Watch Phish Perform ‘Tweezer,’ ‘What’s The Use,’ ‘The Howling’ & More At DICK’S

Phish rolled out pro-shot video of highlights from the first three shows of their four-night stand at Dick’s Sporting Goods Park in Commerce City, Colorado this past weekend. The band selected “The Howling” into “Piper” from Thursday's concert, “Tweezer” into “What’s The Use?” from Friday's concert and “Walls Of The Cave” from Saturday's concert.

The quartet paired “The Howling” and “Piper” to end their second set at the soccer field near Denver on Thursday night. Debuted by Phish as part of their Sci-Fi Soldier musical costume last Halloween, “The Howling” has been played more than any other song from the suite. The version at Dick’s was the seventh “The Howling” since Halloween.

Guitarist Trey Anastasio worked “The Howling” jam into “Piper” at Dick’s. The 14-minute “Piper” was among the improvisational highlights of Phish’s first Thursday night concert at Dick’s as it featured relentless shredding from Anastasio. Trey led the way to multiple peaks to end the second set. Check out “The Howling” > “Piper” from Thursday, September 1 below and head here for a full recap of the show:

Friday’s Phish show at Dick’s consisted of “one long-ass set” as stormy weather led to lengthy delay before the band took the stage. One of the many standout moments from the night was the 23-minute “Tweezer” > “What’s The Use?” sequence. JamBase’s Andy Kahn described the segment in his recap, writing:

Trey and [keyboardist] Page [McConnell] playfully engaged in a back-and-forth exchange, the latter working the piano with his right hand and the Clavinet with his left. Trey established a melody with an instant familiarity, landing on a form that resembled elements of “Destiny Unbound,” and slipping in a “Streets Of Cairo” lick. The guitarist guided a segment that sounded as if it was pre-composed, like they were about to segue into a different song. Instead, they shifted to another improvised passage that cascaded out to a signature, satisfying peak.

The band had now rolled past 11:25 p.m., which was the time they ended Thursday’s show. “What’s The Use” came next, with Lighting Director Chris Kuroda darkening the soccer stadium during the atmospheric instrumental.

See Friday’s “Tweezer”/”What’s The Use?” pairing below:

Phish went back to the normal two-set format on Saturday. However, the concert was filled with jams out of songs that don’t typically birth improvisation and placements in unusual spots. An example was the stellar +16-minute “Walls Of The Cave” that filled the three-slot.

Read a description of the monster version from my recap of Night 3:

A rare mid-set “Walls Of The Cave” came next, one of just two since the aforementioned “Most Shows Spell Something” night. Its placement wasn’t the only thing unusual about Saturday’s “Walls” as it also featured multiple modulations, including a foray into a pretty major key not too far astray from “Mountain Jam.” The must-hear Type II version concluded with a soaring improvisation before McConnell led the group through the recently revived “Heavy Rotation” from his self-titled 2007 debut solo album.

See the top shelf “Walls Of The Cave” from Phish’s September 3 concert below: