Last night Phish closed their fourth consecutive Labor Day run at Dick's Sporting Goods Park outside of Denver. In that relatively short period of time, the band has done more than just play twelve mostly above average shows at the otherwise soulless soccer stadium; they've created a new tradition. New Years Eve and Halloween will likely always be the two most hallowed days on the Phish calendar, but pencil in the Dick's run right below those. Fans are on notice, if they weren't already, that this isn't just another three-show run. Miss these shows at your peril, because it's no longer coincidence that Phish delivers outstanding shows at Dick's.

After two great shows to open the run, we knew we were going to be pouring from the proverbial gravy boat all night. Even a run of the mill show couldn't really tarnish either the run or the Dick's legacy, but the band made it clear with a cleanly played "Curtain With" opener, that there would be no need to entertain those possibilities. It's always good times when the boys take the stage looking for fun and a playful "Wombat" declared those intentions. Straight forward versions of "Kill Devil Falls," "Bouncing" and "Poor Heart" continued to show the band in good form, even if they didn't offer groundbreaking improvisation. "ASIHTOS" (aka "Assy Toes") provided the first, albeit brief, glimpse of deep improv. "Lawn Boy" let everyone catch their breath before jumping right back into the deep end with a stellar "Wolfman's Brother." Rather than proceed directly to the swampy funk peak as many versions tend to do, this "Wolfman's" took its time, hitting several slinky grooves along the way. Don't miss this one.

Photo © Andrea Nusinov

The Fuego combo of "Waiting All Night" and "Winterqueen" followed at which point many probably figured "Funky Bitch" would close the set. Phish had other ideas, though, and threw a quick "Tube" at us before closing the set with "Possum." Cooked low and slow, this "Possum" had a little extra mustard in the sauce as it finished off the best first set of the run on a high note.

As the Dick's run becomes a Labor Day tradition, Phish continues to build several traditions within the tradition. The most obvious is, of course, the first night spelling sets. Less obvious, but more rewarding, is the annual running of the Dick's "Chalk Dust Torture." Phish played standout versions of the song in the second sets of both the 2012 and 2013 runs and would do so again in 2014 (for the third consecutive year, on 8/31). Unlike the prior two years, type-II renditions of "CDT" have become expected over the course of 2014. But that doesn't make them any less appreciated, and this was certainly a keeper. Fish drove the band to deep space and back in this version. As the band returned from the beyond into a soaring jam, it appeared we might be heading from the land of "very good" into "great." Alas, just as Mike seemed to be starting up the third phase of the jam, Trey opted for what turned out to be a fairly standard "Twist." "The Wedge" followed and, while it, too, stuck to the script, this was a hot version.

At this point, everyone knew we were due for the "Tweezer" and the band did not disappoint. "Tweezer" methodically built to a rock peak vaguely reminiscent of the Dick's "Light," before melting into a "Sand" that would serve as the high point of the evening. Trey took immediate control of "Sand. " At the show it sure seemed like he led everyone back into "Tweezer," but, on reflection, it was probably just a tease. Whether the rest of the jam is "Tweezer" or "Sand" may be up for debate, but what is not is that this was pure insanity -- a jam from another dimension and the reason so many of us continue to travel so far to see as many shows as we can. A brief but fiery "Piper" kept the energy up before "Joy" provided the sole breather of the set.

Any thoughts that Phish would be ending the Sunday festivities on the early side were thrown to the wind when they started up "Mike's" just before 11:30 local time. There are three things I will take away from the 2014 Dick's run. The first is the "Simple" from night one that is, in my estimation, the single best jam of 2014. The second is the "Tweezer" -> "Sand" segment I just described. But in terms of pure elation, I'm not sure either of those moments will top being reunited with an old friend. "Mike's Song" has come in for its share of criticism in the 3.0 era as being too by-the-numbers. Grass roots campaigns to bring back the fabled "second jam" have been brought to band members' attention on at least two occasions. Those pleas have gone unanswered and we didn't get the second jam last night either. But what we did get was a truly unique and inspired reading of "Mike's Song" for the first time in nearly fifteen years. Deep into the gravy boat at this point, the band launched into "Sneaking Sally" in the traditional "Hydrogen" spot (as "Hydrogen" still has yet to make an appearance in 2014). "Weekapaug" served as the exclamation point to the deceptively jammy ten-song second set.

