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Formed in Vermont in 1983, Phish—Jon Fishman, Trey Anastasio, Mike Gordon and Page McConnell—are known as masters of improvisation, humor and intricacy. They might do an a cappella barbershop-quartet rendition of “Free Bird” or reproduce an entire album by another band each Halloween in “musical costume.” Though Phish never intended to take over for the Grateful Dead as the planet’s pre-eminent jam band, they wore the mantle with relish, always looking for new forms of musical expression in any idiom they could embrace: psychedelic rock, jazz, funk, blues, country, prog-rock, bluegrass, classical.

Extended improvisational grooves are their stock in trade. In the process, they’ve attracted huge numbers of fans who love attending their roving summer festivals and special events: Phish’s millennium concert at the Big Cypress Indian Reservation in the Florida Everglades drew 85,000 people, reportedly the largest paid audience for any concert that night, and featured a 7½-hour set that lasted from midnight to sunrise. Phish went on hiatus in 2000 and reunited in 2002, but announced a breakup in 2004. After receiving a Lifetime Achievement Jammy Award in 2008 and performing together at their former road manager’s wedding, they reunited again in 2009, headlining Bonnaroo with Bruce Springsteen, releasing their 14th studio album, Joy, and, best of all for their diehard Phishhead fans, touring again.