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)
Drinking Tzara’s wine for a show is 3/3.
As well as Mike in the red pants and scarf.
#light
#spicey
Eat what you got left night. Such a great run so far. Troy making me eat crow for hating leg 1
My last 3 shows have been 3 of my favs since the return.
Troy’d
buddy was texting me about the scarf last night. cracks me up
we should get a long cool woman in 13. i was thinking the other day though when exactly did page join. i know they were trying to claim it was the rolling stones 50th anniversary but the band said they considered when watts joined the band to be their true start and so they were celebrating a year later. surprised that phish wouldn’t celebrate the inclusion of page instead of the 83 gig
Haha MiA so far so good. Got one bottle left. Let’s not let the fans down by not drinking it today.
its remarkable how different the last 2 nights have been compared to okc. just ridiculous. playing hungry. love it.
Good morning all, I have an extra dl code if anyone needs? Sloth?
Last night was off the hook, still trying to digest light, it’s sitting like a meal in my stomach and I can’t figure which way out!! I gotta say, I love how Trey held back on mike’s bass bomb boogie signal, that could have been the light that never was.
ill take if you still got it halleys
xpun25 yahoo
sending now,
yeah def halleys
it liking having to jam on friday night to stretch out the setlist carried over to last night. one of those jams where you could find a half dozen places they would have bailed on any other night. so perfect and loved that manteca jam segment, so groovy
I hear ya xpun. You can be “at” at show, without being “into” the show. The “you need to be at the show to give an appropriate review” is just a joke. Like if you don’t hold a ticket stub you aren’t listening.
Kinda close to me was a guy with a backwards “Boston” hat on, looking douchy, and wearing jeans. He was sipping from a flask the whole night. Probably drinking brown liquor. He was finger dipping, trying to grab whatever was being passed around, and generally just trying to get as fucked up as possible. By Light, he was hunched over looking like he was gonna puke. Just couldn’t handle his high. Looked like he was gonna topple over. I finally said to one of his handlers “You know, if your buddy can’t handle his high, it’s your responsibility to get him out of here. Nobody wants to dance in his puke.” They said “Sorry, he doesn’t get out much.”
Good part, he didn’t puke. He didn’t talk, and he had no energy to throw glowsticks.
Being on webcast isn’t the worst thing in the world.
Being a dark liquor drinking boston fan though that can’t handle his high.
That’s some shit I don’t like.
I’m interested in any extra codes for either night. Would be much obliged.
Blown away by what I’ve heard so far. Only got through Golgi on stream last night. Spun Light this morning. Great jam.
Sunday morning…
Back Patio…
Cup O’ Joe…
Hippie speedball…
and
9/1/12 Light
Nice start to my day, as that jam kills it. Almost as if they arrive at a place similar to the outro-jam of Jesus Left Chicago. From delicate lace to thunk and chunky blues. Quite the 23 minute journey.
-Aqua “Easy like Sunday Morning” man-
thick and chunky…
Typing fail
I finally nestled behind the rear speakers, dead on, and found a good bunch of folks vibing. My girl made the right decision to get on these plane tickets! yesterday was a 24 hr day, 3am up, 3 am to bed, and I would not have traded it for the world
LEst we forget the Tweezer funk or the random blistering antelope! All lost in the glow of the light!
yeah mia
i was way more into the last two nights than i was front row at msg last new years because i was shit faced at that show. first set rocked, second set was blurry and third set a total shit smear in my memory.
for me the beauty of the webcast is being able to chat it up on the bb. you can talk and not distract from anyone elses experience or really your own for that matter. we’ve had a nice little thing going here this weekend.
ive been a big fan of the spoilers that miner has offered in 3.0 and to me webcasting is just live no spoilers.
your “wow” texts the last few nights have been timed perfectly. am i there? no. am i in some way connected to whats going down? i feel like i am. would i rather be in a field in colorado? of course
For Palmer: 8/31. 120876815914594
I was saying last night how I was hoping a flight half way across the country would not result in getting msg’d…no question now!
The back half of this Light & especially after the 16 min mark, is some of the finest Phish I’ve ever heard.
thanks halleys!!
tzara baiting us all with the moral dilemma there 😉
I am still reveling in patient Trey, pull the plug on moma or roses, but after firing into caspian, when golden age was still, IMO, not a complete thought, Caspian Raged, and the Golden->Light I thought might be coming was certainly more patient due to the Caspian. Caspian’s beginning while sounding like light at first, seemed a little contrived. Again, no complaints, just what I heard. It all works out
I totally endorse that Tweezer. Absolutely loved it. Phish is killing the Tweezers.
Mike’s > No 1/4 > Groove. Was on cloud nine. Like Robear said, they were just running up the score and going for style points. No second jam, but get No Quarter? Fine with me.
I’m grandmaster fluffer I know, but I LOVED that Mike’s segment.
I typed dammit last night, because I moved out of my great spot, to go back by the towers for the Tweezer Reprise. Kinda wanted to be closer for the Sleeping Monkey. But I knew that there was more room back there, and needed lots of space for the full acrobatic dismount to Reprise. Then after Sleeping Monkey, I though, this might not just be a two song ordeal. I may have made a mistake leaving my spot.
During Tweezer Reprise, there was a girl next to me jumping up 2-3 feet in the air, arms twirling, etc. I’ve never seen so much energy in a small person.