Posted on: December 4, 2009 Posted by: anfnewsacct Comments: 0

Phish willcap off an extraordinary 2009 – which included its first performances in over four years and the release of Joy, which Rolling Stone hailed as “a genuinely great album” – with four consecutive shows at American Airlines Arena in Miami on December 28th, 29th, 30th and 31s. Phish will perform three sets on the 31st, celebrating its first New Year’s Eve show since the band’s concert at the same venue in 2003. The group also rang in 2000 in Florida – Phish’s Big Cypress show was the largest paid concert in the world on the eve of the millennium.

An online ticket request period is currently underway for the Miami shows at http://phish.portals.musictoday.com/ and will end on Sunday, November 15th, at 11:59 p.m. EST. Tickets will go on sale to the general public on Saturday, November 21st, at 10:00 a.m. EST. They can be purchased online at http://www.ticketmaster.com or charged by phone at 800.745.3000. Tickets will also be available at the American Airlines Arena box office and TicketMaster outlets.

More than 40,000 fans turned out recently for Festival 8, held at the Empire Polo Club in Indio, CA. Phish played eight sets over the course of the three-day event, which was the band’s eighth festival and its first ever on the West Coast. Midway through the festivities, Phish revived its Halloween tradition of covering a classic album by another band, this time narrowing a selection of 99 records down to Exile on Main St., the Rolling Stones’ seminal 1972 double album.

Spin.com noted: “the main event was undeniably Exile, much of which Anastasio, embodying a bit of that Jagger swagger, and crew — bassist Mike Gordon, keyboardist Page McConnell, and drummer Jon Fishman — executed faithfully.” Observed rollingstone.com: “the Vermont foursome rollicked in Exile’s swamp blues and roadhouse country, extending several songs with their own jams, highlighted by a spacey interlude between ‘Ventilator Blues’ into the gospel-esque ‘I Just Want to See His Face.’ Special guests Sharon Jones and three horn players (one, trumpeter David Guy is a Dap King) added their own flourishes (horns to ‘Sweet Black Angel’), and each band member took lead vocal turns.”

A very limited number of tickets are still available for Phish’sfall tour, which kicks off at Detroit’s Cobo Arena on November 18th and includes three sold-out shows at New York City’s Madison Square Garden (December 2nd, 3rd and 4th). For details, see the itinerary below and visit http://phish.portals.musictoday.com/.

Phishhas released 11 studio albums as well as a series of 44 complete live concert CDs. Its series of 141 full concert downloads is currently available on livephish.com. Joy, its latest studio album, was recorded with Steve Lillywhite, who produced the band’s Billy Breathes (1996) and albums by U2, Dave Matthews Band and the Rolling Stones. It was the first non-archival release on JEMP Records,an independent record label created by the band in 2005. The label’s initial function was to release live concerts in CD, DVD and digital formats from Phish’s extensive archives, which are located in Burlington, VT.

PHISH TOUR DATES

Date City/State Venue Ticket Availability

12/4 New York, NY Madison Square Garden SOLD OUT

12/5 Charlottesville, VA John Paul Jones Arena SOLD OUT

12/28 Miami, FL American Airlines Arena online ticket request period underway

12/29 Miami, FL American Airlines Arena online ticket request period underway

12/30 Miami, FL American Airlines Arena online ticket request period underway

12/31 Miami, FL American Airlines Arena online ticket request period underway

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