Phish gets in the swim at Centrum show November 29, 1997 - The Boston Herald By Sarah Rodman Phish at the Centrum, Worcester, last night It's a bountiful week for Phish-heads. Not only did they presumably get to feast on Thanksgiving, they also got a feast for tears and feet courtesy of the Vermont quartet who played a solid first of three sold-out shows last night at the Worcester Centrum. Running a gamut of styles and stretching out several long jams over the course of 2 1-2 hours, Phish combined old and new tracks for a noodle-fest fiesta. Having seen the group several times, as most fans have, one is always struck by two elements, the quality of the sound - which was superb last night with a great mix and just the right volume - and that the show rises or falls on the shoulders of leader singer-guitarist Trey Anastasio. Last night Anastasio was definitely in his groove guitar-wise and the forest of tapers will have good trading swag. The first hour-and-15-minute set saw him peeling off frenzied solos with flurries of notes grouping for fleet punch and long sustains drawing cheers from the writhing masses on jams of "Curtain" and "You Enjoy Myself." He leaned hard on his wah-wah for most of the night which, along with Mike Gordon's tasteful but funky bass lines gave the night a "Theme From Shaft" vibe. Though there were definite moments of meandering mess, and at times one felt bad in the first set for drummer John Fishman, in his customary frock, who had to play some staid rhythms for extended periods. Overall, the grooves ebbed and flowed from rock hard to bluesy to a pleasant then cacophonous free-form jazz vibe. But with Phish the absurd details are always the joy as when Anastasio and Gordon did a funky pas de deux on mini-trampolines and Fishman stepped out to do a ludicrously loopy vacuum cleaner solo (!) on the a cappella ditty "Didn't Know." "Theme From The Bottom" had sweet open harmonies and Gordon's center stage turn on the rockabilly rave-up "Rocky Top" was just the right high energy boost needed before the break. Deadline obligations forced missing half the second set and the encores but the first 35 minutes were taken up with a rolling jam on "Timber Ho" featuring cocktail piano plaints and fiery guitar, a jouncing "Limb By Limb" and an ambient "Slave to the Traffic Light." For its part the sold-out crowd dutifully did their variations on the reach-for-the-sky-rhumba and the back-paddling-through-waist-high-water wiggle while ooh-ing and ahh-ing at the multi-colored beams of light shooting from the stage. The real fireworks were coming from the musicians, however, who continue to stretch their boundaries while managing to return to familiar themes. Article © 1997 Boston Herald Inc.