Show Review - Phish 9/3/23 Commerce City, CO
Phish closed out their 2023 Dick’s run and summer tour with a fun two-hour set, powering through unfortunate weather delays and an awkward format for pretty much the closest thing we get to a festival performance these days.
With a quick rainstorm sweeping over Commerce City around 5:00 seemed as though it would be cleared by the time of the show with no problem, but looming storm clouds and constant thunder and lightning sadly forced the venue to delay the opening of doors for over two hours.
Spirits stayed high in the line as we speculated on how the show would turn out – it was a safe bet then that the band would be cancelling setbreak and playing through like last year’s weather-delayed Dick’s show. What we got ended up being like the inverse of a Mexico run – instead of a one-set show on Thursday and two sets each on Friday through Sunday, we closed out the weekend with a party set. Nothing was a particularly huge jam and some song selection left a bit to be desired, but I still had an absolute blast because at the end of the day – it’s a Phish show.
The band took the stage around 9:30 with “Sigma Oasis,” an excellent and energetic opener that sadly hasn’t been living up to its jam potential for most of 2023. One of the night’s two Type II excursions came next with an excellent 16-minute “Down with Disease,” the band locking in on the jam very quickly – especially the rhythm section. Bassist Mike Gordon seemed cranked in the mix last night and the deep rumble of his playing sounded phenomenal as drummer Jon Fishman pushed the improv forward. Guitarist Trey Anastasio led the improv through a series of bliss peaks before a brief dip into some darker modes with incredible Rhodes work from keyboardist Page McConnell.
Returning home to finish “Disease,” Phish ripped through concise versions of “The Moma Dance,” “Kill Devil Falls,” and “Free” – all very solidly Type I with the standard of excellence that 2023 Phish brings to those kinds of outings.
Our second big jam of the night came in “Everything’s Right,” after an incredibly energetic moment of the whole audience singing the chorus at the top of their lungs. McConnell returned to his Rhodes and laid down some thick textures while Anastasio picked his way around the groove. This “ER” eschewed the expected bliss pivot and went into some darker spaces thanks to Fish’s fluid drumming and Anastasio’s looping work. Gordon fired up his synth effects as all four musicians connected beautifully on this theme before they finally led into a final major-key peak. While it felt like we had reached the “second set” of the show, the band had other ideas – cooling down a bit with a breezy “Roggae” ahead of a rocking “The Wedge.”
“Gumbo,” a nice nod to the recently-departed Jimmy Buffett, seemed to hint at some jamming potential in its microscopic jam but was quickly bailed on for the typical ragtime piano ending.
“2001” was a perfect call for this point in the show, offering a serious dance party and opportunity for everyone to go crazy with the insane amounts of glowsticks inside the venue. A quick first jam led into an extended second segment, McConnell once again leading on Rhodes. Fish engaged in some awesome interplay with the other members, copying licks on drums and breaking up the consistent groove in a really cool way throughout the jam.
“Fuego” has had one hell of a comeback tour this year and last night’s placement seemed absolutely primed for liftoff. The concise 12-minute rendition soared to the skies with explosive energy – though sadly its jam was cut off by a segue into “Runaway Jim.”
It was exciting for me to finally get my first “Jim” at my 30th show, but I was a little bit disappointed to have a promising jam get cut off for a quick five-minute rocker.
Standard versions of “Twist” and “About to Run” followed before the expected “Harry Hood” offered some nice unfolding textures ahead of a set-closing “More.”
The band’s energy and excitement were still palpable throughout the encore of “First Tube” and “Tweezer Reprise,” giving us one last opportunity to dance and smile before heading home.
With my first Dick’s experience under my belt and 12 shows over the course of this summer, I am incredibly grateful to be seeing Phish perform at such a high level. I cannot wait for the next one that will hopefully come before too long!