"Loving Cup" (rather than "Lushington") and "Tweezer Reprise" closed the book on Dick's 2014, as the band made their presumed midnight curfew with mere seconds to spare. As the house lights came on to chants of "We love Dick's," what we should have been chanting was "FOUR MORE YEARS!!!!!" See everyone next September 4th.

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[We’d like to welcome guest blogger Tanya Sperry for today’s recap - PZ]

Saturday night is the sweet spot of Phish’s 3-day Labor Day weekend run at Dick’s. With Friday’s anticipation out of the way and Monday’s post-weekend let down in the distant future, we were primed to enjoy some middle show bliss. Plus, it was one of those beautiful Denver Saturdays whose giant blue skies mocked sleeping in and inspired at least some hang time in the sun, if not a hike in the foothills or a stroll to a farmer’s market.

Photo by Andy Man, © Phish, Phish From the Road

There were gems in the first three songs that held possibility: a rare “Free” opener accompanied by gentle rain, Page’s re-invocation of John Paul Jones early in the “Moma,” and that hint of exploration in “Halley’s.” Together, they offered promise that tonight’s show could develop in any direction. As the set progressed from “Stealing Time” to “555,” “Rift” and “Sample,” an anthemic spirit was established. Fitting for a sold out, 26,000 capacity Saturday show, it was not surprising that Trey took the reigns. The set was mostly fueled by speedy acumen and arena rock with the exception of the juxtaposition of contemplative relationship songs “Devotion to a Dream” & “Yarmouth Road” (humorously resolved by “Sparkle”). Thank you, “Wingsuit,” for transporting us back to sweeter pastures and gliding gently into “Bowie.” A botched “Cavern” ended the set on a “Saturday Night Special note.

Photo © Phish, Phish From the Road

A hearty “Down with Disease” laced with “Fuego” melted lusciously into “What’s the Use?” And then “Carini” > “Light” > “Fuego” harnessed the rock energy, producing mellifluous improvisation that, in contrast to the playful, funk-infused Friday “Simple,” stayed rooted in rock and roll. The “Carini” jam, although less lengthy than some of its monster 2013 predecessors, featured an ascension from dark to light which, for me, was tonight’s co-highlight along with “Slave.”

Photo © Phish, Phish From the Road

“Light” brought us to the land of rhythmic goo, which led to a brief foray into the fading territory of woo (thankfully, this brief assault does not sully the recording), before landing at the inevitable “Fuego.”

I loved tonight’s “Slave” because it defied the night’s expectations. In the context of a Saturday night rock show, we got a tender, gentle “Slave” whose patient, thoughtful quiet section gave rise to a decisive, cleanly-resolved peak.

Photo © Phish, Phish From the Road

Another Dick’s “Meatstick” (they just can’t help themselves) and a rare “Bold as Love” girded us with the range of emotions explored tonight.

Tonight’s triple (or quadruple) encore featured the return of “The Horse,” foreshadowed in an obvious way by the event t-shirt and more subtly by some quiet “Call to the Post” noodling at the beginning of the second set. The band feigned a walk off, but thankfully stayed to play a giggly “Silent in the Morning,” after which Trey explained, “We used to do stupid stuff like that so much” in reference to the Horseless Silents and then an almost Silent-less Horse, which reminded him of the 1989 gag song, “In a Hole.” “Fluffhead” perfectly concluded the encore.

Photo @ Andrea Nusinov

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Our usually devoted recap team on site is still in recovery mode from the fun last night at Dick's. We'll be providing your regular recap coverage in a more reflective mode, when time allows us to give last night's show the proper treatment it deserves. In the interim, we invite you to catch up on the gig over at our friends at JamBase, and enjoy some photos from the gig. Whether watching at home or here on site, we wish everyone a great show tonight!

