Let It Be.

Coventry was an emotional goodbye for Phish and for its audience; an end to Phish's chapter in rock music. With little help from radio, music television channels and album sales, Phish became one of the biggest live acts of all time. As Rolling Stone put it:^[26]

Future plans

In a Sirius Satellite Radio interview in 2006, Anastasio mentioned a Phish reunion is "definitely not 100 percent out of the question. " Gordon concurred, stating that "everybody's getting along really well. There's no reason it couldn't happen . . . it would probably be a long time away . . . I can never be sure, because I've never been able to predict the future. "^[27]

Since the break-up members of Phish have all maintained solo projects. Anastasio continued his solo career with his own band and performed with Oysterhead in June 2006. Since 1998, Trey Anastasio, best known from Phish, has toured and recorded with a several backup bands including several side-projects organized and led by guitarist Oysterhead is a supergroup rock band featuring guitarist Trey Anastasio of Phish, bassist Les Claypool of Primus Gordon has played with Leo Kottke and the Benevento/Russo Duo. Leo Kottke (born 11 September 1945, Athens, Georgia, US) is an acoustic guitarist. The Benevento/Russo Duo (or The Duo for short is an alternative Jazz / rock band from New York City, featuring Marco Benevento At Bonnaroo in 2006, he played with his newest project, Ramble Dove, which is the name of the country outfit he fronted in his directorial feature Outside Out, and has also joined Grateful Dead drummers Mickey Hart and Bill Kreutzmann along with Steve Kimock as the Rhythm Devils. The Bonnaroo Music and Arts Festival is a four-day annual Music festival, created and produced by Superfly Productions and AC Entertainment, first held in 2002 Ramble Dove is a Burlington Vermont -based supergroup comprising key members of that scene instigated by the notorious Brett R Outside Out is the first full-length feature film from Phish bassist Mike Gordon. The Grateful Dead was an American rock band formed in 1965 in the San Francisco Bay Area. Mickey Hart (born September 11, 1943) is a percussionist and musicologist. Bill Kreutzmann (born May 7, 1946 in Palo Alto, California) is an American drummer who played with rock band the Grateful Dead Steve Kimock (born October 5, 1955 in Bethlehem Pennsylvania) is an American rock Musician and Guitarist. The Rhythm Devils are a band led by founding Grateful Dead drummers Bill Kreutzmann and Mickey Hart. Anastasio and Gordon toured as a four-piece with the Benevento/Russo Duo in the summer of 2006. According to Gordon, McConnell "hasn't been as much in the public eye, but he's been working on an album for awhile now". ^[27] McConnell debuted his new solo project at a festival in September held by jam band moe. and released his self-titled debut on April 17, 2007. moe is an American Jam band, formed at the University at Buffalo in 1990 Page McConnell is the self-titled debut album from Phish keyboardist Page McConnell. Events 69 - After the First Battle of Bedriacum, Vitellius becomes Roman Emperor. Year 2007 ( MMVII) was a Common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. Fishman has performed occasional shows with the Everyone Orchestra, The Village and, most recently, Yonder Mountain String Band, but has, for the most part, retired from the music business. The Yonder Mountain String Band (abbreviated YMSB) is an American Progressive bluegrass group from Nederland, Colorado.

Phish received the Jammys Lifetime Achievement Award on May 7, 2008 in The Theater at Madison Square Garden. The Jammy Award (also known as the Jammys) are an awards show for bands typically called Jam bands and other artists Events 558 - In Constantinople, the dome of the Hagia Sophia collapses 2008 ( MMVIII) is the current year in accordance with the Gregorian calendar, a Leap year that started on Tuesday of the Common Madison Square Garden, often abbreviated as MSG, and known colloquially as The Garden, has been the name of four Arenas in New York City. Jammys Executive Producer and Co-Creator Peter Shapiro said, "Few bands have meant as much to the improvisational music community as they have, so celebrating their career is something that is a natural thing for us to do. Peter Shapiro can refer to Peter Shapiro (journalist Peter Shapiro (politician "^[28]

