As summer drew to a close and the Rocky Mountains shimmered under a golden sky, Phish continued their Labor Day weekend tradition at Dick’s Sporting Goods Park in Commerce City, Colorado with a genre-blurring, tightly woven, and theatrically quirky performance on August 31, 2024. With dazzling musicianship, rare teases, unexpected transitions, and onstage antics that could only happen at a Phish show, this Saturday night installment delivered a masterclass in set construction and improvisational electricity.
From the opening notes of “46 Days” to the frenetic finale of “First Tube,” the band’s chemistry was locked in, offering fans a rollercoaster of funk, rock, psychedelia, and offbeat humor. This night showcased everything Phish lovers crave: extended jamming, tongue-in-cheek theatrics, deep-cut oddities, and an undercurrent of spontaneity that kept the audience guessing.
SET ONE: Fire and Flow in the Front Range
46 Days opened the night like a shot of espresso—gritty, bluesy, and full of intention. The jam quickly picked up steam as Trey Anastasio dug into his wah-infused tone, while Mike Gordon’s bass work provided a swampy underpinning. The version didn’t stray far from the template, but it set an energetic tone.
Next came Oblivion, a relatively new addition to the Phish catalog (debuted earlier in 2024), which brought a darker, atmospheric tone that contrasted beautifully with the opener. The song’s haunting verses and swelling tension gave way to a compact jam with Page McConnell’s synth textures pulling the band into a dreamlike space.
Phish shifted gears into Axilla (Part II), a fan favorite rarely played in its full extended version. The band surprised everyone with a smooth segue into Bathtub Gin, one of the most beloved and jam-friendly songs in their repertoire. This version was jubilant, stretching beyond 14 minutes and venturing into blissful, melodic terrain before finding its way back to the main theme. It was the first real taste of the night’s improvisational depth.
The mid-set pairing of Undermind and Maze showcased the band’s contrasting strengths. “Undermind” rode on a funky, clav-driven groove, while “Maze” erupted into full chaos, with Page and Trey trading solos in a frenzied musical duel that had the crowd howling.
The final third of the set settled into thematic cohesion. A breezy Free let Mike take center stage with his deep, wobbling bass bombs. As is often the case with “Free” at Dick’s, the version pushed a little beyond its usual length, catching a groove that had shades of deep house funk before dissolving into the night.
They closed the set with Most Events Aren’t Planned, the band’s resurrected Kasvot Växt deep cut that has become a reliable vehicle for tension-and-release jamming. It soared with elegance and fire, acting as both a musical exclamation point and an artful nod to the unpredictable nature of the show.
SET TWO: Shapeshifting Through The Psychedelic Multiverse
From the first chords of Loving Cup, fans knew the second set was going to hit with full velocity. While this Rolling Stones cover typically closes shows, opening with it brought the house down. Page’s vocals were commanding and jubilant, and the band leaned into the rock anthem vibe with joyful intensity.
Kill Devil Falls emerged next, and the real meat of the set began. This version wasn’t content to stay within its structure. Just a few minutes in, the band swerved into a jam that hinted at new terrain. Trey and Page both teased “Moving In Stereo” by The Cars, sending longtime fans into a frenzy of recognition. The jam got murky and exploratory, eventually dissolving into…
What’s Going Through Your Mind, a newer ballad with introspective lyrics and a floating ambiance. It acted as a pensive palette cleanser, letting everyone catch their breath while still remaining emotionally engaged. The segue into Crosseyed and Painless (by Talking Heads) caught the crowd off-guard and reignited the dancefloor.
“Still waiting!” the audience chanted with joyful defiance as Phish navigated the twisting rhythmic jungle of “Crosseyed.” The jam, as always, took off into Type II territory, with Gordon and Fishman locking into a minimalist polyrhythmic pulse. Page’s synths moved from squelchy to celestial, while Trey crafted a beautiful, slow-burning build.
Just when the jam threatened to boil over, the band pulled a sharp left turn into Split Open and Melt, one of the band’s most compositionally complex and psychologically jarring pieces. This version embraced its unsettling nature. Rather than building to the usual dissonant climax, the band deconstructed the song into an ambient haze, reminiscent of a late-90s Melt, with bubbling electronics and eerie loops.
Out of that chaos came Monsters, another recent addition to the Phish canon that explores themes of anxiety and transformation. With its noir-style lyrics and jazzy vibe, it added depth and newness to the set, flowing seamlessly into a triumphant Carini to close the frame.
This “Carini” was all business. Starting with Trey’s signature distorted chords and Fish’s driving beat, it launched into a jam that was both aggressive and redemptive. After a brief dip into darkness, the band shifted gears into a major-key peak, evoking that euphoric “light at the end of the tunnel” sensation Phish does so well. The peak was cathartic—an exclamation point on a second set full of bold risk-taking.
ENCORE: Lube and Laughter
After such an intense set, Phish delivered a perfectly weird and fitting encore. They started with Bug, the slow-burning meditation on acceptance. It was played with sincerity and soul, with Trey emphasizing the song’s key lyric: “It doesn’t matter.”
Then came the moment only Phish could deliver.
A fan had thrown a shirt onto the stage earlier that read “First Tube is My Lube”—a classic blend of absurd humor and musical devotion. When the band returned for the encore, Fishman reappeared wearing the shirt over his dress, a sight that sent the crowd into hysterics.
First Tube followed immediately, a high-octane, trance-like instrumental that felt like a rocket launch into the upper stratosphere. Trey stalked the stage, his guitar held high like a shamanic weapon. The feedback loop near the song’s end had the entire venue vibrating, and when the final note hit, the lights cut and the place erupted.
It was a perfect ending to a night that balanced silliness, sorrow, psychedelia, and precision.
A Weekend Steeped in Tradition and Surprise
While every Dick’s weekend is special, this second night stood out not for a single standout jam or rare bustout, but for its flow. The show had an effortless momentum, a sense of purpose that tied the sets together. The teases—Moving in Stereo during “Kill Devil Falls,” and Fish’s wardrobe decision—were pure Phish.
There was also an unspoken emotional thread through the show. With summer closing, the band played like a group aware of the finite nature of time. “Bug,” “What’s Going Through Your Mind,” and “Monsters” all reflect a mature band still willing to be vulnerable, even as they drive audiences to euphoric peaks.
SETLIST: August 31, 2024 – Dick’s Sporting Goods Park, Commerce City, CO
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
As night fell over the Colorado plains, fans poured out of Dick’s with that all-too-familiar glow—the kind you can only get from a band that still, 40 years into their career, makes every show feel like it might be the best one yet. With two nights down and one to go, the question wasn’t if Phish would top this—but how.