Phish plays memorable last shows June 21, 2004 - The Saratogian By Thomas DiMopoulos And then there were nine. For Phish and their legion of worldwide followers, the countdown to extinction is on. The Vermont-based quartet was in town for a pair of sold-out appearances at the Saratoga Performing Arts Center this weekend. The group took the stage Saturday night to a great roar from the faithful, many of whom descended upon the park earlier in the day, turning the evening concert into an all-day event. Despite the bass-heavy drone that buried everything in its path inside the amphitheater during the show openers 'Reba' and 'Runaway Jim,' the sound balanced nicely deeper into the nearly three-hour set that included a 30-minute intermission. Fans cheered every solo and delighted in every turn of a phrase. In this farewell tour ending a 20-year career, every nuance is a moment to be glorified. As descendants of the Grateful Dead-meets-Frank Zappa school of rock, Phish invite a mixed response from a community of music fans driven to extremes: You either love them or can't stand them. They are musical heroes to their faithful, post-Woodstock generation collaborators for those who never got to see the real thing. To outsiders, it is easy-listening music playing in a high-rise elevator whose cables have snapped; it's the car sent plummeting in a surreal, slow-motion descent. At their best Saturday night, the band kicked it hard behind front man Trey Anastasio. The guitarist wrung out big, looping notes that hovered in the air like a summer moon. He was accompanied by layers of lights that oozed lavenders, blues and mopey greens and cut the haze with sharp white triangles of light accented with smoky white rings that spun at their core. Alternately graced with lightning-fast fingers, Anastasio rapid-fired along his fret board, offering tones for the faithful, who swooned at the grooves. Among the evening's most memorable moments was the performance of 'Wolfman's Brother' as a giant balloon that read 'Vibe' made its way around the amphitheater. Other high points came in Page McConnell's soft piano interlude introducing 'Walls of the Cave,' which grew to a crescendo with Anastasio's roaring guitar supplemented with the strobe effect of the lights. Phish closed out the second set with a joyous delivery of 'Cavern,' a song dating back a dozen years to the band's club years, while the faithful danced to its bouncy rhythms and mouthed along to its memorable tagline: 'Whatever you do, take care of your shoes.' The finale was the slow and somber ballad 'Wading in the Velvet Sea,' its drifting melody sending Saturday's crowd off into the night. Article Copyright © 2004 The Saratogian