Jam kings Phish will launch a fall tour that kicks off at Detroit’s Cobo Arena on November 18th. It will include three shows at New York City’s Madison Square Garden (December 2nd, 3rd & 4th) and will conclude at John Paul Jones Arena in Charlottesville, Virginia on December 5th. An online ticket request period is currently underway at this dedicated Phish site.. Tickets will go on sale to the general public on October 23rd and 24th. See below for a complete itinerary. For information on where to purchase tickets, visit Phish Tour Dates.

Just prior to the fall tour, Festival 8, Phish’s eighth festival and its first ever on the West Coast, will take place on October 30th, 31st and November 1st at the Empire Polo Club in Indio, California. New details about the event continue to be unveiled at the band’s Festival 8 website. Given Phish’s long-standing Halloween tradition of donning a “musical costume” and performing a classic album from another band, speculation is rampant as to which album the band will play during its “Halloween set,” scheduled for 7:30 p.m. on Saturday, October 31st.  The band has begun to reveal which albums it won’t be playing. The process of elimination is underway here, where fans can view the gallery of contenders and watch as album covers are bludgeoned by an unseen slasher. Phish has promised to play “the last record left alive.”

In the first of three performances on Sunday, November 1st, Phish will play its first-ever full-length acoustic set. Coffee and donuts will be served during this “breakfast” show. The band will give a total of eight performances during the three-day celebration, which also features on-site camping and numerous attractions and art installations.

Phil Lesh and Mike Gordon (Getty Images)

In a four-star review, Rolling Stone called Phish’s latest record, Joy, “a genuinely great album,” while The New York Times said, “their pleasure at collaborating again comes through every song. ‘Joy’ celebrates friendships, continuity and shared memories with quick-fingered glee.”

Recorded with Steve Lillywhite, who produced the band’s Billy Breathes (1996) and albums by U2, Dave Matthews Band and The Rolling Stones, Joy was the first non-archival release on JEMP Records, an independent record label created in 2005 by the members of Phish. The label’s initial function was to release live concerts on CD, DVD and digital formats from the band’s extensive archives, which are located in Burlington, Vermont.

Phish is lead guitarist/vocalist Trey Anastasio, drummer Jon Fishman, bassist Mike Gordon and keyboardist Page McConnell, and has released 11 studio albums as well as a series of 44 complete live concert CDs. Its series of 138 full concert downloads is currently available on livephish.com.

PHISH 2009 TOUR DATES

10/30 – Indio, California – The Empire Polo Club – Festival 8
10/31 – Indio, California – The Empire Polo Club – Festival 8
11/1 – Indio, California – The Empire Polo Club – Festival 8
11/18 – Detroit, Michigan – Cobo Arena
11/20 – Cincinnati, Ohio – U.S. Bank Arena
11/21 – Cincinnati, Ohio – U.S. Bank Arena
11/22 – Syracuse, New York – War Memorial at Oncenter
11/24 – Philadelphia, Pennsylvania – Wachovia Center
11/25 – Philadelphia, Pennsylvania – Wachovia Center
11/27 – Albany, New York – Times Union Center
11/28 – Albany, New York – Times Union Center
11/29 – Portland, Maine – Cumberland County Civic Center
12/2 – New York, New York – Madison Square Garden
12/3 – New York, New York – Madison Square Garden
12/4 – New York, New York – Madison Square Garden
12/5 – Charlottesville, Virginia – John Paul Jones Arena