Phish fills Alpine with classic flair July 19, 2003 - Milwaukee Journal Sentinel By Nick Carter click on thumbnail for larger image East Troy - Inspired, if endless, guitar solos mixing with dreamy dances and boisterous cheers under clear, starlit skies. Those were the sustaining images after Friday night's capacity show at Alpine Valley Music Theatre, where jam-rock kings Phish performed, returning to a southeast Wisconsin stage after a two-year break from live performance. The band - led by lead guitarist and vocalist Trey Anastasio and bassist-vocalist Mike Gordon, with keyboardist Page McConnell and drummer Jon Fishman - delivered a pair of sets. The show opened with the fan favorite "Axilla," a feel-good boogie; it and its follow-up, "Rift," serve as good examples of what enflames the legions of Phish fans and foes alike: The songs start out simple and rootsy before being curved and stretched into long soloing vessels that bring out a mix of folk, blues and prog-rock virtuosity. After 10 minutes or so, there's a make-or-break point in a Phish composition, in which Anastasio's guitar playing and the rhythm section go off on tangents that either distinctly rise above the individual playing and overall song or abruptly sink it into a plodding snooze. Of course, if you're a Phish fanatic, it's much easier to anticipate and ascend during said musical flights; but if you prefer your pop or rock tightly formatted and, for whatever reasons, have come to assess it via more standard measures, you'll likely find all that inspired noodling maddening. The clearly transcending moments, which both Phishheads and the uninitiated seem to appreciate, come when Anastasio's inspired soloing connects with the looping melodies of Gordon's bass lines and McConnell's cascading keyboard flights, resulting in one of those exalted moments that improvisational-music fans live for. One such moment, during "Mango Song," had Anastasio breaking into a long and mournful minor-key solo that strongly recalled the old Grateful Dead lament, "Blues for Allah," mildly shoring up the often-disputed claim that the Dead is Phish's main progenitor. Other highlights of the first set included "Bathtub Gin" and "David Bowie," the final number before intermission. Part II began with a slight bounce rocker, "Down with Disease," before Anastasio and the band settled into pensively blue episodes during "Secret Smile" and "Two Versions of Me." Article Copyright © 2003 Milwaukee Journal Sentinel