Phish is an American rock band formed in 1983, dissolved in 2004, and reunited in 2009. It is one of the most successful live acts in popular music history, forging a popularity in concert far greater than their album sales, radio airplay, or music video presence would otherwise indicate. Phish, at the peak of their popularity in the mid- to late 1990s, consistently ranked as one of the highest-grossing concert tours in the world.135,267 fans go Phish-ing at air base The jam-band scene improvises
Known for its improvisational style, rarely playing a song the same way twice, the band has also never played the same set list twice in close to four decades and more than 2,000 shows.ZZYZX's Phish stats – totals Many Phish fans attend multiple nights on a particular tour, much like sports fans buying season tickets, since each concert will be different.
To keep audiences intrigued, Phish records and performs a number of cover songs from various musical genres.Phish Cover Songs at The Covers ProjectPhish Reviews and News at The Music BoxPhish Setlists at The Helping Phriendly Book
Phish is also known for allowing fans to record the concerts and distribute the recordings. Guitarist Trey Anastasio considered it "free advertising" since it enabled the band's music to be distributed and traded all over the United States and, eventually, the rest of the world.
The band has a Halloween tradition of "Musical Costumes", when Phish performs an entire album by a different band or artist. Occasionally, the band have debuted their own new material during these Halloween performances (2013, 2018, and 2021).
1980s
1983 Phish formed in the fall of 1983 at the University of Vermont with co-founders Trey Anastasio and Jeff Holdsworth on guitars, Jon Fishman on drums, and Mike Gordon on bass.
Many speculate that the band played at least two shows under the name Blackwood Convention in 1983, but this stated untrue by Anastasio in 2019. At this point, the band only played other artists' material, including Creedence Clearwater Revival, Wilson Pickett, the Who, and the Grateful Dead. Date(1983)CityCountryVenueDecember 2BurlingtonUnited StatesHarris Millis CafeteriaDecember 3Marsh / Austin / Tupper Dormitory
1984 Phish took a brief hiatus during the first part of 1984 after Anastasio was suspended from UVM. The band continued with live performances when Anastasio returned to the university in the fall, at which point they became officially known as Phish. For many concerts, Phish was joined by Marc Daubert on percussion and, on occasion, the Dude of Life on vocals. For years, the band's performance from 1 December 1984, was their earliest live circulated recording, though a recording of a performance at UVM's Slade Hall, from 3 November 1984 eventually surfaced. The band debuted many original songs that fall, including "Makisupa Policeman", "Slave to the Traffic Light", "Camel Walk", "Skippy the Wondermouse", and "Fluffhead." All of these songs, with the exception of "Skippy the Wondermouse" (whose music was later used for "McGrupp and the Watchful Hosemasters"), have remained in the band's live rotation for the duration of their career. Date(1984)CityCountryVenueOctober 23BurlingtonUnited States69 Grant StreetNovember 3Slade HallDecember 1Nectar's
1985 In the spring of 1985, the band met keyboardist Page McConnell, a student at Goddard College who jammed with the band for a portion of their May 3, 1985 show on the campus of the University of Vermont. By September 26, he was a member of the band.
The band's shows during this period featured much improvisation, much of which revolved around new originals and cover songs from the Grateful Dead. Mike Gordon has often cited the band's November 23 show from Goddard College as a religious experience and the musical highlight of his career.
Trey Anastasio and Jon Fishman traveled to Europe during the summer and wrote a great deal of the band's early material on the trip.
More originals began to make their way into Phish's concert repertoire, including "McGrupp and the Watchful Hosemasters", "Anarchy", "Alumni Blues", "Dear Mrs. Reagan", "Dog Log", "Prep School Hippie" "Dave's Energy Guide", "Letter To Jimmy Page", and the popular classics "Harry Hood", "Run Like an Antelope", "Mike's Song", and "Possum". Date(1985)CityCountryVenueFebruary 1BurlingtonUnited StatesDoolin'sFebruary 15February 22February 25March 2Hunt'sMarch 4March 8Doolin'sMarch 16March 29April 6Finbar'sApril 19Hunt'sApril 21PlainfieldGoddard CollegeMay 1 (4 Shows)BurlingtonUniversity of VermontMay 3May 7Finbar'sMay 31Slade HallSeptember 27October 17Finbar'sOctober 30Hunt'sNovember 2Slade HallNovember 14Burlington Memorial AuditoriumNovember 23PlainfieldGoddard CollegeDecember 13BurlingtonThe Little Red House
1986 In May 1986, Jeff Holdsworth quit the band; he was not replaced. Holdsworth's retirement solidified the band's classic four-man lineup of Trey Anastasio, Page McConnell, Mike Gordon, and Jon Fishman, which remained unchanged for the rest of their career.
In October, Paul Languedoc officially joined the band as sound engineer. He remained with the band until the breakup in 2004. A luthier by trade, Languedoc built all of the electric guitars that Trey would use throughout his career, as well as a number of bass guitars for Gordon.
