Phish jam shifts midstream February 28, 2003 - Boston Herald by Brett Milano Phish at Worcester Centrum, Wednesday night. How hard were people trying to get into the Phish show in Worcester this week? Consider the stunt I saw one guy pull on the way in: He handed the ticket-taker a canceled ticket from the band's Philadelphia show the night before, then jumped the turnstile and made a run for it. He managed to get down to the floor seats before the bouncers caught him. The concert sold out weeks ago, and there probably were enough fans crowding the streets and hanging outside the Centrum to sell the place out again. Fortunately for those who got stuck navigating the concert-related traffic jams downtown, the band hit the stage a full hour late. The first local show in nearly three years caught Phish at its most solid, and then at its spaciest. For those of us who admire Phish's musicality but can't deal with the band's hippie streak, the first set was just about perfect. It started strong with ``You Enjoy Myself,'' complete with guitarist Trey Anastasio and bassist Mike Gordon bouncing on trampolines. As usual, it turned into an extended funk jam, but Anastasio's and keyboardist Page McConnell's solos proved especially tight and tasty. Though never known as an especially funky band, Phish managed to hit the groove throughout the first set, with further workouts on ``The Moma Dance'' and the set-closing ``Maze.'' The first set also marked the Phish debut of songs from all four band members' recent solo projects. The country tune ``Blue Skies'' (from drummer Jon Fishman's club band, Pork Tornado) was the biggest stretch, with Fishman taking the vocal. Both ``Clone'' (which Gordon recorded with guitarist Leo Kottke) and ``Drifting'' (from Anastasio's solo project) brought out the band's often-overlooked melodic side. They probably couldn't sustain the first set's energy all night, so the second went in a more cosmic direction. While Phish seems to have finally mastered funk, ``Makisupa Policeman'' proved it still isn't much of a reggae band. Second-set openers ``Stash'' and ``Ghost'' stretched over a half-hour, and the jams never quite got airborne - even when Anastasio sneaked in some licks from War's hit ``Low Rider.'' But for the fans gyrating in the aisles, Phish's shift into hippie mode seemed to hit the spot. Copyright © 2003 Boston Herald