FUCK’d
8.31.2012 Commerce City, CO (Graham Lucas)
When Phish dropped “You Enjoy Myself” halfway through the first set, albeit a surprise, it felt totally out of place. They had just slayed an extended “Carini” that immediately vaulted into the elite versions of all time, and all of a sudden we were headed for a vocal jam? Nonetheless, Phish was on fire and throwing IT down. Halfway through “Ocelot,” my friend told me a theory someone had just hatched: the band was spelling “Fuck Your Face” with the first letter of each song. My first reaction was, “Really? Yeah, right.” Then we quickly went through the setlist—“First Tube,” “Uncle Pen,” “Carini,” “YEM,” Ocelot.” Really!? It seemed like a brilliant idea—referencing the “S” set from the first night at Dick’s last year—and I immediately believed. If the band played “Undermind” next, it was clearly going down. And boy did they ever play “Undermind!” Closing the first set with a staggering piece of cathartic improvisation, Phish wrote last night’s “Undermind” into the record books. With an uplifting piece of utter bliss, the band stamped a divine exclamation point on one of the best first sets of all time—and the setlist spelled “F.U.C.K.Y.O.U.”
Official Colorado Print—Blue (T.Stout)
It was one of those magical nights that only happen in Gamehendge; one of those shows that we will never forget; one that will live in legend forever. Drenched with jamming of the highest level—including two excursions in “Undermind” and “Chalk Dust” that easily flirt with the loftiest jams in band history—the first night at Dick’s 2012 contained more masterful improvisation than several “normal” shows combined. The guys were as thrilled to be in Colorado as much as we were, illustrated by their “Phish Love Dick’s” vocal jam in “YEM.” Trey was notably on from his solo in “First Tube,” and he played as well he ever has all night long. The entire band swam in IT throughout the show, cranking out mystical, uplifting music for the duration. Following a late-summer trend of bliss jams, the band added two of their best to date last night with “Undermind” and—easily— the greatest “Chalk Dust” ever played. Phish feels great these days, as Trey admitted openly on Denver’s KBCO yesterday morning, and that feeling is permeating their music. With every jam last night, Phish reached points of rapture and exhilaration, sculpting their most spiritually significant night of music in memory.
8.31.12 (G.Lucas)
At setbreak, everyone hypothesized how the band would spell “R.F.A.C.E.” in the second half. My call was “Rock and Roll > Free, Crosseyed > Esther,” but I wound up going 0-4 in my guesses, which was all part of the face-fucking theme of the evening. Starting out the set with the first long-form “Runaway Jim” since Miami ’03 (but that was slop, so really, the E Center on 7.3.2000), the band dropped an exploratory epic that touched on incredibly diverse feels from wah-clav ’97 dance-funk to ambient, etheral realms. About halfway through, the band “reset” the jam into groove, and from that point out, it only grew in grandeur. Reaching several remarkable planes, the guys continued to gravitate towards the euphoric at every opportunity. An exploration that likened the old days, but with the music of Phish 2012, this one couldn’t have been a bigger surprise. After playing “Farmhouse,” however, Phish set up the prank of the night.
8.31.12 (G.Lucas)
Building a several minute ambient intro, it was all but clear that “Also Sprach Zarathustra”—better known as “2001”—would be the next song. But throwing a left hook that nobody saw coming, the band dropped into “Alaska!” Causing a collective groan from much of the audience, the fake out was an incredibly Phishy maneuver. It soon became part of the joke—the band played the best show of the year with “Farmhouse” and “Alaska” in the middle of the second set! When the guys kicked into “Chalk Dust” for “C,” they simply unveiled the best version of all-time. If you love Phish, and you love inspired guitar playing from one, Trey Anastasio, this jam is as good as it gets. Connecting on every level—another theme of the night—the band improvised out of the end of the song and into heaven. Combined with “Undermind,” these two pieces have instantly earned plaques in the Hall of Fame that are being chiseled as I type. This music was the stuff of dreams. Highlighted by four magnificent jams—totaling a ludicrous 68 minutes of top-shelf Phish—the band’s music spoke for itself last night; an aural revelation of the highest degree. And the face-fucking wasn’t over.
8.31.2012 (Graham Lucas)
At setbreak, the only song anyone could think of that started with “E” was “Esther”—an odd closer, but what else could they play? As fans were catching their breath from an intergalactic “Chalk Dust,” the guys started the Rolling Stones “Emotional Rescue” for the first time since September 30, 2000! After spelling it out, the band closed the set with “Fuck Your Face,” a song that I thought would be the encore. But Phish came out to a with a double encore of “Grind” and “Meatstick,” a pairing that put a comical twist on the theme of the night.
A combination of the mountain air, the great energy of the crowd and the end of a spectacular summer converged to cause a musical bolt of lighting last night in Colorado. And nobody can wait to get back into that soccer stadium tomorrow night! This has been a special year for Phish, and they are capping it with their most impressive playing of the season. It has been a blessing to watch the band climb back to prominence since 2009, and to see them reaching new heights, never previously touched, is the greatest reward one could ever ask for.
