Photo: Peter Wallace
Two things are sure with the arrival of Labor Day weekend: the finality of the summer months paired with a wink at fall, and the fan-fledged pursuit to Dick’s Sporting Goods Park in Commerce City, Colo., for Phish’s yearly stand at the 27,000 capacity concert venue. True to their history, the Vermont-foursome returned to the choice location on Thursday night for the outset of four nightly shows at the open-air stadium. Last night’s concert brought the band’s venue total to 39–a number associated with memories of past live performances.
Thursday night’s stand represented the band’s first concert since the success of their 11th overall festival, which brought a whopping 45,000 fans to Mondegreen, which occurred at The Woodlands in Dover, Del., from Aug. 15-18. Their follow-up, on Aug. 29, saw similarities to their festival weekend, with repeat material coursing through the night’s setlist, cut with exploratory jams, and Type II start on “Cities,” “Down with Disease,” and “Ether Edge.”
Notably, Phish’s take on the Talking Heads cover took the initial slot of the concert for the first time since Dec. 30, 2010, during the band’s NYE celebration at MSG in New York City. Concluding the night’s opener around the 15-minute marker, the group used their next number as a catalyst for improvisation, steeped in a certain darkness and fiery heat. Clicking into material off their latest studio set, the group stretched out “Ether Edge,” hitting great heights during the segue jam that yielded “Llama.”
“Theme From the Bottom” preluded what has become an annual highlight of Mike Gordon’s “Sugar Shake.” On the other side of the rarity was “Ocelot,” which Tom Marshall described on Twitter/X. The songwriter wrote, “This ocelot is cool because it was truly directionless…they put the boat in the water, not pointed in any direction and not even sure if there were oars.” A pairing of “Golgi Apparatus” and “Blaze On” served as the final songs of the night’s initial frame–marked by a stunning solo from Anastasio.
This ocelot is cool because it was truly directionless…they put the boat in the water, not pointed in any direction and not even sure if there were oars
— Tom Marshall (@TomMarshall111) August 30, 2024
Reprising the night on “Ghost,” the latter birthed “A Wave of Hope,” which didn’t meet its full potential, rather, functioning as a thoughtful setup for “Sigma Oasis,” which featured some of the best instrumentals of the night, as turned out by Jon Fishman. The foursome put their all into “Pillow Jets,” which morphed minute by minute, allowing each member to flex their strengths on the most extended performance of the Evolve originator. The band returned to Earth from the instrumental cosmos just in time for a plain sailing take on “Also Sprach Zarathustra.”
For the final offerings of the night, Phish concluded their second set after “Harry Hood,” which seemed to function as musical amusement to a jovial Anastasio. This approach remained clear through the final moments of their encore, “Say It To Me S.A.N.T.O.S.” After last night’s opener at Dick’s, Phish will return to the storied location tonight for their 40th venue-specific concert. Tickets remain on sale.
For those unable to catch the action in person, the couch tour is in full swing via Live Phish. Livestreams are available throughout the weekend.
Scroll down to view last night’s setlist.
Phish
Dick’s Sporting Goods Park – Commerce City, Colo.
Aug. 29, 2024
Set I: Cities > Down with Disease, Ether Edge > Llama, Theme From the Bottom, Sugar Shack, Ocelot, Golgi Apparatus > Blaze On
Set II: Ghost, A Wave of Hope > Sigma Oasis, Pillow Jets > Also Sprach Zarathustra > Harry Hood
Enc.: Say It To Me S.A.N.T.O.S.
Setlist via phish.net.
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