]How could they top that Friday show? The energy, passion, emotion, and intent that was displayed on Friday night was intense. You felt it. It was undeniable. The concert ended. After parties were had. Stories were shared. Rest, wake, repeat and here we are again. Ready for round 2 and they didn’t waste any time phunking around.

Sand kicked off the first set and sets an immediate vibe with Trey looking noticeably more relaxed and patient. They jam on this and make sure to give it one proper lift off to the moon before going back into the Sand riff to cap out a heater of a first song. Proving tonight isn’t going to be your run of the mill first set, Mike rumbles his bass and we’re off into DWD. This hasn’t been quite the summer for DWD where only Camden and Austin come to mind but Dick Diseases usually don't disappoint. Trey changed his tone after a few minutes, Page starts doing the space noises, and we find ourselves in a Gordon driven jam with Page adding splashes, Fishman grinding, and Trey being patient. This shit will get your head bopping. That is until Trey decides build it up to a frenzy then completed it with its proper ending and now we’re on our way.

Shade followed DWD and gave us our first ballad of the long weekend. They sound-checked this pre-show so though a slight bust out, didn’t come as a complete shocker. Home gave Page a chance to test out the vocals and they executed this quite nicely. They went quickly into a raging Wolfmans Brothers. Keeping it pretty high tempo the whole time with a nice peak at the end. Wolfman introduces his good friend Mr Wombat and this the animal has some funky vibe vibing. They nailed the lyrics and changes and seemed to be having some fun with this number but didn't really venture much.

Next up is one we all expected this weekend. Some called it as an opener for last nights gig. Everything’s Right stepped on the court and gave some new meaning and reflection to the lyrics we have heard Trey happily sing for the last couple years. They jammed it, we loved it and then they decided to serve up one of our favorite cocktails Bathtub Gin. This Gin had some pop and was really building momentum and upon peak Trey kicked it up another level where I can only assume their amps were turned up to 11 at the time. Then, just when you think they are going to kick it into ludicrous speed, Trey opts for the Ginn riff and they end the set gently. This is a very solid first set and one we would sign up for any day. Moving on.

Set 2 kicks off with Set your Soul Free. Downvote me all you want but I love this song. Love the lyrics, love the vocal harmony at the end, and I love the way my 3 year old daughter sings it around the house. It’s fun. This songs jam stays pretty uptempo for a while and then they slow it down where you start to notice your eyes closing while Trey and Page have a musical conversation using multiple effects on their respective instruments. They catch a real fine wave and carve that sucker up and down till Trey starts repeating a three cord riff similar to DWD Mexico that we are all familiar with. After toying with that for a minute thing quiet down and Page rings out the opening notes to Fuego.
The rocked the song with Trey adding some extra effects and the jam was par for the course until Trey employed a strange effect and the band followed which created a psychedelic feel. Some heavy stuff in there with incredible focus and timing. Fuego came to a quick end before Mike could “drill” us home and CDT was underway and fast tempo one of that. (3.0 fast). Without slowing down for any turns, CDT went full speed into the the bright white lights that CK5 had on full throttle while the crowd chanted “Can I Live While I’m Young” like it was the first time they ever sang those liberating words of freedom.

Now, this where the concert takes a few Twist” and turns before arriving at the song selected for the fourth slot. Twist came and went pretty quick and changed quickly into Piper. Intro was short and sweet. Jam was uplifting, relentless, had multiple themes. Give it a spin. They decided that given the distance to the pin, a Wedge would appropriate and it played well. They had time for one more phunk phest. 2001 has been one of 2018’s MVP’s with segues, teases, and the best CL5’s light show has to offer. Calling them relisten -able would be an understatement. This was a solid 2001 that had moments and was what everyone thought would close the set until Sneaky Sally and Slave came through to give this show the one two punch it it earned but didn’t need. Sally was standard. I don’t give my opinion on Slave. Every Slave to the Traffic Light is different for every passenger that boards it’s train. To each their own with that one. But check this one out, it rocks. You want “More”. You got it. Sing along. Lights Close. Saturday Night 2 in the Books.
P.S I wrote this review while watching the web stream and posted it immediately after the show at close to 2am EST. . I find writing these and reading yours a lot of fun. Enjoy, thanks for reading, and don’t ever ever ever miss a Sunday

This was another great Phish show. Sand was a fun opener and the DWD covered some ground before peaking and returning to the song's theme. Shade and Home were a bit slow but Wolfman's through Bathtub Gin was an enjoyable stretch of songs. The Set Your Soul Free>Fuego combo worked really well together and I enjoyed each song more than I thought I would. CDT through the wedge kept the energy high and all the songs were well played and fun despite the lack of type 2 jamming. The crowd was having a blast. However, the big highlight of the show was the stretch of 2001>Sally>Slave. That was a great way to end a set. I was expecting more from the encore after last night's raging Martian Monster and Julius but oh well. Overall, this was a great live experience with high energy despite the lack of type 2 jamming that blew everybody's mind the first night. Hopefully the Sunday show doesn't disappoint!

