I have a funny feeling that the merits (or lack thereof) of the first two Mexico shows are going to be debated from now until the cows come home, so it's rather nice to get a show that will most likely not have to suffer from as much debate as to how good it is. Set 1 has some quite nice moments - a welcome (if rusty) The Curtain (With), The Landlady making its second appearance in 793 shows, and a great second half that includes a slower and more deliberate Classic Gin that lets Trey be a bit more mellow in his soloing and a milkshake-thick Moma Dance that includes a surprising vocal jam from Fish and devolves into BEK-type funkiness before a surprising move into a wild Saw It Again to close. But, as always (well, other than shows like 1/16/16), Set 2 is what's gonna draw the most attention, and this is a pretty damn good Set 2.

You knew it was gonna be either Disease or Tweezer that kicked off this set, and DWD gets the call this time around, and this is a hell of a DWD for sure. Mike initiates the move to a new key this time around, and they build to a very warm and inviting jam space, Trey building up ambient noise...and then, as this beautiful late-90s-esque groove rolls forward, Page starts firing off samples from Shipwreck, making me think they'd segue into it instead. But that's not what they have in mind, as Trey starts trilling and then takes over with some soloing as the samples continue to fly (wonder how someone with a head full of acid was taking that), until the jam suddenly turns more muscular and classic rock, Trey heading to chords and Mike really taking a star turn and Fish as rock-solid as you could hope for, and they build up to an intense peak. This is pure feel-good music, and will probably be considered the signature of the jam of the run (although I sure do hope we don't get a lot of "Mexico Disease" jokes).

Roggae comes in next, via something of a shaky transition, but the version that we get is well worth it (moving from delicate spaciness to a great Trey solo), and then they make a fine call with C&P. C&P devolves into a minor key stew like it often does, they nearly return to home base, and then the jam collapses on itself, making you think it might be over...until Page goes back to the Shipwreck samples and Fish, who knows a good jam in progress when he hears one, kicks back into gear and keeps the jam alive 12/30/12 Carini style. Trey fires off Echoplex-laden chords and another spacey and weird groove emerges, some of the deepest and darkest music we've heard in a bit, elfish notes and rumbling bass flying everywhere and Page breaking out The Haunted House samples to really add to the atmosphere. Mike brings in the drill, and they really build up a torrid horror show...

...and then they start up Farmhouse, and the set is ruined forever.

Nah, just kidding. Farmhouse is a fine landing pad from that level of gnarliness, and they kick right into a tight Mike's Song distinguished by Trey playing "out of tune" 10/26/13 style, then Bug (which is Bug), and finally a cool Weekapaug Groove that slides into a darker and mellower zone (perfect for Page to fire off one more Shipwreck sample) before blasting off back to home base. A really patient and detailed Slave closes out the set proper, and The Ocean (somehow totally obvious and totally unexpected all at once) makes for a hell of a close to the run.

Final thoughts: throw this one right in the middle of Fall 2013, and nobody would think different. A really strong close to Phish's Tropical Adventure 2016.

Every time I go to a show, I always have zero expectations. I just want to see if they can blow my mind...which they always do. I want to walk away and say, "That was a good time" or "That was a great time!" or "I had the time of my life!!!"

I got tired of comparing one show to another. I got tired of saying, "That was the best show I've ever seen." To be perfectly honest, there is really no way of comparing. I've been doing this for over 20 years now.

Some people are stuck in the 90s and are convinced Phish is no longer that good. Others think the opposite. Many think a show sucks simply because they threw a few slow songs in there. Or because they didn't hear the songs that they felt should have been played.

Remember: It's a journey. Your emotions take the ride with you.

The truth is, they've never disappointed me. They've always found a way to take it to another level. The break down that barrier between the stage and the fans. It wasn't always how well they played, or the set list they performed. Sometimes it was the crowd or the energy or all the little things that manifest in the moment to create the "experience."

That's where they've never failed me. "The Experience" It's everything rolled into a single package. So, that being said, taking "The Experience" to a tropical beach at an all inclusive resort where food and drinks are unlimited with the best service staff I've ever encountered. Well, that just set a new standard because I had THE TIME OF MY LIFE. While there will be many set lists that blow this out of the water or even a show with energy through the roof, my "Experience" may never exceed this.

