Listen, All Y'all: Phish Busts Out Beastie Boys' 'Sabotage' At Final Show Of Dick's Run (2024)

The show also opened with the first “Dog Log” since 2012.

By Andy Kahn Sep 2, 2024 • 10:26 am PDT

Phish’s 26-date Summer Tour 2024 is complete following Sunday’s final show of a four-night run at Dick’s Sporting Goods Park in Commerce City, Colorado. The concert began and ended with bust outs of songs not played for +450 shows and between the bust outs was a satisfying assembly of improvisation spread across both sets.

Guitarist Trey Anastasio, bassist Mike Gordon, drummer Jon Fishman and keyboardist Page McConnell went the unexpected route to start Sunday’s show, picking the rarity “Dog Log” as the evening’s opener. The song that originated during the band’s early years was last played by Phish on June 20, 2012, marking a span of 464 shows between setlist appearances.

Another dog-related song came in the second slot via “Runaway Jim,” which set the four musicians’ collective creativity in motion through its moderately expanded jam. The momentum continued to build through a revved up execution of the first set favorite “The Moma Dance.”

“My Friend, My Friend,” from Phish’s 1993 album Rift bolstered its jam-vehicle credentials throughout the summer and added another candidate to the mix on Sunday night. Trey shouted “myfe!” ahead of the band’s transition from the song proper into a free-flowing jam that took on a range of shapes and textures in quick succession. As the jam intensified, Trey started singing “My friend, my friend he’s got a knife!” and added several additional “He’s got a knife!” exclamations before the delightful excursion ended.

The extra funky section of the ensuing “Tube” featured Trey injecting shouts of “Science” as Mike joined in teasing Thomas Dolby’s “She Blinded Me With Science.” A joyous ride across the multifaceted “Fluffhead” pitched the energy into a frenzy as the band roared to the old-school powerhouse’s exuberant conclusion. The penultimate song of the first set, “Stash” remained largely within tamer territories, threatening at times to break form but narrowly holding steady throughout the concise rendition.

“Life Saving Gun” landed the role of first set closer for the second time this summer. The song from Anastasio and McConnell’s 2023 album January and Phish’s 2024 album Evolve, continues to prove to be a strong addition to the band’s live repertoire. The pulsating rhythm gave Mike and Fish ample pocket to play with while Trey weaved melodic lines across nearly lethal shots of sustain supported by Page’s emphatic underlying piano.

As “Life Saving Gun” was winding down, Trey again shouted “Science!” and laughing added “Dog Log!” before leaving the stage for set break.

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

Like the beginning of the show, set two started with an unexpected selection, though not a bust out. “Prince Caspian” got the call to open a second set for just the second time through 180 performances to date. Clocking in a few ticks under the Billy Breathes studio recording of “Prince Caspian,” the quickly presented opener preceded the night’s longest jam.

Phish set off on a +24-minute “Set Your Soul Free,” logging its third-longest performance since it debuted in 2018. The initial liftoff was restrained and purposeful, with Trey playing more rhythmic parts than commanding leads. Page peppered in chunky synth lines and supple piano work as Trey assumed a more central role. Fish’s playing gave bursts of encouragement that were matched by Mike’s resonant bottom layers.

The jam shifted to darker, more effects-drenched realms, sonically explosive elements being tossed in the mix of heavy improvisation. The band remained in that tonal space, linearly progressing in small increments and carving out a path forward in an exacting way. Page’s particularly ethereal synth embellishments pushed the jam into even more atmospheric terrain as the jam reached its climatic conclusion.

Having not yet made an appearance at Dick’s this year, “Tweezer” would have been a good choice for any pre-show wagers on the setlist. Potent and dense, the “Tweezer” jam simultaneously saw each of the members of the band taking on a more prominent place within the improvisation. Trey was forceful and directing with his guitar, Page’s piano was exemplary and assertive, Mike’s bass was nimble and booming and Fish’s drumming was dynamic and guiding.

Fittingly, “Light” proved a pathway to some of the brighter moments of jamming that came from the stage on Sunday night. Page’s piano was again a leading voice in the interplay among the musicians, taking up the space given by Trey’s at times more rhythmic focus. The tight “Light” jam wandered into a cyclical ambient sector, eventually dissolving to a quiet end.

“A Life Beyond The Dream” then emerged for a few moments of positive reflection around the song from Trey’s Ghosts of the Forest project. The band then pulled from their Sci-Fi Soldier alter-egos for “The Howling,” which elicited the audience to respond with howls of their own.

A trifecta of songs that could have been the set closer unfolded next. The first false ender was the “love and light” vibrating anthem “More.” Next came standby rock ‘n’ roll punctuator “Character Zero,” which seemed likely to shut things down with authority. Not content with leaving the stage, Phish then went ahead with the true set closer, “Slave To The Traffic Light,” ending with a dramatic flourish.

The second song busted out after +450 shows came at the start of the encore. The Dick’s crowd exploded at the recognition of Beastie Boys’ rowdy anthem “Sabotage.” Last covered on July 7, 2012, and only performed now a total of six times to date, it had been 453 shows since the Ill Communication standout was played by Phish.

The second major bust out of the night aggressively teed up the finale of the Dick’s run, and the summer tour, as “Tweezer Reprise” brought the show to a feverish finish.

With another successful summer tour behind them, Phish’s 41st year as a band is a marvel of longevity and perseverance. Throughout the summer during multi-night runs at familiar venues, Phish delivered massive jams, mega bust outs, new songs, old favorites, a two-night special guest, and many other memorable highlights, including (and not to be overlooked) hosting their own festival.

The four members of the band are functioning at the highest collective level, demonstrating their singular ability to create compelling music each time they take the stage together. And it is now going to be several months before they share the stage together again.

Phish stated earlier this year that they will not tour this fall and their New Year’s plans have not yet been revealed. The only shows on Phish’s current tour schedule include the band’s return to Mexico for their eighth annual Phish: Riviera Maya destination event taking place from January 29 to February 1, 2025.

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