photo by Jake Silco
Phish delivered their final performance of Summer 2019 on Sunday night at Dick’s Sporting Goods Park in Commerce City, CO. The show was highlighted by impressive jamming during “Wolfman’s Brother” and “Bathtub Gin” in the first set and a second set packed with improvisation.
The first frame began with the Kasvot Växt tune “Stray Dog,” the first of three Kasvot offerings during the set. The lyrics were changed from “stray dog” to “prairie dog,” another reference to the local plague outbreak that forced the band to cancel fan camping a limit parking on the grounds. Next came a standard rendition of “Stealing Time from the Faulty Plan,” before the Kasvot tunes returned with “Turtle in the Clouds.”
“Wolfman’s Brother” provided the first true highlight of the night, and this version was far from standard; after a raging funk section, the band locked into a throbbing, major-key hose jam. “Birds of a Feather” entered next, followed by the final Kasvot song of the night, “We Are Come to Outlive Our Brains.” Next came the second “Taste” of the summer, and while the ending was flubbed, guitarist Trey Anastasio shined during the beautiful solo section. Following “Taste,” the spooky “My Friend, My Friend” ushered in a darker vibe to the set, which continued during “Twenty Years Later.” After a particularly heavy “Twenty Years Later” jam, the lighthearted “Sparkle” brought the show back to a carefree dance party. “Crazy Sometimes” made its seventh appearance in history and third of the summer, before a standout “Bathtub Gin” closed the set in style.
Set two opened with the Phish debut of the Ghosts of the Forest cut “Sightless Escape.” The funky song fit the band well, and the ensuing type-one jam was quality. Following “Sightless Escape,” Phish treated the crowd to a fantastic sequence of music, beginning with “Fuego.” The “Fuego” jam was a deep, type-two exploration before it segued into “Piper,” which offered perhaps the most interesting jam of the set, featuring many distinct sections and eschewing the fairly formulaic approach that the band often takes with the song. The excitement continued with the powerhouse pairing of “Tweezer” and “Also Sprach Zarathustra” and, while neither song was lengthy, the jamming in “Tweezer” was efficient and emotional, and “Also Sprach” was, as always, an instant dance party.
“Chalk Dust Torture” followed this sequence, keeping the energy high. It seemed to be a short but sweet version, but instead of arriving at the final lick, Anastasio led the band back into a jam. After some interesting and dissonant playing, “Chalk Dust” faded into “Waste,” the one cool-down song of the set. Following the standard “Waste” came two high-energy songs to close out the frame, “Cavern” and “First Tube.” The “First Tube” had a little extra heat to it, with Anastasio really playing out during the final solo. As they have done often during this tour, Phish treated the crowd to an extended encore, playing “The Horse” > “Silent in the Morning” and “A Life Beyond The Dream” before delivering the “Tweezer Reprise” that everyone was waiting for. This monster set was a fitting end to a wonderful Summer 2019 tour.
Check out the full setlist below as it appears in our Box Scores section, along with pro-shot video of the set openers via LivePhish's webcast. Phish get back on the road for a short fall tour starting Nov. 29 in Providence, RI.
Phish
Dick's Sporting Goods Park Commerce City, CO
Set I: Stray Dog*, Stealing Time From the Faulty Plan, Turtle in the Clouds, Wolfman's Brother, Birds of a Feather, We Are Come to Outlive Our Brains > Taste > My Friend, My Friend** > Twenty Years Later > Sparkle, Crazy Sometimes > Bathtub Gin
Set II: Sightless Escape^, Fuego > Piper > Tweezer >Also Sprach Zarathustra > Chalk Dust Torture^^ > Waste > Cavern >First Tube
Enc: The Horse > Silent in the Morning, A Life BeyondThe Dream, Tweezer Reprise
Notes: * lyric changed to "Plague Dog"
** no "Myfe" ending
^ Phish debut
^^ unfinished
Source: Phish.net
