Illinois Enema Bandit

http://phish.com/news/index.php?year=2004

AN ANNOUNCEMENT FROM TREY 05.25.04
Last Friday night, I got together with Mike, Page and Fish to talk openly about the strong feelings I've been having that Phish has run its course and that we should end it now while it's still on a high note. Once we started talking, it quickly became apparent that the other guys' feelings, while not all the same as mine, were similar in many ways -- most importantly, that we all love and respect Phish and the Phish audience far too much to stand by and allow it to drag on beyond the point of vibrancy and health. We don't want to become caricatures of ourselves, or worse yet, a nostalgia act. By the end of the meeting, we realized that after almost twenty-one years together we were faced with the opportunity to graciously step away in unison, as a group, united in our friendship and our feelings of gratitude.

So Coventry will be the final Phish show. We are proud and thrilled that it will be in our home state of Vermont. We're also excited for the June and August shows, our last tour together. For the sake of clarity, I should say that this is not like the hiatus, which was our last attempt to revitalize ourselves. We're done. It's been an amazing and incredible journey. We thank you all for the love and support that you've shown us.

-- Trey Anastasio

j123vt_99

didn't they do this once before?

deadlax

guess they actually listened to "the connection."

Gdrlv

I'm trying to think of a way to respond to this statement without getting myself banned. I'm at a loss.

I'm pretty torn up right now to be honest. Not sure how I'm gonna finish the work day. It's pretty sad, I know. They're only a band, and I listen to 'em far less now than I used to. They mean more to me than any other band I've ever heard though. Nothing for me can recreate the magic that Phish creates on stage. Guess I'll be going to Coventry this year after all...

deadlax

i WAS as big a phish fan as they make (circa 1996-98) but I have no love or care for what the band has become.i don't force myself to love or respect anyone, bands need to earn that. And Phish did, but their 100% increase in ticket prices, 50% shorter shows, and crappier mail-it-in songwriting alienated me as a fan. I can hardly call this surprising, and their legacy will beforever tarnished for coming back off hiatus. They could have been remembered as one of the greatest ever if they quit after big cypress, but their comeback is going to make them out to be "Average Joe's" in rock and roll history.

Flame ME all you want, I don't want anyone getting banned for their responses to these comments.

Gdrlv

Deadlax - I'm going to apologize for my previous statement about you. I wrote that about 45 seconds after reading the announcement of the breakup, and you just sounded unnecessarily snide about the whole thing. However, I do disagree with your impression of Phish '03 and '04. I really thought the band was revitalized, and I don't think the songwriting was phoned in. To the contrary, I think "Seven Below," "Pebbles & Marbles," "Scents & Subtle Sounds" and "A Song I Heard the Ocean Sing" are among the strongest stuff they've written in years...a return the the "Harry Hood"/"Antelope" songwriting style. They were certainly more inspired in '03 than they were in 1999 or 2000.

I do agree...the ticket price increase sucked, but that was more the concert industry's fault than Phish's. I read an article last year talking about how Phish was a cheap ticket at only $45.

I'm sorry you lost your love for the band, but this announcement came at a time when I thought they were feeling revitalized...

deadlax

scents is a good song. as was walls of the cave. the other 15 songs i've heard post hiatus have no musical hook for me. I don't hold high hopes for the other 9 or so songs on undermind. i haven't bought an album of their since story of the ghost, and did not evne purchase hampton comes alive after being front row floor at both shows.

Bust

I saw my first Phish show in '97 and my 17th show last month in Vegas. I feel I missed the peak years '94-'97, but I feel really sorry for you if you missed out on some of the magic those guys made last year. The NYE '02 show, although sloppy, was unforgettable. I was lucky enough to be at the Feb Nassau show AND Star Lake last year. I had fun at IT, but wouldn't even be considering going to Coventry if it weren't going to be their last show.

The Thanksgiving run was fun, the highlight being in Albany with Jeff back. Talk about a magical moment. Missed all the NYE shows in Miami, but hit all three Vegas shows.

For the record, although saddened that either Camden or Coventry will be my last Phish shows ever, I happen to agree with their decision. While they could still put on the best show on the planet, it was too inconsistent. I saw moe. play after Phish two of the three nights in Vegas, and those guys are just on another level right now as far as musical cohesiveness.

Phish doens't play enough to ever get back to what they were. Too much time spent doing other things, like going to Africa with Dave Matthews instead of practicing and perfecting for the Vegas shows. If Trey would rather be doing those other things, then so be it.

This has all been wonderful, but now they're on their way.

Gdrlv

One thing that kind of struck me...the announcement is not from the band. It's from Trey. He even makes it clear that not all the band members felt the way he does. It makes it sound as though it was his decision to end the band, not Page's, Mike's or Fish's. Granted, there is no Phish without Trey. It makes it a bit frustrating though that 3 of them might have wanted to continue...

deadlax

i think they could EASILY continue without him, and maybe bust into their old song catalogue. there is a whole young generation of guitarists tht have grown up emulating trey. pull one in, or pull someone in, and you've got a new band. and they should continue to call themselves Phish, trey was never the "leader" of the band that i lvoed, and when he became the frontman, the band took a nosedive into SUCK.

