A recharged Phish rewards the faithful February 27, 2003 - Philadelphia Inquirer By Tom Moon You could tell from the woo-hoo shouts that echoed through the Spectrum concourse Tuesday night that it's been a rough couple of years for Phish fans. For most of the time since fall 2000, when the hard-touring foursome went on hiatus, its tie-dyed acolytes were forced to subsist on inferior jam. Speculation ran rampant that the beloved band - one of the most successful acts working, despite virtually no airplay - might be finished forever. Phish returned in December with the quickly recorded studio album Round Room, and for the last several weeks has toured to support it, relieving some serious pent-up demand. The crammed First Union Spectrum roared when the band walked on stage and ripped into "Julian." And from then on, the smoky arena was saturated with giddy jubilation. It felt, at times, as though Phish had been gone for a decade. The crowd followed every turn and ripple within the band's intricate, journeying songs, and turned several pieces, including the encore "Character Zero," into sing-alongs. There were massive cheers after leader Trey Anastasio finished a thundering epic of a guitar solo on "Walls of the Cave." And hushed awe met Anastasio and keyboardist Page Hamilton as they traded furtive, tinkling melodies on "Theme From the Bottom." Nobody forgot how to do the wiggle dance, that blissed-out, amoeba-like movement best done with eyes closed and consciousness altered. Phish returned the love with a sharp, engaged performance that demonstrated the wisdom of taking time to recharge the creative batteries. Its four musicians nailed the tricky switchbacks and unusual ensemble passages of "Taste" (notable for its baroque piano-etude schemes), the cartoonish "Sparkle" (notable for its dramatic, runaway-train accelerations), and Round Room's "Pebbles and Marbles" (notable for its smooth, gliding samba feel). They reworked grooves to make them earthier: There were moments on "Slave to the Traffic Light" and a cover of Talking Heads' "Cities" when Anastasio's bound-for-glory guitar and the slurpy rhythm recalled the kicking intensity of peak-period Allman Brothers. And they pared others, including the blues howl "46 Days," with bone-chilling minimalism. Anastasio, Hamilton, drummer Jon Fishman and bassist Mike Gordon listened to each other attentively, seeking not just to shape the trajectory of each solo, but to enhance the vibe. That was unlike on previous visits, when the rhythm section sometimes provided Anastasio with boilerplate, insert-guitar-heroics-here support, Tuesday's show was about a continuing conversation, ideas shuttling back and forth in an environment of open, jazz-like interplay. Copyright © 2003 Philadelphia Inquirer