For any Phish fan, the question they undoubtedly are asked time after time is some variation of “You’re going to see them again?” or “Don’t they play the same stuff?” or “Aren’t you sick of them by now?” While the polite reply may be to smirk whilst trying to gently explain that the band is always spontaneous and unpredictable, and never plays the same thing twice, you are probably thinking that this person is simply missing out on the ride of lifetime. Now, I am not trying to slam any non-Phish fan, but wanted to take a closer look into why we continuously do what we do and how the band manages to keep reeling us in and keeping things fresh after nearly 30 years.

For a prime example of what I am talking about, we don’t need to look back any further than the past week of the band. Playing their first-ever Labor Day weekend shows in Colorful Colorado, Phish had returned to a state that was the first to embrace their zany antics outside of their home roots of New England. In the first of three shows to cap off a remarkable summer tour split into two legs, the band reeled off a 26-song, two set performance of all songs that began with the letter “S.” Now, on the surface, this may seem inconsequential, but to in the geeky, stat-obsessed fan kingdom of Phish fans, this is something that was never done, in its entirety -ever. Such a simple idea managed to show fans–old and new–that the band still had their typical tongue-in-cheek humor well in check.

Also of note of the “S” show was the speculation that surrounded it. Longtime fan, and Green Crew member (Phish’s arm of the organization that cleans up trash after every show they play made up entirely of fans) Scott Ian Nowak, passed away not a week earlier. Many speculated that the show was an honor for him, but was never “officially” confirmed by the band. Others claim the prank was discussed weeks earlier. Even though officially the show may not have been in honor of Nowak, if thinking it was brings his friends and family some much needed comfort, then who cares whether it was the band’s intention or not. The point still remains that they had pulled off something fresh and exciting – just another in the million reasons why so many of us continue to flock to this band over and over again. (And on a side note, even if the “S” show itself was not dedicated to Nowak, I would like this week’s article to be. While I didn’t know him well, he was a familiar face at shows over the years, and in some way we are all family in our Phishy way. May the divided sky guide you home, Scott).

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In the subsequent two shows the band played this weekend, they also managed to offer a few other snippets as to why fans flock back. I think the idea for this column came to me as I was lounging on a friend’s couch, watching the official webcast from livephish.com of the shows. During one of their classic tunes, Tweezer, the band effortlessly slid into a sublime groove that the song had never ventured into before. It was a hallmark version to behold and witness, whether in person or via webcast. It was a moment–a moment that we, the fans AND the band leading the way–KNEW was happening at that exact instant. It was the reason we journey and repeat the process over and over: for a moment of clarity and transcendence like this one. A moment where a song you have hear a thousand times breathes new life and takes on a shape and beauty never before noticed. In essence, purity and one of the defining reasons us fans are continuously caught hook, line and sinker.

In addition to the musical antics that the band provides which keeps each of us returning show after show and tour after tour, there is also the simple, downright fact that they are good guys. Yesterday, the band announced that they will be playing a benefit concert in Essex Junction, VT on September 14, just outside Burlington where they were spawned in 1983. It not only shows that the band remembers where they came from, but also provides a much needed boost to a recently flood-ravaged state in the wake of Hurricane Irene. It also marks the first show in Vermont for Phish since their debacle of Coventry in 2004, and the nearest show to the Burlington mecca in quite some time longer. It’s just another way of Phish pulling out another stop when you least expect it.

No matter what your stance on Phish is, there is no denying that their approach to their craft is second-to-none and through constant vision, reinvention and careful thought and sometimes ambiguity, along with a zany sense of humor, with a not-too-serious and fresh perspective and they continue to keep the masses migrating with an insatiable thirst for more.

Brian Bavosa

Brian Bavosa is one of Hidden Track's Featured Columnists and contributes bi-weekly in Postcards From Page Side. He also cut his teeth working at Rolling Stone, being JamBase's main, Northeast correspondent since 2005 and writes for Relix, Jambands.com, Surrender to the Flow, and is also an Artist Relations rep for HeadCount. When he's not being a musical scribe & superhero, he is the VP of Recruiting & Sales at a major, Wall Street staffing firm and can still be found somewhere on Page Side at just about every Phish show.

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