Phish’s fall tour will kick off at Detroit’s Cobo Arena on November 18th. It will include three shows at New York City’s Madison Square Garden (December 2, 3 & 4) and conclude at John Paul Jones Arena in Charlottesville, VA on December 5th. An online ticket request period is currently underway at http://phish.portals.musictoday.com/. Tickets will go on sale to the general public on October 23rd and 24th. See below for a complete itinerary. For information on where to purchase tickets, visit http://www.phish.com/tourdates.

Festival 8, Phish’s eighth festival and its first ever on the West Coast, will take place on October 30, 31 and November 1 at the Empire Polo Club in Indio, CA. New details about the event continue to be unveiled at http://phish.com/festival8. Given Phish’s long-standing Halloween tradition of donning a “musical costume” and performing a classic album from another band, speculation is rampant as to which album the band will play during its “Halloween set,” scheduled for 7:30 p.m. on Saturday, October 31. Rolling Stone readers have shared their picks (http://www.rollingstone.com/rockdaily/index.php/2009/07/27/readers-rock-list-what-album-should-phish-cover-for-halloween/) and the band has begun to reveal which albums it won’t be playing. The process of elimination is underway at http://phish.com/festival8/halloween/index.html, where fans can view the gallery of contenders and watch as album covers are bludgeoned by an unseen slasher. Phish has promised to play “the last record left alive.”

In the first of three performances on Sunday, November 1, Phish will play its first-ever full-length acoustic set. Coffee and donuts will be served during this “breakfast” show. The band will give a total of eight performances during the three-day celebration, which also features on-site camping and numerous attractions and art installations. For ticket information and additional details about Festival 8, visit http://www.phish.com/festival8/.

In a four-star review, Rolling Stone called Phish’s latest record, Joy, “a genuinely great album” while The New York Times noted: “their pleasure at collaborating again comes through every song…‘Joy’ celebrates friendships, continuity and shared memories with quick-fingered glee.” Recorded with Steve Lillywhite, who produced the band’s Billy Breathes (1996) and albums by U2, Dave Matthews Band and the Rolling Stones, Joy was the first non-archival release on JEMP Records, an independent record label created in 2005 by the members of Phish. The label's initial function was to release live concerts in CD, DVD and digital formats from the band's extensive archives, which are located in Burlington, VT. 

Phish – comprising lead guitarist/vocalist Trey Anastasio, drummer Jon Fishman, bassist Mike Gordon and keyboardist Page McConnell – has released 11 studio albums as well as a series of 44 complete live concert CDs. Its series of 138 full concert downloads is currently available on livephish.com. 

IMPORTANT INFORMATION

The U.S. Bank Arena Boxoffice will be moved to the North Great American Ballpark Boxoffice for the 2 Phish performances. The Plaza level (where you enter the building) will not be accessible after 5:30pm both days unless you have a ticket in hand. If you have to pick up a ticket at will-call you must enter from the North Side of Great American Ballpark.