[We would like to thank Brad Strode (@c_wallob) for recapping last night's show. -Ed.]

What makes Deer Creek–an otherwise non-descript Live Nation mega-shed in the middle of strip malls that used to be cornfields–a can’t miss venue on a Summer Phish Tour? Maybe it’s the midwest location, enabling phans to come from East and West to gather for our favorite band. Maybe it’s the history of absurdly great Phish shows, not to mention the (significantly darker) history the venue holds in Grateful Dead lore.

Or maybe it’s because of the overall “vibe,” with its vibrant lot scene, plentiful tickets, and friendly staff. No matter the reason, when Summer Tour was announced for 2024, mrs_wallob and I encouraged our touring crew from all over the USA to join us on our pilgrimage, and the crew happily complied, in spite of the fact that we will all see each other in Delaware ten days after the final note rings out in the humid summer sky on Sunday.

However, as we move through this Show of Life, change is abundant, challenges arise, and tragedy can strike at any moment. Since we booked our vacation rental near Deer Creek in January, our touring crew and expanded group of chosen family we’ve met on Phish Tour over the last several years has been no exception. We’ve seen our loved ones on Tour expand their biological families, change jobs, embrace sobriety, and go back to school. We’ve also seen hospitalizations due to illness and injury and even lost a dear friend who we certainly would have seen on the lot this weekend (we love you PR!). Nevertheless, our beautiful band of misfits gathered near the bottom of the plush Deer Creek lawn and waited for the Chris Cornell house music to fade and our favorite band to take the stage.

During our game of “guess the opener” over an amazing lunch at Shapiro’s Delicatessen (if you haven’t made the trek when in the Indy area, you really should), @mrs_wallob planted her flag on “Punch You In the Eye” as the opener, which I shamefully dismissed as wishful thinking. So while the entire crowd showed their enthusiastic appreciation during the opening notes of the Gamehendge-adjacent classic, our group had that extra pop of enthusiasm you get when someone you love “calls it.” Trey navigated the “Landlady” section deftly, albeit at a slightly slower pace than everyone’s favorite 12/31/95 version.

Next up was “Kill Devil Falls,” which teetered on the Type 2 ledge with a few exploratory key changes and Mike keeping the beat brisk with some really exciting playing. However, following a few sustained notes by Trey and bombs from Mike, KDF returns to the chorus rather than expanding into true outer space. “Halfway to the Moon” and “Heavy Things” gave late arrivals a chance to get some concessions and enjoy some sing-alongs after 20 minutes of “the good stuff.”

I’ll digress here to share how much I love being on the lower lawn, where you have a great view of the show AND of the goings on in the moat. During “Heavy Things” I saw a woman turn around while walking, grab a Coors Light out of the hand of the gentleman behind her, and take a swig. Only to realize that the guy wasn’t her partner, but a complete stranger…her partner was lagging behind. So she gave the stranger his beer back and everyone seemed to have a good laugh over the mishap. Anyways, back to the show…

“Life Saving Gun” steps in next and gives us some crunchy dance grooves via Page’s clavinet and Fish’s signature polyrhythms. Less than five minutes in, Page switches to the synth and we seem headed for the first significant jam of the evening. However, this version matches the pattern set by KDF and returns to the song without truly breaking free of the theme of the song. It’s a very solid Set 1 version but not likely one that will be on the list that gets multiple relistens.

Since Trey apparently doesn’t know how to start “Shade” when he’s not transitioning from a ripcord, we get treated to some playful Trey banter (new Jon Fishman nickname: percussion rinse) before the song starts and many of us rest our dancing feet. “Scent of a Mule” is up next, and in spite of Mike’s lyrical mishaps the crowd enjoyed this relative rarity that hasn’t been seen since 2022.

“Pillow Jets” gets through the dad rock section quickly and transitions to the dissonant, murky section that juxtaposes against the lyrics of the song. Trey pushes the pace at the 8 minute mark, and leads the band into a crowd-pleasing, if unremarkable “Runaway Jim” that included an extra lap through the initial refrain that threw the band-and the crowd-for a loop.

