August 15, 2004: Mud, mud and more mud.  Squeezing between the toes, settling around the lost sandals that were swallowed by the bottleneck of 130,000 feet trampling the entrance, grabbing the legs of those attempting to sway or spin.  This was - or so the world thought - the last moments of live sound Phish was to offer the world.  It was to be their last show...

In the years since, silence.  Lead guitarist Trey Anastasio wound up in jail for drug possession. bassist Mike Gordon, keyboardist Page McConnell and drummer Jon Fishman went on to tour with other bands, to play solo gigs.  But it was never the same for phans, or for the members of the band themselves.

Tonight, Phish returns for a three-night return at Hampton Coliseum.  And (they claim) are here to stay - looking to re-vamp their touring schedule to a more "sustainable" style that affords them the family and personal lives their previous schedule had destroyed.  The relentless "3-4 tours a year" done formerly is a thing of the past...

Sadly, the band's oldest phans seem to have been shut out of tonight's show - replaced by scalpers and scheisters selling tickets for as much as $1000 on ebay.  Of the 40 people I know who tried to get tickets, only two succeeded...  Still, in response to the recession, the band is allowing immediate, free MP3 downloads of the concert - so at least there's that!

Today's Friday Music comes to you from their final tour - a cool, breezy weekend in Coney Island, Brooklyn.  Several tracks included from 2 shows, including a rare bonus track - the soundcheck from the first night.  It's a 47-minute songless jam that shows the band's mastery of improvisation and magnificent ability to lead and follow.

Hi-lites of the show:

- 47-minute, songless soundcheck

- "The Curtain With"

- Mike Gordon showing off his new toy about 4 minutes into "Free"

- The great jam about 6 minutes into "Suzy Greenberg"

To listen/buy the show, go to LivePhish