Phishful thinking August 8, 2004 - Boston Globe By Steve Morse "It's hard to imagine life without Phish. . . . I truly believe they're one of the best bands ever. I'm glad they had the wherewithal to follow whatever their artistic instincts told them to do. They hold their art in the highest regard. . . . They never put limits on themselves, and that inspired a lot of people in my generation to do the same." Michael Kang of String Cheese Incident "There's always a time to end it and branch off and do other things. Phish's influence will carry on in a business sense -- the sense of doing it for themselves and creating their own path in the industry. That attitude has been a support for what we're doing." Mike Glabicki of Rusted Root "I saw them one time and thought they were really great. . . . They were the ones who carried the torch after the Grateful Dead was done. And they kept growing their audience, and their hiatus a few years ago seemed to heighten that audience. Who knows, maybe they'll come back and unretire and do better than ever. Michael Jordan did it. The Who did it. . . . Maybe it's time for me to retire and try it." Bruce Hornsby "They charted new territory for what could be done with music. . . . We played with them in 1992 and 1993, and I thought it was funny because their drummer was wearing a dress. But as I got to know them, I realized that was also because they were just doing what they wanted to do." Todd Mohr of Big Head Todd & the Monsters "What Phish accomplished on their own is astounding. . . . But calling it quits at their peak is an admirable thing to do. What killed Jerry Garcia is that he couldn't get off tour, and it just wore him out." Jerry DePizzo of O.A.R. "What has always struck me is how much they respect their fan base and how they go out of their way to do the right thing at their festivals. These festivals have always been about giving back to their fans -- and that's something strange to see in this industry. I hope more bands come along and treat their fans this well." Adam Lewis of Great Northeast Concerts, which has coproduced all seven Phish festivals "Any time a band is artistically and commercially successful, you're sorry to see them make a decision not to continue. . . . But they're going out in a nice way with a big event in Vermont." Bert Holman, manager of the Allman Brothers Band "I never got them, but I'm sorry to see them go. They added a lot of energy. Some people have suggested that [their breakup] would be great for us, but that was never really our audience." Bill Kreutzmann of the Dead "Initially I went through surprise and shock, but then understanding set in and I realized how hard it is to live up to your former self. . . . Even back in 1996 there were people who said they weren't the band they were in 1991 or 1992. I suppose that's just basic human nature." Andy Gadiel, founder of JamBase.com. Article Copyright © 2004 Boston Globe