summertime means different things to dissimilar people . For some , it ’s hiking ; for others , it ’s about surfing or meter reading or late nights at a beer garden jawing with old friends . For me , it ’s standing in the grass watching four aging dorks from Vermont play seemingly dateless improvised jam - stone tunes with thousands of other sweaty obsessives .
Chances are you ’ve noticed thatPhish , the psychedelic act that keeps 1960s - style jam - band vallecula alive for propagation young and onetime , is tour yet again . Everyone has that one champion who clot Instagram with selfies next to " transcending " dudes in shipment shorts , or , spoiled , repetitive crack of the complex lighting rig that envelop the stage . " Again ? " you shout at your screen when yet another pic hits your feed . " He ’s seeing Phishagain ? ? ! "
I pick up this all the prison term because , alas , I am that Quaker . I ’ve already see Phish twice this summer and have tickets for at least one more show . I may constrict a 4th in before Labor Day to tide me over until the four - nighttime New Year ’s Eveset at Madison Square Garden . I remain undeterred from making the case for Phish . I ’d wish nothing more than to get other peopleto recognizewhat ’s going on at these gig – or , at the very least , pump the brakes on the hatemobile . To that end , here ’s the 101 about Phish , the great aesthetic enterprise in this or any other galaxy .
Jason Hoffman/Thrillist
What is Phish?
Phish is four over-50 dudes : frontman Trey Anastasio ( whose female parent used to work onSesame Street ) , piano player Page McConnell ( whose father helped create Tylenol ! ) , bassist Mike Gordon ( whose mother is an established visual artist ) , and the charismatic and oftentimes goofy drummer Jon Fishman , whose nickname , Fish , make massive quantity of confusion , even for diehards ( onstage banter will sometimes include , " Hey , Fish , what do you think about … , " sending newbie into a spin not construe since the " which one ’s Pink ? " heyday of Pink Floyd ) .
The gang fit in college in Vermont , officially organise the set in 1983 ( though really only became a depart - your - day - job enterprise in 1988 ) , and despite a four - twelvemonth hiatus in the naught , is still going stiff . All four sing , and none particularly well . You read that right : I am a mammoth Phish fan trying to convince you that they rule , and I ’m well aware that the vocals only occasionally merit " hey , that ’s not bad " status .
Where did the name “Phish” come from?
Yeah , the name is kind of dumb , but so is " The Beatles . " It was n’t intended to refer to Pisces , either . As recounted in Parke Puterbaugh’sPhish : The Biography , striation member were spitballing names when one of them made the phone " of melodic line come out of a balloon . " They quickly realized that no club was going to book a band bid " phhhhssssh , " so it was simplified to " Phish . "
What kind of band is it?
At times , Phish ’s medicine features some instant of irregular , Grateful Dead - esque psychedelia ( thus the compare ) . The band can also tap moments of cryptic channel like Parliament - Funkadelic , Talking Heads - like sonic density , the byzantine instrumentation of Genesis , Beastie Boys goofiness , and senior high of tripping - on - psilocybin - as - some - amazing - DJ - spins-11th - dimensional - mind - journey electronica . I do n’t go to sporting events , so Phish concerts are the only place wherein I ’d ever consider high - fiving a total stranger . It happens when they wear out one of your favorite tunes . And , eventually , they all become your best-loved melodic phrase .
How did Phish become popular?
slew of literary genre - bend circle get along of old age in the 1990s , but you do n’t see Spin Doctors or Rusted Root selling out four - nighttime shows at Madison Square Garden every single yr . Morbid , but undeniable : Phish benefited from the death of Jerry Garcia in 1995 . At that time , the circle was coming into its own and accumulate steam with a healthy following , and when deadhead had nowhere to sprain , many turned to Phish .
That say , the link between The Dead and Phish is by and large hyperbolize . Phish will occasionally dabble in faux - bluegrass , but Jerry Garcia was an accomplished banjo instrumentalist . There were a few age of " disco Dead , " but funk grooves are core to Phish ’s appeal . Also , you are more prone to get computer coder , Web 1.0 technical school grind , and Libertarian enterpriser at a Phish show than with the Dead , many of whom took the anarchy of the tune " Truckin ' " to heart .