Music

Phish's musical ethos is a playful mix of improvisation, rock, jazz, bluegrass, reggae, Latin, heavy metal, folk, blues, barbershop quartet, country, progressive rock, acoustic, and classical. Rock music is a genre of Popular music often though not necessarily employing Electric guitar, Bass guitar, and Drums. Jazz is an American Musical art form which originated in the beginning of the 20th century in African American communities in the Southern United States Bluegrass music is a form of American roots music, and is a sub-genre of Country music. Folk music can have a number of different meanings including Traditional music: The original meaning of the term "folk music" was synonymous The Blues is a vocal and instrumental form of Music based on the use of the Blue notes It emerged as an accessible form of self-expression Barbershop Vocal harmony, as codified during the barbershop revival era (1940s-present is a style of A cappella, or unaccompanied Vocal music characterized Progressive rock (often shortened to " progressive " " prog " or " prog rock " is a form of Rock music that evolved Acoustic music refers to music that solely or primarily uses instruments which produce sound through entirely acoustic means as opposed to Electronic means Classical music is a broad term that usually refers to mainstream music produced in or rooted in the traditions of Western liturgical and Secular music Some of their original compositions (such as "Theme from the Bottom") tend towards a psychedelic rock and bluegrass fusion, with more rock, jazz and funk elements than The Grateful Dead, The Allman Brothers Band and other earlier jam bands. Psychedelic rock is a style of Rock music that attempts to replicate the mind-altering experiences of hallucinogenic drugs. The Grateful Dead was an American rock band formed in 1965 in the San Francisco Bay Area. The Allman Brothers Band is a Southern rock band based in Macon, Georgia. Their more ambitious, epic compositions (such as "You Enjoy Myself" and "Guyute") are often said to resemble classical music in a rock setting, much related to the genre of progressive rock. Progressive rock (often shortened to " progressive " " prog " or " prog rock " is a form of Rock music that evolved All told, the band performed 620 individual compositions, of which 226 were originals (of the 244 they penned) and 394 covers. This is a complete list of original songs composed by the rock band Phish. In Popular music, a cover version, or simply cover, is a new rendition ( Performance or Recording) of a previously recorded commercially released

For more details on this topic, see Phish and their music.

Discography

In addition to their thirteen studio-recorded albums, Phish has released a multitude of live shows: seven traditional live albums, and a series of 27 complete concerts called Live Phish. The Live Phish Series is a set of twenty complete Remastered Phish concerts released between September 2001 and May 2003 along with seven bonus concerts released Phish has also released 6 videos, containing live concert footage and documentary material. The band's Junta and A Live One went "Platinum", and the albums Lawn Boy, A Picture of Nectar, Rift, Hoist, Billy Breathes, Slip Stitch and Pass, Hampton Comes Alive, and Farmhouse reached Gold status. A Live One is a live Album by Phish. It was released on June 27, 1995 by Elektra Records and was the band's first Lawn Boy was Phish 's fourth Album, hitting stores on September 21, 1990. A Picture of Nectar is Phish's fifth Studio Album. It was released on February 12, 1992, and was Phish 's In Geology, a rift is a place where the Earth 's crust and Lithosphere are being pulled apart and is an example of Extensional tectonics Billy Breathes was the eighth studio album by rock band Phish. Slip Stitch and Pass is a Live album by Phish. It was released on October 28, 1997 by Elektra Records and features Hampton Comes Alive is a six-disc Live album by the Jam band Phish, released November 23, 1999. Farmhouse is the eleventh studio Album by the American Jam band Phish. In addition, their DVD Phish: Live in Vegas achieved Gold status, and the DVD of It went Platinum. Phish Live in Vegas ( 2000) is a video of a complete live performance from rock band Phish recorded on September 30, 2000 (bandleader It is a two-disc DVD set chronicling Phish 's two-day summer festival in Limestone Maine on August 2 & 3 2003.

For more details on this topic, see Phish discography. Phish is an American Rock band most noted for jamming and improvisation.

Phish at The Gorge on July 13, 2003

Concerts and fan base

The driving force behind Phish was the popularity of their concerts. Each one a production unto itself, the band would constantly change set lists, details, and add their own antics. With many fans flocking to the venues hours before they opened, the concert was the centerpiece of an event that included a temporary community in the parking lot, complete with "Shakedown Street": at times a garment district, art district, food court, or pharmacy. ^[29] For many, one concert was simply a prelude to the next as the community followed the band around the country.

