“The Curtain With” opener.
If ever there was a more decisive way to start a musical performance, I don’t know what it would be. Easily one of Phish’s more intricate compositions, Dick’s Sporting Goods Park was electric after hearing this gem of an opening song. An excellent way to begin the band’s third night of music, and the final date of their 2014 summer tour.
The band kept things grooving right along, with a nicely played out version of the Fuego tune “Wombat.” This was one of the better jams of the first set, along with the otherworldly jam of “A Song I Heard The Ocean Sing” and the groovy cow-funk of “Wolfman’s Brother.” The set also featured a number of stand-alone numbers, like “Bouncing Around The Room,” “Poor Heart,” and the Page McConnell standard, “Lawn Boy.”
The first set had two more Fuego songs, the slower “Waiting All Night” and “Winterqueen.” Having played through the full Fuego tracklisting over the course of the weekend, Phish settled into the real meat and potatoes of the show. A rocking “Funky Bitch” into a funky “Tube,” and the first set capped off with an always-frenzied “Possum.”
Right off the bat, “Chalkdust Torture” sent the band running out of the gate. This second set was one nonstop jam session. Weaving from an extended “Chalkdust” through “Twist” and “The Wedge,” all cylinders firing high, Phish drops their second bomb of the second set… “Tweezer.” Ever since the Tweezerfest at Merriweather Post Pavilion (well, really ever since last year’s Tahoeezer), this song has taken on a new life in the 3.0 era. The improvisational segments were light at times, dark at others, with some plinko style guitarwork from Trey to send the crowd into a frenzy.
“Tweezer” bled into “Sand,” building up tension before slipping right back into a “Tweezer.” The riff was short-lived, as Phish worked their way into yet-another jam-centric tune, “Piper.” The endlessly upbeat chord progression keeps the song moving, allowing for a delightful give-and-take between each member of the group. They’re really flying by this point, rocking their way through each tune.
After a cool-down moment with “Joy,” Phish kicked the second set ending into high gear by dropping into “Mike’s Song.” The funky bassline worked into a spacey display, before slamming into the Allen Toussaint classic, “Sneakin Sally Through The Alley.” They wrapped things up with a “Weekapaug Groove;” one helluva second set.
To finish their summer tour, Phish’s encore included the Rolling Stones’ “Lovin’ Cup” and, of course, “Tweezer Reprise.” Come for the Tweezer, stay for the Reprise. Very few songs rock as hard as “Tweezer Reprise,” and when those glowsticks went flying up, all hell broke loose. Phish thanked Dick’s for a wonderful three days of music, as fans manuevered back to their cars, riding high after three fantastic Phish concerts.
See you next year, Dick’s!
-David Melamed (@DMelamz)
Sunday, 08/31/2014
Dick’s Sporting Goods Park, Commerce City, CO
Set 1: The Curtain With, Wombat, Kill Devil Falls, Bouncing Around the Room, Poor Heart, A Song I Heard the Ocean Sing, Lawn Boy, Wolfman’s Brother, Waiting All Night, Winterqueen, Funky Bitch, Tube > Possum
Set 2: Chalk Dust Torture[1] > Twist > The Wedge > Tweezer -> Sand[1] -> Tweezer > Piper -> Joy, Mike’s Song > Sneakin’ Sally Through the Alley > Weekapaug Groove
Encore: Loving Cup > Tweezer Reprise
[1] Unfinished
[Setlist courtesy of Phish.net]
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