I: First Tube, Uncle Pen, Carini, Kill Devil Falls, You Enjoy Myself, Ocelot, Undermind
II: Runaway Jim > Farmhouse > Alaska, Chalk Dust Torture, Emotional Rescue > Fuck Your Face
Encore: Grind, Meatstick
8.31.2012 (Graham Lucas)
Bliss’d
Absolutely epic. EPICCCCC >___<
Thought this was worth a repost because it so perfectly exemplifies the type of expression and rationale we talk about so often here. This was posted during the height of the Jim Jam last night:
“Kinda wish i only ordered tonight. I’d be astounded if the next 2 stand up to this.”
^hilarious.
What a burner!!! While FYF would’ve been an appropriate choice for the encore, you can’t beat the humor of Grind Meatstick. Killer job fella’s!!
YES!
I was thinking when they dropped First Tube to open, “They’re making a statement with this…”
I was wrong – they made two.
After such an amazing night of Phish, I should still be sleeping but I could not wait to rise to read the shiny reviews of this MONSTER SHOW! I still can’t believe how great my 46th outing turned out to be :0) Everyone has already elaborated on the centerpiece jams of this gig. I knew it was the best ever for me during Farmhouse… The jam section of this version when Red sustains note after note for what seemed like an eternity blew me away… When Alaska began, I thought the show was gonna plane out but even this version of (imho) a usually tame number, smoked! I was suprised that Emotional Rescue was played and even more suprised that the band resisted improv on the milky jam that followed the verses…. The FYF segue was perfectly placed with the sucking in the 70’s stop/start… Meatsticks all around !! Thank You Phish….BJ
decision to stream = smartest decision of my life
decision to skip dick’s = not so smart
After nodding off in first set (a little during carini jam and YEM. jolted awake by the refrain of dick’s in the vocal jam), by KDF I was wide awake and buzzing w/ spelling excitement.
this was a show with purpose and inspired playing. Everything was nailed, except a loose emotional rescue, and trey had his A game.
WOW!
decision to stream = smartest decision of my life
decision to skip dick’s = not so smart
After nodding off in first set (a little during carini jam and YEM. jolted awake by the refrain of dick’s in the vocal jam), by KDF I was wide awake and buzzing w/ spelling excitement.
this was a show with purpose and inspired playing. Everything was nailed, except a loose emotional rescue, and trey had his A game.
WOW!
Loved IT!
I knew that Trey was leading when he busted into carini without conversing with the band. OK, actually I knew Trey was leading 2 seconds into First Tube. Either way, thanks Red for the opportunity to share in IT. There i’ll say IT again. That was IT for me.
If you all want to have some real fun tonight, take a drink every time you think they are playing IT, thinking IT or just basking in IT. Either way it will be a beautiful buzz. Beats beer pong at the moment.
Thanks all for sharing. Love the reviews.
Miner, don’t want to fluff here, but I do agree with everything you wrote. Thanks for spicing up your review.
Not sure what else to write. I appreciate those that wrote exactly what I wrote but with different words.
cause we’re all in this together, and we love to take a bath.
Peace all.
oh, and Kaya – did we reach star wars yet?
Hope they set the bar this high for a reason,
Young lust opener tonight
I need a dirty woman
this re-spin calls for a hippy speedyball. holy toledo, should have streamed last night.
praise jah for the phish tapping into IT.
phism: plenty of star wars segments last night. end of farmhouse to name one.
the jamming was off the charts last night.
Can you elaborate on that @pp? Will last night have been pointless if time proves it to be a peak?
So are there going to be any more jams this weekend with the width and breadth of last night’s? Or will they just play 25 songs a set. Or both?
Good morning.
you guys are too funny
first Uncle Pen in 83 shows, and it’s as fluid and nailed as an early 90’s version.
uh yeah. Wowowowow!
Amazing night with Pham B and Mrs. Pham B, Sumo and Graham, Tela’s, Leo Weaver, Alf, AJ, Tzara’s and Mrs. T, MIA and the Mrs and big FAT hugs from a happy Robear at setbreak.
Not only was this one of the best shows I’ve EVER seen, everything just came together perfectly. The weather was bliss, the crowd was bliss, the music was BLISS.
Oh man, let’s do it again!
I wish I was little bit taller,
I wish I was a baller,
I wish I had a girl who looked good
I would call her
I wish I had a rabbit in a hat with a bat
And a six four Impala
Best group of people on this board, I am one grateful fan!
Matty Beck Birthday show > > Bieber’d!!!
Dont know what to say other than, let’s do it again!
Seriously. They love Matty! We are sure that was the first time Trey ever said ‘Stop by the Waterwheel Booth…..’ on stage. Special night.
Daughter was a trooper, though very tired.
‘Carin’ starts. ‘Dad, can we go closer?’
Smart kid.
Best. Venue. Ever. After ‘Uncle Pen’, I leaned over to Jimmy of Dry Goods and said
“Can we make Phish the Dicks House band”?