Between unleashing jams of epic proportions and embedding playful nerd nuggets in the setlist, Phish is having fun on its summer tour, and last night in Noblesville, IN, the band doubled down with a bit of both during the first of three shows at Ruoff Music Center.
The crowd greeted Trey Anastasio, Jon Fishman, Mike Gordon, and Page McConnell with a loud welcome as they opened with the facial impact of “Punch You In The Eye”. The Gamehengde selection was a prudent opener with its multiple opportunities for crowd participation, which allowed Phish to take the audience’s temperature early on, so to speak. After the band’s recent hot streak, which would be impressive for a band 35 years Phish’s junior, it was no surprise that fans were eager to shout a few hearty “heys!” Trey and Mike also took the opportunity to show off what they learned in salsa class with their “Storm Dance” choreography, which helped set a playful mood for the evening.
“Kill Devil Falls”—equally playful in tone if not in subject matter—gave the band a chance to stretch out and settle in, briefly shifting up to a major key before smoothly transitioning back to the song’s original register. Trey and Page were locked in as they settled upon improvised melodies with telepathic agreements—a trick the pair has been pulling off with ease as of late.
Page counted off the next number, which was his own piano-driven masterpiece, “Halfway to the Moon”. The moody tune added emotional depth to the set with its dramatic chords and Trey’s soaring leads. The audience meanwhile wiggled along, peaking through sunglasses and baseball cap brims as the sun descended over the amphitheater formerly known as Deer Creek.
“Heavy Things” lightened the mood, ironically, setting the stage for the most extensive jam of the set, “Life Saving Gun”. The song originally featured on Trey and Page’s 2023 duo album January and more recently on the tracklist of Phish’s Evolve proved a suitable launch pad for a low-altitude cruise if not an interstellar mission, drifting from psychedelic rock to tranquil bliss before returning to the runway.
After “Life Saving Gun”, Trey briefly started the next song but immediately stopped. “Whoops. Let me start that again,” he blurted out before stopping himself and addressing the crowd. The crowd erupted when he waved and greeted them.
“Hey, everybody! That’s Jon Fishman. We call him the ‘percussion rinse,’” he joked, referencing the lyrics to “Life Saving Gun”.
Someone—maybe Fishman or Page—apparently joked back by triggering an audio sample from Star Trek that appropriately stated, “Your logic is impeccable, Captain.”
Trey said he loved the Jon Fishman percussion rinse and objected when Fishman played a rim shot, exclaiming, “It wasn’t a joke!”
Putting all non-jokes aside, Phish got reflective with “Shade” as darkness finally fell over the venue. “Scent of a Mule” was Mike Gordon’s first time taking over lead vocals, and he nailed his solo moment in the spotlight, though it was spontaneous interaction between the band members during Page’s piano solo that made the version memorable.
Phish then ascended on “Pillow Jets of Sound” and remained aloft for another steady jam before a turbulent landing into “Runaway Jim”. Another jam of sensible length ensued, but the band wasn’t ready to call the set just yet. To close the first frame, Phish covered The Beatles‘ “Day In the Life” for the first time in five years (since 12/3/19). Page handled lead vocals on the song with some help from the crowd before briefly passing it off to Trey. A layered cacophony of sonic chaos capped off the tune, as it does on the original recording, accompanied by flashing lights courtesy of Chris Kuroda. As they exited the stage for set break, the sweat on the band members’ shirts, dresses, and brows was not just a result of the summer heat, but evidence of the hard work they had just put in.
Returning for set two, Phish threw fans for a loop with the first “The Oh Kee Pa Ceremony” since the summer of 2022. It also was the first time the quirky instrumental opened a second set since 4/8/92. “Axilla, Part II” then reared its head, rocking out and melting into psychedelic slop before Mike’s bass announced the start of the evening’s main entertainment.
The highlight of Friday’s run opener was a multi-headed “Down With Disease” that started with a sprawling 15-minute jam. Unlike the night’s previous explorations, this one saw Phish push into new territory and take musical risks that paid off after a little searching. The ending was a bit rushed, but the band would get not one, not two, but three more chances.
The quartet delivered another big jam during “Scents and Subtle Sounds”, this one even longer and more dramatic than the preceding “Down With Disease”. They developed and navigated through multiple moods and sections, but just when it seemed to be a “big jam” night rather than a “playful setlist” night, Phish turned it into both with a quick return back to “Down With Disease”. This was no simple sandwich, however. The band would return to the song’s outro once again at the end of the set following “What’s the Use”, TV on the Radio‘s “Golden Age”, and “I Always Wanted It This Way”, and then yet again to cap off the night’s last notable jam, an 18-minute “You Enjoy Myself” encore. Trey signaled the final DWD callback by singing his guitar part at the end of YEM’s vocal jam, and the band followed his lead as he picked his instrument back up to finish the tune one last time with a big smile on his face.
Phish’s summer tour continues with two more nights at Ruoff Music Center in Noblesville, IN. For a full list of the band’s upcoming tour dates, head here. Fans can follow along with the tour from home with nightly video webcasts via LivePhish. To order your webcasts for any of the band’s upcoming summer shows or purchase a discounted full-tour webcast package, head here. [Note: Live For Live Music is a LivePhish affiliate. Ordering your webcast via the links on this page helps support our work covering Phish and the world of live music as a whole. Thanks for reading!]
Setlist: Phish | Ruoff Music Center | Noblesville, IN | 8/2/24
Set 1: Punch You in the Eye, Kill Devil Falls, Halfway to the Moon, Heavy Things, Life Saving Gun, Shade > Scent of a Mule, Pillow Jets > Runaway Jim, A Day in the Life (The Beatles)
Set 2: The Oh Kee Pa Ceremony > Axilla, Part II > Down With Disease, Scents and Subtle Sounds (-> ‘Down With Disease’ >), What’s the Use?, Golden Age (TV on the Radio), I Always Wanted It This Way (-> ‘Down With Disease’)
Encore: You Enjoy Myself (-> ‘Down with Disease’)
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