Photo © Paul Citone

Photo © Paul Citone

Photo © Paul Citone

Photo © Paul Citone

Photo © Paul Citone

Photo © Phish, Phish From the Road

Photo © Phish, Phish From the Road

Photo © Phish, Phish From the Road

Photo © Andrea Nusinov

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If you're attending the Dick's shows this weekend in Denver, think ahead to Sunday afternoon. You've raged two nights, and you've had two mornings sleeping in, emerging for some variety of breakfast beverage, and following that somewhat later by an impressive tour lunch. But you have another show to go, so now's the time to revive and rejunevate, building your stamina and rebuilding your focus, while helping fund music education for children.

From 1:30 to 3pm, on Sunday August 31, Tracy Stoneker and Brooke Carlson will be leading another session of Surrender to the Flow, yoga accompanied by Phish recordings. All proceeds benefit the Mockingbird Foundation and Street Yoga. Sign up at www.surrendertotheflowyoga.com/register. And breeeeathe....

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With Dick's mere days ahead, we thought we'd give the pot a little stir and provoke some discussion around the finest jams of summer tour proper.

There's an embarrassment of riches to pick from -- from the varied meanderings of the "Randalls Chalk Dust" to the dad-rock majesty of the Northerly "Wedge" to the trifecta of jamming "Fuegos" -- and we encourage you to rank 'em up below the fold and discuss in the comments. We've started you out with the staff's top ten, but please feel free to add your own favorites so people can vote those up as well. Enjoy!

(If you do not see your favorite jam listed, please feel free to add it following the existing format: 7/dd - song - city, state)

The phish.net's crew's initial rankings of a Top 15 are as follows (with links courtesy of PhishTracks):

7/13 - Chalk Dust Torture - New York, NY
7/20 - The Wedge - Chicago, Illinois
7/04 - Fuego - Saratoga Springs, New York
7/19 - Harry Hood - Chicago, Illinois
7/30 - Fuego - Portsmouth, Virginia
7/18 - Wombat - Chicago, Illinois
7/08 - Fuego - Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
7/20 - Ghost - Chicago, Illinois
7/01 - Harry Hood - Mansfield, Massachusetts
7/26 - Ghost - Columbia, Maryland
7/13 - Light - New York, New York
7/13 - Tweezer - New York, New York
7/30 - Piper - Portsmouth, Virginia
7/04 - Down with Disease - Saratoga Springs, New York
7/11 - Down with Disease - New York, New York

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Welcome to the 183rd episode of Phish.Net's Mystery Jam Monday. The winner will receive an MP3 download courtesy of our friends at LivePhish.com / Nugs.Net. To win, be the first person to identify the song and date of the mystery jam clip. Each person gets one guess per day, with the second “day” starting after I post the hint. A hint will be posted on Tuesday if necessary, with the answer to follow on Wednesday. Good luck!

Answer: For the second MJM in a row, we have a first-time winner. @VanNicky made quick work out of this week's clip and knew it came from the 8/25/12 Chalk Dust Torture.

It was ten years ago, on August 14, 2004, when Phish began one of the most anticipated and emotionally-charged concerts of their career. The very word “Coventry” is a deeply meaningful, if not painful, trigger among fans, given the festival's extraordinary and tragic circumstances. Coventry’s music is full of staggering contradictions, in that it is at times ponderous and exciting, dour and joyful, miserable and soul-expanding. The art of Coventry is revisited here not only in honor of its 10th Anniversary, but also out of love for Phish and their music, warts and all.

In the event you don’t know the background of Phish’s shows in Coventry, here’s the short version: The shows were billed as the last shows that Phish would play. Ever.

Take a moment to breathe that in.