But this dynastic shift , couple with Phish ’s soft attitude toward concert recordings and tape - trading ( another similarity with the Dead ) , moderate to a omnipresence amongst a certain set . Put bluntly , if you hung out in a dorm elbow room with a bong and a tape pack of cards in the nineties , you likely giggled over the lyrics to Phish song . This may explain how the banding eventually wound up onLate Night with Conan O’BrienandSaturday Night Live .
What is Phish’s big hit single?
If all you listen to is commercial-grade wireless , you ’ve never heard a Phish call . The circle ’s endure cult status begin with its muddle - band melodious style , ideal for live performance . A three - minute pa song can transform into a destitute - form geographic expedition of a never - ending groove , or it can go down a hare hole of complex , proggy instrumentation . The language can be nonsense , fraught with wordplay , or a fit of earnest words about hippie serenity and love . There are no pattern at a Phish show .
Most of Phish ’s songs , in recorded form , are a typical four hour . They have a melody , they have a chorus , just like any other stone song . On stage , any one of these tunes can get break through subject and transform into an 18 - second composition . That can think stretch out a long guitar solo , a hushed build that inspires a call and answer from the audience ( " wooo ! " ) , create entire new theme on the fly ( that are never hear from again ) , or hitting an culmination and triumphantly returning to the original melody . It is n’t that dissimilar from what classic jazz artists started doing in the bebop geezerhood , but with a singular admixture of deep rhythmic funk and a swirl of psychedelic axe - manship . And it does n’t get up .
What kind of music does Phish “jam”?
Phish ’s medicine ranges fromcomplex orchestrationstobooty - shakin ' deep funktovast , spaced - out atmosphere . Some of the melodic line are really clotheslines on which to attend a new , improvised permutation on themes that willonly be performed one time . Once you witness one of these explorationsthat really gels , you ’ll find yourself chasing that firedrake and coming back for another show . Sometimes there are waves of guitar that eventually climax with a " wheedle - wheedly - wheeeeee ! " and everyone in the audience operate " wooooooo ! "
In a jam-packed amphitheater , this is n’t as crazy as it sound . What the group ’s fans really crave when they see Phish perform is a Department of State of euphoria refer to as " the hose , " accomplish during runs of intense improvisation . When this happens , it ’s as if a dam has burst on stage and the musicians ' very essence wash over the delirious crowd . It sounds a piffling corny ! Until you have it , that is – and then you ’ll want to experience it again .
Why are people obsessed with Phish shows?
While Phish now and again dives into a " dark jam , " seeing the ring is , by and large , an agreeable , upbeat experience . These are whacky guy rope who are into fantasy and sci - fi , and back in the day they were known for joking around with the crew . The drummer is also an instrumentalist : once in a while he ’ll come out front to bumble into a vacuum dry cleaner .
They ’ve reel in the carnival - act stuff over the years . Today , trampoline only come out for one specificfunky physical body - upduring the anthemic number that , harmonize toPhish.net , is play at 33.69 % of shows . A while back they would hurl giant , colored balls into the crew and , as they bounced , the corresponding player would improvise . The drummer bear a Viking ’s helmet and swimmer ’s goggles ( and still wears a apparel with sinker on it ) . There is a goofy , meta - Tolkien song cycle called " Gamehenge " that fans like to discuss , but it is n’t crucial to know about that . All the insider stuff and nonsense has tapered off a little . There are some songs where fans know where to acclaim but , you get laid what , you ’ll catch up .
Are they decent musicians?
Let ’s talk about guitar . Trey Anastasio is unequalled stylist ; he can dochunky blue , getjazzy , and also take beautiful , aria - similar solos . His playacting at times echoes Garcia , Frank Zappa , David Gilmour , and , as he himself has cite , Tom Scholz of Boston . But he ’s truly marked his own ground , desegregate in spacey delays and echo and whatnot . No one else sounds like him .
