So I’m headed up north to good old Burlington, Vermont on Wednesday. The rumors came true this time and the boys decided to squeeze in one more show for the year as they have hinted that they will be going on an extensive break after this long summer of touring. This show will benefit the flood victims from the recent Irene mess that came through a few weeks back. After this they plan to write some new music and probably start recording early in 2012. There’s always hope for a New Years run but that would probably be it until next summer.

The last time Phish played a show in Vermont it was at their festival in Coventry, Vermont. Many Phish fans would site this as one of the more depressing experiences as a fan. It was to be their last and final show together as they had announced earlier that year that they were breaking up for good. While the thought of a final blow out in the northern most part of Vermont sounded great, the weather and the band were not entirely in synch. Thousands of fans were turned away because the fields became so saturated with water from unexpected heavy rain that it became nearly impossible to let cars through the front gates. While they were told cars would be towed if left on the side of the highway, these thousands of fans dropped everything and made the 10 or so mile trek from the highway to the venue location.

However, upon their arrival they were greeted by one of the worse musical performances Phish has put on to date. Yes, some hardcore fans may argue that there were a few exceptional moments. And yes, it was a very emotional time so you had to take this into consideration, but even the members of the band have made comments about how bad they felt about the way this show went down.

There are lots of theories out there as to why the band originally decided to break up. And when I say band I really mean the lead guitarist, Trey Anastasio, although it was noted as a group decision. The bass player, Mike Gordon, has been noted as one of the members that was against the decision and felt they could turn things around. My personal belief is that Trey was in a very bad part in his life. Drugs are no secret around the Phish community and the band sure wasn’t immune to this culture. Over the years the party just got a little out of control. This theory gets even more solid when later on after the break up Trey was pulled over and arrested for driving while under the influence of alcohol and drugs. They found Vicodin and other controlled substances on his person. He was a big opiate addict and you can tell from this video recording of the band playing one of their older tunes, Glide, at the Coventry festival just before they broke up what kind of state he was in back then:

There’s so much wrong with the above video I wouldn’t know where to begin.

But a new leaf has turned. Trey thankfully was pulled over that fateful night and sentenced to the Drug Court system, which he has now become a big sponsor. Watch his speech at the local chapter of the drug court in upstate New York. This video alone sums up how important this part of his life was for both the band and his family. There’s no question that every Phish fan needs to be thanking both the police officer that pulled him over and the drug court system for having their band back.

Now, instead of the flubs above, we get jams like this (Taken from Phish’s own HD Vimeo page)

Phish – 9/4/11 “Bathtub Gin” from Phish on Vimeo.

The above version of Bathtub Gin may not be considered one of the top five versions but its delivery and execution make it a great example of the caliber of playing they are bringing to the table each night.

For those headed up, have a great show. For those who won’t be able to make it, there’s always the live stream that they recently announced will be available.