This show is not for everyone. If you're looking for beautiful or reflective Phish, you won't find it here.

Instead you'll find the true music of the spheres: roaring black hole static and syncopated screaming star death. There's not a term in the Phish fan lexicon to describe what they're up to right now. It's new territory, and they're mapping it with an energy akin to summer '93.

For folks who appreciate dissonance and noise, I can't recommend this show highly enough. It's a singularity.

First time being at Dick's. Sat next to some nice folks who explained that I was in the perfect spot to view the show. They weren't lying. Aside from the fact that the sound was incredibly loud (or maybe I'm just getting old), it was a great place to view the show.

Set I:
Ghost - A nice tune to get the crowd into a groove. I never tire of hearing Ghost.

No Men In No Man's Land - Holy moly. Clocks in at 15+ minutes and rages the entire time. Up until that point I thought it was the highlight of 2016 (more on this later). The nerd in me remembers that 8/30/13 (Most Shows Spelling Something) started off the same way. Maybe tonight is the night!

Breath and Burning - Guess not.

Undermind - I've read before that some people wish Phish would play Undermind the way they do on the album (which in itself seems funny if you think about how phans view studio albums). Count me in that group. Not a bad song by any means (and played just fine tonight), I just prefer the slower tempo.

Heavy Things - Aside from the flubbed lyrics, it's your standard Heavy Things. I did get a chuckle out of the group behind me who chanted "Cheesecake" after the song was over. Never gets old

Stash - I'm not a fan of Stash (heresy, I know) so take my opinion with a grain of salt. I felt like Trey flubbed the composed sections pretty badly and I thought it was the low point of the show.

Ass Handed - As soon as Fishman took to the mic and started talking about "rockin' Dicks" and "funkin' Dicks" (which is where all of the swingin' Dicks comments stem from) I knew he'd jump into Ass Handed. Trey fucking loves this song. I do too, man. I do too.

The Wedge - Yes! I fell in love with this tune when I heard it in Chicago back in 2014 (and if you've heard that version, how could you not?) and tonight's was wonderful.

Alaska - FINALLY! I always feel like Alaska and Ocelot are interchangeable, with Alaska being my preferred of the two, and I finally got one after 5 or 6 Ocelot's.

46 Days - A pretty straightforward rocking version to end the first set.

Set I - 4/5.

Highlights - No Men In No Man's Land, Ass Handed, The Wedge and Alaska

Set II

Run Like An Antelope - What a great way to open up the second set. Really got the crowd (and glowsticks) going.

Mercury - Tonight's performance really showed that the band should play this tune more often. I've been fortunate to see it twice and it's such a great song. Easily one of my favorites of the new tunes from the last few years (Ass Handed being the best, obviously)

Seven Below - very solidly played. At this point I received a text from a friend watching the show at home that said "They are really killing it this set." Agreed.

Birds of a Feather - kind of an odd segue out of Seven Below but it worked.

Wombat - Huge fan of this song. Didn't break any new ground but that was fine by me.

Tweezer - Remember my earlier comment about No Men In No Man's Land being the highlight of 2016. This trumps it. Absolutely ridiculous. I'll be listening to this version for years to come.

Runaway Jim - A solid performance but kind of got overlooked because of what we had just witnessed with Tweezer. At one point I thought they were going to segue back into Seven Below, because of how long Trey jammed on it.

Suzy Greenberg - Definitely not your run-of-the-mill Suzy and probably one of the greatest of all time. Towards the end Trey abandons the guitar in favor of the Marimba Lumina and the jam goes crazy. What a way to end the second set.

Encore:

Bug - Allowed every one to collect their breath before jumping into...

Tweezer Reprise - I kept hoping they would play the Ass Handed Reprise but this was a perfect ending to one of the greatest sets I've witnessed in person.

Set II - 6/5

Highlights - Everything. Just listen and enjoy.

Wow. The same friend who texted me during Seven Below sent another one after the encore that simply said "Best band ever," and after what I had just seen, I can't disagree. It'll be hard for Sat and Sun to top what we witnessed on Friday, but I am looking forward to see what the boys have in store.

Even a few days removed from the Dick's 2016 run, it seems apparent that most people consider this the run of the year, possibly the Dick's run closest to the legendary Dick's 2012, and three shows that could easily contend for favorite show of 2016. Let's revisit all three shows, shall we?

