UVM Alums Phish Return Less Than Five Years After Their Farewell Show at Coventry

Tracy O'Neill 10/01/2008

Okay, so we all knew it was going to happen one of these days, and today it’s been announced that perpetually popular college band Phish, which originally formed at the University of Vermont, is returning. In 2004, the band announced that they were dissolving, with a farewell show played in Coventry, Vermont, but as we all know, farewell shows tend to simply imply a longish vacation, often with members giving a go at individual projects.

Lead singer Trey Anastasio’s solo endeavors were no doubt a disappointment, though one wonders how Anastasio could have expected positive responses to his songs, when their lyrics resembled something produced by the slow track kids in a kindergarten. Take, for example, “Let Me Lie,” in which Anastasio sings, “Gonna take my bike out. Gonna take my bike. Gonna ride it slowly. Gonna ride just how I like” over and over and over again autistically. It seems best for Anastasio to stick what he does best— Phish.

According to jam band authority Relix:

Phish will reunite for a series of shows this March. As of press time, the quartet's first full performances since 2004 will take place at Hampton, VA's Hampton Coliseum on March 6, 7 and 8, 2009. Earlier this month the band also played a surprise three-song set at the wedding of longtime road manager Brad Sands. The group is expected to announce a handful of additional dates in the near future

Rumors of a Phish reunion have reached new heights in recent months after the four musicians accepted a lifetime achievement award at New York's Theatre at Madison Square Garden last May. Since that time the players have appeared onstage in a number of different configurations, most recently when Mike Gordon sat in with Page McConnell at South Burlington, VT's Higher Ground this past Saturday. Trey Anastasio has also tested out a number of new possible Phish songs onstage, most notably his co-compositions with longtime lyricist Tom Marshall "Alaska" and "Backwards Down the Number Line."

With their rabidly enthusiastic fans, Phish will no doubt draw great audiences this spring. The question now is whether Phish will be able to mobilize a new youth following after an almost five year sabbatical. Lucky for them, most college kids will always love getting a little wasted and listening to repetitive music.