Imagine how you’d feel if Phish announced that the Vegas shows over Halloween weekend would be the last shows that they would ever play. That’s it, no more shows after Vegas! No NYE run, nothing next year, no more shows. Period. Would you try to go to Vegas, even if you hated extremely-large crowds, or Nevada for that matter? Would you view the shows—before they were even performed—as potentially the most important rock concerts you may ever experience in your life, what with your favorite band declaring them to be their LAST SHOWS!? And during the shows, whether you were watching the webcast or present in the flesh, would you try to keep in mind that every version of every song you were hearing and seeing would be it—the very last version of that song that would ever be performed by Phish?

Now, in the weeks before their final shows at Coventry, how do you think the band felt? How do you think Trey, Mike, Page and Fish were feeling on August 14, ten years ago, when they took the stage well-aware of their fans’ incalculably-great expectations? As Trey even claimed during the 8/15 show, he had never been nervous at a Phish show before, but that night he was “a little nervous.”

Months before it had occurred and sold out, and even before it was announced that the shows would be broadcasted live to a number of theaters across the country, the Coventry festival already was, and would be, a profoundly sensitive event for fans and the band. And then the rains came. And came. Coventry was inundated in the weeks before the shows by so much record-breaking rain that the grounds were terribly muddy, even disastrously so in some areas.

Photo © Nick Ninfa

If you weren’t there, imagine the worst mud you’ve ever been stuck in. And then smear it all over yourself and your loved ones, and lose your boots in it, and then go somewhere to wash it all off, and seemingly wash it all off, but then somehow you still manage to vaguely smell it lingering somewhere, but you’re unable to put your nose on where, and it still unsettles you, several days later. Coventry’s mud was like that.

The grounds were in such poor shape that fans on the road—while en route to the shows—had been asked repeatedly by the band via the Bunny to return home! When fans showed up to park, RVs and cars got stuck left and right, traffic backed up for many miles, and thousands of fans abandoned their vehicles and hiked (carrying, dragging their stuff) to the venue. A venue whose grounds were so muddy (with dollops of manure) that expansive areas were simply uninhabitable.

Before the band had played even a single note, Coventry was about far more than just the music. To this day, the love exhibited by the fans for the band, having walked all those miles into a literally-shitty venue, is inspiring. And, despite the literally-shitty scene, Phish nevertheless managed to be musically intimate, and memorably so, with tens of thousands of their fans.

Photo © Nick Ninfa

It’s arguably unreasonable to compare Coventry’s music, like that of Big Cypress, to the music of other shows. These two monumental events in Phish history really do seem “beyond compare,” given the emotion that they involve, which dwarfs that of the typical show, and even that of the typical three set festival show. Coventry was billed to be the final Phish festival, and to include the final Phish shows, nearly four years after Phish had played—for more than six hours straight on a reservation in Florida at the dawn of a new millennium—what is still considered to be one of the greatest concerts in rock and roll history!

That said, it’s impossible for some of us to avoid comparing and contrasting jams and versions of Phish’s songs with each other. And making comparisons arguably becomes a Moral Imperative when, for example, someone speaks about Coventry’s music in a manner that is either outright false, or at least demonstrably ignorant. Sure, there was plenty to be upset about at the shows, musically and otherwise. Those of us who were there were active participants in what was likely among the largest wakes held in U.S. history. The "vibe" at times was cheerless, and even grave.

From the mud or the theater, we were effectively witnessing the death of a legendary band, and it is challenging to be joyful under such circumstances even if accompanied by angelic music. When four of your most beloved musicians who love each other very much are in mourning as they perform, you’re predictably melancholic. And the technical mistakes that were made during the shows were so clear that even the deafest among us can hear them. But in context, are they not understandable, if not forgivable, in the light of the love explicitly expressed by the band for us fans?

Some would say “no.” Trey, or the band, should have done this, or done that, instead of this, or that, given X, or Y, and because of A, B and C. But can any among us say that they have performed a concert before over 70,000 of our fans that was billed to be the last concert? Imagine the weight of that. Of course, if you’re the sort of fan who mostly cares about whether the composed sections of songs are played well, and don’t care much for improvisation, it makes some sense that you dislike Coventry’s music—if you’ve even made the effort to hear the shows at all. But there are too many wonderful, even transcendent, musical performances by the band to ignore or forget. When Trey, Mike, Page and Fish were “on” that Coventry weekend, their music reached as majestic a peak as it ever has.