Set 1: Kicking off with Ghost is a fine idea, and this opener is a nice version that doesn't quite traverse the same ground of the last few very strong versions. But the NMINML follows totally upsets the apple cart for expectations regarding this run, as Mike opens up the door to darker terrain, Trey hits up his Echoplex-esque effects, and the band delves into a churning and *nasty* jam that I compared in the setlist discussion thread to being locked in a boiler room (on relisten, it reminds me a lot of the killer and semi-forgotten 7/20/14 Ghost). This is a jam of runaway freight train power, Trey and Page firing off squealing laser-like effects as Mike and Fish shove the damn thing forward, and a worthy start to the run. The rest of the set is more fun than improv-laden, although the "swingin'" version of Ass Handed is worth a laugh and 46 Days nearly breaks free of its restraints while offering some great guitar heroics from ol' Red.

Set 2: A fine relaxed Antelope kicks off the proceedings, and then Mercury makes its much-anticipated return in the same venue where it really cemented itself as a fan favorite. This version isn't quite as strong as 9/5/15's is (as you'd expect, given the year layoff between versions), but it's nice to know the band hasn't forgotten about it and the flubs and forgotten lyrics don't *really* detract from the song's musical power. -7 > BOAF come next, and both of them travail some interesting ground beyond their usual arrangements (a murky swampy zone in the former and some spaciness in the latter), helping the opening segment feel more of a piece than just four songs they happened to play (gotta love Page remembering the "they attack!" sample just at the end of BOAF, too).

Wombat pops up (because why not?), and then comes the real meat of the set with a Tweezer > Jim > Suzy combo that refuses to quit. Tweezer has kind of laid low after its All-World 2015, but this version shows that the Jam Vehicle King isn't ready to cede its crown just yet. There's no sun-kissed blissful upbeat hose or weirdness here, just heavy jamming with Trey taking center stage throughout as the band shifts tempos with ease and Mike really does some damn fine work (check him out right when they pick up the pace again around the 12 minute mark). Jim is a nice enough version, with a -7 full-band tease between verses so pronounced it could well be Jim -> -7 -> Jim (it goes on for damn near half a minute!), and Suzy gets a nice percussion-based breakdown in the middle (both in line with the rest of the tour, and foreshadowing for what's to come) to add some spice to the usual proceedings. Bug > Tweezer Reprise makes for a solid encore.

Final thoughts: My second favorite night of the run. Tweezer > Jim > Suzy is a mighty duo, the rest of the second set is well worth the listen if not quite as strong improvisationally, and NMINML is an absolutely killer Set 1 jam.

I agree completly with melt's short review. This is the Phish I love . I felt Fishman was driving this bus in the second set. As a mucisian myself, I know there are only so many subdivisions of a given beat but, somehow he is finding new ground, fractaly, inward, on a micro scale. I am happiest when the band leaves the relative saftey bobbing on the surface and heads for deep, dissonant, and syncopated water. Last nite, maybe the jams did not hit the 20+ minute mark. Phish, at this point in thier career, does not need that long to "melt your face".

I really had a lot of fun at this one. First time at Dick's, and I was really impressed by the atmosphere. Short lines in the bathrooms, easy to grab a beer, lots of good spots to see and hear the music (though I'm tall, not sure my wife would agree)

Show started out great, with the ghost and nminml getting me right into it. The set progressed for me with some good, fun songs; nothing too notable but nothing that I felt was a low point either. Alaska is one I really like so I was happy to hear it, and 46 days was a strong finish to set one.

Set 2 followed suit, no real low points for me. It kept me interested the whole time, which meant there was never a good time to hit the bathroom. Finally mercury! Loved the seven below. And strong tweezer through Suzy.

Encore was okay. I like bug, but I've seen it 7 times in my 25 shows. Seems statistically very improbable, but I guess that's my song. Can't get a rift to save my life...but anyway.

Really fun time, looking forward to the next 2 nights. And this is a place I would defiantly take the time and expense to travel to again.

First off - thank you, phish phriends who were in line with us at Gate C from 7:15 until we were able to enter the venue. That scene was VERY sketchy, and could have devolved into a mob riot if we had not kept calm. 6th year at Dick's, and the venue decides to shut the side entrances and funnel everyone in through one gate? Why change it up? In the end, the natives grew very restless, so they just let let everyone in without a bag check and without scanning tickets - what a debacle! I was scared shitless during that last push - thankful that people behind us kept cool - but BOOOO on venue management.

