There was nothing tame about that 1st set.. saying so belies a lack of understanding what this band is all about. Set one was classic Phish; a silly gag, a weird set-list with a few rarities (Llama, IDK, No Quarter, Ha Ha Ha), the first Guyute in over a year (played with polished ferocity), and Suzy with horns! It's not all about jamming guys.

If anything I thought set 2 was kind of tame, 46 Days got ripchorded cause it was going nowhere, BOTT was boiler-plate, Numberline was an energy killer with standard Trey doing his thing, Antelope is overplayed, and a Character Zero encore is hard to get pumped about. The magic came in the form of Simple, which was incredible, but also got cut short for Ghost. It's hard to say a 22 minute Simple got cut short, but I felt like the direction it took at the end, especially what Page was starting on his Yamaha synth, could have yielded something beautiful. Of course Hood, which has produced consistently inspired versions since the first show of the summer at Mansfield was soaring and beautiful. You could feel good about it.

Here's the thing, last night's show was amazing. If they played it at any point in 2004 or 2011 it would be contending for best show of the year, but this is 2014 and the Phish are on top of their game in a way I haven't seen since 97-98. With that in mind, the first set was a classic Phish gag and is already the stuff of legend, complete with bust-out and prog-rock treats, and set two felt like a victory lap with a stand out Simple and a noteworthy Hood. It's a good time to be a Phish head.

Get this simple. Don't succumb to the asinine qualifier it's a must hear for 3.0. It's a must hear period. The days of lackluster "fun" shows of 09-11 have given way to legitimately fun and high quality shows of 12-14. This is no different. For us yuts who were too young for 1.0 and not rushing to see 2004, i am so incredibly thankful to be on that dicks field. Great show with more fun to come!

What a show! It's shows like this why I love this band. Even when you think they're doing something predictable, they fool you anyway! Such was the case in last nights first set.

After the long awaited llama opener, followed by Undermind and a really good Stash, it was pretty much confirmed they were spelling Lushington (aka the greatest phish song ever according to rolling stone). Well they did, playing Guyute and No Quarter in the process! (My favorite cover that they play.) Just as we were waiting for the first Lushington since 87, Here comes: Ha Ha Ha?

Which is just what I did at that moment. Troll Anastasio comes through again!

How does this get more fun?

SUZY WITH HORNS!!!!!!

Now the second set,

This set stands up to the best of this year as far as I'm concerned. 3 notable jams (46 Days, Ghost, and Hood) plus one for the ages (simple) and an Antelope taboot! This may be my new favorite of the year! (Although Randalls 3 and MPP 2 will be hard to top)

Two more nights! Let's see what they've got!

I dob't have anything to say that hasn't been said before, reviewing this show is pretty...simple- ha, ha, ha!

However, I did have a really cool story last night, and I thought it might be worthwhile to share it.

I saw 84 shows of what they call Phish 1.0

Last night was my phirst experience seeing them since 10-7-2000.
It had been 14 long years.

But man oh man, was it nice to be back. The lot scene hasn't changed- thousands of great, peaceful people conducting black-market commerce in Commerce City.

I went in with low expectation musically. I know I'm not going to get a 25 minute 2001 jam, and that's alright. I was hoping for SOME sweet jamming though, and the sec ond set did NOT disappoint.

Great show. It's really that simple.

I'm giving this show five stars as it was underrated at the time of its inception and has aged beautifully with a little distance. The entire show is well-played (for the most part) with little down time and lots of inventiveness and gold nuggets tucked away in all the right places.

Of all the songs known as classic openers over the years, Llama reigns supreme in my view. How can you go wrong with a rockin Llama? This version was not as sharp as either the Truck Set version or the Holmden, NJ version for that matter, but it fed the vibe and blew the roof off the roofless venue nonetheless.

Undermind was a nice, compact and funky rendition which got everyone dancing and the race was on to figure out if the boys were going to "spell something". Stash and Halfway followed, and most astute observers were guessing Lushington at this point. This Stash is top-shelf btw. Not an all-timer, but much sharper and entertaining than some others from earlier in the year. This Halfway is marvelous and obviously benefitted from time on the road and on stage. Trey really pumped some needed life into this number on this night, which was welcome as Halfway was sounding like a threadbare sportcoat which doesn't match any of your clothes before this. On this night, this beautiful Page tune seemed to finally reach the heights that its beautiful lyrics beg for.

The next sequence was delightfully playful and represented classic Phish. It also catapulted (bad pun, sorry) the set into the top ranking as being the best 1st frame of the year (in my view at least). When you can get a vacuum solo (an excellent one to boot!) mixed in with the frivolity of Nellie Kane and the psychedelia of Guyute together in one 20 minute segment, you have found a good night to attend a Phish show. The Guyute was really nailed and you could never tell that it was the first one in (how many shows?) a long time.

