After a string of sold-out performances over the course of spring and summer, legendary jam band Phish has announced its return to the road for a final 2009 tour leg. The late fall jaunt kicks off November 18 at Cobo Arena in Detroit, MI, and concludes December 5 at John Paul Jones arena in Charlottesville, VA.

The eight-city itinerary includes a handful of two-night engagements for the recently reunited Phish. Extended stays are set for November 20-21 at U.S. Bank Arena in Cincinnati, OH; November 24-25 at The Wachovia Center in Philadelphia, PA; and November 27-28 at Times Union Center in Albany, NY.

However, the highlight of the upcoming tour will arguably be Phish’s three-night stand in the Big Apple. The jam masters will hit the stage at New York City’s famed Madison Square Garden Arena for a trifecta of performances from December 2-4.

As usual, the group is currently processing fan presales on its own ticketing system, Phish Tickets. Those presales will close October 16 at 5 p.m. (ET), and public onsales will begin a week later on October 23-24.

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The late year outing follows the revival of Phish’s annual vanity festival, being held this year at Empire Polo Club in Indio, CA. Operating under the moniker Festival 8, the event will feature eight separate sets from the band over the course of Halloween weekend, October 30 to November 1.

Huge demand for Phish tickets created problems for some fans earlier in the year. In early February, heavy traffic during Live Nation onsales caused the site to crash, throwing out error messages and denying ticket requests for angry and exasperated fans. Only a month later in March, a “technical glitch” on Ticketmaster caused ticket sales to open early; when the error was discovered, the orders were cancelled and refunded.

Phish itinerary:
(Dates are subject to change.)

Oct. 30 – Nov. 1 Indio, CA Empire Polo Club
November 18 Detroit, MI Cobo Arena
November 20 – 21 Cincinnati, OH U.S. Bank Arena
November 22 Syracuse, NY Oncenter Complex
November 24 – 25 Philadelphia, PA The Wachovia Center
November 27 – 28 Albany, NY Times Union Center
November 29 Portland, ME Cumberland Co. Civic Center
December 2 – 4 New York, NY Madison Square Garden Arena
December 5 Charlottesville, VA John Paul Jones Arena