Later that month, the band played the first of four consecutive annual Halloween shows at Goddard College.
Phish continued to perform a greater number of concerts in 1986, debuting a wealth of new material throughout the year, including "You Enjoy Myself", "AC/DC Bag", "Golgi Apparatus", "Lushington", "Sanity", "David Bowie", "Wilson", "Icculus", "I Am Hydrogen", "Halley's Comet", and many other future Phish classics.
The band also began circulating The White Tape, their first studio project, consisting of band performances as well as solo recordings by Anastasio and Gordon. While this recording circulated in the fan community for a number of years, it was not officially released until 1998, at which point the album became officially known as Phish. Date(1986)CityCountryVenueFebruary 3BurlingtonUnited StatesHunt'sFebruary 28Slade HallApril 1Hunt'sApril 15University of VermontApril 29May 16Burlington Memorial AuditoriumMay 17PlainfieldGoddard CollegeMay 24BurlingtonHunt'sJune 1BostonBoston HarborSeptember 3BurlingtonHunt'sSeptember 10Finbar'sOctober 12PlainfieldHaybarn TheaterOctober 15BurlingtonHunt'sOctober 31PlainfieldSculpture RoomNovember 7BurlingtonMarsh Hall Dining RoomNovember 14Slade HallNovember 18Nectar'sDecember 6ShelburneThe Ranch
1987 In 1987, Phish was winding down their college career and preparing to take their live performances to the next level. The band became fixtures at Nectar's during this year, playing three-night-stands, of three sets each night, on an almost monthly basis. Phish continued playing college campuses and parties during this year, and spent the majority of their down-time practicing, and honing their craft.
In the spring of 1987, Trey Anastasio submitted Phish's studio experiment, The Man Who Stepped Into Yesterday, as his senior thesis at Goddard College. Many of these songs would make more frequent appearances in concert throughout the year. While this recording was never officially released, it is commonly traded throughout the community and many of the songs from this project, such as "Wilson", "AC/DC Bag", and "The Lizards", went on to become all-time Phish classics.
A wealth of original songs made their first known appearances in 1987, including "The Divided Sky", "Fee", "The Curtain With", "Harpua", "Flat Fee", "Big Black Furry Creature From Mars", "I Didn't Know", "The Man Who Stepped Into Yesterday", "Fuck Your Face", "Suzy Greenberg", "Dinner and a Movie", "The Sloth", and a quirky tune called "Punch Me in the Eye", which, while completely unrelated and only performed once, served as inspiration for "Punch You in the Eye" debuting two years later. Date(1987)CityCountryVenueJanuary 19BurlingtonUnited StatesHunt'sJanuary 21February 1Nectar'sFebruary 2February 7MonktonMad Maggie's FarmFebruary 13JohnsonJohnson State CollegeFebruary 21BurlingtonSlade HallMarch 6PlainfieldGoddard CollegeMarch 22BurlingtonNectar'sMarch 23April 24Billings LoungeApril 28Nectar'sApril 29May 10May 11May 12May 16PlainfieldHaybarn TheaterMay 20South BurlingtonThe RanchAugust 9BurlingtonNectar'sAugust 10August 21HebronIan McLean's FarmAugust 22VergennesVergennes DayAugust 29South BurlingtonThe RanchSeptember 2BurlingtonHunt'sSeptember 3September 4PlainfieldGoddard CollegeSeptember 19September 20BurlingtonNectar'sSeptember 21September 27CantonSt. Lawrence UniversityOctober 10ShelburneThe RanchOctober 14BurlingtonHunt'sOctober 18Nectar'sOctober 19October 23Cork'sOctober 24October 31PlainfieldSculpture RoomNovember 18BurlingtonHunt'sNovember 19November 21Nectar'sNovember 22November 23
1988 In 1988, Phish began touring outside of the Vermont area, performing concerts in New York, Colorado, Pennsylvania, Massachusetts, and other states throughout the year. In March, the band unveiled the first complete performance of The Man Who Stepped Into Yesterday. After seeing their March 12 concert, manager John Paluska booked Phish for a concert at Amherst College in Massachusetts at The Zoo co-op house at Amherst College. He would manage the band until their 2004 breakup.
Musically, Phish was concentrating on large-scale composition throughout most of 1988 (much of which appeared on their classic double album Junta), with multi-part suites and epics acting as centerpieces of the band's live setlists. Many of these extended pieces, including reworked older songs such as "You Enjoy Myself", "The Divided Sky" and "David Bowie", also featured lengthy improvisational excursions.
The band's original repertoire continued to grow, with complex pieces such as "Esther", "Foam", "The Lizards", "Colonel Forbin's Ascent", and "Fly Famous Mockingbird" making their debut along with future favorites "Tela", "Weekapaug Groove", "No Dogs Allowed", and "Contact."