The Line, a song I don't like, actually worked well in the next slot and gave way to a particularly Alice-In-Wonderland trip through the land of Ocelot and then an extremely well-played No Quarter cover. As a huge Led Zep fan, I often cringe at the sophomoric treatment this cover receives from the boys but this version was worthy of its namesake.

Ha Ha Ha was wickedely delightful and the Suzy with horns was terrific. Loved Trey turning to Jennifer Hartswick, who is the very definition of HOT and asking her if she loved Dick's. Classic.

I don't agree with the sentiments expressed above that this set was tame except for the Simple. To my ears, the entire 2nd set was trip down memory lane. The band sounded like a more mature version of '97 throughout the frame. I close my eyes during Simple and it sounds like the late nineties never left. This entire set is a complete throw-down. There is no down time. Because of this view, I will eschew a song-by-song on this set because to me it represents one long song. Even the BDTNL is played with genuine verve and intensity and only a dead person would not be tapping, dancing and maybe even crying during this passionate rendition.

I repeat, this set has NO DOWN TIME. It is on par with the Tweezer-fest and other great shows. Every song has some special moments, even if they don't go completely "out there".

Of course, the Simple is a complete work. It has everything. I'm becoming lazy at this point and don't want to put the work in to describing this song. Also, I feel to do so somehow diminishes it, in the same way I felt somewhat askance at trying to do so to the Tahoe Tweezer. It just IS. That's all. This Simple is something to get lost in. It's as if the band becomes larger than Mount Olympus for twenty minutes and you feel like a grasshopper hiding in the reeds while the mountain rumbles and blows soot and magma into the starry night.

If anything was a downer in this set, it was Trey signalling the end of the jam with the employment of his Echoplex as he readies to segue into Ghost. The Simple jam could have become the modern day 50+ minute Runaway Jim if they had ridden it home. But I quibble.

What a show.

Character Zero, by the way, has become the new Loving Cup. Deal with it.

Ah, there we were! Dick's had finally come; looking forward to this three day run more than any other this summer. After hitting the SPAC run, Randall's 1 and Canandaigua, I was ready to groove once again. Narrowly missing a few ominous clouds at the campsite, my party of around 20 and myself were thankful for the weather and promptly charged the floor for a wonderful evening.

"Llama"- Energetic, straightforward and a pleasant surprise for the opener. Page was most certainly on point (in my opinion, Page was the MVP of the run) and the band followed suite with sharp execution. Not to mention, my first Llama!

"Undermind"- Thick, blissful and funky. Jam was to the point. A fun ride, but not overdone. Just how I like my Undermind's. Not the hugest fan of the song, but I will take it any day.

"Stash"- Always a fun song, but a little quiet. Not to take away from the patient, blissful jam of course. After a somewhat-botched intro from Randall's 1 (Not truly, I just tend to kind of notice those little moments where a note is played too quietly from Trey) I was expecting better, and I got what I expected.

"Halfway to the Moon"- I've never truly jived with this song. A nice break indeed, so I'm happy with the placement in the set. At this point, whispers of "Lushington" were being heard on the floor so I was curious to see what they would pull out next......"I am Hydrogen??"

"I Didn't Know"- No hydrogen, but still entertaining. My second one of the summer (SPAC3 first) so granted I wasn't laughing AS hard as others, but you can't help but smile when Fishman wheels that damn vacuum tube around. The man has talent, although the talent is a bit odd.

"Nellie Kane"- BLUEGRASS! HOORAY! So happy to hear this song. Hearing this and the Ginseng Sullivan at Sunday's soundcheck definitely gave me the Phish bluegrass fix I was looking for this weekend. Not much to say about it, but boy it was fun.

"Guyute"- Trolling the .net forums and Phish Tour facebook group starting weeks before the show, it was almost common knowledge we were due for this monster. The galloping scrape Trey does to count off the beat was almost a dead giveaway to me before the song started. Also my first Guyute, so I was very excited. Executed very well, and not to mention Fishman sounded extra scary in the beginning of that second verse.

"The Line"- Going into summer tour, I was a bit skeptical on how this song would seem to me. Incidentally, this was my piss break song at Jazzfest. However, this song to me is the epitome of "bliss" almost every time, with Page leading the charge. This one was no exception.

"Ocelot"- Well. Ocelot is Ocelot. Ocelot has always been Ocelot. And Ocelot will always be Ocelot. Entertaining jam always, but nothing to write home about.

"No Quarter"- I was absolutely blown away. First No Quarter. I've absolutely loved this song since I was a kid. In my opinion, it beats out Zeppelin.

"Ha Ha Ha"- HAHA HA HA.

"Suzy Greenberg"- Horns, man. Horns. Absolutely sick. I lost my shit. Don't think I'll ever get horns again, but hey. They always seem to surprise us!

