Phish Tour 2021 – Setlist, Recap & The Skinny: Noblesville Night 2

Phish played their second show of three at the venue formerly known as Deer Creek in Noblesville, Indiana on Saturday night. The show’s first set was long on breezy summertime vibes, and featured a standout take on “Stash” near the end of the set. That momentum continued into set two, whose opening “Everything’s Right” went long, deep and cosmic, before a murderer’s row, including a “Crosseyed & Painless” wedged between two takes on “What’s the Use,” as well as a fantastic “Down with Disease.”

While many Phish sets are defined by their improvisatory centerpieces or their setlist choices, Saturday’s opening frame was all about the vibe. A cold drink on the beach in musical form, this set oozed with summertime chill.

A “Crowd Control” opener gave way to the bluegrass punch of “Poor Heart.” The summery funk of “Moma Dance” was followed by a “Back On The Train” that had a bit of extra oomph. Four songs in, the band had already covered four distinct genres.

Page McConnell took lead vocals on “Army of One,” then got a rare bit of banter, telling the audience he loved this place and thanking them for coming before the quartet launched into “Bouncing Around The Room.” Next, the show went on island time during a slow, breezy “Ya Mar.” The “Roggae” that followed included a glorious sustained guitar note from Trey Anastasio. Next was the Phish debut of “A Wave Of Hope,” off of Trey’s “Lonely Trip” album. The song’s lyrics, about freeing oneself from captivity, growing wings and flying, were a fitting sentiment for a band in the midst of a brilliant tour on the heels of a year and a half of quarantine.

The band withheld any deep improvisation until the first set’s penultimate song, “Stash.” The jam covered an unusually large amount of ground, from dirty funk to a major key section that was propped up by some syncopated octaves from Mike Gordon. From there, the band flipped between major and minor keys, but not in typical “Stash” form; this jam was pure Type II, and while it seemed impossible that the band could find their way to the end of “Stash,” they did so expertly. This is a must-hear version. “Cavern” provided a fitting exclamation point to the set.

Read on after The Skinny for the rest of the recap and more.

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While many of this tour’s second sets have opened with a brief appetizer before the jams start flowing, Saturday night’s got right down to business. The jam out of the opening “Everything’s Right” stretched to every corner of Phish’s improvisatory wheelhouse, from a Pink Floyd-esque psychedelic jaunt to an upbeat rock segment, to a funky riff laden with the lethal clavinet-plus-wah-guitar combo. This tune has been a powerhouse for its entire history, and this is easily among the most essential versions the band has played to date.

While Phish’s summer tour has rightly been lauded for its improvisatory revelations, another key to the tour’s success is that the band has avoided the dreaded energy-killing second set ballad. Where such a ballad might have derailed this set, Phish instead played “What’s The Use?” — a song that slowed things down, while maintaining the set’s psychedelic overtones. This was an inspired version, with Trey milking every last drop of emotion out of his Languedoc guitar. And it paid dividends down the road: after a relatively brief, upbeat jam out of “Crosseyed And Painless,” a final “What’s The Use?” refrain appeared before the band launched into “Down With Disease.”

The “Disease” was not as long or exploratory as “Everything’s Right,” but it packed quite a punch, including modulations, a “Crosseyed” tease and an incredible guitar note that stretched on for what felt like five minutes. A lovely “Wading In The Velvet Sea” came next, followed by a take on “Possum” that included some dexterous ivory tickling from Page McConnell and some killer licks from Trey. The band closed out the night with a flawless take on “Drift While You’re Sleeping.”

Phish closes their three-night run in Noblesville on Sunday night. A livestream can be purchased through LivePhish.com.

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