This past weekend, Phish took their twelfth run at their annual Labor Day summer tour closer, delivering four nights of fun at the famed Dick’s Sporting Goods Park outside of Denver. With the exception of Thursday night, which was still very packed, the band played to sold-out crowds, 27,000 people turning out to celebrate the Jesters of Jam and the shared experience once again. Pre-show every night, the parking lots were filled multiple hours before doors with license plates and accents from across the country, freewheeling day trippers enjoying the fruits of the moment, taking in each other, the vendors of Shakedown Street, and whatever else Serendipity herself was willing to bestow. With the exception of cool temperatures and storm delays on Sunday, the beginning of the holiday weekend was filled with the hot, dusty, and sunny conditions everyone has come to expect none of which deterred anyone from getting to the parking lot scene early and the spontaneous celebration of good times that fires up well before any band member takes the stage. After a spirited effort on Thursday, the weekend crowd was out in full force and ready to cast off the doldrums of the work week, showing up in their dancing shoes, sequins, and sparkly adornment as far as the eye could see.
With doors opening right on time and the band set to take the stage at eight o’clock, the house was full and ready to welcome the beloved brotherhood of musical benevolence. When the quartet finally walked on a little before the advertised time, the crowd roared as Trey, Page, Mike, and Jon smiled and took a moment, basking in the familiar fanscape set out before them.
Wasting no time, the four got right to the business, starting the first set with a well-played thirteen-minute “Wolfman’s Brother”. This upbeat crowd favorite had everyone singing along and at about four minutes, the first groove fest ensued with some light funk and solid playing by all. Under a rainbow of color and sound, the jam eventually built to a rollicking crescendo that had Trey climbing and Page leaving his seat to pound on the keys. Although this one stayed well within the lines, the welcome got everyone in the mood.
Keeping the spirit playful, “Sparkle” had many following the instructions of laughing and the subsequent falling apart as the speed sped faster and faster. Although many consider this a throwaway song, this one has been more of a rarity recently and this version was the second of the year, making it, at least for these ears, more fun than times past.
“Bathtub Gin” started at a faster tempo than usual and got to the lyrics sooner than most versions, robbing Page of his time to shine. When the tune arrived at the first musical passageway, the band slowed it to its normal cadence and eased into the tub in a more familiar way. As Jon shuffled the snare and Mike reset the grounding pulse, Page’s void at the start was filled with the climatic build of the ending, frilling, and grilling the piano as Trey supported. Coming in right over the eleven-minute mark, this one was still fun even if everyone wished we could have soaked and drank a bit longer.
Without a breath, “Back On The Train” kept everyone chugging along. Jon’s machine-like repeating line fueled the engine through the lyrics and eventually diversified with the midsection. Trey and Page demonstrated some great interplay, Mike keeping it solid, and happy to tend the structurally secure framework. The final return had Trey and Page belting out ‘It took me a long time to get back on the train’, prompting a sizeable nod from the crowd at the final notes, indicating that they too were happy to be back on the joyful conveyance.
Where night one had been vocally driven by Trey, “Halfway To The Moon” was audibly embraced with Page’s first line. As the supermoon had occurred on Wednesday and everyone had watched the lunar orb climb amid Thursday’s performance, it was a bit surprising that the venue didn’t get this one on night one. As everything had been high paced up to this point, this stroll under the clouds and the rising moon was nice and the more relaxed flow brought out some tasty fills from Trey between the lines of the stanzas. Page’s piano was crystal clear and illustrated his proficiency without doubt, unmuddled and out front. The changes were spot on and the closing minutes contained some soulful call and response between the guitar and piano. Mike worked the entirety of his new bass, managing high fills intermittent to the low end of the bones of the piece.
“Bouncing Around The Room” kept the mood light and although many wished this one would get the treatment to break up the safe set so far, it ended at its usual point. The “Stash” that followed clocked in at twelve minutes and continued the parade of old-school tunes. Slipping between the high hat and the bank of toms, Jon held this one together as the rest of the gang filled in the spaces between. Delivering for multiple minutes with softness, the strings, and keys played opposite to each other, giving the listeners the opp to hear each voice pronounced as it bellowed out over the stadium. The final minutes swelled, and the end got a nice little peak that brought the excitement out of everyone listening.
