PHISH @ DICK'S SPORTING GOODS PARK | 8/31/13 I guess we do really all love Dick's. For the first time last night, Phish sold out Dick's Sporting Goods Stadium, which can hold up to 26,000. Not too bad for some goofy dudes who have never had a hit song. Many assumed the show would sell out, you could see with your own eyes that it was getting more and more packed over the past two runs in Commerce City, and after Chicago sold out a 30,000 venue, it was an obvious "day of" sellout.
See also: Review, photos, setlist from Phish at Dick's, night one, 8/30/13 and night three, 9/1/13
Once inside, the first thing I noticed was that security had put up an inner metal fence that had staggered openings spaced apart from the stands openings to make it harder to rush the field. Last night was a bit of a mess around sections 121 and 124, from my vantage point, lots of scuffles and flashlights shooting around as people tried to bum rush the floor, and I'm pretty sure I saw a worker get knocked down. The fence wasn't a surprise, and over the course of the night, I noticed that it worked.
See also: Slideshow - Camping with Phish at Dick's
Scattered storms that threatened throughout the day never really showed, leading to a pretty beautiful evening, and by the time it was 8 p.m., the place was packed all the way to the back of the field. "Buried Alive" opened the show, once again like "Ghost" the night before, kicking it off with a bang and causing the crowd to cheer and immediately get down to business dancing at the songs frantic pace.
Trey Anastasio's guitar work sounded clear once again and the sound in the back stands was just as on point from the get-go. "AC/DC Bag" came next, with Page McConnell throwing down some really chunky chords; offering just a taste of the nonstop dirty funk he would be bringing to the table again and again over the course of the night.
See also: Slideshow - Camping with Phish at Dick's
The funk continued with "Wolfman's Brother," and Page's organ work, combined with Jon Fishman absolutely commanding the lead, had the crowd at full swing. New song "Yarmouth Road," another decent Mike Gordon slightly Caribbean sounding tune, came next. Most of the people around me didn't know the song, and when they asked me, they couldn't figure out what I was saying, but it was favorably received, nonetheless.
Finally "Fee" arrived, which hadn't been heard since Alpine Valley last year, and Trey sounded great on the vocals, which is key to enjoying the song. The piano solo was particularly poignant on this, leading to a really twinkly light jam that felt right after all that funk and getting down. "Halfway to the Moon" and "The Wedge" were up next, and both were great versions.
See also: Slideshow - Camping with Phish at Dick's
The whole set was played really well. I had to remind myself a few times that it was still first set. When "Halley's Comet" came on, one of those guys that wear the full body suits with a green neon stick-figure-man sewn on, came to the back of the floor, and danced his confident, swagger, stick-figure-man dance for the stands.
"Bathtub Gin" started with Page pulling off an especially cacophonous intro, and the band charged strong during the jam. Trey was just ripping it up and making his guitar scream, and it made "Bouncing Around the Room" a welcome break afterwards. "Mound" had a minor flub in the beginning; the audience was nowhere close to clapping correctly, but it's not an easy one, and the rest of the song was strong.
See also: Slideshow - Camping with Phish at Dick's
Page once again showed off his chops in "Gumbo" with a sick piano solo. And just in case you didn't recognize how sick of a solo it was, the notion was reinforced by everyone saying, "That's sick! That's sick!" The first set closed out with a bang, an on point "Run Like an Antelope," which made every person in the place take their energy level to full blast.
Keep reading for more on the show, including setlist and review of set two
See also: -Review, photos, setlist from Phish at Dick's, night one, 8/30/13 - Camping with Phish at Dick's Sporting Goods Park - Phish and fans at Dick's Sporting Goods Park
Set Two kicked off with "Chalk Dust Torture," and finally some exploration arrived. As the guys veered back into a space funk sound, Gordon made the crowd go nuts over his fat signature "Cactus" style. For the first time this year, Chris Kuroda turned the back screen into a moving rainbow, so, of course, much shit was lost in the crowd over that.
See also: Slideshow - Camping with Phish at Dick's
At points, it sounded like the "Light" jam to me, but Fishman started banging his crash cymbal with authority, a "Not Fade Away" rhythm was built, and I thought maybe "Party Time" was coming up. But then, instead, "woos" happened. If the band egged it on, then who am I to complain, and it certainly felt cathartic to physically "WOO," but only half the people "wooing" were doing so with conviction, and it fell a little flat for me. Maybe I'm jaded, or it's because I was at the West Coast Woo Shows, but I would've rather had "Party Time."
Once again, "Light" came up in the second set. I figured after the sheer domination that was the "Dick's Light" last year, the band would leave that one be. It was nice, but I mainly noticed those standing lights on stage, which apparently have been there since the tour opener in what have I been watching. "46 Days" began with Trey hitting a note too high but just covering it up with a bluesy slide to the right fret.
See also: Slideshow - Camping with Phish at Dick's
Right around this time is when Kuroda once again turned the screen into a huge, melting rainbow. Slowly, "Steam," the sexiest song I know of that contains the word "nostrils," seeped in, and Fishman really took over in the jam, banging the heck out of his drums. The guys suddenly switched on a dime, raise up a step, and boom, and started playing "Free." It was definitely a fun transition that the crowd loved.
"Joy" helped everyone catch their breath for a moment, which was a good thing because afterward, the guys went for Deodato's classic "2001" followed by "Tweezer." After seeing the "Tahoe Tweezer," I have made sure to lower my expectations because that was some real lightning in a bottle, but this "Tweezer" was still great, a completely different monster with a mysterious sounding jam, particularly Mike's bass line. As the jam came to an end, the band vamped a chord for a while, until Trey started up "Backwards Down the Number Line" to end the set, which, as usual, had many taking a breather at first, but dancing their feet off by the end.
See also: Slideshow - Camping with Phish at Dick's
As they came back for encore, Trey thanked the audience, and told us that he hoped to see ALL of us at the fall tour, and then busted out Willie Nelson's "On the Road Again," marking a debut for the band. Phish has always done well with barbershop quartet singing and harmonies, and their vocals were on point on this tune. Overall, it was a great show, and it was nice to get rid of the gimmicks and just focus on the music.
Phish Dick's Sporting Goods Park - 8/31/13 Commerce City, CO
SET ONE
Buried Alive AC/DC Bag Wolfman's Brother Yarmouth Road Fee Halfway to the Moon The Wedge Halley's Comet Bathtub Gin Bouncing Around the Room Mound Gumbo Run Like an Antelope
SECOND SET
chalk Dust Torture Light 46 Days Steam Free Joy 2001 Tweezer Backwards Down the Number Line
ENCORE
On the Road Again Tweezer Reprise
Personal Bias: Since I am a Denver local, I tend to be a little biased towards the shows because oh how I love my own bed at night. Random Detail: Someone was burning possibly sage in section 119, and it smelled lovely, like a Williams & Sonoma By The Way: People were asking $250 for tickets right before show last night, same as Chicago Night 2, and many got shut out.
See also: -Review, photos, setlist from Phish at Dick's, night one, 8/30/13 - Camping with Phish at Dick's Sporting Goods Park - Phish and fans at Dick's Sporting Goods Park
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