"46 Days"- I have always felt that set placement is extremely crucial for a show. I have never gotten a 46 days opening a second set before and to this day I'm not sure how I feel about it. I've heard it many times, and while it's always a rager, I guess the magic is somewhat wearing off of me. Still, a great jam with a lot of bite from Trey which was definitely getting the blood flowing.

"Back on the Train"- Page always takes this song and makes it a tune where I dance so weirdly, but at the same time loving every minute of it. When Page gets on the Rhodes you know it's time to party. Super thick, super funky and super Phish-y.

"Simple"- I have only gotten two Simple's during my 17-show career of Phishing (still kind of a noob). My first was 12/30/13 at MSG and my second was this one. I consider myself one of the luckiest people in the world. Simple hits number 2 on my top 5 songs and every time I hear that first riff I lose my mind. And this jam......Wow, this jam. A 21 minute masterpiece. The noodling was blissful, but that backbone that Gordo and Fish kept throughout.....was unreal. I grooved for 21 minutes straight. In my opinion, the top jam of the summer and - although I'll get some criticism for this - the best Simple ever.

"Ghost"- Sick Ghost indeed. Charging, punchy, in your face work from the boys. A blissful peak from Trey at the end before we rip into...

"Backwards Down the Number Line"- A fun little break. You can always tell the boys have fun playing it, so we enjoy it too. In one word I can describe this song as "happy" (fitting, right?). My friends and I always seem to put our arms around each other at the ending part of the song and embrace our friendship. This song gets a lot of criticism, but I hope it touches you on a deeper level like it does to me.

"Harry Hood"- Definitely thought this would end the set, thankfully I was wrong. Nonetheless, a very strong Hood going a little type II in the jam section. I somewhat noticed a similar sound to the Mansfield Hood earlier in the summer. Needless to say, we all felt good.

"Wading in the Velvet Sea"- I waved a lighter for a minute or two to see if people would get pissed off. A few weird and dirty looks. Nice solo from Trey at the end.

"Run Like an Antelope"- A great choice for a first night closer. Although I think it may have been a bit overplayed this summer, I think they make up for it in their powerful, sometimes scary build-up sections. No real flubs from Trey, so I was satisfied with an amazing show and excited for a hopefully unusual encore. But then....

"Character Zero"- Before this show, I caught five shows earlier in summer tour. Three of those shows had Character Zero encores. If Antelope was overplayed a bit this summer, this song was stuck on repeat. Sure it gets people hyped, but come on guys. I'm really trying not to take away from this show as a whole, but I was surprised and a little disappointed with this call. I'd like to know who conducts the song choices for the encores (Still I think Trey). I guess they wanted to stay in their comfort zone their first night. Thankfully, the rest of the weekend included old favorites, plenty of great jams and me crying my eyes out during "The Curtain With."

Thanks for a great show and a great run Phish.

Of the five Phish shows I have attended this one might be my favorite. Llama was an awesome opener and it totally set the mood for this rockin' show. By the time Stash rolled around I was confident the gag was "Lushington" and I couldn't believe that I was going to be there to witness this epic bust out! They start up No Quarter and the place goes insane then boom. Ha Ha Ha. To be honest I was a little upset when I realized Lushington wasn't going to be played but Suzy with the horns was a great consolation prize. Set two starts off with a pretty good 46 Days>BOTT and then we are dropped into Simple. If you only listen to one thing from this show listen to the Simple>Ghost combo. The jamming is just exquisite. The rest of the show was alright after that, besides Simple>Ghost I really dug the Hood as well. They wrapped everything up with Character Zero, something I'd normally complain about but I liked it in this setting. Overall a fantastic show. Can't wait to see what's in store for N2!!

VERY enjoyable 1st set. Up there with Randalls 3 and MPP2 this summer. Llama and Undermind had just a little bit of extra mustard on them. It's great to see Trey nail Stash and Guyute (welcome back!) with such confidence. 46 Days had a obligatory 2nd set opener outro jam tacked on. Ghost played well in the middle of the set. What a Summer Tour for Mr. Harry Hood eh? Trey playing beautiful rhythms like these is what we all come for.

I don't think anyone would argue this tops the heavy hitter SHOWS this Summer. THAT SIMPLE THO. Page: Whoa, brah. This one has all the fixin's. Can't wait for the monster Tweezer to drop tonight with some of that Simple magic sprinkled all up in there.

Ye olde Lushington show! I, for one, am not tired of the spelling shows. That said, the actual content of the L.U.S.H.I.N.G.T.O.N. portion of the show is well played if not necessarily above average-great, energy factor notwithstanding (I say this as someone who wasn't there and only has the LivePhish SBD.) I'm always glad to see Jen and Nat make an appearance. 46 Days is pretty groovy, but the Simple > Ghost has some of the propulsive energy that reminds me of jams like the 8/17/97 (The Great Went) Bathtub Gin, the 6/28/00 Gin, etc.; it's a feeling of transcendent purpose that pervades the listening experience, and though I think those kinds of jams are mostly precipitated by Fish's drumming, everyone has to be equally yoked or it won't have quite the same effect. The Simple in particular is one of my go-to 3.0 jams, and reminds me that "they've still got it."

