Fans get their wish with return of Phish

Spencer Patterson

Thursday, Feb. 13, 2003 | 8:25 a.m.

First they were joined by Elvis impersonators descending on the stage to jam with guest musicians Les Claypool and Larry LaLonde of Primus.

Then they gave us a Halloween treat, serving up a complete rendition of the Velvet Underground album, "Loaded."

Last time around they surprised fans with a special visit by rapper Kid Rock, who stayed with the band for a series of covers by the likes of AC/DC, Aerosmith and Grand Funk Railroad.

So what does Phish have in store for Las Vegans in their long-awaited return to town this weekend? If you don't already have tickets, you likely won't find out until the shows -- Saturday and Sunday nights at 7:30 at the Thomas & Mack Center -- have let out.

The two concerts, the Vermont jam band's sixth and seventh shows since returning from a two-year hiatus, sold out within 75 minutes of going on sale in December.

After concluding its last tour on Oct. 7, 2000, in Mountain View, Calif., the four members of Phish disbanded. Each pursued solo projects, with guitarist Trey Anastasio and drummer Jon Fishman both bringing bands to Las Vegas last year.

Phish returned to the stage New Year's Eve at New York's Madison Square Garden, then played a three-show run in Hampton, Va., in early January. A 12-date winter minitour begins Friday night in Inglewood, Calif., before arriving in Southern Nevada.

Who: Phish.

Where: Thomas & Mack Center.

When: Saturday and Sunday, 7:30 p.m.

Tickets: Sold out.

Opening act: None.

Personnel: Trey Anastasio (guitar, vocals), Mike Gordon (bass, vocals), Page McConnell (piano, vocals), Jon Fishman (drums, vocals).

Latest release: "Round Room" (Elektra, 2002).

Album feedback: "There are five extended adventures on 'Round Room,' and while they're each unique compositionally, all of them are compelling for the same reason: These guys are actually listening and responding to one another." (Rolling Stone, 3 stars); "It is intermittently fascinating, particularly because this is as unvarnished as any album by a major artist, but instead of revealing a new side of Phish, it just sounds incomplete." (allmusic.com, 2 1/2 stars).

Essential releases: "Junta" (1989); "Lawn Boy" (1990); "A Picture of Nectar" (1992); "Rift" (1993); "The Story of the Ghost" (1998); "Live Phish Vol. 2" (2001); "Live Phish Vol. 16" (2002).

What to expect: After a three-set extravaganza on New Year's Eve, the band returned to its familiar two sets and an encore format for its three shows in Hampton, Va. The concerts featured a sprinkling of new tunes from "Round Room," along with plenty of old favorites. As always, look for Phish to alter its set list dramatically from one night to the next, with repeat songs unlikely.

Recent set list: Jan. 4, Hampton Coliseum, Hampton, Va.: Set 1: "Llama," "Boogie on Reggae Woman," "Roggae," "Maze," "Anything But Me," "Ya Mar," "Saw it Again," "Bouncing Around the Room," "Split Open & Melt." Set 2: "Rock and Roll," "Mike's Song," "Mountains in the Mist," "Weekapaug Groove," "What's the Use," "Down With Disease," "Fast Enough for You," "Also Sprach Zarathustra." Encore: "Friday." (from phish.net).

Tour feedback: "Sounding no worse for the wear despite the layoff, the group flaunted its super tight interplay right off the bat via the wildly disparate sections of 'Guyute' (the first was jaunty and gentile, the second as complex as a calculus problem)." (billboard.com); "(Anastasio) was a guitar god of gods, displaying a thoroughbred's speed, a jazzman's craft, a bluegrasser's intricacy and a rocker's fire." (The Boston Globe).

Previous Las Vegas appearances: Dec. 6, 1996 (Aladdin); Nov. 13, 1997 (T&M); Oct. 30, 1998 (T&M); Oct. 31, 1998 (T&M); Sept. 29, 2000 (T&M); Sept. 30, 2000 (T&M).

Says Fishman: "We've got a contract with Elektra that we need to get out of. We owe them two albums ... and, personally, I would love to put out two just to get out of that contract. I want them to be good, but we have a bunch of new material that I'm really excited about, and there's no reason why we can't get two really good albums out in short order and get out from under that rock." (Las Vegas Sun interview, October 2002).