Bill Kreutzmann made his first appearance with Phish last night during
the final set of the Vermont Quartets four night stand at Morrison,
COs Red Rocks Amphitheatre. The Grateful Dead drummer was in the area
for a series of gigs with Papa Mali, including a private wedding gig a
night earlier. During a version of You Enjoy Myself during Phishs second
set, roadies brought an extra vocal microphone to the front of the
stage while picking up Trey Anastasio and Mike Gordons trampolines.
Jon Fishman then stepped up to the mic during the songs
vocal jam, while the groups stage crew moved Kreutzmanns drum set
and riser next to Fishmans setup. Without introduction, Kreutzmann
emerged from stage left and began banging on his drum kit while Phish
finished the vocal section of You Enjoy Myself. Kreutzmann remained
onstage for the rest of the groups set, which included Undermind,
Seven Below, 2001, Waves and Character Zero. After
Undermind, Fishman and Kreutzmann engaged in a duo drum segment rare to live Phish.
Last nights show marked only the third time a member of the Grateful
Dead has sat in with Phish: Phil Lesh joined the band at Mountain
View, CAs Shoreline Amphitheatre in 1999 and Bob Weir jammed with the
group at the same venue in 2000. After Phishs breakup, Gordon and
Kreutzmann played in several bands together, including The Rhythm
Devils and the Bill Kreutzmann Trio. The two musicians also played
Warren Haynes Christmas Jam with Trey Anastasio as SerialPod.
The rest of the groups Red Rocks finale was also notable. Phish
opened its show with the first version of Weens Roses Are Free
since its reunion and offered favorites like
Wilson, NICU, Prince Caspian, a particularly jammed out Back
On The Train and a tight Reba. Page McConnell
also led the band through Beauty Of A Broken Heart from his
self-titled solo album, while Gordon showcased his lone Joy
composition Sugar Shack for only the second time. Anastasio also
thanked the crowd and described his weekend at Red Rocks as
incredible.
The groups encore began with the first take on the ditty Bittersweet
Motel since 2003, which Anastasio mentioned was a request from his
daughter who had been bugging him to play the song all tour. Bouncing
Around The Room and Slave To The Traffic Light closed the night.
Phish will appear at Mountain View, CAs Shoreline Amphitheatre this
Wednesday, while Kreutzmann will perform with Papa Mali, Reed Mathis
and Matt Hubbard at Boulder, COs Boulder Theatre tomorrow.