Purple RainPhish

Phish

Phish is an American rock band noted for its musical improvisation, extended jams, exploration of music across genres, and an adoring fan base. Phish’s music blends elements of a wide variety of genres, including rock, jazz, progressive rock, psychedelic rock, hard rock, funk, folk, bluegrass, reggae, country, blues, avant garde, barbershop quartet and classical. Each of their concerts is original in terms of the songs performed, the order they appear in, and the way they are performed.

Formed at the University of Vermont in 1983 (with the current line up solidifying in 1985), the band’s four members—Trey Anastasio (guitars, lead vocals), Mike Gordon (bass, vocals), Jon Fishman (drums, percussion, vocals), and Page McConnell (keyboards, vocals)—performed together for 15 years before going on hiatus on October 7, 2000. This period is commonly referred to as Phish 1.0. They would resume playing on December 31, 2002, but disbanded in August 2004, forming the period referred to as Phish 2.0. They reunited March 2009 for Phish in Hampton, a series of three consecutive concerts played in the Hampton Coliseum in Hampton, Virginia, and have since resumed performing regularly. This ongoing period of Phish’s touring career is referred to by fans as Phish 3.0.

Although the band has received little radio play or mainstream exposure, Phish has developed a large and dedicated following by word of mouth, the exchange of live recordings by trading tapes with other fans and selling over 8 million albums and DVDs in the United States. Rolling Stone stated that the band was responsible for “spawning a new wave of bands oriented around group improvisation and superextended grooves.”