While Phish has made a habit out of playing incredible shows in Wisconsin over the years, the band’s unusually truncated 2017 summer tour will not hit the midwest state this year. However, ahead of their tour-opening three-night run at Chicago’s Northerly Island this weekend, the band is using Milwaukee’s BMO Harris Bradley Center for a week of production and musical rehearsals.

As the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reported today, “Lighting, sound and stage crews arrived Saturday at the BMO Harris Bradley Center for a week of rehearsals in advance of a short summer tour. The band’s unusual visit to Milwaukee came to light in a Reddit thread over the weekend, and was eventually confirmed by a truck driver taking a break among a half dozen semis parked outside the Bradley Center…The musicians, including singer and guitarist Trey Anastasio, are expected later this week. However, no public performances are scheduled.”

Bradley Center president and CEO Steve Costello had said in an interview that a major touring act had rented out the arena for the week, but he wasn’t authorized to identify the band. “This is about us being a good partner in the business that we’re in,” he said. “It was the right time and it was the right place for them,” as it gives them the space for their pre-run tune-up relatively close to their first scheduled dates in Chicago.

Costello also explains that it is quite unusual for a band to come to town for rehearsals but not actually schedule a performance there. “You can be sure that it was the first thing that we asked when they approached us,” Costello said of a potential Milwaukee performance. That request, as we know, did not come to fruition. With Phish’s usual Wisconsin stop at Alpine Valley Music Theatre, where they’ve played 17 times over the years, closed this year for renovations, most fans expected that the band would not return to the state this year. However, while Wisconsin fans may be frustrated by their “Phish tease,” they surely also agree with fans everywhere that large-scale official rehearsals like this bode very well for the upcoming shows. Of course, rehearsals before a tour are nothing all that surprising, but with the uncharted and uncertain terrain of Phish’s upcoming summer “tour” (comprised predominantly of 13 straight shows in a single room), it’s exciting to hear that the band is hard at work making sure these shows live up to their considerable hype. We couldn’t be more excited. Bring on summer tour!

You can watch fan-shot video of Phish’s last performance in Wisconsin (8/9/15 at Alpine Valley) below, courtesy of Bill Walton’s Right Hand Man:

Set One:

Set Two:

[via Milwaukee Journal Sentinel]

[Cover photo (Trey) via Chad Anderson and (Trucks) via James B. Nelson/Milwaukee Journal Sentinel]

If you’re heading to New York for Phish’s 13-night Baker’s Dozen run at Madison Square Garden, don’t miss all the incredible late night shows going on in the City during the run! Check out Our Official Guide To Baker’s Dozen Late-Nights  for all the info.

Live For Live Music Phish Baker’s Dozen Run Late-Night Shows

July 21 – The Werks @ American Beauty (tix)
July 21 – The Motet @ BB King Blues Club (tix)
July 20, 21, & 22 – Twiddle @ Irving Plaza (tix) *
July 22 – The Werks @ American Beauty (tix)
July 22 – Circles Around The Sun @ Gramercy Theatre (SOLD OUT)
July 23 – Circles Around The Sun (early brunch show) @ Brooklyn Bowl (tix)
July 25 – Turkuaz at Irving Plaza (tix) *
July 28 – Dopapod @ Gramercy Theater (tix) *
July 28 – James Brown Dance Party  – 2 Shows @ Highline Ballroom (early tix/late tix) *
July 29 – Dopapod @ Highline Ballroom (tix) *
July 29 – Perpetual Groove @ BB King Blues Club (tix)
Aug 2 – Matisyahu @ The Cutting Room (tix) *
Aug 3 – Greensky Bluegrass w/ Marco Benevento @ Ford Amphitheatre At Coney Island Boardwalk (tix) **
Aug 4 –  “Kraz & Taz” – Eric Krasno Band w/ Brandon “Taz” Niederauer Band @ The Cutting Room (tix)
Aug 5 –  Spafford @ BB King Blues Club (tix)

* (L4LM & CEG Presents)

**(L4LM & Live Nation Presents)