After a solid run-opener on Friday, Phish delivered a rocking Saturday night show at Dick’s Sporting Goods Park, highlighted by an exploratory first-set “Ghost,” a “Mike’s Groove” to open set two, and a fourth-quarter “Down with Disease.”

The show began in standard 3.0 fashion with “The Moma Dance,” followed immediately by the Kasvot Växt tune “The Final Hurrah.” This opening pairing certainly got the job done, with each improvised section containing a little extra heat. After a standard “Gumbo,” the band dropped into “Access Me,” not seen since July 1, 2012 at the Alpine Valley Music Theater (275 shows ago). It was also only the sixth performance ever of the Mike Gordon-penned tune, the first occurring on June 26, 2004, also at Alpine. After the bust-out, the band opted for “Funky Bitch,” giving guitarist Trey Anastasio and keyboardist Page McConnell a chance to show off their blues chops.

Next came the highlight of the set (and perhaps the show): a monstrous, exploratory, first-set “Ghost.” Clocking in at just over 16 minutes, the band wasted no time during this jam, immediately straying into type-two territory once the composed section ended. The resulting jam was pure hose, with the band effortlessly transitioning between feels and key centers. “Tube” came next, which the band also took out for a walk; the “Tube” jam featured a stunning blissful section before the jam’s bluesy coda. “Mountains in the Mist” provided a chance to cool down before the Ghosts of the Forest tune “Drift While You’re Sleeping” closed the set.

Set two opened in style with a traditional rendition of “Mike’s Groove,” or “Mike’s Song” > “I Am Hydrogen” > “Weekapaug Groove.” The “Mike’s” was a standard-great version, although the short jam section certainly featured expert playing. “Weekapaug Groove” was the highlight of this opening sequence. Its jam featured both classic “Weekapaug” mixolydian shredding from Anastasio, as well as more exploratory type-two jamming, which as it wound down, seamlessly slid into “46 Days.” This raging version of “46 Days” also featured altered lyrics to reference the plague outbreak in the area—“Taste the fear / For the plague is drawing near.”

Next came “Set Your Soul Free,” which was also quite fiery, although it didn’t quite reach the type-two heights that the song has seen before. Following “SYSF,” the band surprised the crowd by delivering a late set-two “Down with Disease.” For context, the last five times “Disease” has been played (excluding two one-set shows at Bonnaroo and Fenway Park), it has either opened or been the second song of set two. Even with this unusual placement, the band still delivered a monster type-two jam and a slick segue into “NICU.” “Bug” > “The Wedge” provided a break from the deep improvising, and the set-closing workhorse “Slave to the Traffic Light” brought the flow-filled second set to a close. The encore began with the ballad “Brian and Robert” followed by a standard “Character Zero” to finish up the night.

Phish’s Labor Day Run concludes tomorrow at Dick’s Sporting Goods Park.

Check out the full setlist and watch set-opener videos below:

Phish
Aug. 31, 2019
Dick’s Sporting Goods Park, Commerce City, Colo.

Set I: The Moma Dance > The Final Hurrah, Gumbo, Access Me, Funky Bitch, Ghost > Tube > Mountains in the Mist, Drift While You’re Sleeping

Set II: Mike’s Song > I Am Hydrogen > Weekapaug Groove^[1] -> 46 Days^[2] > Set Your Soul Free > Down with Disease^[1] -> NICU > Bug > The Wedge, Slave to the Traffic Light

Enc: Brian and Robert > Character Zero

Notes:
[1] Unfinished.
[2] Lyric changed to “Taste the fear, for the plague is drawing near.”