Phun Phish Phacts February 28, 2003 - Winston Salem Journal By Mark Brown 1983 - Phish (drummer Jonathan Fishman, guitarist Trey Anastasio, bassist Mike Gordon and guitarist Jeff Holdsworth) forms at the University of Vermont in Burlington and plays its first show on Oct. 30 at an ROTC Halloween Dance. No tapes exist, but the set list is said to include "I Heard It Through the Grapevine" and "Long Cool Woman in a Black Dress." 1984 - Phish makes the big move off campus, playing campus-area bars in Burlington. The band occasionally includes a mysterious vocalist known only as the "Dude of Life." 1985 - Holdsworth leaves; keyboardist Page McConnell joins the band. 1988 - Phish expands its playing area from local to regional and releases its debut album, a cassette-only release, Junta. 1989 - Phish tours the Southeast and releases Lawn Boy on the indie Absolute A-Go-Go. 1991 - Phish's first national tour. 1992 - Phish releases its major-label debut on Elektra, A Picture of Nectar, tours with the H.O.R.D.E. jam-band package and is on the road frequently. 1993 - Phish sells tickets specifically designed for fans taping shows, similar to the Grateful Dead's "taper's section." 1994 - Phish starts an annual tradition, covering the entire Beatles White Album in the second half of its Halloween concert at Glens Falls Civic Center in upstate New York. 1995 - Phish releases the two-CD set, A Live One, its first attempt to capture the Phish concert experience, 1997 - Ben & Jerry's introduces its Phish Food ice-cream flavor (chocolate with large, fudge fish and swirls of caramel and marshmallow). The band donates its share of the profits toward restoring Lake Champlain. 1999 - Phish mania is at its peak. The band releases a six-CD live set, Hampton Comes Alive, culled from its multidate Virginia shows. Strictly for Phish phaithful, it nonetheless manages to go gold, signifying just what a phenomenon the group has become. Phish ends the year with 1999's 12th-biggest tour - 59 shows grossing $27.4 million. 2000 - Filling stadiums and arenas at will, Phish announces that it will go on "hiatus," fueling breakup rumors. The band, always known for side projects, spends the next two years tearing into solo outings full-speed. Gordon makes an album, Clone, with acoustic guitar wiz Leo Kottke. Gordon, who directed the first Phish video (1994's "Down With Disease") directs The Deep End, a documentary film about the jam band Gov't Mule's all-star bassist recording projects. 2002 - Phish reunites for an animated appearance on the Jan. 23 episode of The Simpsons, signaling that the hiatus' end is near. By its New Year's Eve show in Madison Square Garden, the band has a new album, Round Room (Elektra), ready for release and announces a 2003 national tour. Phish also begins its ambitious Internet project to sell live concert recordings online as computer sound files. 2003 - Phish is back on the road, Phish Head Nation in hot pursuit. Copyright © 2003 Winston Salem Journal