But there are a lot of guitar God out there . Phish ’s secret weapon is Page McConnell . Few rock champion luga grand pianoaround with them and feature it so prominently . When aphrodisiacal hippie girls twirl around at shows , snap up at imaginary stars , it ’s the bright piano keys they are oppose to .
These days Phish is genuinely about the outstanding musicianship and , I must add , the unofficial fifth member of the group , firing architect Chris Kuroda .
Patrick Jordan/Phish
Why is the lighting guy so important?
Phish is aboutmore than coolheaded lights . As the band perform extemporarily , Kuroda react behind his monumental electronic panel . These are jazz lights . Hejamsthe lights . Occasionally , when a melodic phrase devolves into post - linguistic , gratuitous - form barbershop vox , there ’s , like , a light solo , homo !
Are Phish fans huge stoners?
I ’m not sound to lie down : a lot of Phish sports fan mollycoddle in weed or MDMA during show . If you go to a Phish concert , someone will thrust a joint in your face and provide you a puff . Multiple times . Some people mollycoddle too much and end up at the first - assistance collapsible shelter . In the parking deal , some turkey stop up doing party whip - its . One time , a tool guide in front of my car and nearly got killed . At a New Year ’s concert a blitzed - out little girl covered in blink Christ Within and wearing a unicorn horn kept wanting to squeeze my married woman . Sure , why not ? ( Later , well past midnight , she take when the countdown would start . She was standing right there when thousand of balloons pass inside Madison Square Garden . )
Despite all the open drug usance , whacked - out language ( " Split Open and Melt " ) , and occasionalshouting of " Kush ! Kush ! " , Trey Anastasio has been 100 % unclouded and sober since a DWI arrest in 2006 . The other members of the grouping are , according to lore , " pretty much sober , " these days , too , either for their own well - being or to obviate enable their frontman . year ago , their backstage antics were in melodic line with the crowd , but now , seconds after the final encore , each member of the grouping gets on his individual bus that whisks them away from the locale , a enticement - avoidance strategy borrowed from Neil Young .
Still , a lot of people enjoy the show with nothing more than a can of 7UP . During the summertime shows , many masses take their kids and let them run around on the back of the lawn . Everyone is groovin ' and have a good clock time .
Page McConnell, Jon Fishman, Trey Anastasio, and Mike Gordon | René Huemer/Phish
Does Phish ever team up with other musicians?
There ’s never an porta routine at a Phish show , but that has n’t prevent some extraordinary cast - of - blessing by instrumentalist you bang . They tore aside a 20 - minute adaptation of"Down by the River " with Neil Youngat Farm Aid in 1998 anddueted with Jay Z on " 99 problem " and " Big Pimpin'“at a fishgig in Coney Island in 2004 . Others that have joined the band on stage include Carlos Santana , Sharon Jones and the Dap - king , Alison Krauss , Kenny Rogers ( ! ) , and , of peculiar grandness to Jersey - bred Trey Anastasio , Bruce Springsteen .
Each member of Phish has a life outside the mathematical group . Jon Fishman played drums in something call off the Jazz Mandolin Project , while Page McConnell has a techno - funk trio call Vida Blue and has represent with Jack Black ’s Tenacious D. Trey Anastasio recorded an album with a supergroup called Oysterhead with Primus ' Les Claypool on bass and The Police ’s Stewart Copeland on drums , and also scored a Broadway show ( Hands on a Hardbody ) . Bassist Mike Gordon has his own band , too , but he ’s also made two feature films : one an data-based art - house movie , the other , rise Low , a documentary about bass thespian .
And even though you may not know any Phish songs , the band ’s all about deal songs you do roll in the hay . There ’s even a resort Halloween muzzle in which they appear in " musical costume " and do an entire album ( like The Beatles’White Album , the Rolling Stones’Exile on Main St. , piffling Feat’sWaiting For Columbus , the Talking Heads’Remain in Light , the Velvet Underground’sLoaded , etc . ) . But you might also hear aStevie Wonder song , aTV on the Radio song , a2Pac Song dynasty , and a Ween song ( above ) . The list go bad on .
Phish/YouTube
Where does Phish play?
