Photo by Rene Huemer

Last night, Phish resumed their tour with the first of three performances at the Ruoff Music Center in Noblesville, Ind., which was originally known as Deer Creek. The performance fell on bassist Mike Gordon’s 57th birthday and the band teased “Happy Birthday” a few times throughout the evening in a loving fashion.

When it was known as Deer Creek, The Ruoff Music Center had welcomed Phish a handful of times over the years before last night – since their debut show there on June 19, 1995, and now, the band have made 27 appearances.

Phish started the show with “Theme From The Bottom,” the very same track that kicked off their first show there back in ’95 and marked the third time they used the song as an opener since ’97. Next came a cover of Stevie Wonder’s “Boogie On Reggae Woman” which saw guitarist Trey Anastasio’s first tease of “Happy Birthday” towards the start of the tune. Next came a 17-minute “Everything’s Right” lush with masterful improvisation and heavy transitions. “Esther” followed which flowed into “Buried Alive.” Next came “Alaska” with an extended piano intro from Page McConnell, who had a sticker on his Prophet synthesizer that read “RIP Dave” in honor of the late Dave Smith who was known as the as the father of MIDI. “Mull” followed which directed the spotlight on the birthday boy. They closed the first set with a run of “Birds Of A Feather” into “Cavern.”

The second set started with “No Men In No Man’s Land” which flowed into the tour debut of “Down With Disease.” After 15-minutes the sound drew to near silence before they flowed into “Joy.” Next came “Ruby Waves” > “The Lizards” > “Fluffhead.” They closed the set with “Chalk Dust Torture.”

Phish returned to the stage with Gordon handling “Contact” which once again saw Anastasio tease “Happy Birthday.” The track then morphed into “First Tube” which served as the evening’s final song. Phish will return for the second night at the Ruoff Music Center tonight.

Phish
Ruoff Music Center – Noblesville, Ind.
June 3, 2022

Set I: Theme From the Bottom, Boogie On Reggae Woman, Everything’s Right, Esther > Buried Alive, Alaska, Mull, Birds of a Feather, Cavern

Set II: No Men In No Man’s Land > Down with Disease[1] > Joy > Ruby Waves > The Lizards, Fluffhead > Chalk Dust Torture

Enc.: Contact > First Tube[1] Unfinished.

Trey teased Happy Birthday in Boogie On Reggae Woman and Contact.

setlist via phish.net