Reunion casts Phish in new light February 25, 2003 - The Boston Herald By Brett Milano The Vermont jam-band heroes in Phish ended their two-year hiatus with a New Year's Eve show at Madison Square Garden and now a tour that hits a sold-out Worcester Centrum tomorrow night. What should fans expect? The quartet got funky during its separation: Guitarist Trey Anastasio formed a large, groove-heavy band; bassist Mike Gordon worked with Southern rockers Govt. Mule; drummer Jon Fishman did old-school soul with Pork Tornado; keyboardist Page McConnell played with New Orleans drummer Russell Batiste in Vida Blue. But since reuniting, the band has gone back to its spacier, jam-oriented roots. It did 20 minutes of "Piper" in Las Vegas; nearly a half-hour of "You Enjoy Myself" in Denver. The cover tunes are eclectic as ever; after Phish made the cover of Rolling Stone, its show in Inglewood, Calif., included, yes, Dr. Hook's "Cover of the Rolling Stone." The layoff only sharpened Phish's sense of humor. A phony Tom Hanks cameo during "Wilson" fooled critics at MSG; it was actually McConnell's brother. Just this past weekend, they tweaked a Phish tradition: fan favorites "Mike's Song" and "Weekapaug Groove" are always played at the same shows, but at the U.S. Bank Arena in Cincinnati, "Mike" opened the second set and "Weekapaug" never came around - until a full 24 hours later at the venue. Copyright © 2003 Boston Herald Inc.