Photo Credit: Dave Vann
After beginning their stand at Dick’s Sporting Goods Park in Commerce City, Colo., on Thursday, August 31, which ignited with a 20-minute “Carini” opener, Phish returned to the storied venue over the weekend in continuation of their annual Labor Day celebration. Night two presented a rare “Spit Open and Melt” encore, which arrived after a jammed-out take on “Wolfman’s Brother” and a noteworthy “No Men In No Man’s Land,” all of which represented peaks of the Sept. 1 concert.
Following Friday night’s display, the favored jammers returned to the stage yesterday, Sept. 2, for the third night of well-conceived musical moments, which climaxed during the night’s encore, consisting of six songs and clocking in at 40 minutes. While not the most common opener, Phish kicked off their Saturday night concert with “Fluffhead,” which fizzed and popped with pent-up vigor—given the extensive 20-minute take, the time allotted for each and every member of the ensemble to flex their prowess.
The blues-leaning “My Soul” unfolded before a jubilant run-through of “Cavern,” which merged into “Reba,” which provided time for Trey Anastasio and Page McConnell to work off each other’s instrumentation. The latter number was deprived of its typical whistled outro. Instead, the band spared revisions to the set, adding “Mound” to the sequence, representing only the second time the song has received stage time this year.
Jam favorite “A Wave of Hope” clocked in at nine minutes, unlike previous takes on the song, which stretched-out during years past. “Taste” merged with “Ghost,” ultimately taking the band into the set break. Upon their return to the stage, Phish started with “AC/DC Bag,” which cascaded elegantly and allowed members to add to the tender melody. With instruments serving as the guide, Anastasio touched on the initial riff of “Chalk Dust Torture,” allowing the vehicle to gas up the second set.
Rather than a seamless movement into their follow-up, Phish hastily bumped into “Ether Edge.” From the previously mentioned song, merged “46 Days” made special with Jon Fishman’s opulent backbeat, which was layered in bass-synth guitar, to produce a fierce and moody portion of the night. “The Howling” came to light next, complete with sound effects, before the final song of the frame, “Piper,” which ramped up, allowing Fishman to shine with a serious backbeat.
The high point of the evening came with the entry of the encore, beginning with “Theme From the Bottom.” Whereas the crowd had anticipated one or two tunes to conclude an already memorable evening, Phish added in “The Mango Song” before a pairing of “Don’t Doubt Me” and “Evolve.” “Golgi Apparatus” was performed prior to the finale, which kicked off with Anastasio’s recognizable strums to commence “Run Like an Antelope.” All said and done, last night’s encore was only 25 minutes shorter than the group’s second frame, making for a memorable evening that preludes their final night on stage at Dick’s Sporting Goods Park, which will unfold Sunday, Sept. 3.
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Phish
Dick’s Sporting Goods Park – Commerce City, Colo.
September 2, 2023
Set I: Fluffhead, My Soul, Cavern > Reba, Mound > A Wave of Hope > Taste > Ghost
Set II: AC/DC Bag > Chalk Dust Torture > Ether Edge > 46 Days > The Howling > Piper
Enc.: Theme From The Bottom > The Mango Song, Don’t Doubt Me > Evolve, Golgi Apparatus > Run Like an Antelope
Setlist via Phish.net.
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