Let us Now Go unto MSG and See this thing which Phish has Made Known to Us

The venerable quest has begun, as a formerly weary traveler, newly refreshed thanks to a draught of caramel caffeine, departs one city on his way to another.

The journey, though, unlike adventures experienced, say, during the crusades, will be drab, colorless, without blood or beast or plunder.

But the prize, similar to the chalice -- the Holy Grail -- will, while not imbuing the pilgrim with eternal life, bring him undying splendor: New Year’s Eve with Phish at the newly renovated Madison Square Garden.

A jam-seeking hero etches himself into Phish lore.

Classic Trey

In light of the recent announcement that Trey will embark on an orchestral tour this winter, I thought it might be wise to present clips of the four symphonies he will perform with.

Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra

Colorado Symphony Orchestra

Atlanta Symphony Orchestra

Los Angeles Philharmonic

Bring Sunscreen, Maybe

The summer rumor mill has already begun spinning, albeit calmly. 

Phish is reportedly considering performing in June at the High Tide Music Festival in Ocean City,Md., according to The Dispatch. The festival, which the resort town approved in October, will take place Jun. 2 and Jun. 3.

Usually know for hosting its own festivities, Phish recently began headlining mainstream music and art festivals -- perhaps as an effort to appeal to a more varied fan base. Since its 2009 revival, the band has played at Bonnaroo, Austin City Limits and Outside Lands. 

Bringing in an act such as Phish, which boasts a mammoth following, is a sure way to boost local commerce. In the past, businesses have lauded the band for attracting fans willing to spend.

Phish had said that it planned to take some time off from touring after its New Year's Eve run at Madison Square Garden. But this latest bit of news points to a possible summer tour.

Moments in a Jar

As in life, there exist certain rites of passage within the Phish community.

Your First Show

Here, you experience what made the band a success -- what your Phish friends have persistently told you from the onset: "You have to see this band live, man."

No matter during summer, winter or fall tour, no matter at Madison Square Garden, Hampton Coliseum or Red Rocks Amphitheater, regardless of song selection, dancing space or drug availability, regardless of crowd energy, police temperament or hippie presence, this show will act as a point of comparison for every other, whether you see five more or 100 more.

Your First Festival

It's your twenty-first birthday, your learner's permit, your first kiss. It's camping with 30,000 to 70,000 of your best friends. It's two to three days of Phish, of Trey's machine-gun solos, Mike's bombs, Page's funky missiles and Jon's strategic back beat.

After your first Phish festival, all other music festivals -- Bonnaroo, Coachella, Wormtown -- will feel terribly stale.

Your First New Year's Eve

Historically, December 31 has brought consistently epic Phish performances. In 1999, in the midst of the Y2K scare, Phish played from midnight to sunrise in front of 85,000 people -- the largest gathering that New Year's night. 

Your First Halloween Show

No other band, past or present, does Halloween quite like Phish. Donning a musical costume, the quartet becomes, for one memorable set, another band. 

In 2009, Phish covered "Exile on Main Street" by the Rolling Stones.

Rolling Stone Publishes Fresh, but Flawed List of Guitar Greats

The upcoming issue of Rolling Stone magazine is all about fiery solos, dreamy melodies and powerful riffs, as it features a revamped list of the 100 Greatest Guitarists of All Time.

Along with members of its staff, Rolling Stone invited a host of lauded guitarists, including Phish front man Trey Anastasio, to pick their favorite ax masters.

Jimi Hendrix, Eric Clapton, Jimmy Page, Kieth Richards and Jeff Back top the list. But from there, some of the rankings and selections come across as, at best, questionable and, at worst, ludicrous. 

Notably missing from the list of lick kings was Anastasio himself, who ranked 73rd on David Fricke's 2003 version. (At the time, Fricke was a senior editor for the magazine.)

Being that he was a part of the panel who compiled the list, Anastasio's absence could be explained as a mere conflict of interest -- though that did not seem to keep Eddie Van Halen (No. 8), Derek Trucks (No. 16) or Tom Morello (No. 40), all of whom given a vote, off it. 

As expected, Phish fans showed up to express their outrage at Anastasio not making the cut. They were not the only sect to find flaws in the list, however, as others wondered why the panel left out or poorly ranked their favorite guitarists.

Yet one should never view these lists -- though supremely entertaining -- as without flaw or set in stone. In some ways, it's fruitless for a publication to even compile one; people will always find reason to gripe about where their favorite musician ends up.

In dealing with such lists, then, the best course is to let fans -- not artists and certainly not editors, reporters or critics -- decide the rankings.

So, to this end, I welcome you to post your list of guitar gods in the comments section below. Go crazy.

Time Flies When You're Dancing

If you have some free time tonight, head over to Hidden Track and check out Dave Onigman's list of the ten noteworthy changes in Phish -- the community and the scene -- since the 2000 release of Bittersweet Motel.

Much has changed.

$22 a ticket? Unbelievable. Now, $22 will buy you only a domestic beer and a soggy hot dog at the venue. 

And, today, the band is completely sober -- a fact Seth Schiesel eloquently noted in his review of Super Ball IX for The New York Times. 

Thankfully, for its members and its fans, Phish has reduced the torrent of drug abuse that derailed it in 2004 to a gentle, invisible mist. 

The Grateful Dead comparisons no longer phase the band as much, though it's amazing that such remarks ever did. 

Attendance has dropped markedly. Just 40,000 traveled to Super Ball IX compared to the 70,000 at Great Went. This comes as no surprise, of course, given the economy and the rise in ticket prices.

Who knows what could change in the next 13 years. 

Maybe the Occupy Wall Street movement will succeed, abolishing student loans and overpriced tickets. Maybe the band will tour the Middle East or return to Asia. Maybe the jam scene will somehow find its way into mainstream media.

Then again, nothing could change. And that wouldn't be such a bad thing. 

Remembrance: Trey Anastasio at Carnegie Hall

Recently, an exceptional clip of Trey Anastasio's 2009 performance with the New York Philharmonic popped up on YEMBlog. The event marked Anastasio's second performance with an orchestra -- his first was with Orchestra Nashville in 2008. 



It features the Phish song "You Enjoy Myself" in its entirety -- a track the classically trained guitarist actually penned with an orchestra in mind. 

Admittedly, the sight of Anastasio in the prestigious Carnegie Hall rather than a smoky arena, wearing a neatly pressed suit instead of a casual flannel, can be quite jarring. 

But as soon as he begins to play, the shock melts away, with the dynamic orchestra providing a perfect backdrop for his delicate patterns. 

And when hoots and howls fill the typically timid opera hall as the song hits its peak, you can't help but smile.

Phish's music has always been about taking risks. For Anastasio, arguably the band's anchor, that means making sure his notes never grow mold.

This performance highlighted Anastasio's willingness to leap musical hurdles, blending genres with the hope of forming something new. 

Here's hoping he puts on the suit again sometime soon.