Phish has been around since October of 1983, when they met at a college in Vermont.
Trey started school at UVM(university of Vermont), where he met Jon and Mike. Mike was studying electrical engineering, Trey studying philosophy; Jon is studying chemical engineering, and Jeff is a EE major. Page was at Goddard College, a liberal arts school in the middle of nowhere, which assigns no grades (nice huh?!)
In 1983 Trey hears Fish playing his drums out side his dorm, then hears Jeff playing his guitar, the 3 of them get together and play....Trey post a sign ...bass player needed. Mike answers the sign, they get together for a jam, and Mike says, "Did I make it?" It was Jon's idea first to stick with Trey..."He has better long term plans." and then Mike decided to too. Their first gig was at a ROTC Halloween Dance, and their second was Slade Hall, a building at UVM.. Their first bar gig was at Doolin’s, where they ended up playing at 5pm every Thursday for happy hour. Soon after, they moved on to Nectar's...and other Burlington-area venues.
In 1985 Mike's hall-mate Brian Long hooks him up with Goddard College people to play Goddard Springfest. Page is the organizer. Page and Phish like each others' playing at Springfest and Page starts playing some gigs with the band.
In 1985, Trey & Fishman go to Europe to play the streets. While in Europe Trey writes You enjoy myself, Dog Log, the music to Harry Hood, and others. During this time, Page moves to Burlington, he and Mike share an apartment. Trey and Fishman call Mike and ask him to come to Europe, and emphasize that Page does not join the band. ("We don't need keyboards, Phish is a two guitar band"). Mike stays in Burlington and teaches Page early songs: McGrupp, Fluffhead, Slave,etc. Page feels confident that he will be in the band.
In 1986, Jeff found God, and decided that the band was playing devil's music, and went his own way, his present day whereabouts are unknown.
Around this time Mike changes his major to Filmmaking & Communications. Trey and Fishman transfer to Goddard College.
In 1987, Mike graduates
In 1988 the first Oh Kee Pa Ceremony takes place in the spring. Junta is recorded in Boston and sold at shows.
In 1989 Lawn Boy is recorded
In 1990 the Phish.net starts up......New Year's Eve is observed at the World Trade Center in Boston.
New Years is in Boston this year--1992/1993, and Rift is released in February. Phish starts it's Newsletter-Doniac Schvice.
Hoist is released in March of 1994, and then the band goes on a national tour.
1995's New Year's in Boston Garden. A Live One is released in June.
In 1996, Phish tours Europe playing with Santana, and some shows by
themselves. Billy Breaths is released in October. Billy Breaths got rave reviews, and is
the best selling Phish album ever.
In the fall of 1996 Phish started a US tour, the tour started off with a concert at Plattsburg NY's air force base. This show was 2 days long, each day with 3 sets. This concert was the biggest Phish concert ever, and the biggest concert held in the US in 1996. During the concert many fans who did not have tickets broke down the fences and went into the concert. Because of this incident there was a brawl between police and fans, which ended with many people hurt and Phish banned from playing at Plattsburg ever again.
1996-97 New Year Eve concert was held in Boston at the Fleet Center, were during the 2nd set about a gazillion ballons started to fall from the celling, I have pictures of this concert, and have some of the ballons, I wish I could put them on this page, but i do not have a scanner.