I had no idea what a dream vacation would be like until this. Now that is is over, I feel complete. As for the future, I'm confident they will still find a way to paste an smile on my face with an everlasting memory.

Thank You Phish and everyone who is a part of it. Even more, thank you Mexico and all of your beautiful people. You are the hardest working people I've ever known.

January 17th, 2016 was the final day of Phish’s inaugural three-night sojourn in Mexico’s Riviera Maya. Overall it had been a rare case of a heavily anticipated event that had vastly surpassed all expectations. In short, it was among the greatest concert experience I’ve had, and frankly that’s saying something.

Lounging by the pool, grabbing burgers at the beach restaurant, drinking tequila shots at the swim-up bar, chilling with friends and strangers on the pristine beach…all these activities were so prevalent that they were starting to feel old-hat, almost routine. But somehow I hunkered down and got ‘em all done.

After an afternoon of hard-core relaxation m’lady and I went back to our room and dressed up in our finest casuals. For dinner we had booked one of our ’special restaurants’ at one of the two Japanese places on the resort where eight of us sat around a hotplate while a smiling chef dazzled and entertained us with his clever cleaver juggling and tried-and-true comedic food manipulation. As he cooked he carved our dinners into surprising shapes and lobbed Brussel sprouts across the table for us to catch in our mouths.

It was good, but all I kept thinking was, “Don’t play with your food.”

After dinner we rushed back to our room, got back into our most casual casuals and beach-strolled our way to the last night of Phish.

The show opened with a song that everyone had been expecting all weekend – the very obvious Mexican Cousin – and ended with one that I don’t think anyone saw coming, the also very obvious cover of Led Zeppelin’s The Ocean, which was just a drop-dead awesome way to end an fantastic three nights of music. Again the crowd was small and excited, again the eager resort staff kept busy making sure nobody was thirsty, and once again the band raged under a starry night while the ocean’s waves pummelled the beach just a few metres away.

After the show that night the resort hit full bustle, as a thousand-plus barefoot neo-hippies celebrated the last hurrah of the extremely successful first Phish Mexico run (of three, as rumour was having it). Though we were fortunate to have booked an extra night at the Barcelo and wouldn’t, in fact, be leaving in the morning (or maybe because we had booked it) m’lady and I partied like it was our last hurrah right along with everyone else.

So much, in fact, that we spent that extra last day in full recovery mode, both of us thanking our lucky stars that we didn’t have anything to do but to sit and suffer another day in paradise. Neither of us touched a drop of alcohol all day; we just sat and moaned quietly to ourselves and stared groggily at the mass exodus of moaning, groggy hippies that was happening around us.

Thankfully, we were in much better shape when we did finally have to check out when, with happy, tired eyes I gazed out the window of the airport shuttle bus and bid farewell (for a year) to Riviera Maya, the Barcelo, and Phish Mexico.

Adios, my three amigos. Mi gusta.

http://www.toddmanout.com

Wow! After 2 days of raging hard and taking it all in...I thought my dancing legs could take no more on this final day! Was I ever wrong! The never miss a Sunday show still holds true. The energy Sunday night was unreal. Everyone was just smiling and crying that they had to leave. There were many gals dressed up like a Mexican Cousin of sorts all week-end so it was nice to see them get this tune. The only song I have never heard has been The Landlady so I was happy to rage with the OCean folks for this song! Bathtub Gin in the Ocean was hysterical as everyone was splashing like they were in the bathtub! I wear a Funky Bitch hat so this song was making me dance, dance, dance! The Saw It Again made many folks happy.
The 2nd set was great except I could of skipped the Farmhouse and the Bug sneaking in my Mike's Groove...not digging that but lots of folks love Bug. The Ocean was a perfect ending to this perfect night. None of us wanted to leave....the show went by super fast...and that is when you know it was ..amazing! THank you Phish. Please make sure we get tokens for the next 2 years ....we all deserve 1st go at tickets for the next 2 runs! Yes...there will be 2 more years of this!