Phish outlasts critics, finds fans: Quartet nominated for Rock and Roll Hall of Fame

Phish has had to deal with a huge number of haters and skeptics over the decades, ones who chose to go the contempt-prior-to-investigation route and just parrot all the tired hippie/granola clichés that have long dogged the jam-band genre.

But you know what? The Vermont quartet — which performs two sold-out concerts in San Francisco on April 22-23 — has outlasted its once-bountiful critics and now seems to be finding the type of acceptance that had long eluded it.

There’s no bigger sign of that than Phish’s 2025 Rock and Roll Hall of Fame nomination, which marks its first nod despite being eligible since 2014.

Ten years ago, Phish seemed like a massive long-shot to ever score a nomination, with a nearly insurmountable mountain of sarcasm from critics standing between Phish and the Rock Hall.

Now, the group seems like a shoe-in to take its proper place next to Pink Floyd, R.E.M., ELO, Roxy Music and the other greatest rock acts of all time. It’s the leading contender in the fan voting — which is no surprise given the unflinching loyalty of Phish “Phans” — but also garnering a lot of attention in mainstream outlets like GQ, NPR and the New York Times.

The Rock Hall is expected to announce its Class of 2025 in late April.

If Phish doesn’t get in this year, it now looks like it will at some point. Just remember that so many of rock’s best bands, from Radiohead to Rage Against the Machine, didn’t clear the fence on their first try. But they did eventually — and so will Phish, now that the sentiment toward the band has so drastically changed.

That’s what happens when you’re a survivor — one that continues to perform at such a high level decade after decade. Eventually, the naysayers wave the white flag and then try pretend like they were actually early supporters. Those are the folks who will suddenly be posting about their favorite live version of “David Bowie.” (We’ll take “Providence Bowie” over “Orpheum Bowie” by a nose.)

All this attention about the Rock Hall nod is sure to attract interest from some of those who have been hesitant to climb aboard the bus thus far. That reluctance is totally understandable — since the Phish experience, perhaps above that of all other groups, often feels like one gigantic inside joke.

Why are the fans suddenly clapping that odd rhythm in unison? Who is this Wilson character? Why is there a vacuum cleaner on the stage?

That’s where we come in, to help prop the door open a bit and guide newcomers into the wild and wacky world of Phish. Seems like a perfect time to do so, with the Rock Hall nod and those big Bill Graham Civic shows. (See apeconcerts.com for more concert details).

Just consider this Phish 101 — and class is most definitely in session. Follow along as we try to answer some common questions about the band.

Who are the band members?

We’ve got the mighty Trey Anastasio on guitar, funk master Mike Gordon on bass, the ever-underrated Jon Fishman on drums and the versatile Page McConnell on keys. They all sing as well, but Anastasio is the closet thing Phish has to a lead vocalist.

Why does this Trey guy’s name sound familiar?

He performs quite a bit outside of Phish, fronting his own eponymous band as well as doing solo tours and collaborating on other projects (with Dave Matthews, the Grateful Dead guys, Les Claypool, etc.).

Outside of the rock world, Anastasio is a composer who has worked with the New York Philharmonic, the Los Angeles Philharmonic and other orchestras. He also co-wrote (with Amanda Green) the Tony-nominated score for the 2012 Broadway musical “Hands on a Hardbody.”

Most significantly, he’s an ax man of the highest order – one who Rolling Stone recently ranked at No. 53 on its list of the greatest guitarists of all time (well ahead of the likes of Slash, Mark Knopfler and Joe Satriani). He’s destined to be remembered alongside such greats as David Gilmour, Jerry Garcia and Kirk Hammett.

Speaking of Jerry Garcia — doesn’t Phish sound just like the Grateful Dead?

OK, so that’s our bad for even mentioning Garcia in the first place. But the answer is no. Not even close. That’s a tired music journalism comparison from writers who really don’t understand — or even listen to — either band. Sure, they both could stretch out a tune – but, then again, so could John Coltrane, the Marshall Tucker Band and Patti Smith. Go see Dead & Company at the Sphere in Las Vegas if you want GD tunes. And enjoy Phish for what it is — something completely different.