“That’s bullshit,” you might be thinking.

Photo © John Crouch

If you’re thinking that, or even if you’re not, please take a mere thirty seconds—even if you think you remember them all—to skim some of the musical highlights of August 2004, listed for your convenience here. And then do yourself a favor and actually (re)listen to some of them.

Don’t be surprised if, when you hear them again, some of Coventry’s highlights stand-up in comparison with the most spirited and thrilling improvisation of the last decade, including masterpieces like the Tahoe “Tweezer,” the Gorge “Rock and Roll->Meatstick,” the Pine Knob “Down with Disease,” the Randall’s “CDT” (or Dick’s, of course!), Hampton’s “Carini,” the Greek “Cities,” and so on and so on. Most recent versions of “CDT” have been exceptional, as you know, but don’t overlook Coventry’s, not to mention Hampton’s, which are also well above-average versions with stellar improv throughout them.

As grueling and disturbing as the Coventry weekend was, many positive, life-affirming and soulful events still occurred not only on stage, but also in our lives as fans of Phish. Some of those highlights include the following, and please add to this list in the Comments—or “Remembrances,” if you prefer—below:

• Trey’s melodic soloing in “Jibboo” (compare this version to the one in Portsmouth a few weeks ago; I’d be surprised if you didn’t like Coventry’s a lot more);
• Trey’s hinting at “Manteca” during the jam segment of “YEM,” after they had given away the trampolines;
• Tom Marshall’s “Rye rye rocco. Marco Esquandolas. Been you to have any spliff man” during the “Antelope,” which is one of the more chaordic versions on record, and is more intense than nearly every version performed since then (but don’t take my word for it; listen to them all, or at least those on the jam chart, and hear for yourself); and notably, at the end of "Antelope," Trey sends "our deepest love" to the fans who had managed the traffic and then walked to the venue;
• The soupy, cacophonous, blazing haze in “Fire,” shortly before they returned to the theme and closed the version and the first set strongly—an unusual and all-hallowed version of “Fire” for sure; in fact, this first set, despite Trey’s flubs, given its massive quantity of improvisation, is among the most improvisationally-almighty first sets in Phish history;

Photo © Seth Blankensop

• A magnificently melodic (for a spell) “AC/DC Bag,” which is among the finest versions in history, helped bring IT to start the second set on August 14, and has diverse improv illustrating the fascinating evolution of this tune’s jam segment over the decades;
• The on- and off-the-rails, dark and terrifying-at-times, 20+ minute “Stash;”
• An extremely-atypical “Free,” where Trey and Mike were in a duet for awhile (had this version been performed this summer, it would be a highlight of 2014 for sure);
• The jamming during the “Drowned” around the 21-23 min point, when Phish hoses everyone down and the jam reaches a transcendent peak; improv of this caliber is why Phish is an incredible rock band, and the fact that in 2014 they can still jam like this makes them worth seeing over and over and over again (especially for only $60 a ticket);
• 8/14’s “Harry Hood” encore that the band obviously did not want to end (it’s still among the longest versions ever, even after those this summer), and that, despite its many imperfections, is still unforgettably moving, fragile, and heartfelt, particularly when the audience sings the “You can feel good” closing lyrics unaccompanied by the band;

