Phish Tour 2021 – Setlist, Recap & The Skinny: Noblesville Night 3

Phish ended their Summer Tour 2021 stop at the Noblesville, Indiana venue formerly known as Deer Creek on Sunday with the third of three nights at Ruoff Music Center. The “Never Miss A Sunday Show” axiom proved true again with the band keeping fans on their toes during a second set bookended by “Bathtub Gin” in which they mixed and mashed multiple songs at the same time.

Sunday’s show started 30 minutes earlier than the previous two nights and the quartet kicked off the festivities with “Sigma Oasis,” the title track from their 2020 studio album. The fourth ever version of the song was followed by the tour debut of “The Curtain.” Phish went with “Mike’s Song” in the three-hole as “The Curtain” was played “without” for just the fifth time since the return of “The Curtain With” at Deer Creek on July 12, 2000. The band quickly modulated into a major key for a rare, bliss-filled “Mike’s Song” jam before returning to the typical key of F# minor to bring the tune to a close.

“Mike’s Song” gave way to “My Soul,” a pairing Phish had never pulled off previously. A short pause came after the Clifton Chenier cover before guitarist Trey Anastasio lit into “Weekapaug Groove.” Trey cut out once drummer Jon Fishman and bassist Mike Gordon began playing “Weekapaug” for the latter to deliver his trademark solo. Keyboardist Page McConnell alternated between grand piano and Wurlitzer electric piano while Anastasio strung together one potent riff after another to bring “Weekapaug” to a rolling boil. It was then back to Sigma Oasis for the 2021 debut of “Mercury.”

Trey began the “Mercury” jam by utilizing the synth tone he added to his rig this tour while Page grooved on Wurlitzer as Fish and Mike held down the beat. Anastasio swerved into “46 Days” just as the improv was heating up. The short but raging version of the Round Room rocker was followed by “Taste.” While Phish struggled with the composed section, the band unfurled a powerful albeit straightforward jam. Next came the debut of Gordon’s “Casual Enlightenment,” a funky number which, like many of Mike’s recent originals, had the feel of a Little Feat song. The four-piece played “Casual Enlightenment” as part of their soundchecks in Alpharetta and Nashville. Phish closed out the frame with the tour’s first “David Bowie.” The set’s improvisational highlight featured another bout of pretty, major key jamming within.

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

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“Bathtub Gin” saw action for the third time this tour to get the second set underway. Phish started the song normally unlike the unusual beginning to “Gin” in Nashville last Wednesday night. However, the members of the band put their new toys to work as they kicked off yet another jam by alternating between darkness and light. The 15-minute “Bathtub Gin” bled into “Waves,” making for the first Phish show since December 8, 2019 to feature two songs from 2002’s Round Room. Anastasio fit “Gin” teases into a “Waves” short jam that served as a launching pad for “Ghost.” The quartet mashed elements of “Waves” within the composed section of the title track from their 1998 studio album. Yet, it appeared “Ghost” was a brief foray as out of nowhere Phish revved into “Sneakin’ Sally Through The Alley” after just three minutes. “I feel I never told you the story of ‘Sally'” and “my Sally,” Anastasio sang during a vocal jam within the Robert Palmer cover that led back into a second burst of “Ghost” jamming.

Improv that toed the line between “Ghost” and “Sally” was followed by a segue into “Twenty Years Later.” The seamless and unusual start to the frame continued with the first and only other full-band “Waste” transition since August 21, 2015 at Magnaball. “Waste” melted into “Twist.” The trend of swiftly moving between songs resumed with a move towards “Makisupa Policeman” in which Anastasio sang, “Woke up this morning, Sally in my head. Policeman wouldn’t twist around.” Phish alternated between “Makisupa” and “Twist” with quotes and teases of “Sneakin’ Sally,” “Bathtub Gin” and “Ghost” played to the delight of the crowd. McConnell hit the “your trip is short” sample on his Nord keyboard as elements of “Martian Monster” entered the medley. At this point, the band was performing parts of six different songs at the same time before they landed on the ending of “Twist.”

Page stepped into the spotlight after one of the wildest medleys in the group’s history to lead the band on “Most Events Aren’t Planned,” a song from his Vida Blue project that saw its Phish debut during the Baker’s Dozen residency at New York City’s Madison Square Garden in 2017. “More” brought the second set to a conclusion complete with the ending of “Bathtub Gin” and Trey screaming, “The story of SALLY!” Phish ended the evening and three-night stand by pairing beloved favorites “Contact” and “Slave To The Traffic Light” as the encore. The former saw Mike add “street” and “lane” in addition “the road” into the lyrics.

Phish now heads to Hershey, Pennsylvania for shows at Hersheypark Stadium on Tuesday and Wednesday. Livestreams are available via LivePhish.com.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yY15EgQAxK8 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tvtiGtsjcO0

Watch fan-shot video of “Casual Enlightenment” captured by Shinepigeon:

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