Band members decide to put Phish on ice May 26, 2004 - Boston Herald By Dean Johnson Vermont jam band Phish said yesterday it will break up after a tour that includes shows Aug. 10-11 at the Tweeter Center in Mansfield and ends at the Aug. 14-15 Coventry fest at Vermont's Newport State Airport. Bandleader Trey Anastasio broke the news on the band's Web site yesterday, saying he met with the other band members last Friday ``to talk openly about the strong feelings I've been having that Phish has run its course and that we should end it now while it's still on a high note. ``By the end of the meeting,'' he wrote, ``we realized that after almost 21 years together we were faced with the opportunity to graciously step away in unison, as a group, united in our friendship and our feelings of gratitude.'' He added, ``We don't want to become caricatures of ourselves, or worse yet, a nostalgia act.'' Phish fans were blindsided. Craig Goldschmidt, part of the WBOS-FM (92.9) street team, said the news is ``extremely sad.'' Dave Werlin, president of Great Northeast Productions, who is co-producing the Coventry fest, said: ``It's bittersweet. . . . But at the end of the day, it's rock 'n' roll and that's what happens when very creative and talented individuals decide they need to go their separate ways.'' Werlin promised the Coventry event will be a ``send-off party for them, a New Orleans-style funeral.'' The quartet, which includes Anastasio, Jon Fishman, Mike Gordon and Page McConnell, formed in 1983. Phish will release a new album, ``Undermind,'' on June 15. Article Copyright © 2004 Boston Herald