oh kee pah

BY MICHAEL HAMERSLY
SPECIAL TO THE MIAMI HERALD
There's nothing quite like a Phish show.

Imagine a band that can jam and improvise like the Grateful Dead on stage, channel the ironic absurdity of Frank Zappa on record and perform just about anything rock music has to offer. (In concert, Phish has faithfully reproduced -- note for note, song for song -- full versions of classics including The Beatles' White Album, Pink Floyd's Dark Side of the Moon, The Who's Quadrophenia and the Rolling Stones' Exile on Main Street.)

Their rare combination of skill, relentless touring and Dead-like community prompted Rolling Stone magazine to crown Phish ``the most important band of the '90s.''

Even diehard ``Phans'' don't know what to expect from any given show, as Phish constantly changes its set list. In its four concerts at downtown Miami's AmericanAirlines Arena Monday through Thursday, the band won't repeat a single song -- not even tracks from its aptly titled new album Joy.

The Miami shows culminate in Phish's first New Year's Eve concert since 2003, which was also at the AAA. The band, which reunited earlier this year after a four-year hiatus, performed at Big Cypress to ring in 2000, so South Florida obviously holds a special attraction for the veteran Vermont musicians. Read on