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 ratings are somewhat flawed due to bias but it is what it is. Even with that bias in place, shows are still generally given the ratings they deserve as it mostly evens out in the end. The truth is, the flaws with ratings have been in place from the beginning. We saw it in a more pronounced way after 12/31/23 but the alternative of not having any ratings at all is certainly not a better option. Please let us continue to rate shows even if it isn’t an exact science. I think it would also be helpful to give the option of rating shows a 3.5 or 4.5 instead of just 1-5. I think I speak for many of us when I say that we’d love to have the ratings back and the site has not felt the same without it. Thank you.

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, compositional hose, cow funk, segue city, Y2K Big Cypress mountaintop, the denouement to the breakup, the return, peak city, bliss peak city, and dad rock bliss peak city. As the shows of 2023 piled up, it seemed like we might be shifting gears again. SOAM has been the canary in the coalmine - morphing into an all out atonal sonic assault that shakes your rib cage when seen live. The ethos of those SOAMs has been slipping into the longform jamming of many tunes later into 2023 - a guitar effects and synthesizer driven cacophony that can go on and on. On the forums it seems like many, but not all, are raving about this new style. Personally, it makes me feel...... old.

In the future we may look back at this very show and say this was the moment that Phish went all in on noise rock. Portions BOAF, Axilla II and Oblivion as well as a long stretch of a 35 minute Wope are minutes upon minutes of reverse echo feedback, guitar and synth pitch divebombs, squeaks and squelches. It is undoubtedly gutsy and has a ton of adventure and energy behind it. I'd say it goes deep but that doesn't really do it justice. It goes subterranean.

And somewhere down there my fandom gets a bit rattled. I've considered myself, and all of us, as dancing flies on the wall watching an intimate musical conversation happening -composition in real time. Dynamic interplay between band members who fire off quick melody lines, agree on a direction and take us all with them. The noise rock of 2023-2024 feels a different animal. Melody, the band's common conversational language, seems to have been sidelined for raw, naked noise and power. And with that the concept of a groove over which to have the conversation has dwindled. While these ever more common noise rock sections could knock the fillings out of my teeth, it comes at the expense of the downbeat cow funk awesomeness that has been a jamming through line since 1997.

I sense the "Okay Boomer" of that last sentence (or paragraph) so let me say this - you should absolutely listen to this show in its entirety. Up through My Soul the band feels engaged with a 2022 kinda vibe but a bit lethargic. Then from BOAF onward they are a blowtorch turning sand to glass in a way they've been leaning into more and more. If I could rate this show (which we can't) with 1/10th star increments (which we've never been able to do) I'd venture a 4.4 would do it justice.

If this show is any harbinger of things to come in 2024, look out below.

If you're anything like me, you're still trying to figure out how Phish managed to sound as good as they did in 2021, and have spent the last couple years chasing those highs, to mixed results. Some incredible moments peppered 22-23 no doubt, but a lot of tricks and tropes that were starting to feel pretty familiar and homogenous. Was the band distracted by the lead up to the big Gamehendge show? Was it just the ebb and flow of improvisation, putting on big shows, the toll of touring, and getting on in age? How long can they keep this up?

Well I don't know the answer to that question, but this show, the first two set affair of 2024 following Gamehendge, certainly makes it feel like a stupid question to be worrying about. From Birds through Bug this is band that sounds rested, revived, and ready to dig deeper. Centering it is a 35 minute Wave of Hope that immediately puts all the big long jams of recent years on notice. I'm not one that typically gets seduced by a long run time. In fact I've tended to find a lot of them meandering and uninteresting for long stretches. (Give me the flawless and engaging 18 minute 4/23/23 Cities over the bloated 30 minuted Fuego from 7/29/23 any day.) This isn't one of those. It's engaging from the outset and weaves through various themes effortlessly, never lingering too long, and showcasing each member at their best. While the jam has numerous highlights, I'd argue it's the stretch around the 23-24 minute mark (coming out of a this crunchy noise rock that @MattBWeston has rightly highlighted in his review as an important hallmark of this emerging era). Some on the forum have been referring to it as the 'So What' section for the brief counterpoint of notes Trey hangs on as he weaves the theme here. I'm not sure how apropos that is—it's a stretch. But the jam segment and Trey's run of licks here is not. This does not sound like a man about to turn 60 in September. He sounds more like the guy who destroyed the Grey Hall in Copenhagen in 1998, and the Warfield in April 99 with Phil and Friends. The almost reggae-like atmospheric denouement of the jam must have felt pretty sweet indeed on the beach in Mexico. Gorgeous soulful notes to close it out and land in what may the band's grooviest offering of Oblivion to date. It may not be the most exploratory or long version they've done, but if you want another sign that the band is feeling fresh and inspired, hear what Page has to say about what 'awaits.' Page's reemergence in the sound here may be the most promising development on display. Here we're getting echoes of what made 2021 such an incredibly strong year—with Page engaged and challenging for space the whole sound just blows open. Mike and Fish can stretch and punctuate and groove with more ease. Easy oblivion.

