Confirming rumors that have been circulating among fans for weeks, Phish [ tickets ] has announced it will reunite for a run of shows next spring.

The band's March 6-8 engagement in Hampton, VA's Hampton Coliseum will mark the first time that guitarist/vocalist Trey Anastasio, bassist Mike Gordon, keyboardist Page McConnell and drummer Jon Fishman have performed together in an official capacity since the group's 2004 farewell shows in Coventry, VT.

According to the band's website, the comeback won't be limited to the Virginia shows. "The band intends to announce additional touring in 2009 early next year," the group said in a message posted at the site.

Tickets for the reunion shows will go on sale to the public Saturday (10/18) at 10 a.m. EST. A limited number of tickets will be available directly through the band's ticketing portal.

Hampton Coliseum has hosted many highlights of the band's career. The group, which has played the venue a dozen times, recorded its Grammy-nominated six-CD set "Hampton Comes Alive" at the arena in 1998.

The members of Phish spent most of the summer months dealing with rumors of a comeback that spread quickly among the band's fans. Although the group members neither confirmed nor denied the rumors, McConnell issued an official statement on behalf of the band in June that seemed to point the way toward an eventual reunion of some sort.

"The prospect of Phish reuniting is something I consider very seriously, and I think about it a lot," McConnell said at the time.

Last month the four musicians reunited unofficially to perform three songs at the wedding of the band's longtime road manager, Brad Sands, according to a report in Relix magazine.

The group's members have appeared together in various combinations throughout the year. Three of the four Phish members performed together during Michigan's Rothbury Festival in July, and all four members appeared on stage this spring to receive a Lifetime Achievement Award during the Jammy Awards in New York.