So I had a blank space where my mind should be until I gained my composure - adrenaline, resentment at being in a risky situation that should have been a no brainer. First set didn't sink in, the mix sounded like mud to me until half way through Alaska, but I was outside until Undermind...

Nice new light show, though I am not convinced it was a needed upgrade. Kuroda is a genius and owns whatever rig he creates magic on.

Music in set II was excellent, and made it all worthwhile. Antelope to open solid. How about that aggressive Tweezer? First Bug at Dick's - and big tweeprise put a button on it.

Guess I will be heading inside WAY early tonight...

Dick's, where have you been all year? This show reveals the potential all of 2016 prior seemed to barely shy from. There's speculation that this year's Dick's gag (since we're now 2 nights into the 3-night run) involves unconventional openers followed by jam vehicles. Ghost has opened shows before, if I'm not much mistaken, but not very recently. No Men in No Man's Land is the big jam of the night (though the Tweezer in Set II is also wide-ranging and stylistically a bit more colorful) with an absolutely thrilling climax involving Trey and the Echoplex. You might've thought from the Ghost opener and Fish's wide-open leading role in it that he would be the catalyst for the night, and of course we're dealing with Phish so it's a Hydra of sorts, four-headed and all that, but Trey really shines this show in a way that I haven't heard in some time. He seems very comfortable taking jams in directions that suit his inimitable style, moreso than usual and certainly moreso than earlier this summer. Trust me, this NMINML has to be heard to be believed. 46 Days kind of reprises the peak of that jam in an oblique manner that is quintessentially Phish--they're extending the territory, rather than re-covering it.

Antelope is also an unusual Set-II opener, and this one is played well. Next we have the return of Mercury, many phans' favorite of the newest songs. As implied in @pzerbo's official rundown, the jam over the thrilling groove ending the song isn't very long, but it satisfies. I hear Trey approach a Third Stone From the Sun tease in Seven Below, which seems to perk Page up in that song's jam, but it's not noted in the setlist or show notes--and probably rightly so, since the full phrase is not consummated. Another new rarity, Wombat, returns to us... surprised the "You know, with Abe Vigoda!" line didn't get more of a reaction, what with his death this year IIRC. Tweezer is next, and is the other big jam of the show. I agree with Phillip (@pzerbo) that it's not as revelatory as the NMINML jam, but it boasts an interesting aside(?), i.e., Trey plays the opening riff with a descending pressure on his Wah, effectively toning from bass through wonk to treble, later in the song proper also employing the wah, the former of which I think may be a first. I was reminded of the 7/6/98 Ghost with its Whammy tension-release ascent into its peak, listening to this Tweezer. Trey is really establishing his mastery of his newer effects, especially the Echoplex, in my opinion. Jim is neatly tucked into the outro of Tweezer, and we have a fun, comfortable conclusion to the show--after a Jim peak--with Suzy, E: Bug, Tweeprise.

I am really enthusiastic about this swingin' Dick's run, and I can confidently rate this show 4 stars (though I might give it at least a quarter more if we could rate with quarter- or half-stars.) I felt there was something off about the grand parade of Summer 2016, but Lockn' and now Dick's have me firmly believing that if we're not already seeing another peak form, that we very soon will (and this is the year after 2015, which in itself was basically one long peak--though really, the entirety of Phishtory is a big peak, but I digress.) It may just be exactly where I'm at, personally, but you can feel good about this show.

Loved the show, disliked much of the setlist. But that is a personal opinion and a setlist is going to be what it is going to be. That being said, the 1st set was to my ears one of the best I've ever heard since I hopped on the bus in '09. Pure fire, very little let up.

2nd Set was more of a mixed bag for me. It roared out of the gate, perhaps too hard to leave something for later on. Regardless, it started to sound a bit (too?) disjointed at times though in general I understood that they were going the dissonance route tonight.

So despite some of the reservations with some of the song choices in both sets I gave this show a solid four simply for the sheer execution of the songs selected. I don't necessarily need to "like" a song to recognize that the band is beating the living daylights out of it. As they did for most of the show last night. Sometimes you get to eat the delicious cake. But not get to choose the flavors used. That was last night's show in a nutshell for me.

Random musings: There is little to no downside to a three night run. Personally, it is my birthday weekend. Logistically, everything about Denver and the venue and the vibe and the band, it is really hard to not have a good or great time both in and out of the venue.

