Phish's 'IT' DVD entertains, but doesn't tell all of story

The band did only one more festival after 'IT' before breaking up.
By SCOTT BAUER
ASSOCIATED PRESS
As it turned out, "IT" wasn't "it" for Phish.
The band carried on for another year after the 2003 IT festival before hanging it up -- for good, they say -- over the summer.
The problem is, the concert DVD "IT" was finished before the breakup was announced. That made "IT" dated before it even went on sale.
Band members talk in interviews about how great the 2003 tour was and how "IT" was the beginning of the next phase for Phish. Turns out that next phase was throwing in the towel.
That doesn't mean "IT" isn't entertaining and worth purchasing both by those who were at the festival and others who want to find out what they missed.
Disc one features the 90-minute special that first aired on PBS. Interspersed with concert footage from the Limestone, Maine, festival are the requisite band interviews and explanations of the art and attractions that were spread out across the grounds.
The second disc includes more than 150 minutes of unedited music and a photo montage from the festival.
All about the band
Noticeably missing are the voices of fans. There are snippets from them throughout, but "IT" is clearly about Phish and not their followers.
There's more than enough music to satisfy the hard-core fans, and newcomers not willing to sit through the extended jams can just ignore the second disc.
But even during its most captivating moments, there's a cloud hanging over "IT." One can't watch without knowing that there was one more festival in the band before it broke up.
The story behind that August weekend this year, dubbed "Coventry," would have made a far more compelling documentary given that it was the band's farewell and many concertgoers gave up trying to enter because of muddy fields and traffic jams.
Maybe a documentary on "Coventry," not "IT," will ultimately be released. Until then, "IT" is a fun ride, but it's not the whole story.