Phish Busts Out ‘Thunderhead’ At DICK’S: Setlist, Recap & The Skinny

Phish returned to Dick’s Sporting Goods Park in Commerce City, Colorado on Saturday for their third of four concerts at the soccer stadium to end 2022 Spring + Summer Tour. After stormy weather led the band to keep Friday’s show to “one long-ass set,” Saturday’s performance was a full two-set affair highlighted by the first “Thunderhead” since 2003, excellent song selections and well-jammed versions of “Walls Of The Cave,” “Kill Devil Falls” and “The Moma Dance.”

Unusual song placements were also in abundance at Dick’s on Saturday. “Punch You In The Eye” kicked off the evening, marking the first time the song has been played in the show-opening slot at Dick’s. The only previous “PYITE” performed at the venue began the second set of the “Most Shows Spell Something” concert on August 30, 2013. While Phish displayed signs of rust during “Punch,” the “Wolfman’s Brother” that followed was tight and fierce. Keyboardist Page McConnell echoed guitarist Trey Anastasio‘s leads on Wurlitzer and piano as bassist Mike Gordon slapped funky bass lines and drummer Jon Fishman provided a compact groove the foursome built to a crowd-pleasing peak.

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. Gordon then thumped out the intro to Stevie Wonder’s “Boogie On Reggae Woman” to the delight of the audience. The short romp through “Boogie On” gave way to “Stash.” Anastasio delivered one angular lead after another in guiding the quartet to a a major key and back again within its brief but potent jam.

The first set rolled on with a slightly extended “Free.” Trey nearly yelled the final few lyrics after unfurling wah’d-out riffs towards the end of the Billy Breathes rocker. Phish lit into a high-octane “Mike’s Song” next filled with powerful B3 organ blasts from McConnell and more fretboard fireworks from Anastasio. “Mike’s Song” came to a full stop before the band started a spirited “Bug,” which wound up closing the opening frame for the first time in its 23-year history.

Read on after The Skinny for the rest of the recap and more.

Want more Phish stats?

Visit JamBase’s The Skinny Hub

More Skinny

Phish took the stage for the second set at 9:58 p.m. on Saturday, which was actually three minutes earlier than they opened their lone set on Friday. The abnormal song placements continued with the pairing of “Say It To Me S.A.N.T.O.S.” and “Kill Devil Falls.” The former made its first appearance as the second set opener, while the latter was last played in the closing stanza way back on New Year’s Eve 2015. “Kill Devil Falls” birthed an interesting jam that strayed far from the song’s typical structure. Page and Trey’s interplay was divine with the quartet expertly moving between keys as Mike utilized a wild, pulsating tone and Fish propelled improvisation that eventually bled into “Sigma Oasis.”

The band was right back into the ether as an adventurous jam developed out of the title track from Phish’s most recent studio album. Yet the biggest surprise of the night followed with the return of “Thunderhead.” Originally released on the 2002 LP, Round Rooom, “Thunderhead” was played live six times in 2003 and then disappeared from the rotation. Last night marked the band’s first performance of the song since December 1, 2003 — a span of 544 shows. Phish nailed the biggest bust out of the tour and then embarked on a turbo-charged “The Moma Dance.” The fast-paced “Moma” also went Type II with Trey firing the afterburners in stringing together one powerful lead after another.

Page headed to his Fender Rhodes amid the “Moma” jam in time to front Phish’s first “No Quarter” cover of 2022. The Led Zeppelin cover gave Anastasio an additional opportunity to shred and the guitarist made the most of it as McConnell sang the lyrics off a laminted sheet that laid atop his synthesizer. Phish tacked on a hard-charging “2001” and evil, call-to-the-aliens “Split Open And Melt” featuring ring modulation effects from Trey and tons of dissonance all around to bring the set to a close. “Thank you so much everybody, we are the Phish from Vermont,” Anastasio told the crowd and introduced his bandmates before the final notes of “Split” rang out. A night filled with an embarrassment of riches ended with an encore featuring “Fee” and “Slave To The Traffic Light.” The former was the evening’s third 2022 debut, saw Trey on megaphone and led into “Slave” with a tasty, albeit short, burst of improvisation.

Phish concludes the run and 2022 Spring + Summer Tour tonight at Dick’s. Watch a livestream via LivePhish.com or tune in to an audio simulcast through SiriusXM Phish Radio.

Audience Recording

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xoaYsdyf9NA&ab_channel=FatahRuark%27sLiveMusicArchive

Phish From The Road Photos

Posters