Photo Credit: Rich Fury
On Sunday, Aug. 4, Phish assumed the spotlight at Noblesville, Ind.’s Ruoff Music Center to close out its three-night series at the storied venue, where the band first performed–when it was known as Deer Creek–in 1995. In its 32nd show at the essential Indiana arena, the Vermont quartet brought excitement to its apex by flexing two of the many trademarks that make the group so special. By eagerly combing through its catalog and blasting off to next-level jamming, the band proved its intimate familiarity with the will of its audience, steering into an all-killer, no-filler show to widespread renown.
Phish first emerged onstage to “Party Time,” opening the performance on a high note with the first 2024 staging of that Jon Fishman-originated 2009 classic. Unearthing deep cuts for the first time this year proved a set theme as the band moved into “The Final Hurrah,” which it originated as the fictitious Scandinavian rock sensation Kasvot Växt at its 2018 Halloween show, then kept on to a bust-out of “Knuckle Bone Broth Avenue,” which saw the light for the third time ever after its Halloween 2021 debut as Sci-Fi Soldier and a second staging in June of 2022. “Stealing Time From the Faulty Plan” and “The Dogs” were also new to this year–with the latter recalling the beloved Halloween 2017 Chilling, Thrilling Sounds of the Haunted House set.
With this healthy helping of fan service offered up piping hot, the quartet switched gears for a soaring “Destiny Unbound,” which then melted down into a warm, sweet and shimmering run of “46 Days.” The band found a springboard in the Round Room standout to launch its first extended improvisatory run of the evening that found some heady, atmospheric peaks. Upon reentry, Phish cruised into the first “McGrupp and the Watchful Hosemasters” and “Wingsuit” of the year, then blazed through the set close with fast and fiery runs of “Meatstick” and “Run Like an Antelope,” the latter of which saw Trey Anastasia briefly tease the theme to the Mary Tyler Moore Show.
When they returned from the set break, Anastasio, Fishman, Mike Gordon and Page McConnell defied expectations with a set in stark contrast to its predecessor, cutting its tracks down to a staggering four entries. The band embarked on this escapade easily with “Ghost,” which started in a mellow groove before it began modulating between keys in pursuit of several peaks of pure ecstasy. This first entry pushed just past the 30 minutes, making it the second longest ever staged.
Phish followed this impressive intro with the first “Soul Planet” of 2024, which stretched far beyond the conventional form of the 2017 live rarity to cultivate a sprawling 25-minute odyssey that went into both darker, heavier domains and quicker synth-soaked sprints than the track before. A straight-ahead bust-out of “Billy Breathes” followed seamlessly, emerging as the fan-favorite track’s first staging since October 15, 2021. Finally, the band dropped into “Split Open and Melt,” in which it emptied the tank by spiraling out into a hazy sunken abyss with glimmers of hope and resolve shining through to close out the set on a resonant tone.
For an encore, Phish showed its gratitude to its Indiana fans with a soaring and direct rendition of “Slave to the Traffic Light.” The band will return tomorrow, August 6, for the first of two nights at Van Andel Arena in Grand Rapids, Mich. For tickets and more information on the band’s summer tour, visit visit phish.com/tours. Fans can stream the band’s tour opener and further performances on the summer 2024 tour via LivePhish.
Read on for the complete setlist from Sunday night.
Phish
Ruoff Music Center
8/4/24
Set I: Party Time*, The Final Hurrah*, Knuckle Bone Broth Avenue*+, Stealing Time From the Faulty Plan*, The Dogs*, Destiny Unbound > 46 Days, McGrupp and the Watchful Hosemasters*, Wingsuit*, Meatstick > Run Like an Antelope
Set II: Ghost, Soul Planet > Billy Breathes+, Split Open and Melt
Encore: Slave to the Traffic Light
Notes:
* 2024 debut.
+ Bust-out
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