Phish

Phish was an American band noted for its technical prowess and live performances, particularly its extended jams and improvisation. Its four members performed together for 21 years and parted ways in 2004. They were one of the most successful live bands in American history. Without radio play or MTV exposure, Phish developed a large following simply by word of mouth. For several consecutive years, they were consistently ranked as one of music's top grossing concert acts, and were a commercial and cultural phenomenon, complete with their own flavor of Ben and Jerry's ice cream and an appearance on The Simpsons. After only The Beatles and Bob Dylan, Phish were the third rock band to have an Internet newsgroup, The Phish Net, which was launched in 1991.

Related Topics:
American - 2004 - Radio - MTV - Word of mouth - Ben and Jerry's - The Simpsons - The Beatles - Bob Dylan - Newsgroup

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Phish's performances drew on almost every genre of music, from jazz, bluegrass, country, heavy metal, hard rock, reggae, folk, punk, ska, pop, blues, showtunes, classical, acoustic, progressive, and calypso, just to name a few. Most of their songs were written by guitarist Trey Anastasio and his friend, lyricist Tom Marshall.

Related Topics:
Jazz - Bluegrass - Country - Heavy metal - Hard rock - Reggae - Folk - Punk - Ska - Pop - Blues - Showtunes - Classical - Acoustic - Progressive - Calypso - Trey Anastasio - Tom Marshall

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During their entire 21 year career, Phish never repeated the same concert setlist twice. Every single show was different, and every version of each song was played differently than other versions. Often compared to a baseball game, Phish fans knew every show would be unique, so they would attend multiple nights on each tour, yet they would never hear the same song twice.

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Phish concerts generally featured two, approximately 90-minute sets of music usually with no opening band. Many fans brought taping equipment to record the concerts, a practice endorsed and even encouraged by the band. These recordings are traded with other fans through the mail or over the Internet. Concert recordings are highly sought after since the majority of Phish's songs are not featured on their albums, and the live context allowed for endlessly varied and extended jamming.

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