In a very candid article written for Relix, Tom Marshall gave a glimpse into his song writing process, the early days of his musical collaboration with Trey, and their most recent song, “Backwards Down the Number Line.”  It is a piece that oozes sincerity and its ending brought a huge ray of hope.  Tom wrote, “And we are now at the beginning of another era in Phish music. Congratulations Phish and welcome back, and may humor guide you as it always has—and keep you firmly on the number line.” After writing a nostalgic memoir about their past, Tom seems hopeful for Phish’s future.  “Welcome back!” he wrote.  Coming from Trey’s best friend, and someone in the Phish family, that is a resounding statement.  It sounds like they are here to stay.

This article will only further fan the fire of excitement and energy that continues to build around Phish’s return to our lives.  One can’t help but feel that this time it is for real.  If the “post-hiatus” period was a bit forced, this go-round seems so right.  Hearts are in the right place, and with every fan having grown in one direction or another over the last five years, this comeback is something more than musical.  It is a comeback of a vibrant and creative community, one who grew up with Phish; people who are in a different stage of their lives and are diving back to their bliss with a fresh and renewed fervor.  How many thirty-somethings get this pumped for any other rock concert?  Not to mention the elder statesmen of the scene.

Phish was not a passing phase in our lives, it is a constant.  Whether or not they are touring, together or disbanded, Phish is that force that lives inside us, filling us with courage, motivation, and inspiration.  Those crunchy grooves and infectious melodies do not go in one ear and out the other.  Nope.  Somewhere inside they adhere to our beings, consciously or subconsciously, helping comprise and define who we are.  As abstract as that may sound, it is one of my personal truths.

As we embark on our return to Phish, we are also on embarking on a return to ourselves.  After all is said and done, when the last joint is extinguished and the last beer finished, Phish is a personal journey.  Yet, one of the greatest aspects of this quest of self-discovery is that we share it with so many friends traveling similar paths.  Never has their been an experience so rooted in the self and experienced so communally.  Expressed through the Phish community, this dynamic is what keeps us coming back, and its starting all over again.  Welcome backwards down the number line.

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SUMMER ’09 RUMOR MILL: Today is supposed to be a day of big Phish announcements! If they aren’t on phish.com/tourdates already, expect to see at least shows at MSG and Jones Beach in June announced today.  (They are rumored to be going up around 4 am EST.)  How many?  I don’t know, but I can’t imagine Phish giving The Garden any less love than Hampton.  If I had to call it, I would say three at MSG and two at Jones Beach, but hey– what do I know?  Also, the rumored Alpine Valley dates of June 26-27th have caused such a feeding frenzy that the Alpine Valley Hotel had 95 of 120 rooms booked as of yesterday afternoon for these dates.  In related news, yesterday a sky writer in Santa Monica, CA scribed “Phish Summer Tour 2009″ in the sky!  Check it out here, and thanks to HaniHood for the pictures!  It is all coming together.

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ROSS COMPRESSOR UPDATE:

Trey got the pedal from Tom and had a hilarious handwritten response for “People For A Compressed Trey,” a group of fans from Phantasy Tour who got Trey the Ross because he “no longer knew where his was.”  Here’s what Tom posted to PT:

“It couldn’t have gone better! Trey loves it, and he will use it. He was extremely appreciative as you can see by his note!
He said: “people would be hard-pressed to find an equivalent story in music history” He is excited and happy that people actually noticed the missing Ross, and is putting it back in his rig!“

See the pictures below and Thank You note below!

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DOWNLOAD OF THE DAY:

11.29.98 The Centrum, Worcester, MA < LINK

After honoring a massive tour opener yesterday, let’s tip our hat to one of the best tour closers.  Punctuating the final night of a three night run, this Sunday show put an exclamation point at the end of Fall ’98.  In a 90 minute second set, Phish gave every selection the “full treatment,” highlighted by a “Simple” best fit for an insane asylum and huge farewell versions of “Bathtub Gin” and YEM.  A long first set featured the bizarre “Limb > Catapult > Kung > Maze” segment and a guest sit in by Burlington blues guitarist Seth Yacavone.

I: Paul and Silas*, Axilla (I), Theme from the Bottom, Sparkle, Horn, Limb by Limb > Catapult > Kung > Maze, All The Pain Through The Years# > Layla##

II: Roses are Free > Simple, Makisupa Policeman, Possum > Wipe Out > Possum, Bathtub Gin, You Enjoy Myself

E: Roggae, Hello My Baby

*With alternate lyrics dealing with an incident between Paul Languedoc and the Worcester police  #First time played (Seth Yacovone Blues Band cover) with Seth Yacovone on vocals ##First time played (Derek and the Dominoes/Eric Clapton cover) w/ Seth Yacovone on guitar; Page on vocals.