Four years after Phish reached the shore and was buried in sand, it found the right pond to dive in and may actually go for a dip again.

The Vermont-formed band announced on Wednesday that it would reunite for a series of concerts due to take place next year and even made public some of the upcoming gigs’ dates. Phish will rock the Hampton Coliseum on March 6, March 7 and March 8, 2009, Ambrosia Healy, a spokeswoman for the group confirmed in a news release. Other concert dates will be revealed later, according to the band’s Web site.

The spot the Phish guys chose for their three already-announced concerts has witnessed some of the band’s most incredible performances ever, including a 2003 show, which was part of the band’s comeback after approximately 2 years of being out of water.

Phish was formed at the University of Vermont in 1983 and, after more than 20 years together, the four members decided to throw in the towel and break up in August 2004.

The loyal fans the band had lured throughout time may have supported their favorites during hash times, but Phish had to call it quits.

Their last gig was also the final Phish summer festival, “Coventry,” named after the town in Vermont where the event was held. Approximately 100,000 fans were expected to be present at the show, while it was broadcast to thousands more in film theaters across the country. As rain poured for a week before the big moment, Mike Gordon announced on the local radio station that fans should return home, since no more vehicles were being allowed to enter. Only 20,000 people had been given access, but many admirers left their cars on highway roadsides and climbed the security fences. With those who entered this way, the crowd was boosted to an estimated 65,000 in attendance.

On this final show, the band members could not help it and shed a few tears while rocking the audience. Page McConnell became teary-eyed during the ballad “Wading in the Velvet Sea” and asked Trey Anastasio to say a few goodbye words. “Coventry” represented a touching farewell for Phish and for its fans.

However, in recent months, the four members began to chew over their need to sing again and, thus, rumors with regard to a potential reunion started circulating.

“Sometimes you hear bands say ‘We’re breaking up’ and a year or two later, they come back,” said Jammy Awards co-founder Peter Shapiro, as quoted by The Associated Press.

This seems to be the case with Phish, a band known for its unstructured mix of rock, jazz, bluegrass and other musical genres. The band is often compared to the Grateful Dead, as both groups embrace onstage improvisation and diversity. In addition to this, they used to promote life on the road, as fans often accompanied them on tours, the dominance of live gigs over studio albums and profitable releases.

In a 2006 interview, Mike Gordon talked about the relationship between his ex-colleagues and a likely rebanding, explaining that “everybody’s getting along really well. There’s no reason it couldn’t happen ... it would probably be a long time away ... I can never be sure, because I’ve never been able to predict the future.”

It did happen nonetheless and fans all over the country are looking forward to seeing Phish swim again onstage.