Tickets by Mail

Fans were able to purchase tickets before the general public by using Phish Tickets By Mail, a mail-order service available through Phish. com or their newsletter, Doniac Schvice. Orders were filled on a first-come-first-served basis, making every attempt to return all orders before tickets went on sale through traditional outlets. In 2002, Phish abandoned the mail-in method of Tickets-By-Mail in favor of an Internet-based ticketing system, allowing ticket-seekers to submit all necessary information online. Abandoning the first-come-first-served philosophy, orders were instead filled by lottery. ^[30]

Fifth member

A dedicated group of fans — CK5 — unsuccessfully attempted to have Chris Kuroda officially recognized as a member of Phish. Chris Kuroda was the Lighting designer /operator for Phish. His lighting experiments were so unusual and diverse that a group of Phish fans lobbied to have The band's lighting designer since 1989, Kuroda was completely responsible for the visual aspect of a Phish concert, establishing it as important as the aural. Each concert was an original experience, and Kuroda's ability to equate light and sound during an improvisational jam was unparalleled. ^[31]

Comparisons to the Grateful Dead

Phish is often compared to the Grateful Dead,^[32] but the similarity is more cultural than musical. The Grateful Dead was an American rock band formed in 1965 in the San Francisco Bay Area. Fans of both bands would often tour for weeks at a time, travel from show to show, and support themselves by selling food and homespun goods to the pre-show parking lot community. It is worth noting that just as Jerry Garcia had frequently collaborated with a non-Dead member, lyricist Robert Hunter, Trey Anastasio frequently shares writing credit with lyricist and non-Phish member Tom Marshall. Robert C Hunter (born June 23, 1941) is an American Lyricist, Singer songwriter, and Poet, best known for his association

The comparison extends to the business practices of both bands: the primacy of live shows over studio albums and commercial appearances, the fan-friendly taping policies^[33][34] and generous archival release programs,^[35][36] and the familial quality of the organizations themselves further align the legacies of the two bands.

Musically, the bands' similarity was more of ethic than aesthetic. Their embrace of group improvisation in a rock context is their unifying factor; however, Phish tended to more closely follow a jazz language or tradition in their playing (similar to The Allman Brothers Band),^[19] which is very distinct from the Grateful Dead's roots in folk and Americana. The Allman Brothers Band is a Southern rock band based in Macon, Georgia. Americana refers to artifacts of the Culture of the United States, the history and folklore resultant from its Westward expansion. ^[37]

Fan activities

Like the Grateful Dead before them, which had legions of loyal fans nicknamed Deadheads, fans of Phish — known as phans, phriends, phamily, Phishheads, or any number of ph-substituted appellations — have created over a dozen fan organizations. Deadhead or Dead Head is a name given to fans of the American Jam band, the Grateful Dead. Ph is a digraph in the English language and many other languages that represents the sound /f/ ( Voiceless labiodental fricative) Maintained by fans for fans, these run the gamut of profit status, and indirectly work to the benefit of the band. Among the more noticeable groups is "The Phellowship", a group that celebrated seeing shows sober together,^[38] and the "Green Crew" who worked after concerts removing trash and refuse. ^[39] People for a Louder Mike (PLM) was an informal effort to campaign for the increase of Gordon's bass in the mix,^[40] and The Mockingbird Foundation is a fan-run charitable organization dedicated to music education for children. The Mockingbird Foundation is a charitable organization founded by fans of the band Phish in 1996 (legally incorporated the following There are organizations for gays and lesbians^[41] as well as female fans,^[42] and communities of fans on Usenet newsgroups such as rec.music.phish and on Phish. Usenet, a Portmanteau of "user" and "network" is a world-wide distributed Internet discussion system net.

Live recording circulation

Because Phish's reputation was so grounded in their live performances, concert recordings are commonly-traded commodities. Official soundboard recordings can be purchased through the Live Phish website, while legal bootlegs produced by tapers with boom microphones from the audience are frequently traded on any number of music messageboards. A bootleg recording is an audio and/or Video recording of a performance that was not officially released by the artist or under other legal authority Phish fans have been noted for their extensive collections of fan-taped concert recordings; owning recordings of entire tours and years is widespread.

References

External links

• Phish's official website
• Livephish.com, the band's official download site
• The Phish.Net, Fan site for Phish, including archived set lists.