And what a gift to watch Trey and the boys happily attacking their instruments during Runaway Jim at a seemingly breakneck pace, probably the most unique version I've ever witnessed. That these mofos would want to still hit it this hard at age 50 whatever is a straight up testament to the word love. 'Cause they want us to be happy. And 'cause its true...

This was my first show at the legendary Dick's venue, so needless to say I was REALLY pumped to be there. It seemed like everyone was pumped to be there, honestly... I'm not sure I can accurately describe how I felt upon entering the stadium for the first time, wow. It was breathtaking, the weather was nice, the people were nice, and I had a pretty good view from my spot in the bleachers. Everything just seemed to fall effortlessly into place.

SET 1

The first set of this night is no slouch. Ghost opener = HELL YES. Then they play one of the best versions of No Men that I've heard since 12/31/15. Trey was using an effect at one point that made his guitar sound like screeching violin or a cast of angry hawks; very reminiscent of something from a Godspeed You! Black Emperor album, it sounded kind of evil but I loved it! Breath and Burning was a good choice after that craziness; I've talked about that song on the forum before in a not so positive light but now I enjoy it, haha. Easy to dance to, really mellow.

Stash was fun, but a pretty average version in my book. The Wedge was nothing special, although Trey sounded exceptionally good on it. Same deal for Alaska. I really dug 46 Days to close, this is a fairly unique version and still packs a punch for only being 9 minutes long.

First set rating: 3.5/5 plenty of good moments but song selection could have been better

SET 2

This was the second time I went to a show and was treated to an Antelope opening set 2. Pretty cool right? Decent version taboot. Not amazing, but decent. Mercury is one of my favorite songs so I got pretty loud (WOOOO!) when I heard the first few notes. Mercury is the TRUTH and if you don't like it that's fine but trust me you'll learn to dig it eventually. This version is quite nice. Seven Below turned out to be a blissful, energetic jam much like the 46 Days it was just 9 minutes long but had some great moments!

The next awesome part of the show is obviously the Tweezer. Not your average run of the mill Tweezer at all... it's actually kind of laid-back, dynamically smooth, groovy and a perfect showcase of the well-oiled music machine that is Phish. Mike does some serious WORK in this one too, he's so good at forming melodic ideas at a moment's notice it just boggles my mind. Suzy, Bug, and Tweeprise to end the show... not bad at all.

set 2 rating: 4/5 a good amount of jamming, awesome energy, playing Wombat = bonus points, 16 minute Tweezer

Overall... 3.75 but I don't think we can use decimal values yet, lol

My first night at Dick's was a great success

Listened via stream. Fun but standard first set. No Men's was interesting, and the highlight of S1 for me. Lack of segues gives this set a disjointed, juke box feel. 46 Days had good energy.

Second set continued that energy with a nice Antelope. Mercury as a song has a cool start but the middle and end sections just feel strange to my ear. Seven Below went pretty far out and got nice and spacey. Tweezer wandered around and had some moments but overall didn't have much direction.

Pretty good show, but lack of flow in the first set, and fuzzy wandering jams without focus take away a couple points. 3/5

I liked this show from the couch. It had the "this is not an ordinary tour stop" feel from the git go. And that energy remained throughout.

Some out of the way placement calls. A good balance of fist pumping moments, and no real deflating "turd in the punch bowl" set killers. Nice to open with two tunes that opened up a bit. The 'No Men' went pretty deep for the two hole in an opening set. Although I like the Antelope to open the second, I was hoping it would meander more in that premier slot.

I think the Tweezer ended up being better than it felt while it happened, and deserves a re-listen. It seem like it was going to crap out a couple times, but bounded back with some balls!

Very curious that there was NOT a single Page or Gordon led song in the whole show. I can't ever remember noticing that before, and not sure if it means anything...

We'll see how the Dicks swing tonight!

02/09/16 was supposed to be my first Phish gig. I was supposed to excitedly travel thousands of miles to see them, but instead work and an airline fond of suddenly jacking their prices up got in the way, so, I had to sell my tickets and camping pass. I was pretty down about this for a while, but there's always tomorrow, and there's always the webcast.

SET I:

Ghost started the gig, fresh off it's excellent Lock'n version and it immediately jammed, though it didn't really go anywhere. NMINML was next, and had some pretty good Trey soloing. This one feels like it will grow on me, but for now it's not groundbreaking or anything. That's what much of the show feels like actually: Jams that seem OK but that will definitely get better with time. Breath and Burning, my favorite of the 2016 batch of new songs, followed. Undermind, Heavy Things and your average Stash were performed before the greatest song ever written, Ass Handed was played in a swing style. (''Tonight we're swingin' Dicks!'' Fishman says before badum ching-ing like he's playing with Touchpants.) A tight Wedge, Alaska and a very good, uplifting and soaring version of 46 Days close Set I out.

