Phish Plays Nearly Hour-Long Rendition Of ‘Runaway Jim’ On This Date In 1997
By Andy Kahn Nov 29, 2018 • 2:08 pm PST
When it comes to Phish’s 1997 Fall Tour most of the attention rightly focuses on the funky new approach the foursome from Vermont incorporated into a number of standout shows. Their appearance on November 29, 1997 included what’s on record as their longest jam to date, as they stretched “Runaway Jim” to almost one hour to open the second set.
The second night of a three show run at the Worcester Centrum in Worcester, Massachusetts was the setting for the mammoth “Runaway Jim.” According to Phish.net, the performance of the Phish original clocked in at 58 minutes and 48 seconds – longer than any other entry on the 20 Minute Jams Chart (save for all out “jams” such as the IT Tower Jam). The Phish.net setlist for the show notes “Beauty of My Dreams,” “Harry Hood” and “Super Bad” teases during the multifaceted improvisation.
At times patient and bluesy, the sprawling jam transitions through moments of hard-charging heavy rock, dark ambience, cacophonic soundscapes and fiercely melodic group play throughout the ever-evolving excursion. Guitarist Trey Anastasio often steers the direction of improvisation, with drummer Jon Fishman also helping to drive the foursome through the various segments that make up the jam. With those two laying the foundation, bassist Mike Gordon and keyboardist Page McConnell add elements of rhythm and melodic textures to further embellish the impromptu composition.
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Toward the back end of the improv (that somewhat surprisingly never settled into the Cow Funk prevalent during the tour) there’s also a heavy jam on the Phish classic “Weekapaug Groove,” which saw the quartet nearly completing an instrumental performance of the longtime original. Set aside about an hour and dig into the longest Phish jam on record via the “Runaway Jim” captured below:
Set 1: The Wedge, Foam, Simple -> The Man Who Stepped Into Yesterday > Avenu Malkenu > The Man Who Stepped Into Yesterday, The Sloth, Ginseng Sullivan, Saw It Again, Horn, Water in the Sky, David Bowie
Set 2: Runaway Jim [1] > Strange Design > Harry Hood > Prince Caspian, Suzy Greenberg
Encore: Buffalo Bill, Moby Dick [2] > Fire
This Runaway Jim is one of the longest versions of any song ever played by Phish. It ran slightly under an hour and included Beauty of My Dreams and Super Bad teases and a strong Weekapaug jam where the entire melody of Weekapaug was played. Buffalo Bill was announced as Fishâs favorite song. Moby Dick was performed for the first time since February 19, 1993 (437 shows) and featured Trey imitating Robert Plantâs intro to Moby Dick from the album The Song Remains the Same.
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[Originally Published: November 29, 2016]
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