• The vigorous playing in—and brevity of—the “Weekapaug Groove,” which is reminiscent of many 1990s versions in its twists and turns (and if you compare Coventry’s version with recent efforts, I’d be surprised if, like me, you don’t strongly prefer Coventry);
• A stupendous “Reba” jam, easily among the most stirring and dramatic versions in history;
• Trey’s mom and Mike’s mom on stage during “Wolfman’s” (as Page rages on clavinet), doing “the bump” with Trey and Mike, Trey’s yelling “MOMS!!!” as they leave the stage and, of course, the “double team” by Trey and Mike of Phish’s long-time manager, John Paluska;
• The mind-blowingly sick ending of the jam segment of the first-set-closing “Taste;"
• “DWD” is a roller coaster, with a hilariously and consciously chaotic and dissonant jam that leaps into the triumphant return of the “DWD”-theme but, instead of concluding, the band then segues into a steady, fervid improvisation marked by Trey playing a bit like early 1970’s David Gilmour (a bit);
• Page during the “Velvet Sea”;

Photo © Jason Kaczorowski

• After the wretched “Glide,” the band beautifully thanking us, and speaking to us for several minutes tearfully, and Fish’s remark that everyone who had walked to the shows had paid the band “the greatest compliment that we could ever have…unbelievable” (it’s a shame that this banter, so to speak, isn’t on PhishTracks, if only given its historical importance; these powerful sentiments of the band should be mandatory listening for every fan);
• The spacey psychedelic haze during the spectacular, 30 minute, blowing-off-steam "SOAM" (don’t miss the SBD version on LiveBait Vol. 5 (Track 31), as it’s much more clear than the auds);
• The novelty and nerve of opening the final set of Phish with “FEFY,” and its poignancy (“…You wouldn’t pile another stone upon me, and I’d be happy just to watch you age.”);

• An unbelievably ferocious “Piper” (a version that, had it been performed in the last few weeks, would be considered among the fiercest in recent years), and Page’s prominent soloing before the song the band set to "Cool Jerk" with lyrics referring to Bruno, their monitor engineer;
• A loose, but still bedazzling, “Slave;” and, of course,
• “The Curtain With” encore, which, though obviously flawed, is nevertheless as moving as this marvelous song can be, given its significance to the band, and to many fans as well, as it had helped turn me and many others into Phish fans decades ago.

We cannot thank Trey, Mike, Jon and Page enough for opening their hearts to us so passionately at Coventry, and for all of the other experiences and friendships their music has created over the last 30 years. For them, and for ourselves, why not act always as though the show we're seeing will be our last show? $0.02.

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The Mockingbird Foundation has issued an all-points bulletin seeking old photos of Phish. Now that there's a pause in touring, we're asking you to climb into your closets, break out the shoeboxes, crack open the photo albums, and help us out. We're looking for anything, everything, but especially '83 to '97, the 15 years before there WAS a Mockingbird Foundation. (No need to hesitate on newer stuff - we'll consider anything - but we need to fill gaps in early years, asap!)

And not just you, because there's a chance we've asked you before: We beg, plead, with you to contact other Phish fans you know - perhaps, even, this is a chance to reach out to phans you used to know or travel with but haven't seen in awhile. Find 'em on Facebook, LinkedIn, MySpace (remember that?), Google+ (remember that?), or just Google stalk them until you find them. Even if you don't have anyone in mind, we hope you'll spread this APB far and wide - tweet it, post it, send it anywhere - all points of contact, please! :)

As an incentive...

As an incentive, we'll send a free copy of the store-version of The Phish Companion's third edition to anyone whose submitted photo is used. Heck, if it helps, we'll throw in a personal call from the board member of your choice.

If you scan them to hi-res digital copies, awesome; let Ellis ([email protected]) know and we'll figure out how best to get them (email, dropbox, etc.). If you'd rather us handle the scanning, send them to Executive Editor Ellis Godard at 12407 Willow Grove Court, Moorpark, CA 93021; we'll reimburse postage, scan them, and ship them back pronto.

Dig deep, reach out, relive the old days, and help out a good cause - please! We need you, and we need you now!

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Close your eyes, fold your hands, breathe deeply, and get ready for Alpharetta! If you'll be there in person, be sure to do all that with a small room of other fans focusing on the forthcoming fun, as Michael Levin leads another session of Surrender to the Flow yoga, 3:30-5:30 on Saturday August 9th. Register at www.surrendertotheflowyoga.com/register, and help support the Mockingbird Foundation.

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