Phish Announces Summer Tour, 'It' Festival March 25, 2003 - Billboard By Jonathan Cohen Phish will cap its 21-date summer U.S. tour with the It Festival, a two-day event to be held Aug. 2-3 at Loring Air Force Base in Limestone, Maine. The revered Vermont-based jam band previously held its Great Went and Lemonwheel festivals on the same site in 1997 and 1998, before crowds of more than 60,000 people. Tickets for the It Festival go on sale Thursday (March 27) via Ticketmaster and Phish's own online ticketing site. There is a six-ticket limit per person. According to Phish's official Web site, the band is "making a considerable effort on creating a more comfortable experience, and as a result, the capacity for this year's event has been reduced from years past. Initial plans involve us placing the stage in a central location, allowing fans much closer proximity to the performance area." Phish will play three sets each day of the It Festival. As for the rest of the summer tour, dates begin July 7 in Phoenix. Tickets will be available through the band's site from April 18-22, and then via Ticketmaster beginning May 9. Phish has been off the road since a March 1 show in Greensboro, N.C.; the group's latest Elektra studio album, "Round Room," debuted in December at No. 46 on The Billboard 200. Phish's members have a variety of activities planned before the summer tour. Guitarist Trey Anastasio will release a live album, "Plasma," April 29 via Elektra and will embark on an as-yet-unannounced tour later this spring. Keyboardist Page McConnell begins a five-date tour with his Vida Blue project April 9 in Chicago, while bassist Mike Gordon will join guitarist Leo Kottke for an appearance at the second Bonnaroo festival in June in Manchester, Tenn. Copyright © 2003 Billboard