I’m not writing a review about this show but about the ratings on phish.net. Can we please bring them back so that we can once again rate shows? It was one of the best and most helpful parts of this site, especially for fans looking for which shows have stood out over time. I understand the...
I’m baffled at why anyone would rate this scorcher as less than 4 stars (and I wasn’t there, either).
Out of the gate with the delightful and super rare “Willin,” into a superb, swirling, stretched out Tube, a spirited SYSF jam, the joyful return of You Sexy Thing, a...
(Not sure why my other review cut off, but .net wouldn’t let me edit it... Second time lucky!)
Hola from Mexico!
I hope everyone here is having as much fun as I am. The Moon Palace is a fantastic resort — thanks to the hard-working staff here for making us all feel so welcome, and thanks to...
bustouts were fun. especially torn and frayed which had a very nice jam.
ghost and free are legit jams, go seek out both of em, especially free
landlady -> destiny unbound was a great pairing and really got me back after that shade.
crosseyed is a nice microjam, but i'm sorry to say this...
This, and the other two, are good shows. There’s so much good stuff. So what gives on the ratings folks?!?
We all know listening/watching a show and being at a show are two different experiences. So I propose we take a ‘Rotten Tomatoes’ approach with a two rating system: votes if...
Solid, folks, solid. Biggest highlight- the expert placement of Farmhouse. Not an encore, not an opener, not in back end of first set, and definitely not in the middle of a jamming second set… The second song at the start of the show. Genius.
This show has it all… minor (fun) flubs,...
So I was the naked guy that tried to get on stage last night. My sincerest apologies to anyone I may have bumped, knocked, or generally rustled in my attempt to rage against the dying of the light.
For me, that was the type of show you can’t exactly imagine until it happens, and then it...
Opening up Phish in 2025 was a great version of Sand, truly one of the highlights of the entire show. The band did not sound rusty in the slightest, and after all why would they. YEMSG was only a few weeks ago.
Mull might have gotten its most solid version to date. Hard to not like that when...
Well well well....
I guess they shook off those island vibes about midway through the first set. From BOAF onward it was faceplant into noise rock.
And as an unjaded vet, I'm starting to feel my fandom at a crossroads. I've been around for multiple Phish eras - early goofball madness,...
I was not asked to write this review, nor am I focused on one night. I just want to put out into the universe how grateful I am for all of you and what a time it is for us to be alive. Phish in Mexico is the greatest thing I have ever experienced, and you are all part of making it happen, so I...
A fairly rocking "Gin" splits around 9:00 for some densely-textured, high-quality "Type II" exploration with synths at the forefront and a stormy, probing sense, and then subtly brightens and takes on a more hopeful tone down the homestretch.
The pull of lunar gravity seems to propel this massively improvisational odyssey that draws from the full ocean of Phish's current array of tones and effects. Embracing a wide berth of improvisational moods from the familiar and serene to the anxious and alien, this truly titanic jam flirts with jagged edges and plumbs the bubbling depths but stays afloat atop the ebb and flow of its multiple movements and eventually finds safe port > "Beneath a Sea of Stars pt. 1".
This tidal "Wave of Hope" raises the bar for one of the era's most consistent jam vehicles with a free-flowing marathon of improvisation. The opening 10 minutes are worthy in their own right, but the signature moment comes at 14:25 when the band in unison dives into deep-sea exploration of hard-edged rock. Relentlessly forging ahead with siren synths and wailing guitar over thunderous percussion and bass, the intensity remains at a fever pitch until the soothing exhale begins at 26:00, ushering the jam back to shore after the abyssal proceedings and > "Oblivion".
Like a cross between a breeze and the space between stars, the jam, a smooth and total sound, breaks free all but immediately and becomes a true show-stopper. Trey, atop Fish's scattershot (off)beat, both creates and occupies space - it feels like it, but he never stops playing - the resulting improv remarkable in its restraint, notable for its ingenuity, and startlingly refreshing. Terrific play from all four creates a sound (driven space, as opposed to ambience; give "ER" a spin, for instance) that will likely stand out from this excellent run. A bit by way of customary play dissolves as the band > for "Cavern."
The first section recedes quietly without a return to the lyrics before the jamming begins anew in minor and works through a few different variations with Fish's ever persistent drumming keeping things moving at a brisk pace. A closing theme begins building around 15 minutes and leads to an encouraging group peak with looped guitar riffs and "Soul Planet" quotes included, and a final reset briefly hints at a new direction before jumping ship > "Carini".
The first post-EDM version of "WGTYM" is a distinctly slower version of the song. However, the jamming out of the song remains top-notch. Fish takes the reins initially leading a driving, percussive jam. This later gives way to a feel-good explosion of jubilant play that evokes Phish on a beach. The band eventually winds its way back to the "Mind, mind, mind," refrain.
Improvisation begins punchy and playful becoming more experimental and deconstructing as it moves through a transitional space before swelling to a dramatic conclusion drenched in Trey's molten guitar work.
A celebration of the last night of the run on the beach, the band gives us one of their longest and most sustained reggae grooves they've ever performed. No frills, just the band locked in on a groove together.
In just the third outing of this sparsely-played GOTF tune, the band significantly extends the groove and ups the intensity down the homestretch for a strong Type I jam.
Impassioned play comes early from the outset of the jam, before a
breakdown after the 10 minute mark signals a change. An insistent riff
from Trey then builds momentum as the music grows introspective and
groovier, courtesy of Mike and Page's synth dominance. A propulsive
yet atmospheric space is cultivated here and patiently explored with
varying textures from each band member, before yielding to the "Fuego"
conclusion.
Something 'haunting' about "Oblivion's" opening when done right, and that’s the case here. Always moody (one way or the other), the tune is a choice second set opener, and Trey opts for immediate excellence after crashing through the song proper, with the band finding a proper groove right around 5:30. Trey and Page pair from the jump, with the improv, some of the very best kind, finding Trey seemingly playing with two minds, somehow splashing different, concentric ideas - in a manner of thinking - off the other, in a manner (or sound) similar to one of his heroes.
A thoroughly funky opening gives way around 9:00 to an uplifting, inspirational build that carries through until a fakeout return to "Wolfman's" at 13:15, after which the band immediately launches into a high-powered segment of churning electro-rock culminating in a "Mike's Song" tease and another pass at the traditional closing. This time, the return sticks and this highly distinguished version concludes with a jazz lounge ending.
> from a big-time "Twenty Years Later". Traversing all kinds of ground, this jam shows off the band's versatility. From the frenzied end of the song proper to a subdued, cymbal-filled brooding jam. There are recurring teases of "Norwegian Wood" and a frenzied maelstrom of a peak at the end, before > into "Taste".
Another nod to the sea (if not the scene), the song appears in the centerpiece slot, anchoring the second set, following a strong "NMINML." Tight, terse, and largely compact (play before the segue eventually bleeds) strong, if somewhat familiar play, seems to function as foundation for the night's heady highlight - Piper - which pleasantly, after a strong '24, remains on Trey's radar.
Sporting a significantly slowed-down tempo, this version finds itself moving fluidly from typical melodic "Weekapaug" fare towards funkier
territory. As the band luxuriates in this space, effects-based play gradually becomes more rock-oriented, culminating in a more traditional crescendo before the tune's conclusion.