Great show! #firstsetbeliever. They’re focused and it’s a damn dance party out there. Dwd was solid and the early Shade was a good move. SSF and Fuego were on, transition to CDT was less than optimal, but I’ll leave the nitpicking to other reviews. Dallas Mike gave 2001-> A+ and DM knows his shit.

Honorable mention to Lance & Tara who made the drive from Arkansas and great people in the area, from the Sarah-Eric-Obie trifecta, solo Chad, to the big crew that brought it. Energy like that makes any show a best show.

Great weather, great people, great music. I really only have one thing to say... I thought the stage with Phish on it was going to start lifting off of the ground somewhere during the SYSF > Fuego combo. This was by far my favorite show of the run. Glad to have been a part of it all and sharing in the groove with so many wonderful fans.

Another solid show. A not so typical set one opener Sand kicked us off. DWD had a great jam that built to a proper crescendo and delivered a proper ending of the song. Shade cooled it down and was the first balled of the weekend. Up next was Home. I really hope that the band explores the possibilities that the end of this song offers for jamming in the future. It always ends too soon for me when they play it. Wolfman's was up next, and had some excellent playing by all involved. Towards the end of the jam I could have swore that Page was trying to steer them towards Sneaking Sally but we would have to wait... Wombat was tight and didn't really get exploratory but is always fun. Bathtub Gin had a great ascending jam till Trey played the familiar riff we all know and brought set one to a close. To me the band seemed to be getting more hyped as the set went on and the way Trey looked at the crowd, I figured set two would be rocking and I was right.

Set Your Soul Free works very well as a second set opener and the transition into Fuego worked very well. Fuego has become one of my favorite 3.0 songs and when placed early in the second set is an indicator of good things to come. CDT is when the band really came alive. Trey was jumping around and adding blues licks at the intro of CDT and you could feel the energy, like touching a spark plug. CDT segued into a rather short Twist with nice work from Mike and Page. Piper has always been a jam vehicle for the band and although this one was short, it contained some nice moments before the transition into The Wedge which was nicely delivered. The pause that followed was pulsated by Fishman's beat indicating 2001. This version had some thick funk layered throughout it and did not disappoint. A surprise Sneaking Sally arose from 2001 and immediately brought a smile to my face. Short but sweet it had some vocal jamming before the first chords of Slave could be heard. I am a sucker for Slave and this was a pretty good one and the perfect way to close the set.

I was expecting an encore along the lines of Friday night but instead we were treated to More. And that is how Phish always leaves me, wanting more. So well played gentlemen, well played.... Best advice, never miss a Sunday show... Ever.

Also, anyone else a little confused by the lack of Mike songs the past two nights?

September 1st, 2018 was the middle day of Phish’s tour-closing three-nighter in Denver (okay, the venue is actually in Commerce City but c’mon…it’s Denver). M’lady and I woke up in the Renaissance hotel – which had been utterly taken over by Phish fans, much to the delight of the hotel staff – and eased into the day.

The hotel had arranged a pool party for the afternoon where we caught up with the 15+ friends who were also staying at our hotel. It was ridiculous how many people there were in town that we knew! That’s par for the course when you go to see Phish with m’lady, but this time things had been amped up considerably.

Though I’ve been seeing Phish longer than she has – having attended my first show in 1994, about a year before her first show – she certainly ran with it a lot harder than I did. Back in the day she was buying tickets for entire tours, and with a much smaller fanbase back then she ended up meeting a lot of people as rabid as she was.

And lo, when the internet was born her and her Phish friends jumped all over it, sharing a primitive ’90’s-era phan-based message board that quickly solidified her crew. And whattya know, the summer of 2018 was the twentieth anniversary of said message board and they had all been itching for a reunion party.

And so her peeps had come to Denver from all over for this Phish run, even as far away as Europe. Someone had made the whole crew really nifty matching soccer jerseys with their online names stencilled on the back and they all made sure to have floor tickets for this Saturday night show. Spousal rights did not extend to the apparel so I wasn’t officially part of the team but I did join them up near the soundboard for about half of the show, on and off. The rest of the time I was hanging out with some of m’lady’s other olde-school Phish friends near the back of the floor where things were much roomier. I tell you, as I bounced back and forth I’ve never had an easier time finding m’lady and her crew: you could spot the sea of green-and-white soccer jerseys from everywhere.

Frankly, they should wear those jerseys every time. I mean, now that they all have them. It could be a thing, like the Uno card thing (which – it turns out – is equally innocent and not at all cultish).

Anyway, it was a fun show (slash weekend) with a great crew (or two). Afterwards many of us ended up taking over the lobby of our hotel with a portable stereo and an endless supply of drinks, a party that shut itself down shockingly early.

But then, we did still have another night ahead of us. And one thing about twenty-year reunions: they aren’t full of nineteen year-olds.

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