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<< Previous   of   Next >> Associated Press  (click to enlarge) Members of the band Phish, Trey Anastasio (from left), Mike Gordon, Page McConnell and Jon Fishman are honored at the seventh annual Jammy awards at the Theater at Madison Square Garden on Wednesday in New York.   ADVERTISEMENT   CONTACT THE HERALD Melanie Munk, Features Editor munk@heraldnet.com   Published: Saturday, May 10, 2008 Phish comes together for Jammy Awards, but don't expect a tour By Nekesa Mumbi Moody Associated Press NEW YORK -- Though the Jammy Awards on Wednesday were able to bring together the members of Phish for the first time since they broke up four years ago, the reunion may not have been everything Phish-heads had hoped for. While all members of the beloved jam-band appeared -- and two of them grooved onstage (Trey Anastasio and Page McConnell) -- they didn't perform together. And as they accepted their lifetime achievement award, there was no hint of another reunion, dashing rumbling hopes that Phish might become the latest act to get back together for a blockbuster tour. But the coming together of Anastasio, McConnell, Jon Fishman and Mike Gordon was still the highlight of an emotional and electric evening, as they thanked fans for their groundbreaking journey as the most popular jam-band since the Grateful Dead and one of the most popular touring bands in rock. Not only was it the highlight, it was also the peak for the seventh annual Jammys, which celebrates the best in improvisational music. In an interview on Thursday, the show's executive producer and co-founder, Peter Shapiro, announced the show would mark the last Jammy Awards as the event morphs into a larger celebration of live music. "We've kind of accomplished what we set out to do. In a good jam you kind of have to take chances and go in new directions," he said. "That's why we, on this high … are going to take this momentum in a new direction." It's hard to deny the Phish reunion as the awards show's best moment, despite a history of unique performances that included acts ranging from String Cheese Incident and members of The Dead to John Mayer and Buddy Guy. As Anastasio came the podium to speak, the crowd at the Theater at Madison Square Garden went from roaring cheers to silence. "I always wanted to somehow have a moment when I could convey to some degree what all of this meant to me and I know to the other guys, too," Anastasio said. "I feel like as a musician we're servants, and musicians from the beginning of time have been there to express the mood and the musical feelings in the air for whatever's going on in that particular culture. It's the greatest joy as a musician to be able to translate that, be part of something and watch the scenery around you. That's what it felt like to be in Phish all those years." The four men hadn't been onstage together since their last performance in Coventry, Vt., in 2004, which wrapped up a farewell tour and a 20-year run for Phish. Since then, each has been working on individual projects. The foursome embraced each other warmly as they received their trophy, one of two for the evening (they also won best download for a years-old recording released last year for charity). Gordon told the audience he'd been sick earlier in the day and had considered not coming, but said he rallied for "my deepest brothers ever."

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