Phish Closes 2018 Summer Tour With Golden Sunday Show In Colorado [Videos]

On Sunday night, Phish performed their final gig of the summer at Dick’s Sporting Goods Park in Commerce City, CO. Following Saturday night’s lengthy setlist, the third night of the run kept quantity and quality in mind in term of song selection, especially for fans of 1993’s concept album, Rift.

“Soul Planet” opened the show for the first time in its nascent career, continuing the tour’s theme of second set regulars being shifted to the beginning of the show. While the jam didn’t quite sail away as it did during its last outing in Alpharetta, Sunday’s rendition contained a seamless transition into “Possum” thanks to A+ driving by drummer Jon Fishman. The southern-style rocker, which dates back to the early days when Jeff Holdsworth was still a member of the band, got the arena shaking for the final show of Labor Day weekend and gave Mike Gordon a chance belt it out on the topic of roadkill.

Trey Anastasio took over the lead vocals for Bob Marley’s “Mellow Mood”, which was taken off the shelf for the first time since 8/9/2011 in Tahoe to the delight of the mile-high crowd. The four white guys from Vermont did the soulful Rastafarian tune justice as smoke filled the air and brought smiles to the faces of the rude boys (and girls) in attendance.

The always funky “Tube” made its way into a Centennial State first set for the fifth consecutive Dick’s run and found Page McConnell’s “Rage Side” getting down to the danceable tune thanks to his synth expertise (and, of course, his dapper new octopus shirt). Channeling Son Seals for the second cover of the evening, “Funky Bitch” gave Gordon another chance to mention his “new fancy clothes”, which he’s consistently kept fans updated on throughout the tour via his Instagram page. In similar fashion to the 8/10/18 performance in Raleigh, “Ocelot” followed “Funky Bitch” and offered bulky bass, wailing guitar improvisation and an attack on the grand piano. For the third time of the night, Gordon showed off his pipes during the newly debuted “Keepin’ It Real”, a promising fast-paced rocker that has yet to be truly released into the wild.

A three-pack of Phish’s Rift cuts came next in the form of “My Friend, My Friend”, “Horn”, and “Maze” during latter-half of the first set to the delight of the Phish 1.0 junkies in attendance. The nightmarish ending to “My Friend, My Friend” had an even scarier vibe than usual as Trey screamed the lyrics with a villainously terrifying tone. McConnell worked up a sweat during “Maze” as he slammed and beat on the keys like a mad scientist while Trey brought the maddening song to a boil. The older side of Trey gave everyone five minutes to catch their breath during a delicately placed “Miss You” before Trey’s inner kid reemerged to cap the set with a raging “Run Like An Antelope”.

The last set break of summer is usually a hard pill to swallow, but with one more Sunday set and only 43 days left until Fall Tour 2018, the optimistic crowd remained in high spirits. Phish took their own inventory of time during the set-opening “46 Days” which followed the path through lush sonic meadows to the dark side during its patient Type II breakdown. Gordon held down a powerful foundation as Trey melted faces with an all-or-nothing attitude not seen in the first set. Fishman smacked the cowbell with a Christopher Walken-approved intensity and set up a silky-smooth transition into “Tweezer”. Every minute of this ice-cold version provided something special with more cowbell, 80’s synth-pop interludes, and deep spacey bass lines. Page brought the Clavinet to life, which paired well with Mike’s inventive additions to the interesting jam.

Trey laid into a fuzz-infused solo which lead to a full-band “Manteca” tease that quickly morphed into “Golden Age”. The ecstatic sold-out arena clapped their hands to signal to their red-headed leader they were in the right place, and Chris Kuroda visually signaled that he was in the right place as well, putting on an awe-inspiring light spectacle that accompanied the futuristic funk jam. Gordon was gold once again on the TV on the Radio cover, interlacing multiple effects to join McConnell in a joyful movement toward the end of the jam. The 40-plus-minute, must-listen Phish rollercoaster ride that was “46 Days” > “Tweezer” > “Golden Age” finally melted into a haunting “Steam”, followed by a stormy “A Song I Heard I the Ocean Sing”.

The first section of the “Gotta Jibboo” that came next was tranquil and serene, taking a step back from the spooky and mysterious territory the band had immersed themselves in for the majority of the second set. Trey turned up the heat during the back end of “Jibboo”, and the energy did not dissipate for the remainder of the set. The “Suzy Greenberg”/”Character Zero” one-two punch to close out the final set of the summer didn’t chart any unknown territory, but served as a great way to say goodbye to some of the Rocky Mountain’s most dedicated fans. The encore featured yet another combo-pack of Rift tunes in “The Horse” and “Silent in the Morning” before inviting the rambunctious crowd into the freezer one last time with “Tweezer Reprise”.

Two dozen Dick’s shows are now in the books, and we can only assume this beloved 3.0 venue has more Phish in its future. Where one tour ends, another begins. Although the Curveball cancellation still weighs heavy on the minds of many in the Phish community, Fall Tour 2018 is a month and a half away and plans for New Year’s Eve (and, rumor has it, Mexico) will likely be announced any day now. The life we love is making and seeing music with our friends. See you on the road again!

Watch some assorted fan-shot clips from Phish’s tour closer below:

“Funky Bitch” (partial)