As uneven and flub-riddled as the set was, “A Day in the Life” set everyone to set break with smiles on their faces. Not played since The Met show in 2019, this version really gave the band a chance to play with some of their newer effects, and CK5 a chance to melt our brains with his LED strobe effects.

The band returned from an abbreviated setbreak (a trend this tour…don’t dawdle at setbreak) with a nicely played “Oh Kee Pa Ceremony” that atypically gave way to “Axilla (Part II).” After 40 minute jams at Alpine and St. Louis, many were wondering if there would be a mega-jam at Deer Creek, and what the chosen vehicle might be.

So, when Mike signaled “Down With Disease” out of the “Axilla (Part II)” outro, my mind immediately went to, “this is it!!!” However, the jam started off at a fairly frantic pace, which usually indicates the jam might burn out earlier than hoped. This DWD jam took a few turns through space into a prog-rock sounding riff. At around the 12 minute mark, Trey and Page really sync up and Trey rips off 2 minutes or so of Jimi-esque riffs. However, the band couldn’t really find a landing spot from there and opted to finish the song properly before starting up one of my favorite songs, “Scents and Subtle Sounds.”

“Scents” exits the intro and chorus and settles into a beautiful jam with a brisk pace. At this point, it starts raining on the lawn and the intensity of the rain seems to mirror the jam. We all know Trey is a Jedi who controls the weather, but this is ridiculous. At around the 18-minute mark, Trey seems to return to the jam he was trying to find at the end of Disease and we are treated to a segment that could easily have been from an Allman Brothers show. The jam turns left again and we start to hear faint hints at DWD, until next thing we know, we are hearing the seldom-played ending to “Disease” once again, including vocals.

One of my personal favorite jams I’ve seen is the “Scents” from 12/6/19. While I’ve been fortunate to see “Scents” many times since then, I have been chasing a version with the magnitude of 12/6/19 ever since. Tonight exceeded that experience and will definitely be a core Phish memory for me.

“What’s the Use?” begins and is an absolutely perfect choice while a light rain starts to fall again on the lawn. For me personally, a well-placed WTU elicits such a wide range of emotions that by the end of the song, I’m completely spent and ready for a pick-me-up. “Golden Age” is another great choice in my estimation, but rather than serving up even a 13-minute standard version, what seems to be the beginnings of a synth jam turns into the intro for “I Always Wanted it This Way.”

Admittedly, IAWITW is not one of my favorites, but there have definitely been some stand-out versions. This jam is a blast of energy all the way to the fence at the top of the lawn. I turn around to see thousands of my friends dancing, jumping, and cheering and I’m filled with appreciation for this band and the opportunity we have to spend several nights a year doing THIS. One more lap through the “Disease” ending and the band takes a well-deserved bow.

Our crew on the lawn thoroughly enjoyed that set, but the fact that 8/2/24 Set 2 may not even be the best set of the tour so far speaks to the incredible level this band is at right now. We are truly lucky. With lots of time left before the 11:30 curfew, options for the encore are limitless, but “You Enjoy Myself” really is the perfect way to end this show. In stark contrast from the flub-fest that was Set 1, Trey expertly navigates the intro. At this point, I put my notebook down to enjoy the bliss of one of my favorite songs of all time and just dance my ass off for the next 15 minutes.

Early in the vocal jam, Trey sings the signature guitar riff for Disease, eliciting a belly laugh from yours truly. Minutes later, in almost an unprecedented move, Trey picks up his Languedoc and it’s clear we are headed for a fourth run through the DWD ending. The last notes of the “Disease-fest” dissipate and we make our way into the night to enjoy more time with our friends and compare notes with those who we didn’t share space with.

I can’t emphasize this enough…hug your friends tight. Enjoy this time we get to spend together with this inspiring quartet of musicians. Take nothing for granted. At some point in the hopefully distant future, it will be time to finally say that this has all been wonderful, but now we’re on our way. But not this weekend…we have 2 more nights together to enjoy the Deer Creek vibes and I, for one, can’t wait to see what Phish has in store for us.

P.S. Huge congrats to Blayn from Maine for hitting the 150 consecutive show benchmark tonight (Saturday). So happy to have met you and share some great times together this Summer.

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