was it for this my life I sought?
Wow. It had to happen eventually. Straight from the horse’s mouth:
Last Friday night, I got together with Mike, Page and Fish to talk openly
about the strong feelings I’ve been having that Phish has run its course and
that we should end it now while it’s still on a high note. Once we started
talking, it quickly became apparent that the other guys’ feelings, while not
all the same as mine, were similar in many ways — most importantly, that we
all love and respect Phish and the Phish audience far too much to stand by
and allow it to drag on beyond the point of vibrancy and health. We don’t
want to become caricatures of ourselves, or worse yet, a nostalgia act. By
the end of the meeting, we realized that after almost twenty-one years
together we were faced with the opportunity to graciously step away in
unison, as a group, united in our friendship and our feelings of gratitude.So Coventry will be the final Phish show. We are proud and thrilled that it
will be in our home state of Vermont. We’re also excited for the June and
August shows, our last tour together. For the sake of clarity, I should say
that this is not like the hiatus, which was our last attempt to revitalize
ourselves. We’re done. It’s been an amazing and incredible journey. We thank
you all for the love and support that you’ve shown us.
Thanks for everything, guys. You did things musically that others would not or simply could not do. Some might add “should not” to that list. Not me. Man, did we have some fun shows…
Rob | May 28th, 2004 at 1:09 am
>> What was your fav Phish moment?
That’s pretty tough, but my first full-length show has got to take the crown:
Bailey Hall, Cornell University, Nov. 22, 1992
I’d seen them do a brief set during the first H.O.R.D.E tour earlier that year, having never heard a note out of them before, and was blown away. Needless to say, when they showed up on my campus a few months later I was stoked. I’d already devoured "Lawn Boy" and "A Picture of Nectar" and was dying for more… to my great fortune, they used the show to preview a lot of songs from the soon-to-be-released "Rift," which remains my overwhelming favorite of their studio albums.
After the show, I was walking around the side of the theater back toward my dorm. Spotting a friend of mine, I darted around a few people and hopped on his back for a piggyback ride. The sudden movements spooked a nearby dog, which came barking toward my friend and me. The dog’s owner stepped out of the shadows to stop her: "Marley! Get back here."
And so there’s Trey, standing right there in front of me, goofy grin on his face, towel around his shoulders. I picked my jaw up off the ground long enough to thank him profusely for a great show and ask if I could bum a ride on their bus to the next one (someone I knew had offered me a ticket). He politely declined.
Didn’t see the next show, but more than made up for it over the next few years.
Spider Boogie | May 27th, 2004 at 7:20 pm
Their conversation was probably going down while we were in mid-jam…
Spider Boogie | May 27th, 2004 at 5:17 pm
I heard the news yesterday. Can’t say I’m surprised, though. It would have been impossible to recreate a lot of what theyve done.<br>Theyve been around for 21 years. Jerry Garcia once said about his time with the Dead, "20 years is a long time to do anything." Amen.<br><br>Man, did we have some fun shows."<br><br>My favorite was the Austin Music Hall ’95, first night of a two night stand. Mid-way into YEM (You Enjoy Myself), Medeski Martin & Wood, pre-stardom, joined Phish on stage and proceeded to blow Austins collective mind.<br><br>Fishs vacuum squealing and moaning (I actually enjoyed it this time). Trey playing his multi-instrument, er, instrument, creating a devastating loop that carried the jam past the 20 minute mark. Mike and Chris Wood trading bass licks, Medeski and Paige dueling on the keyboards.<br><br>Good times. Thanks for the memories gentlemen, or at least the ones I can remember!<br><br>What was your fav Phish moment?
Bunker | May 26th, 2004 at 5:40 pm
I can’t place any of their music, although I’m sure I’ve listened to it at some time. You’ll have to put some on for me next time we’re together.