Photo Credit: Dino Perrucci
On Tuesday, July 30, Phish kicked off a two-show run at St. Louis’ Chaifetz Arena. The band’s first venture to the famed Missouri venue and city in over five years was cause for celebration, and Phish certainly stepped up to the plate. Notably, the group performed a sprawling version of “Tweezer” that neared 41 minutes. It was also a big night for 2024 tour debuts, including “Cars Trucks Buses,” “Gotta Jibboo,” “Vultures,” and “Timber (Jerry the Mule)” in the first set; the second set followed suit, offering “I Never Needed You Like This Before,” and “Meat” for the first time this calendar year.
Following opening songs “Cars Trucks Buses” and “Gotta Jibboo,” Phish moved into energetic runs of “NICU” and “Ocelot” before heading into “Evolve.” The latest title track made way for “Theme From the Bottom,” followed up with “Vultures” in the latter track’s first outing this year. The show’s lone cover, Josh White’s “Timber (Jerry the Mule),” followed the 2024 debut of “Vultures,” marking the band’s first performance of White’s song since a July 2017 show at Madison Square Garden. Trey Anastasio led the ensemble into a jam-heavy “Everything’s Right” to close the set.
The second set opened with another 2024 debut, “I Never Needed You Like This Before,” which progressed into one of the night’s most decisive antics: a 41-minute rendition of “Tweezer,” the fifth longest in the song’s history. The July 30 performance earned a credential as the 10th longest song in the band’s equally lengthy history. With 3/10 of the band’s most extensive tracks occurring in the last eight months, 2024 is certainly shaping to be a long year.
After “Tweezer” was plucked and pulled to completion, the group broke out into a newer track, “Ether Edge,” which folded into “Piper.” Following “Piper” was once again a 2024 debut, this time The Story of The Ghost’s “Meat,” a rare occurrence, performed just 50 times in the last quarter century. A rattling rendition of tour staple “Blaze On” brought the second set to its end, but the encore promised more surprises, including a rare “Saw It Again” appearance for the first time this calendar year. As if 41 minutes weren’t enough, Phish capped off the encore with “Tweezer Reprise,” ending the evening with a tongue-in-cheek quip in line with the group’s usual escapades.
With more in the bag, Phish returned to Mound City on Wednesday evening for a second round at Chaifetz Arena. Coming off of Tuesday’s improvisation-heavy latter half, the band went with a standard presentation during the onset of their midweek follow-up, giving tight and to-be-expected renditions prior to tapping back into the full-force of their jam capacity during set two, beginning with a brief “Free” sizzle, before a stretched out “Mr. Completely’ which clocked in at 22 minutes, providing lots of room to twist and pull the compensation as seconds became minutes.
“If I Could” and “Twist” birthed an inky “Ruby Waves,” which emanated visions of vintage Dust Bowl scenes before crashing into a rock-tinged jam, unfolding into “No Men In No Man’s Land,” enacting a sort of wordplay between the previous song’s instrumental midsection and the title of their follow up. Embedding the latter with teases, they came out of its depths for a final thrust of energy during “First Tube.” For the concert’s encore, Anastasio asked if Fishman would retell his Prison Joke (from April 11, 1991, and March 24, 1993), to which Fishman replied, “Once was enough for that.” Before closing the curtains, Phish worked through “Grind,” asking the audience if they were in a rush, before the final offerings; “Miss You” and “Harry Hood.”
Following this week’s gigs in St. Louis, Phish will return to the stage for a three-night follow-up at Ruoff Music Center in Noblesville, Ind., Aug 2-4. Tickets remain on sale.
Phish
Chaifetz Arena – St. Louis
July 30, 2024
Set I: Cars Trucks Buses, Gotta Jibboo, NICU, Ocelot, Evolve, Theme From the Bottom, Vultures, Timber (Jerry the Mule), Everything’s Right
Set II: I Never Needed You Like This Before, Tweezer, Ether Edge > Piper, Meat, Blaze On
Enc.: Saw It Again > Tweezer Reprise
Phish
Chaifetz Arena – St. Louis
July 31, 2024
Set I: 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, The Squirming Coil
Set II: Free, Mr. Completely, If I Could > Twist > Ruby Waves > No Men In No Man’s Land > First Tube
Enc.: Grind, Miss You > Harry Hood
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