“Esther” was simply beautiful and patient. The band worked together as one and made the changes well. Coming in at nine minutes, this one played to perfection, spawned many a smile at such a great take on another from the early canon. With “Esther”’s final peak note, Jon’s hi-hat rattle resembled “Maze” but with a moment more and some chunking by Trey, it quickly became clear that “David Bowie” was in town. For being as highly compositional as this bad boy is, there were minor misses but for the most part, it checked all the boxes and sounded cohesive and cerebral. In the end, at just over nine minutes, the build ruptured into the expected explosion of energy, sending everyone off to refreshment and conversation with a smile and a power-up.
For set two, the band opened with a twenty-three-minute version of “Sand” that had everyone vibrating and vying for greatness. Mike’s Serek was warm, fuzzy, and muted, giving his presence more melt than punch throughout the exploration of the first choice. Early on, the musical taffy maker he is, Trey pulled long notes while Page rotated in his pit, stirring the pot, adding left-handed synth to rightly driven acoustic sound, Jon sprinkling in his own ingredients incessantly and tastefully. At about the fifteen-minute mark, Trey went from the kitchen to Kosmic and started in with some alien speak, wrapping his tonal words in otherworldly code and syntax. Page chirped along on the organ, while the rhythm section upped the groove, pushing the other two ahead for more. The final minutes morphed into the weird and everyone was the better for it. The last few measures referenced the head and served more for closure than a rousing goodbye to the creation.
Keeping the party going, “No Men In No Man’s Land” jumped and took everyone with it, the house happy to fall into the void, laughing and singing all the way. The audience showed their attentiveness to the lyrics, flooding the air and the band with their dues when Trey hit the You’re happy that we’re here lyric, triggering a smile from the frontman that everyone could hear in his voice. With the words out of the way, Page set the scene with the Klav and synth, Trey wrapping his delivery in warm emotion, while Mike droned out the backside. This soundscape carried across the plain for several minutes, Jon rolling it out the entire time. With close to nine minutes of free fall, the final five took a more directed approach, building and building towards a climactic finish.
Although there was no distinct exclamation mark for “NMINML”, 27,000 people certainly achieved lift off and when the band moved into “Llama”, the good times just kept on rolling. Page’s Hammond and Leslie love was certainly shared by all, and Trey’s scorching solo had everyone cheering when the frenetic faction came to a stop for their first pause of the set. Three songs and forty-plus minutes in, it was easy to see that we were all getting our money’s worth.
The mid-set breather came in a personal favorite “Mountains in the Mist”. Trey’s quivering vocals accompanied by Page’s delicate voice surrounded by the lightness of the melody epitomize the Phish ballad dynamic. The open middle presented the textures of the band distinctly, specifically Mike and his contribution to lining the spaces between with heartfelt runs.
As the final notes dwindled, from the echoing applause rose another errand of promise with “Scents and Subtle Sounds”. Another quintessential Phish piece that embodies the Piscean draw that has kept so many coming back for more, decade after decade. Coming in at twelve minutes, this one was played to near perfection, the instrumental section containing some great improvisation and multiple peaks, all of which were pulled off with precision and purpose.
Following a soft fizzle, the closing spot to the set came in the form of The Rolling Stones’ “Shine A Light”. Not only was it one of only two covers of the weekend, but also had not been performed for fifty-three shows since July of 2022. For the astute listener, this one inspired much excitement and, with its inspirational message, made for a great closer, prompting smiles, hugs, and a whole lot of worth for strangers and lovers alike.
Obviously feeling it as well, the band returned wearing smiles and gave everyone a one-two punch of the good stuff to get all the travelers home. Without a word, Trey hits those all too familiar chords duh duh, duh duh as the audience chants “Wilson”, inciting a personal internal riot for those ready to rock. Although a bit bumpy in the middle, the band got the point across and finished big. Not yet ready to part ways with the celebration of life, “Split Open and Melt” got the second encore slot. This would be only the fourth time that this song has held the encore position and the last time was in 1991. Couple the placement rarity with the nearly seventeen-minute version that got doled out and it was easy to hear that there was magic in the air. Forgive me if I do not attempt to write about the illuminating dark Phish spectacle, but it would just be ruined with words. Instead, find a copy and take the ride, your ear and brain will thank you for it.
At the end of night two, those who came to throw down did and no one left early. Even with an average first set that was certainly well played, the second set’s attitude made up for any shortcoming, making the whole night receive the stamp of approval from both the new and old school fans. The parking lot scene shone with the color and character that made the community itself as inviting as the experience of the band. As always, the venue staff were top-notch and greeted everyone with a smile and a willingness to help. All these consistent characters combined are the reason Phish returns year after year and even now, with another one entered into the record books, many are already making plans to make the pilgrimage again, because one thing is for sure, great things happen at Dick’s.
Check out more photos from the show.
