I began receiving extremely positive feedback, via text, during PHISH‘s recent 4-night run at Red Rocks amphitheater in Morrisson, Co.  People like our writer Memes, who I expect  more critical,  were sending me comments with such claims as “Best shows I’ve seen in 10 years“.  These feelings and viewpoints were infectious, if not unanimous, and continued to grow until Sunday nights tour ender in Saratoga Springs, NY.

For those who aren’t completely up to date or knowledgeable about the tour or PHISH as a whole, I’ll take a brief moment to break a couple of simple things down for you.  The current reformation of the band is commonly being referred to as 3.0.  The group took a 26-month hiatus, which ran from their 10/07/00 Shoreline Amphitheater show to their return  at the MSG New Years show on 12/31/02.  That is, of course, unless you count their SNL and Letterman appearances or random wedding they played between that period.  A little less than 2 years later, PHISH announced what they were claiming to be an official and permanent breakup.   They played their “final” performances on August 14-15 at their festival in Coventry, Vt.  The muddy 2-day gathering was the last of their performances, as the 4-piece known as PHISH, until this year’s 3 day Hampton show run/reunion.  That is , of course, unless you count the quartet sitting in at yet another wedding 11 month‘s ago; this time for their former tour manager Brad Sands.

I was at both of the pre-hiatus final shows and, each time, they really did feel like it might be time for the boys to hang things up for a while.  Many of the fans who were able to hit the really early 90s performances might even tell you that PHISH peaked mid 90s and that everything after 1995 was downhill anyway.  This latest return, however, is already making people think twice about the views that they may have previously settled on with PHISH.  The second leg shows of their Summer tour have gathered an increased momentum for the band as well as their fans, and the reviews coming through are amazing.  I was able to catch both performances at the Gorge Amphitheater, last week, and each night was genuinely mind blowing.  I had no plans to photograph the shows or review them, because I wanted to focus on enjoying myself, but they’ve been hard not to mention since experiencing.  These were the types of performances that, while you’re in the middle of them, you can feel that something is happening which will be referenced for years to come, by those in that circle.  I’m not sure that I’ve felt something like that at a PHISH show since 7-11-00 at Deer Creek.  It was a feeling of knowing that you were witnessing something huge; something that people wait for.  I stood next to one of the most critical PHISH fans that I’ve ever known, while he raged with excitement and claims that they were finally “back“.  Forums like Phantasytour.com, who’s members will shit on anything, did not contain one negative comment in reference to these Gorge shows at all.  This is surprising, since these are the types of sites that are likely to have members urge you to “kill yourself“, after a simple introduction.  It’s true that the Gorge held possibly the best shows of the tour, but it’s more than that; there is a new faith and resurgence behind the fanbase, which is difficult to ignore. Read the rest of this entry →