This was a solid show front to back. I gave it 5 stars, partly because I was in attendance, but there was also some great playing, a band prank, special guest horns...and of course the Simple!

The Llama opener was my first Llama, and I'm glad it was the opener, just how I always envisioned it! Early first set Undermind and Stash were hot and got the crowd moving. I Didn't Know is always hilarious and featured Fishman swinging the vacuum hose like a giant dong. Nellie Cane is my favorite bluegrass cover and this was a great spot for it. By this point in the set it was obvious what was being spelled, and Guyute was the perfect call for the "G" after not being seen all year. They nailed this version and kept the energy high when they busted out No Quarter, which I think got the loudest crowd reaction all night. First set Suzy finale with special guest horns!! What a treat!

The second set speaks for itself..fantastic flow and practically non-stop playing, the highlight of course being the Simple>Ghost segment. This Simple has it all..dirty licks, funk, plinko..Dick's was grooving hard this night. Harry Hood has some interesting jamming and was well-played. Wading was a nice break before the somewhat 'expected' Antelope to close the set.

All around great show that will definitely be getting a lot of re-listens!

The Simple was unreal, there was definitely a slight "Wanna Be Startin' Something" tease at the very end of it too; I'm positive I'm not crazy...It was the anniversary of Michael Jackson's death so it's 100% probable and the crowd went absolutely nuts when Trey laid down a couple riffs from the song before going into Ghost, of all songs....

Not a full review but thought I would add a few thought not thunk yet here. Halfway is where I started to take notice, I bit more ferocity in the ending (much as I liked the first 3 songs). Ocelot was a lot more dissonant than I am used, in a good way. I have been lucky with No Quarter, getting 3 of 7 so far. This one stands out for me, dark jam at the end. While the horns on Suzy have bden mentioned, how about Jen's solo, wow.

Second set, Simple is of course a must. The rest of the set, normal excellence.

Overall, damn fine entertainment.

The Lushington 'gimmick' was great...I always enjoy when this band has fun with us AND pays attention to us and to what goes on in the media, like Rolling Stone articles. Seems like this watered down the setlist a bit and we all knew they wouldn't actually play Lushington (sorry Pete!) but 2nd set redeemed...heavy on the Simple>Ghost. Nice to see the girls up there during Suzy, it's been a while since Suzy horns (Fest 8)
Fun show, an expected tame 1st night...Night 2 will be different.

I'm glad to have finally caught a show on my birthday, and a BDTNL taboot. They damn near played the whole new album during the souncheck while everybody was waiting outside the venue. The Lushington gag was unexpected. if it wasn't for the Scott Marks nod before the show, I would never have guessed Lushington within the first two songs. Highlights for me were first set Suzy: I loved the horn accompaniment.
Second set Simple was one of the best I've ever heard. Page goes crazy towards the end. Really fun show. Dicks is always an awesome place to get down and boogie. plenty of room to dance and run around.

nothing but yet another fantastic show i was in my car streaming waiting waiting all day i ran into the gas station then came out to the car and i was like nice undermine opener tonight, checked the set later i was so pissed i missed llama but pretty typical set 2, but good and i was loving ha ha ha that was solid

First night of Dick's 2014 and they came to play! Llama right out of the gate set the tone, not only for the evening ahead, but for the entire weekend. Llama was followed by a solid Undermind and Stash. Neither were particularly noteworthy in my opinion but both were very well played and kept the momentum going. Halfway to the Moon provided the first breather of the evening as well as the first Fuego tune of the weekend.

First set continued with IDK (unfortunately this was only vacuum of the weekend) and a personal favorite, Nellie Kane. What can I say, I like the bluegrass stuff. Since I'm not going to review every song played I have to skip forward to my personal highlight of night one which was No Quarter! Holy shit this was awesome! Only the seventh time Phish has ever played this one and they nailed it! Page side, rage side! A fun and energetic (if brief) Ha Ha Ha followed and set one ended with a horny Suzy!!! What a great start to the weekend.

The hands down highlight of set two was undoubtably Simple. Long, fun jam full of energy

Although I'm sure several phans will disagree but I personally liked the placement of Wading in the Velvet Sea sandwiched in between Harry Hood and Antelope. Again, it was a nice breather before we all got to run like antelopes. Character Zero was a fitting, if predictable way to end night one.

I missed the first two years at Dick's and after attending last years run, vowed never to miss another Labor Day weekend run in Colorado. Night one lived up to my expectations and there were still two more nights to go.