Most summer ( this twelvemonth being something of an anomaly ) there is a three - day camp - out festival on an vacate Air Force foundation or a mushy national preserve in the Florida Everglades . This can lead to some unexpected development likethe midway - of - the - Nox " Tower Jam"in Maine , in which the band dally an unpredicted ambient coiffure on what , when lit , looked like a rocket ship . ( Dancers rappelled down the side , unless I hallucinate that part . ) The mini - festivals have a number of a Burning Man sense , with art expositions in tents and not much bathe .
New Year ’s shows are huge for Phish fans , too , with recent midnight surprise includingaudience levitation , runaway golf game carts , and a United Nations - esque ode toflying hot dogs .
One show leads to another and , yes , some people really do take half the year off to travel with the circle , earning a living selling"wares"in the parking quite a little . But 98 % of the crew is friendly and welcoming and , likeThe Rocky Horror Picture Show , everyone gets jazzed when they learn you are a Virgo the Virgin .
Is it easy to buy Phish show tickets?
One does not simply take the air into a Phish show .
It ’s been a long time since their days asa bar band in Mayor Bernie Sanders ' Burlington , Vermont . There are casual locations that still have usable tag the calendar week of the concert , but chances are , the gig will be sold out well in advancement . This dance band you ’ve never get wind has giant crowds of people clamor to get in ! In fact , demand can be so great at sure check that there is a lottery organisation to try and keep things democratic . ( Though everyone usually pester their roommate to put a bid in for them to essay and get bully seats – they ’re the band that launch a thousand Venmos ! )
What ’s noteworthy about going to legion Phish appearance is that you inevitably originate running into the same people . You wo n’t remember their name , they wo n’t remember yours , but those " hey , it ’s this guy cable ! " moments can be slap-up ( especially if you are dying of hungriness and your half - recall pal is carry a gargantuan jugful of weewee ) . There ’s nothing like jumping on a busbar or take out into a nearby day Inn and seeing someone who ’s there for the Phish show . Scream , " They ’re gon na give with’AC / DC Bag ' ! " and then –bam!– you ’ve got a Modern best chum .
Which album will help me understand the lure of Phish?
Phish ’s record output mirrors what the Grateful Dead ’s Jerry Garcia once state : " Making a disc is like build up a ship in a bottleful . Playing alive euphony is like being in a rowboat in the ocean . "
To get to the heart of Phish , and to do so liberal of charge , mind tothe " Island Tour , " four concert from April 1998 . The foot race showcases the dance orchestra at the top of their secret plan : gumptious and exploratory , mix classic rock guitar with shimmering , echoey digital delay that almost take on a techno sound . There ’s a deep keyboard funk and an almost cold firm drum groove . “ Punch You in the Eye ” from the April 2nd show study about five minutes of build - up before it even starts .
The first time you hear it , you ’ll bob your head ; the 5th sentence you find out it , you ’ll be shake right there in your bread and butter elbow room ; and when you eventually see them perform it hold up , you ’ll be lifting up your arms and lose your mind . The April 4th show hasa 16 - minute versionof their cover of Eumir Deodato ’s arrangement of the curtain raising to Richard Strauss ' " Also sprach Zarathustra " ( also have it off as the theme from2001 : A Space Odyssey ) and it ’s arguably the most quintessential Phish Riffian out there .
NBC/YouTube
Is Phish a religion?
It ’s featherbrained , but it has come to me that the solace many find in attending spiritual services is jolly mirrored for me in watch Phish . Christians already make love the story of Christ , but they go to church to get word it again with a fresh spin from this workweek ’s sermon . These are rituals . I cross state lines each summer to see the same four dopes playact strain of Sung I ’ve take heed a hundred times before , only in newfangled combinations and with wide-ranging emphasis . I find joy in being with others likewise enamored of the experience , and come away invigorated and inspired . And I guess you could call articles like this one representative of an urge to proselytize . So maybe Phish is a organized religion . And if so , after being a fan for so long , I should have enough of a tax deduction to see them an extra time this twelvemonth .
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Phish/YouTube
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René Huemer/Phish
The Phish Jams/YouTube
Phish/YouTube
