Phish Splits Up for Now

M O N T P E L I E R, Vt., Oct. 12 -- Phish has apparently decided to take a break. The Burlington-based rock band has split up for a while in the midst of the biggest year of its career.

The group has no concerts scheduled, no albums planned. The band members plan to go their separate ways, The New York Times reported Tuesday. The band’s manager, John Paluska, said “everybody just hit an undefinable point of exhaustion at the same time” and wanted to be with their families.

He calls it the end of an era, but adds there’s a good chance the band will resume its career at some point in the future.

One Final Jam The band performed its last concert — at least for now — in Mountain View, Calif., on Saturday.

Members of Phish declined to comment on the temporary breakup. The quiet goodbye was a surprise coming from a group that loves grand events, from its annual New Year’s Eve shows to its sleep-over summer concerts for tens of thousands of fans. Phish held the largest New Year’s Eve concert in the world this year, drawing 80,000 people to Florida’s Everglades. “Everyone likes to see people step aside when they’re at the top of their game instead of dragging it out until they’re finished up,” Paluska said. “It’s the old idea of leaving them wanting more.” Phish was formed 17 years ago at the University of Vermont, and played many of its early gigs at Nectar’s in Burlington. Many have likened the band to the Grateful Dead, both for its extended jams in concert and for a corps of fans who have followed the band from show to show.