SET II:

Antelope kicked Set II off, and had some very nice Trey/ Page interplay on the high end. These two have been killing it all summer with their work together. The customarily tempo changes, Trey customarily shreds and the song finishes. Then, BOOM! Mercury's back! The first since last year's Dick's performance, who doesn't love this epic? They soundchecked it, but it's bona-fide return was still a quite unexpected and wholly welcome.

Seven Below followed, which featured an OK jam I guess, but it wasn't very fulfilling and very much paled in comparison to the 8/2/15 version. It then awkwardly >'d into Birds of a Feather, then Wombat, and then, I thought it was going to be another song-y set, before ya Boy Tweezer drives his car through the wall, stumbles out of said car, screams ''The party has arrived!'', and the crowd yells in joy as it's riff kicks in. It felt like there was instant energy again.

Trey immediately goes for tension, which Mike underscores. Fishman then turns the jam rhythmic and Trey ups the tension with slightly discordant and slow soloing before heading into a more conventional buildup. Page backing him up along the way on the Grand then moves to the B-3 and Trey gets a quote going, while the rest fuel the tension and get more rhythmic. Trey starts the build up, begins slowly soloing before heading into more rockish territory and before seemingly going for the peak. The rest start then go back to tension briefly before restarting the buildup and then and Trey starts screaming, before things cool down and Jim starts up.

Jim had some good and melodic Trey/Mike interplay. It gets quiet, before emerging with some quickfire Trey soloing (which sounded a bit reminiscent of the 12/30/15 Gin) before heading back into the Jim theme and Suzy which ended the set.

Bug and Tweeprise was the encore

OVERALL:

A good show, definitely one of those that I think will require another listening or two to fully appreciate, so don't take the rating as definitive from me; I think some parts that only sound OK to me now will sound great as time goes on.

The band seemed very eager off of Lock'n, and that energy rubs off on the crowd to make for a fine show. Only time will tell if it's better than Lock'n Night 1.

HIGHLIGHTS: 46 Days, Tweezer

RATING: 3.5 - 4/5

So, as Summer 2017 is starting to kick off I'm trying to reground myself in all that was great from 2016. I decided to start with the wicked good runs, Halloween was first (amazing stuff), and now comes the Dick's run!

This first show is statistically the lowest score of the 3, but it is a ridiculously strong show. All of Set 1 is solid except maybe Ass-Handed (silly) and Alaska (just me... not a fav). Otherwise, really great 1st set.

Second set strikes me as damn near perfect... no throwaways here. And Antelope through Tweezer (maybe not Wombat) are super versions taboot! Even the encore is a keeper... Bug on a show like that... nice!

My oh my, but they played some solid runs in 2016. Hope 2017 gets there.

i apologize for doling out misguided information on the message board; the "Shake Your Body (Down to the Ground)" quote in Antelope does not occur toward the end of the song as i had originally, and incorrectly, thought...Trey (musically) plays the "and you do know that i want you" line at the 2:29 mark

I agree completly with melt's short review. Last nite from 4 rows back Page side. This is the Phish I love . Fishman was driving this bus in the second set , as a mucisian myself I know there are only so many subdivisions of a given beat but, somehow he is finding new ground fractaly , inward on a micro scale. I am happiest whe the band leaves the relative saftey bobbing on the surfacef and heads for deep dissonant syncopated water. Last nite maybe the jams did not hit the 20+ minute mark but,the band at thia pointvin thier career. does not need that long to melt you face.

I agree completly with melt's short review. Last nite from 4 rows back Page side. This is the Phish I love . Fishman was driving this bus in the second set , as a mucisian myself I know there are only so many subdivisions of a given beat but, somehow he is finding new ground fractaly , inward on a micro scale. I am happiest whe the band leaves the relative saftey bobbing on the surfacef and heads for deep dissonant syncopated water. Last nite maybe the jams did not hit the 20+ minute mark but,the band at thia pointvin thier career. does not need that long to melt you face.

So So ridiculously amped that Mercury made it's way into the rotation last night. I give the show a 4 just because of that and i haven't listened to any of it! I wil be checkin out that tweezer after mercury shortly. Bring mercury into regular rotation boys. what a great tune imho