For the last six Labor Day weekends, Phish fans have flocked to the beloved Dick’s Sporting Goods Park in Commerce City, CO to catch their favorite band for three nights of musical magic. The longest-standing tradition for fans, there’s no denying that Phish loves Dick’s. It must be something in the Colorado air…

Coming off two strong shows at Lockn’ Festival, Phish settled right into their three-night stand with a “Ghost” opener that featured a ripping solo from Trey Anastasio. With the last five years of spelling routines on people’s minds, the next selection “No Men In No Man’s Land” broached the waters of a “Most Shows Spell Something”-esque concept. This was no slouching “No Men” either, as the band stretched out for a really nice long jam that turned a corner from rock to space funk, only building up the energy throughout the ten-plus minutes.

Watch the show opening “Ghost” in HD, courtesy of Phish.

“Breath and Burning” put an end to the spelling game, as the 2016 original was played out with a nice melodic solo. The group got their funk on in “Undermind,” and it was Page McConnell who tickled the ivories with a great solo in “Heavy Things.” Trey commented that Page was really “swinging,” a comment that drummer Jon Fishman took to heart after a spaced out “Stash.” Fishman kept the “swinging” joke going, bringing it back to the humorous venue name, Dick’s. Naturally, “swinging Dick’s” jokes ensued, before Fish led a fun version of his new song, “Ass Handed.”

The remainder of the set was pure funky Phish, as they rocked “The Wedge” and brought out “Alaska” for the first time in 77 shows (7/30/2014). They closed the set with “46 Days,” an improvisational highlight of the set and show. The jam was all patient, as Mike Gordon and Jon Fishman were locked in on the rhythm section. Trey spit fire and brought the set to a close with the song’s triumphant ending.

Set two kicked off in fine fashion with a rock and rolling “Run Like Antelope,” but it was the return of “Mercury” that would highlight the early part of the second set. Played for the first time in 2016, the band lagged a bit through the beginning but quickly found their pace and finished off the song with a big jam. The tune segued into “Seven Below,” which got into spacey, dark territory before erupting into “Birds Of A Feather.” This BOAF was all rock and roll with Trey shredding throughout.

Watch the second set Antelopener below, courtesy of Phish.

After an short and funky “Wombat,” the band got to work on a trio of songs that would end the set. The “Tweezer > Runaway Jim” was the gem of the second set, as the band locked together and fluidly moved through improvisational notions. “Runaway Jim” also featured a fun “Seven Below” tease from Trey early on, as he kept things loose and entertaining. “Suzy Greenberg” brought the house down to end the set, packing in a fun jam with Trey playing the Marimba Lumina. It was Page that really shined in the set closer, working his keyboard magic while Trey and Fishman provided dual percussion.

For the encore, Phish took things down with one of their slower selections, “Bug.” The smile-and-sway tune broke into one last rager, as fans tossed their glowsticks for one final show-stopping “Tweezer Reprise.” Though the “Tweezer”/”Reprise” combination were both played in the band’s last show at Lockn’, bringing them out in the first show is a sure signal of the band’s pure excitement for this run at Dick’s.

With two more nights to go, anything is possible! Check out the full setlist via Phish.net, below, as well as a full gallery of images from Jeremy Scott Photography.

Setlist: Phish at Dick’s Sporting Goods Park, Commerce City, CO – 9/2/16

Set 1: Ghost, No Men In No Man’s Land, Breath and Burning, Undermind, Heavy Things, Stash, Ass Handed, The Wedge, Alaska > 46 Days

Set 2: Run Like an Antelope, Mercury > Seven Below > Birds of a Feather, Wombat, Tweezer > Runaway Jim > Suzy Greenberg

Encore: Bug > Tweezer Reprise