PHISH GO FISHING

Cult rockers Phish will launch its first summer tour in five years with a two-night stand at the Nikon Theatre at Jones Beach in Wantagh, N.Y., on June 4 and 5. The band resumed rehearsals yesterday, which began in November, in preparation for the upcoming shows.

Despite repeated rumors, the group is not scheduled to play Coachella as of now.

An online ticket request period is currently underway here. Tickets will go on sale to the general public the weekend of January 30 and 31. For information on where to purchase tickets, go here.

The band's summer tour will be preceded by a trio of concerts (March 6-8) at Hampton Coliseum in Hampton, VA. The shows at the 13,800-capacity venue sold out just seconds after tickets went on sale last fall. They will mark the group's first concerts since its August 2004 performance at the Coventry festival in Vermont.

The group's new album, The Clifford Ball, comes out on JEMP Records/Rhino on March 3. The seven-DVD box set, containing more than nine hours of music, features the band's entire performance at the 1996 festival, which was the largest concert in North America that year and the first of many two-day festivals staged by the group.Over 70,000 fans turned out for the event, which was held at a decommissioned Air Force base in Plattsburgh, N.Y.

The packages also includes a bonus disc with the band's extended soundcheck, its late night flatbed truck jam and a 30-minute featurette with exclusive behind-the-scenes footage. The original multi-track recordings have been remixed for stereo and 5.1 audio. Fans can pre-order The Clifford Ball here.

Imagine, the Dead and Phish both will be touring in 2009. Patchouli oil sales must be going through the roof.

6/4 Wantagh, NY Nikon @Jones Beach
6/5 Wantagh, NY Nikon @Jones Beach
6/6 Mansfield, MA Comcast Center
6/7 Camden, NJ Susquehanna Bank Center
6/9 Asheville, NC Asheville Civic Center
6/16 St. Louis, MO Fox Theatre
6/18 Burgettstown, PA Post Gazette Pavilion
6/19 Noblesville, IN Verizon Wireless
6/20 East Troy, WI Alpine Valley
6/21 East Troy, WI Alpine Valley