Tough ticket December 23, 1996 - The Tampa Tribune By Mike O'Neill The hardest ticket to get in Boston this time of year is not to a Celtics or Bruins game, but to Phish's two shows Dec. 30 and 31. Phish fans go crazy for the band's puckish wit on New Year's Eve. Once, at the Boston Garden, the band came down from the rafters in scuba gear while a giant clam opened on stage at the stroke of midnight. Another year the group climbed into a model of a jumbo hotdog and took a ride over the Garden crowd, playing "Auld Lang Syne" while balloons and pingpong balls dropped from the ceiling. "Yup, we think up all of this stuff," says drummer Jon Fishman. "It starts with some funny idea and grows into total ridiculousness. Then we look at our budget to see if we can do it. "We've got this year's gag all set," adds Fishman, without revealing the nature of it. "Nothing will ever beat the hotdog, so we don't have to worry about outdoing ourselves. But I like this year's idea. It may even be as good as the hotdog. article © 1996 The Tribune Company