Phish Serves Up Spicy Bouillabaisse October 14, 1991 - Portland Oregonian by Phil Smith A crowd of about 1,000 almost filled the Roseland Theater on Saturday night to catch Phish from Vermont. The band, perhaps due to finding itself so far upriver from the ocean, spawned an entire school of jazz/rock, blues, country, bluegrass, a cappella and novelty tunes that was both complex and accessible. The four band members, all in their mid- to late-20s, began with a more or less straight a cappella barbershop song, at the same time establishing an offbeat, wacky undertone they sustained through the evening -- almost until 2 a.m. Trey Anastasio on guitar, Mike Gordon on bass, Page McConnell on keyboards and Jon Fishman on drums then leaped into their first hard-rocking jam. Right away people were pogo-dancing furiously, clear to the back of the room and in much of the balcony. About 90 percent of Phish's two sets were more or less in the same virtuosic rock groove. The bass might toss in fast jazz arpeggios, or occasionally country patterns, in octaves, but the result was a unique rock texture rather than jazz or country. Similarly, Anastasio on guitar might be grafting frantic jazz riffs onto the music as McConnell on keyboards added melodic pop strains -- or vice-versa. Somehow it all came out unified. The diverse remaining 10 percent or so of the program included electric bluegrass, a Duke Ellington variation, the drummer playing a vacuum cleaner, the "If I Only Had a Brain" song from "The Wizard of Oz," fun but skillful zaniness. Parts of many songs were obviously well-rehearsed, as when the band started playing two songs at once, switching from one to the other every couple bars. It sounded great. Another time Anastasio and Gordon jammed excellently while literally bouncing together in a choreographed routine on a mini-trampoline. They also did some other amusing steps together that both mocked and surpassed standard MTV-type acts. The music evolved continuously, and sometimes most of those dancing would settle down briefly to foot-tapping. But, just as a roller coaster slows near a high point, the onrush always would resume. Anastasio, Gordon and McConnell performed vocals competently, sometimes beautifully, as when they ended some songs suddenly with brief, fading, three-part a cappella harmonies. To most people, virtuosity is musicians showing off their fancy dexterity. The Phish style of virtuosity, on the other hand, instintively homes in on people's musical pleasure zones in original and endless ways. Copyright © 1991 Portland Oregonian