Phish closed its three-show Dicks run last night to a segregated but packed house of over 34,000. The overwhelmingly talented Vermont jazz rockers were right on the mark, even if the breeze did affect the sound in the stadium. Phish owned Dicks this weekend with 100,000 customers served -- next time, the Phish phenomenon might even make the local newspaper.
Stadium Dead was fun because there was no other choice for the band once it had jumped the shark by 1983. Stadium Phish, however, still seems like an option -- will it or wont it go the way of Stadium Dead? Will Phish ever return to Deer Creek or Alpine Valley? Will you ever see Phish again in your local opera house?
The head dicks at Dicks kept up the hilarious, segregated, wristband, hole-punch, arm branding, shoe removal, up-down staircase entry protocols despite their obvious failure. Another obvious failure: the 15 white peaked booths selling Coors -- to no customers because even Coloradans have quit Coors (and the booths mysteriously did not sell water.) But the Page-side Coors booth girls get Sunday's honorary funk-off award -- by the third night of the run, you could tell by their dancing that Phish had earned at least one in three of the Coors booth girls as a new phan.
Set I:
Maze: The wind is pushing the sound through a maze of its own.
Get Back on the Train: Jonny B. Fishman starts out early as the night's MVP.
Rift: The interplay between Page and Trey on Rift is fantastic in an opera house setting. "...and silence contagious in moments like these...."
Bathtub Gin: Page plays like a waterfall is hitting the keys in perfect syncopation. Rhapsody in Blue indeed.
The Way it Goes: Coran Capshaw lets Mike sing one of his country diddys. "Sounds like an afternoon show" one of our concert veterans observes.
Halfway to the Moon: Mr. Capshaw also gives Page some solo product placement -- an omen for Phish 3.0?
Gumbo: Usually, in a place where the humidity is under ten percent, the gumbo isn't what you were hoping for, but this was an exception.
Halley's Comet: If we all went down to the central part of Commerce City, some phishhead might ruin it for everyone by lighting a match.
Tube: The youngsters love this high energy science lesson -- so do the people the same age as phish.
Timber (Jerry): Light and lyrical also works nicely in an opera house.
Roses are Free: Dicks serves nothing but Coors and lemonade, so this happy Ween cover about pumpkins and raisins and lasagna is for those who had nothing to eat.
Chalkdust Torture: Even without projection screens, you know Trey is smiling. Star Spangled Banner teases. Power ending with a first set curtain call.
We move from packed Section 126 on the rear-page-side toward the back to Section 132 directly on the page-side. No band members can be seen, but the sound is much more clear -- and, surprisingly, there is more room to dance.
Set II:
Rock and Roll: Is Lou Reed proud of Phish's domination of his song, or maybe Lou Reed doesn't care? But we care -- it's fine fine music. Another life saved.
Come Together: Trey is devolving into a dirty George Harrison tone as Rock and Roll concludes. "Sounds like its going into The Beatles" our astute row mate observes at least three minutes before it happens.
Twist Around: Twist 3.0's are faster than Twist 2.0's -- whew!
Low Rider: Trey reminds us he had music lessons as a child -- "take a little trip and see...."
Piper: RLM's Coran Capshaw forces CK5 to go heavy on the red lights on this one -- Capshaw wants his product placement too.
Harry Hood: You knew a Hood or Reba was in the queue and this huge Hood was worthy of the venue -- big and loud and big and discordant and big and beautiful. This is why you come to the Phish concert. Star Spangled Banner teases.
Roggae: "Can't forget to turn the earth so both sides get their share of darkness and of light..." -- yet no one in Europe or Asia cares about Phish. Dreams are taking flight.
Story of the Ghost: Without the spacey opening -- a big heavy Ghost.
Guy Forget: I had forgotten what a power crescendo this "song" is -- perfect ending for the Ghost.
Story of the Ghost: Ghost sandwich with a final Guy Forget digestif.
Walls of the Cave: Phish 2.0's Time Turns Elastic -- you just have to wait. Even the funk-off winner from Section 132 sits for the first five minutes, but by the "listen to the silent trees" closing, the entire place is up and listening and frenzied.
E: Backwards Down the Number Line: We see six Commerce City cops escort a tired patron right out the gate before rifling his girlfriend's purse and strip searching him -- not so happy happy. The one-song encore confirms that this is not the end of Phish 3.0!
See you in Winnipeg for Pearl Jam!