After welcoming fans to Dick’s Sporting Goods Park on Thursday and going deep with multiple big jams on Friday, Phish returned to the stage on Saturday for the penultimate show of the band’s annual Labor Day weekend run, and of one of its most impressive summer tours in recent memory.
The band has been operating at an extremely high level, and Saturday was no exception. The star of the show, setlist-wise, was a monster “Kill Devil Falls” jam early in the second set, but before those 26 minutes, Phish started with “46 Days”.
Phish – “46 Days” – 8/31/24
Immediately setting the tone with a high-impact improvisation, which continued with the longest-yet rendition of “Oblivion”, from the band’s recent Evolve album. The jam lasted 18 minutes before giving way to a smashing “Axilla Part II”.
“Bathtub Gin” marked the third substantial jam of the set, modest as it was among the list of epic Gins past at just under 20 minutes. Playful ye sophisticated musical interaction between Trey Anastasio and Page McConnell has been a feature of recent jams and stood out in this one, with Jon Fishman and Mike Gordon sharing in the groove and supporting the foundation.
The first set continued with standout performances of “Undermind” and “Maze”, which both showcased McConnell, followed by “Free”, of which Gordon was the star. “Most Events Aren’t Planned”, a tune from Page’s side project Vida Blue, brought the strong first set to a satisfying conclusion.
Set two began with a celebratory “Loving Cup”, before Phish stepped right up to the cliffside and leaped into the longest-ever version of “Kill Devil Falls”. The lengthy excursion included a mix of soft and subtle sections and more aggressive dynamic peaks, propelled by Fishman’s drumming and supercharged with inspired playing from Trey.
Phish – “Loving Cup” (Rolling Stones) – 8/31/24
“What’s Going Through Your Mind”, a newer addition to Phish’s repertoire, continued the trend of deep improvisation. The band displayed a mastery of tension and release before continuing on to the third consecutive big jam, Talking Heads’ “Crosseyed & Painless”, which likewise comprised an extended journey before reaching a triumphant peak.
“Split Open and Melt”, another jam-heavy piece, kept the momentum going, and gave the band a change to get weird before “Monsters”, another newer one, began to wind things down. The set concluded with a concise but potent “Carini”, which, despite its shorter length, provided some intriguing moments.
When the band returned to the stage, Fishman donned a lot-style tee over his beautiful new ameythys and turquoise muumuu, which read “First Tube is my lube,” giving fans a clue as to what was to come. Starting the encore with a reflective “Bug”, the band then finished the show with an explosive “First Tube”, with Trey channeling the force to deliver his signature Jedi guitar pyrotechnics.
Saw this posted somewhere else. Not my pic. lol pic.twitter.com/U3MEsZdkS4
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JJ
Phish returns to Dick’s tonight, Sunday, September 1st, to cap off both the run and the band’s summer tour. If you can’t make it to Commerce City, tune in to Phish’s nightly Dick’s performances via LivePhish. [Note: Live For Live Music is a LivePhish affiliate. Ordering your webcast via the links on this page helps support our work covering Phish and the world of live music as a whole. Thanks for reading!].
Following tonight’s show, an all-star Purple Party ensemble featuring Casey Russell (keys, Magic Beans), Isaac Teel (drums/vocals, TAUK), Garrett Sayers (bass, The Motet), Adam “Shmeeans” Smirnoff (guitar, Lettuce), Joey Porter (keys, The Motet), Ryan Jalbert (guitar, The Motet), Lyle Divinsky (vocals), Shira Elias (vocals, Cool Cool Cool), Sammi Garett (vocals, Cool Cool Cool), Eric “Benny” Bloom (trumpet/percussion, Lettuce), and Nicholas Gerlach (saxophone) will close out the weekend with a late-night tribute to Prince at Cervantes’ Masterpiece Ballroom [get tickets].
Setlist [via phish.net]: Phish | Dick’s Sporting Goods Park | Commerce City, CO | 8/31/24
SET 1: 46 Days, Oblivion, Axilla (Part II) -> Bathtub Gin, Undermind, Maze, Free, Most Events Aren’t Planned
SET 2: Loving Cup > Kill Devil Falls -> What’s Going Through Your Mind > Crosseyed and Painless, Split Open and Melt, Monsters, Carini
ENCORE: Bug, First Tube
Trey and Page teased Moving In Stereo during Kill Devil Falls. After the second set, a shirt stating “First Tube is My Lube” was tossed to Trey. Fish came out for the encore wearing the shirt over his dress and wore it for Bug and First Tube. The soundcheck’s Jam was brief playing over the My Soul drumbeat.
The post Phish Steps Right Up To The Cliff Side & Leaps Into Longest-Ever “Kill Devil Falls” Jam At Dick’s [Videos] appeared first on L4LM.
