oh kee pah

BY MICHAEL HAMERSLY

The recent reunion of Phish -- the jam band inspired by the Grateful Dead that ended up stepping in as king after the death of Grateful Dead leader Jerry Garcia -- is much more than a group of musicians getting back together. It's also an entire community reconnecting.

And on Monday night at a near-sold-out AmericanAirlines Arena in downtown Miami, Phish brought together its legion of fans from South Florida and elsewhere for the first of four shows on consecutive nights leading up to New Year's Eve.

It was a triumphant return for the band, which last performed on New Year's Eve at the same venue in 2003, and took a much-needed break shortly afterward following two decades of relentless recording and touring. The joyous roar that greeted Phish -- lead singer/guitarist Trey Anastasio, keyboardist Page McConnell, bassist Mike Gordon and drummer Jon Fishman (clad as usual in a house-dress covered with ``Phish circles'') -- showed just how much the group was missed. Read more

One Set:
Playing in the Band
Bertha
Mississippi Half-Step Todeloo
Promised Land
Cryptical Envelopment
The Faster We Go The Rounder We Get (The Other One)
We Leave the Castle
Unbroken Chain
Let It Grow
Golden Road to Unlimited Devotion
Viola Lee Blues

ENCORE:
Deep Elem Blues