Phish 9.1.12

Dick’s Sporting Goods Park
Commerce City, CO

Words & Photos By Nicholas Stock

After the epic “Fuck Your Face” show we stood at the precipice of night two at Dick’s. Before I get too deep I would like to take a moment to thank my Fort Collins crew. Robin, Scottie, Amy, and too many more to mention worked hard to make this one of the most memorable runs in my Phishstory, and I want to thank you. By all accounts this was the most standard 3.0 show of the run. Night two was basically a cavalcade of greatest hits that stretched late into the night. However the most surprising element of the show may have been the first set opener. They opened with a powerful “Antelope,” which was the first time this song has filled this slot since 1990.

Phish - 9/1/12 "Light" from Phish on Vimeo.

Set One: Run Like an Antelope, Backwards Down The Number Line> Tweezer> Fluffhead> Roses Are Free> Funky Bitch> The Moma Dance> When The Circus Comes To Town, Theme From the Bottom> Golgi Apparatus, Stealing Time From The Faulty Plan

Set Two: Golden Age> Prince Caspian> Light*, Boogie On Reggae Woman> The Wedge, The Horse> Silent in the Morning> Mike’s Song> No Quarter> Weekapaug Groove

Encore: Sleeping Money> Tweezer Reprise

*Mercy Mercy Mercy Tease (Page)

The real star of the night were the amazing segues between songs like the one between “BDTNL” and “Tweezer,” which was a crispy blast like a car shifting into fourth gear. “Tweezer” has been a staple of 3.0 and as Gordon explodes on the bass it is always a welcomed song to hear. They ripped into fifth with a darker toned segue that eventually emerged as an epic “Fluffhead.” The crowd was literally being assaulted with heavy hitters, as they stepped it up another notch with a sweet version of Ween’s “Roses Are Free.” The “Funky Bitch” into “Moma Dance” kept the crowd moving and barely let anyone breathe. The dance beats were flowing and the energy finally downshifted with “When The Circus Comes To Town.” By all means this could have been a fitting end to the first set, but they boys were not done yet. They ripped into a mighty “Theme” again segueing beautifully into the scary good “Golgi Appartus.” Again this would have been a fitting end, but Phish finally put the brakes on after “Stealing Time.” This was a massive set of music gextending almost an hour and half.


The beginning of Saturday’s second set could be considered the lowest point of the weekend, which isn’t saying much considering how awesome all there shows were performed. T.V. On The Radio’s “Golden Age” seems to be a band favorite, but not necessarily a crowd favorite. “Caspian” is another simple song that has the possibility to be a great vehicle for jam, but did not reach it’s full potential at Dick’s. “Light” however most certainly did. This song has become a huge tool for Phish to travel into the unknown, and this version stretched well into the twenty-three minute range. “Light” eventually emerged into a bouncy “Boogie On Reggae Woman” that woke up the crowd after the extended jam. “The Wedge” is a common song out here in Colorado, given its subject matter so it was an on obvious choice. “The Horse” into “Silent” came next and Page sang brilliantly for the enthralled crowd. Again they could have ended there but the best was yet to come. Fans were treated to an unusual “Mike’s Groove” with Led Zeppelin’s “No Quarter” filling the space usually reserved for “I Am Hydrogen.” This was by far the highlight of the night, showing the sleekness of the band and showcasing their ability to still think outside the box.

The encore was an almost standard “Sleeping Monkey” into “Tweeprise.” I think the energy of the crowd combined with the sparks of brilliance from the band will be the hallmark of this show. It was literally a “best of” type concert that at times veered a little off course. It was a great experience nonetheless and it really did set the stage for the tour closing night on Sunday.

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