Phish Bring Out the Dead at Red Rocks

During Phish's sold-out four-night run at Red Rocks -- their first time at the venue since being unofficially banned in 1996 for fan misbehavior -- the band indulged the crowd with rarities ('Esther'), an onslaught of new songs and covers from the classics including the Beatles ('A Day in the Life'), the Who ('Drowned') and Talking Heads ('Crosseyed and Painless').

But the biggest surprise came on Sunday, for the band's eighth and final set of the run. With little fanfare, Phish welcomed Grateful Dead drummer Bill Kreutzmann to the stage on a second drum kit, with the fans recognizing him immediately. Kruetzmann is, of course, no stranger to jamming and he added a rhythmic Dead flavor to Phish originals such as 'Undermind' and 'Seven Below.' To fans of the Dead, the sit-in was especially significant, not only because it was Kreutzman's first time jamming with Phish but also because it happened the night after the late Jerry Garcia's birthday.

The crowd continued its Beatlemania level of frenzy up until the final encore, which the band began with 'Bittersweet Motel,' a song Trey Anastasio said his daughter has been requesting all summer. They then concluded the epic run with the classics 'Bouncing Around the Room' and 'Slave to the Traffic Light.'