Photo Credit: Dean Budnick
On Saturday, August 31, Phish returned to Dick’s Sporting Goods Park in Commerce City, Colo., in continuation of their Labor Day weekend celebration. In line with the annual occasion, night 41, the overall total number of concerts performed at this specific venue location yielded sweeping and extended takes on a range of pulls, functioning as a multi-set build that produced the longest live iteration of “Kill Devil Falls” in the band’s history.
Having warmed up over two previous evenings, Phish needed no reminder of the task at hand; instead, the Vermont foursome struck while the iron was hot with a moody opening jam, which birthed “46 Days.” Clicking into their latest LP, the band pulled from its Evolve set, landing on “Oblivion” and hitting a milestone of its own after cascading past the 19-minute marker–making it the most extended play this calendar year.
Telepathy seemed to play a role during “Axilla (Part II)” and “Bathtub Gin,” with the band’s 40-plus-year history organically expelling not through words but emotive instrumental expressions. The latter received extra attention from Chris Kuroda, who took his role to great heights with a wave of complimentary lights to express the song’s ambiance further. Whereas Mike Gordon and Trey Anastasio conversed via their instruments prior, it was time for Page McConnell to step up and show off during “Undermind” and “Maze.”
“Free” functioned as a clap back to mid-90s era favorites, similar to the previous night’s motifs. Before the set break, the band delivered one last number, the rarity “Most Events Aren’t Planned,” a song that originated in McConnell’s Vida Blue side project before becoming a part of the Phish live archive in 2017.
No energy was wasted upon their return, as Phish jumped into nearly an hour of nonstop playing to mark the onset of their latter frame, beginning with The Rolling Stones’ “Loving Cup.” Rather than pause and pick up the next, Phish merged the latter into “Kill Devil Falls,” which exceeded the other 2024 summer plays in length and older interactions, including the previous record slot holder: Atlanta’s July 31, 2015. Anastasio slipped a tease of “Moving in Stereo” into the blues-tinged play for added effect.
On the other side of the 25-minute “Kill Devil Falls,” Phish leaned on their backbeat during “What’s Going Through Your Mind” before borrowing Talking Heads’ “Crosseyed and Painless.” A quib take on “Split Open and Melt” preluded the fifth-ever arrival of “Monsters,” a song that originated in the live format on July 22, 2023, prior to the second set’s final number, “Carini.” Returning to the stage for Saturday night’s encore, Phish went with “Bug” before ultimately bidding farewell to their 41st Dick’s concert appearance after “First Tube.”
The band returns to Dick’s Sporting Goods Park tonight, where they will close out Summer Tour 2024. Tickets remain on sale.
For those unable to attend in person, couch tour is in full swing on Live Phish.
Phish
Dick’s Sporting Goods Park – Commerce City, Colo.
Aug. 31, 2024
Set I: 46 Days, Oblivion, Axilla (Part II) -> Bathtub Gin, Undermind, Maze, Free, Most Events Aren’t Planned
Set II: Loving Cup > Kill Devil Falls -> What’s Going Through Your Mind > Crosseyed and Painless, Split Open and Melt, Monsters, Carini
Enc.: Bug, First Tube
Setlist via phish.net.
The post This Time’s Gonna Be Different: Phish Deliver Longest “Kill Devil Falls” on Night Three at Dick’s appeared first on Relix Media.
