Phish continued its heater of a summer tour last night as the band returned to Chaifetz Arena in St. Louis, MO for the second of two nights.
After playing a “Tweezer” of historic proportions on night one, Trey Anastasio, Mike Gordon, Page McConnell, and Jon Fishman greeted fans with “Turtle in the Clouds”, complete with its elaborate accompanying choreography by Trey and Mike. Now in its fifth decade as a band, Phish somehow continues to grow and push new musical boundaries, rather than resting on its laurels. As the band continued the first set with a funky, guitar-laden “Hey Stranger”, from Anastasio’s mercy album, and the bluesy, bluegrass-inspired boom-chick of “Back on the Train”, though, it became clear that this would be a song-forward, rather than improv-heavy, presentation.
Phish – “Turtle In The Clouds” [Pro-Shot] – 7/31/24
The whimsical “Lawn Boy” gave Page a chance to get up and work the crowd like the lounge singer he could have been before returning to his post behind the keys for a look “Backwards Down the Number Line”. Phish then reared “Horn”, from 1993’s Rift, for the first time in just over a year. The last time the song appeared in a setlist was 7/29/23 at Madison Square Garden.
“Pebble and Marbles” likewise received its first telling of the year, clocking in as the longest jam of the set at 11 minutes ahead of a buoyant “Bouncing Around the Room”. The band picked up steam as it segued from “Bouncing Around the Room” into Stevie Wonder‘s “Boogie On Reggae Woman” and finally finished the first frame with “The Squirming Coil”.
Phish – “Free” [Pro-Shot] – 7/31/24
“Free” set the tone for set two, which in contrast to set one would be defined by unrestrained improvisation. The highlight of the set arrived early on in the form of a 20-plus minute rendition of “Mr. Completely”, a somewhat rare Trey Anastasio song with a storied pedigree for launching memorable jams. The sprawling musical exploration eventually wound down and gave way to a sentimental “If I Could”, which bled directly into the more upbeat “Twist”.
Phish – “Mr. Completely” – 7/31/24
[Video: shinepigeon]
The proceeding “Ruby Waves” marked the second big jam of the set and was characterized by dark and moody improvisation—what fans have deemed “evil Phish.” From the shadows emerged “No Men In No Man’s Land”, which featured an upbeat jam with teases of “Tequila” and “Smoke on the Water”. An energetic “First Tube” closed the set, but the band wasn’t ready to take off just yet.
Returning for the encore, Phish gathered around its a cappella mics and Trey asked Fishman if he would tell “the prison joke” that he told on April 11th, 1991 and March 24th, 1993. Fishman replied, “Once was enough for that,” sparing the audience the crude joke the drummer heard on a comedy tape he found at a truck stop. The band then sang “Grind” a cappella and struggled not to giggle as they calculated how many thousands of days they’d lived.
Trey then asked the crowd if they were in a rush to go or if they could play a couple more. After a stellar two nights at the venue, it was no surprise that the crowd was ready to push on. “Miss You” brought the energy down to a simmer and gave everyone a chance to catch their breath before a thrilling “Harry Hood” jam brought the run to a satisfying close.
Click below to view fan-shot videos and a gallery of photos from Phish at Chaifetz Arena courtesy of photographer Allison Scavo.
Phish’s summer tour continues this weekend with three nights at Ruoff Music Center in Noblesville, IN. For a full list of upcoming Phish 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!]
Phish – “Bouncing Around The Room”, “Boogie On Reggae Woman” (Stevie Wonder) – 7/31/24
[Video: Chief Pizza]
Phish – “Boogie On Reggae Woman” (Stevie Wonder) – 7/31/24
[Video: shinepigeon]
Phish – “If I Could” – 7/31/24
[Video: shinepigeon]
Phish – “Lawn Boy” – 7/31/24
[Video: shinepigeon]
Phish – “Pebble And Marbles” – 7/31/24
[Video: shinepigeon]
Phish – “Grind” – 7/31/24
[Video: PNWwaverider]
Phish – “Harry Hood” – 7/31/24
[/expanding]Setlist: Phish | Chaifetz Arena | St. Louis, MO | 7/31/24Set 1: Turtle in the Clouds, Hey Stranger, Back on the Train, Lawn Boy, Backwards Down the Number Line, Horn, Pebbles and Marbles, Bouncing Around the Room > Boogie On Reggae Woman (Stevie Wonder), The Squirming CoilSet 2: Free, Mr. Completely, If I Could > Twist > Ruby Waves > No Men In No Man’s Land > First TubeEncore: Grind, Miss You > Harry HoodTrey teased Tequila and Smoke on the Water during No Men In No Man’s Land. Before Grind, Trey asked Fishman if he was going to tell The Prison Joke (from April 11, 1991 and March 24, 1993), to which Fishman replied “Once was enough for that.”
[Video: shinepigeon]
Setlist [via phish.net]: Phish | Chaifetz Arena | St. Louis, MO | 7/31/24
Set One: Turtle in the Clouds, Hey Stranger, Back on the Train, Lawn Boy, Backwards Down the Number Line, Horn, Pebbles and Marbles, Bouncing Around the Room > Boogie On Reggae Woman (Stevie Wonder), The Squirming Coil
Set Two: Free, Mr. Completely, If I Could > Twist > Ruby Waves > No Men In No Man’s Land > First Tube
Encore: Grind, Miss You > Harry Hood
Trey teased Tequila and Smoke on the Water during No Men In No Man’s Land. Before Grind, Trey asked Fishman if he was going to tell The Prison Joke (from April 11, 1991 and March 24, 1993), to which Fishman replied “Once was enough for that.”
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