Phish took a 26-month hiatus that began after their 10/7/00 show at Shoreline Amphitheater in Mountain View, CA, and ended 815 days later with their return New Year's show 12/31/02.

Initially announced as being of "unknown duration", it was known only that there would be no full-band tours in 2001 (venues were reportedly sent a flyer saying not to even ask) and perhaps not in 2002, although there were persistent rumors that something one-off might happen, such as a Halloween show or perhaps New Year's in Big Cypress.

For an early take on the departure, see Jonathan Keifer's "The Moment Ends?" Related, there was at least one petition drive to end the hiatus.

In Las Vegas 10/00, Trey explained that the band would take first extended hiatus after that fall tour. They have been playing together for 17 years and wanted to take a break to write new music and relax so they can have another 17 years. Several members have since been involved in various side projects, including Trey "solo" tours in the Winter and Summer of 2001, Page's excursions (studio and tour) with Vida Blue, and Mike with several films.

The haitus ended 12/31/02, with four shows announced in September 2002, almost two years after the hiatus began and (as CNN noted) "less than two weeks after the surviving members of the Grateful Dead, the granddaddy of all jam bands, reunited in East Troy, Wisconsin, for their first concert in seven years." The return lasted less than two years, ending with the 2004 breakup.

"But the ending always comes at last / Endings always come too fast
They come too fast but they pass too slow / I love you and that`s all I know"
-- Art Garfunkel, "All I Know"

"We don't know how long because we're trying to leave it unplanned. But, whenever the band gets together, which isn't too often right now, there's a good vibe. There's a lot of excitement about doing stuff together, you know, ideas flowing for the future, ideas of making music. So, sometime. I don't know when."
-- Mike Gordon, quoted by Geoff Carr in the 1/17/01 Flagpole