Well, then, what does Phish sound like?

The short answer? Pretty much anything it wants to. It’s hard to think of a more versatile act on the planet, one that could potentially cover Led Zeppelin and Talking Heads on a Tuesday and then follow up with the Beastie Boys and TV on the Radio on Wednesday. And everything would sound equally terrific.

Phish comfortably works in prog, acid, pop, modern, classic and basically every other rock style, but can also swing into bluegrass, country and even barbershop quartet realms. The thing that ties, well, most of it together is the band’s commitment to the groove.

Wait. Go back a second. Did you just say barbershop quartet?

Yeah, hilarious, right? The band members actually drop their instruments and then gather around a microphone to deliver incredible four-part a cappella vocal harmonies on barbershop quartet-style numbers.

It doesn’t happen often, but it’s a real treat when it does. The repertoire ranges from a 100-plus-year-old Tin Pan Alley song like “Hello My Baby” to the David Bowie classic “Space Oddity.” Our all-time favorite, however, is Phish’s barbershop quartet version of Lynyrd Skynyrd’s “Free Bird” — complete with the wildest a cappella take on dueling guitar solos that you’ll ever hear in your life.

Alright, time to talk about the vacuum cleaner. What’s that all about?

Believe it or not, the band — or, more specifically, drummer Jon Fishman — uses it as an instrument. Not all the time (thankfully), but rather just often enough to let fans know that these so-called “Fishman bits” are still an option.

He turns the machine on and then uses the suction coming from the hose against his face to make all kinds of weird sounds. Over the years, he’s become incredibly adept at controlling and manipulating those suction sounds.

For the best illustration, try to track down a video/recording of Fishman covering Pink Floyd’s “The Great Gig In the Sky” on the vacuum cleaner and you’ll be amazed at how closely it follows Clare Terry’s original wordless vocal part.

Barbershop quartet tunes, vacuum cleaner covers of Pink Floyd — what other Phish oddities can one experience in concert?

Oh, wow. A person could write a whole book on this topic. But the short list would include A) Donning a “musical costume” and covering full albums (Velvet Underground’s “Loaded,” Talking Heads’ “Remain In Light,” etc.) during Halloween shows; B) Anastasio and Gordon doing a synchronized tandem jump routine on trampolines during “You Enjoy Myself” C); Phish attempting (and failing) to set a Guinness world record for leading the most people in a synchronized dance (to its wacky “Meat Stick” tune); D) Band members marking the coming of a New Year by riding a giant flying hotdog (which is now on exhibit at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame).

And so much more.

Sorry to say this, but all that kind of makes Phish sound like a “gimmick” band.

We get that. And that might indeed be the case if the group didn’t establish itself, pretty much on a nightly basis, as the greatest live band on planet earth.

But it’s just a live thing, right? That’s the rap on Phish — great live band, can’t cut it in the studio.

Yeah, that’s the rap. But it’s dead wrong. And it always has been. Go back to the band’s first full-length — 1989’s “Junta” — and what you’ll hear is rough, for sure, but also just bursting with creativity, excitement and ideas. So much of what Phish would become on the live stage could be found on that album, which contained superb early sketches of such classics as “Fee,” “You Enjoy Myself” and “David Bowie.” The group showed tremendous growth in the studio by album No. 2, 1990’s “Lawn Boy,” which still stands tall today and features arguably Anastasio’s single most powerful guitar moment in the studio on “Reba.”

What’s the case for why Phish belongs in the Rock Hall of Fame?

Like most things Phish related, starts with the live show. The group has been one of the top touring acts of the last 30-plus years, defying music trends and public fickleness to nurture one of the most passionate fan bases ever seen. Without the benefit of radio play, the group is able to sell out multiple nights at arenas — like a 13-night stand at Madison Square Garden in New York in 2017 — as well as repeatedly draw crowds of 50,000-plus to remote locations for festivals that don’t feature any other acts besides Phish itself.

It’s thoroughly lapped the competition — coming from several different generations of jam bands — while exerting far more influence on the genre than any act not named the Grateful Dead