Icculus

The whole deal is that they're not just a band, they're friends. I remember reading a quote from someone (probably Trey because he's the most vocal) saying that if one person didn't want in then they would all quit. Yeah, they could come back without Trey but it just wouldn't be the same... Part of the reason I enjoy seeing them so much is that you can tell they are always having a good time on stage - once they're not having a good time and doing something they love it wouldn't be nearly as fun.

Bust

cut and pasted from Phantasy Tour, which was cut and pasted from rec.music.phish:

"Hours and days and months and years and whole lives are devoted to getting there. Getting a hold of tickets, pissing off bosses, boyfriends, girlfriends, because you decided to just do the whole 4 night run...Flat tires, absurd parking rates, running out of gas, it seeemed like one thing after another. Then waiting in line, having big angry mustached guys pat you down looking for something that you and your friends have always thought should be legal anyway...Then inside, the line for the bathroom, water bottles, beers, posters, t-shirts, cd-s, the chance to win backstage from Waterwheel...Finally the seats are found, sweatshirts are removed, cigarettes are lit and you wait. You wai, and you wait, and you wait some more. Idle talk about nonsense, you check your watch every 5 seconds. What time'd they come on last night? How bout last time at this venue? What'd they open with last night? Keep waiting...and then...

The lights go down. You feel and hear the thunderous energy and sound of thousands all unable to contain themselves. IN the corner of your eye a thousand lighters spark together at the same time. The lights go down and suddenly anything is possible. Suddenly your on the edge of something amazing and wondrous. When the lights go down, you feel ALIVE. For that split second, you feel more alive than ever before. Your ready and waiting for ANYTHING and you're just so happy to be alive.

So they gave me that. And even though today I feel like someone punched a hole in my soul, without Phish I don't think I'd even know that I had a soul...At least not to this extent.

Thanks.

-A.F."

j123vt_99

that quote could apply to ANY band that someone has a passion for... I bet teenage girls going to see Britney Spears feel exactly the same way

Bust

Keep telling yourself that. I'm sure lot's of people drop everything going on in their lives to see 25 Britney shows in a row.

deadlax

it's rarely ever the music (most music is good in a drug induced haze) that brings phish fans together. it is the friends they have met over the years. the music might be the reason they started going, but it is rarely the reason they've seen 100+ shows, and probably hardly ever sober to remember most of them.

it's just a band, which is why these people will move on to the next big thing, and fade away just like the deadheads did in 95.

Gdrlv

I'm thinking about Coventry, but if I don't go, I think it's kind of fitting that the last moment of live Phish that I witnessed was Trey, Mike and Fish walking off stage in Vegas to let Page play a beautiful piano solo by himself after "Squirming Coil".

I've always loved "Coil" encores...perfect way to end a show and a perfect way to end a major chapter of my life.

Thank you for everything, Phish.

Bust

Generalize much?

I rarely see the same friends I've made from show to show. I go for the music. And I'm not even close to the only one.

grunter

It's 10:00 p.m. CST.

I just heard.

And I have no words.

Hiro11

I'm not the biggest fan, but the live Bathtub Gin on their four disk boxset is insanely good. I can see how people would like them. It was kind of comforting knowing that these genial Vermonters were still around, but they have to move on, I guess.

mkdevo

what a way to go out.. if i'm counting correctly, i think my last show will be #100.

ordered my VT tix yesterday. that was a no-brainer.. looks like i know when i'll be taking my vacation..

still hasn't really sunk in, and i don't think it will for a while.. i've been kicking around a lot of thoughts about the whole thing, going back and forth on how i feel about it..

i always pictured myself 'growing old' with phish - going to shows well into my 30's and whatnot.. part of me wants to call trey a big liar, for telling us they were taking a break after 17 years, and wanted to come back for another 17.. part of me thinks that this has nothing to do with the state of the music - that maybe the whole kuroda/rehab thing has something to do with it.. maybe that was a wake up call. maybe they feel like they can't go on because they fear that one of them will end up dead if they keep going the way they're going. i don't know. none of us do, and we probably never will. all i know is that the band i can probably call my 'favorite' will cease to exist in a couple months, and that sucks. since 11/26/97, i've seen a lot of the country, made a lot of new friends, and had some of the best times of my life because of these guys, and i'll never forget it. thanks, phish. it's been fun.

Drive-In Nut

I dont know whether to laugh or cry......no, wait a minute..I cant stop laughing.

briank

I've seen them about 8 times over the years but haven't seen a show in years.
I'll probably go to the SPAC (Saratoga, NY) shows since this is the last tour.

Johnny Zhivago

I pulled the plug on Phish at some point in 99' and I had been feeling it for about a year prior to that... The shows were waaaay too inconsistent by that point and it was just starting to become a drag for me.

That said, I haven't seen a show since 99', so they may have gotten it together again... But, I did get the general vibe that they were - still - far too inconsistent for me (personally) to spend my time, money (ticket prices doubling? crazy) and effort on. Like you say, moe. are just insanely tight right now and far more entertaining - for me - than Phish had been in the better part of a decade...

But, I will always remember the summer shows at Deer Creek in the mid to late 90's... Nothing but good times. Oh, and they were laying down some great jams as well... For that, I thank them...

deadlax

In the spirit of remembrance. Only songs you had the pleasure of seeing live.

7/4/99 Slave
11/22/97 Hood
10/23/96 Antelope
8/7/98 Terrapin

briank

The Beatles White Album