Back On The Pitch: Phish Revives Dick’s Labor Day Weekend Run In Colorado

Phish returned to Dick’s Sporting Goods Park in Commerce City, Colorado on Friday night, resurrecting their traditional run at the soccer stadium outside Denver.

Phish spent previous Labor Day Weekends playing shows at Dick’s annually between 2011 and 2024 (save for the pandemic-canceled 2020 shows). The band broke from that tradition in 2025, when they played shows at Boulder’s Folsom Field over the Fourth Of July Weekend.

This year’s return run at Dick’s is made up of three concerts, with Friday’s show marking the band’s 43rd overall performance at the venue.

Guitarist Trey Anastasio, bassist Mike Gordon, drummer Jon Fishman and keyboardist Page McConnell last appeared onstage together on August 1 when they completed a two-night stand at Boston’s Fenway Park.

The foursome’s long-awaited return to the Dick’s pitch began with “No Men In No Man’s Land.” A strong “let’s get back to it” selection to get the group going, the opener’s welcoming jam ended with Trey going to a big tension and release climatic finish.

The moody rocker “Oblivion” filled the two-hole and, like “NMINML,” brought with it a well-contained improvised sequence. Page’s organ work maintained a brooding undertone while Trey infused elements of The Beatles’ “Baby You’re A Rich Man” (or perhaps Jackie DeShannon’s “Put A Little Love In Your Heart) to add color to the jam.

The subsequent “Prince Caspian” turned out to be an exercise in Type I jamming. Trey wove in and out of the “Caspian” melody while Fish drew patterns within the song’s rhythmic structure. The quartet slipped into “Plasma” with a seamless transition and within minutes were back to exploring new improvisational territory.

Trey assumed a narrator role, his guitar prominently out front of the others who were creating scenery behind him. The guitarist sang a line from “Prince Caspian” as the band landed the ending of “Plasma.”

The opening set continued to fill in with a tight and rocking “Tube,” followed by Mike taking lead and bringing in island vibes via the night’s lone cover, “Ya Mar.”

Mike was popping and slapping his bass throughout the ensuing “Wolfman’s Brother,” anchoring the funky final song of the first set. “Wolfman’s” was one of four songs in the seven-song first set with jams extending it beyond the 10-minute mark, and each of the three others went over eight minutes.

There was a “that could have been a second set” feel to the first half of the show, both in terms of what songs were played and how they were approached with substantial improvisation.

An appetizer of “46 Days” was served to get the wheels rolling on Friday’s second set. The main course, not just of set two but of the entire evening, was soon to follow.

Mike’s wall of sound build-up indicating the start of “Down With Disease” would prove to be the beginning of a record-setting performance of the longtime jam vehicle. The prevailing “DWD” ride officially clocked in at 35:30, making Friday’s version the longest since its 1994 debut (via Phish.net Jam Chart).

After much of the first set’s jamming followed a similar structure, texture and format, “DWD” introduced new timbres and dynamics, shifting rhythms and a robust array of stylistic diversity. A sense of urgency could be felt from the onset and it carried through via group-wide confidence. Hesitation subsided and the four musicians went all in for the duration of the steadily evolving “DWD.”

During one section of the stellar “DWD” jam, Trey employed his mid-1990s style mini drum kit that first re-appeared this summer at the 1995-themed concert held at MSG and has remained onstage ever since. Some start-stop call-in-response “woo-ing” also infiltrated the jam.

The mini drum kit was also part of the “Life Saving Gun” that followed the impressive “Down With Disease” excursion. Mike took charge of “Life Saving Gun” when Trey doubled up on percussion, laying down a lead line that set both the rhythmic and melodic pace. Page’s wobbly synth added layers of sonic textures to the mix. Fish and Trey went head-to-head on drum fills for a percussive onslaught at the end of “Life Saving Gun.”

Things quieted down a bit for Trey’s tender “Lonely Trip,” but were quickly shot back up with an explosive “Run Like An Antelope.” Not quite finished with the set, standby closer “Character Zero” was one final jolt of energy unleashed on the Dick’s audience.

Friday’s two-song encore was led off by Page taking his bandmates through the heartfelt ballad “Wading In A Velvet Sea.” The emotional highs and lows and ultimate satisfying payoff of “Harry Hood” were leveled across the stadium in dramatic fashion to seal the first night of this year’s return run at Dick’s.

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Phish’s Labor Day Weekend run at Dick’s continues tonight. Livestreams of Phish Summer Tour 2026 shows are available with a LivePhish With subscription.

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