Phish followers catch a whopper of a show December 2, 2003 - Albany Times Union By David Malachowski Jam band kings Phish filled the Pepsi with fans in yet another spectacular sold-out show, staying close to its roots while showing off an uncanny improvisational magic. Most often a band whose career becomes as enormous and unwieldy as Phish will lose touch with the scene and the fans that made it all possible in the first place. In Albany, you could easily see the smiling, casually dressed Phish members are still the same unpretentious northern Vermont quasi-hippies that they were back in 1983 when it all started. Though a two-year hiatus would sink a lesser band, it seems to have invigorated Trey Anastasio (guitars), Jon Fishman (drums), Mike Gordon (bass) and Page McConnell (keyboards). Phish hit the ground running with a revved-up "Chalk Dust Torture," punctuated by a fiery solo by Anastasio. Though the stage was spare and unadorned, the lights and other special effects were dazzling. During "Stash," the crowd clapped and sang along at predetermined points. It's not every day you hear whistling onstage at the Pepsi, but Anastasio did treat the crowd in "Guyute," before the complex wizardry of tension-and-release exercise "Thunderhead" appeared. The countryish 2/4 feel of "Sparkle" fell into the easy stroll of harmony-laden "Wolfman's Brother," the band's chemistry and unconscious interplay becoming a thing of beauty. At the outset, Anastasio would lead, but midway into a jam, there were no leaders, just one giant hand, going way out on a limb, often off the tree. The second set took off with the expansive, free-form adventure "Tweezer." Fishman flowed and grooved under Gordon's mighty pulse while McConnell's keyboard filigrees were sprinkled over and in between Anastasio's guitar aerobics. In the middle of all this, they rolled right into the theme from "2001 A Space Odyssey." "You Enjoy Myself" went through the roof. Led Zeppelin's "Good Times Bad Times" rocked, original member guitarist Jeff Holdsworth joined for "Camel Walk," and "Possum," then there was that moment when trampolines were brought out ... . Phish proved it's certainly at the top of its game, wicked musicianship juxtaposed by a down-to-earth manner. Copyright © 2003 Boston Herald