Phish show heavy on the danger June 10, 1995 - Denver Rocky Mountain News By Michael Mehle Phish performed the first of two sold-out shows at Red Rocks Amphitheatre on Friday. The members of Phish are Trey Anastasio, guitar and vocals; Mike Gordon, bass; Jon Fishman, drums; Page McConnell, piano. If it sounds like a Grateful Dead concert, looks like a Grateful Dead concert, smells like a Grateful Dead concert, it must be a . . . Well, no, actually it's a Phish concert. The similarities are undeniable. An overwhelming whiff of patch-ouli, a surplus of tie-dye and a laid-back attitude that allows a band to get away with noodling for 30 minutes on one song. The concept's the same: Give the band enough time to improvise on the chance that they'll hit on some musical magic. It's an iffy wager you wouldn't want to bet the rent on, but it's at least worth the risk of a $ 25 ticket. Or so think more than 18,000 fans who sneaked behind the back of mainstream America to buy up all the tickets for two shows at Red Rocks, the first of which was Friday. The Vermont-based band started with a sluggish rendition of the jazzy My Friend My Friend before bouncing back with the up-tempo Divided Sky, highlighted by Trey Anastasio's quick-fingered fusion work on the guitar. After 20 minutes of that, it was onto a new song. The four smoothly shifted from the spirited shuffle of the '70s-sounding AC / DC Bag to the bluegrass-tinged Sparkle to the free-form psychedelia of Run Like an Antelope to the funky Split Open and Melt. Phish customarily spends four times as long playing as it does singing, which is just fine with the Phish faithful that follow the band around the country. But despite the members' considerable talent not only as individuals but as an ensemble, it can grow a tad tedious to the uninitiated unfamiliar with the songs' original versions. Indeed, the four members sounded tight and on target introducing new material to the crowd (especially Feed From the Bottom) when they tempered their urge to walk so close to the musical ledge. Yet they made a point of always returning to that ledge, where the music can get dangerous and dicey, but where the Phish fanatics prefer the band to play. And all those who bet the price of a ticket on some magical moments broke even. Life on the ledge provided enough special spots during the two- hour show to make it worth the wager.