There's plenty to chew on on either side of this centerpiece. The 15 minute Tweezer is no slouch by any stretch, pulling together a lot of the better moves from '23 but condensed into a much more efficient and engaging vehicle, again with inspired licks and lines. It's telling how good a show this is that it may not be the first or even third jam mentioned here.

How about that 20 minute Birds in the first set? Fresh, gnarly and noisy. (The only knock here maybe the forced reentry to the Birds theme to close.) Axilla gets it first extended treatment since April 22, this one a perfect showpiece for the noisy satanic set closer they've been enjoying unleashing lately. And while it may not have insane replay value, I don't think anyone is going to complain about a 4th quarter Tube->Jim->Tube.

Bug is a beautiful closer to a beautiful performance here, and a nice counterpoint to an absolutely ripping Roggae in the first set that I'd be remiss to not mention, given the DNA the songs seem share. So what's the verdict, is this show a sign of things to come in 2024, another rebirth that makes it easy not to think about the past? It doesn't matter!

My Review:

PHISH, THURSDAY 02/22/2024
MOON PALACE
Cancun, Quintana Roo, Mexico

SET 1:

First Tube: Standard. >

Free: Standard.

Roggae: Standard.

Driver: Bust out!

hey stranger: Standard.

Gumbo: Standard. >

My Soul: Standard.

Birds of a Feather: This one totally and completely blew me away. The first few minutes of the jam are all happy and blissy. I thought, ok here we go again – same old Phish. Once that starts to wind down and then Trey hits upon the original theme of the song around 9:25 – it seems like they are going to wrap it up. No sir. They take it down this psychedelic wormhole. Tons of effects in here. Intense! By the late 14’s they sort of emerge from this and Trey touches on the original theme again. Ok, so this is it? Nope! This new sections starts off funky enough but after some time ramps into quite the power jam. I love that they ended this one properly and did not segue into something else. This version is an easy all timer and highly recommended!!!

Axilla (Part II) – This one gets that psychedelic craziness with tons of effects like that one section in BOAF. Super intense. I love this! Dark and evil along with a bunch of Shipwreck samples. Definitely not for the faint of heart. Big fan of this, easy all timer and highly recommended.

SET 2:

A Song I Heard the Ocean Sing: Like BOAF, this jam starts off in major mode – but that only lasts for about three minutes. From there this one is awash in effects and gets quite intense. Trey lays back for a good couple of minutes towards the end and Page puts together some nasty leads. Overall, this is a super consistent jam. Great way to open the set. Would recommend. >

A Wave of Hope: It takes a good, long while but eventually (14:30) you will find this one get dark and evil with lots of heavy, sinister effects. Very intense. Love the repeating riff that Trey hooks onto around 22:40, and eventually turns it into a theme that everyone else follows and plays along to. Brilliant stuff this deep into this jam. From approximately 25 minutes through the end – most of this just reminds me of the old days. Just a breezy, easy and chill wind down. It’s just beautiful. This jam is an easy all timer and highly recommended. >

Oblivion: Love how they managed to segue into this, it’s great. They continue with the dark and evil theme here in this jam. Nice and compact jam here. It does return to the lyrics and then into Tweezer >

Tweezer: By the 12 and a half minute mark they have managed to transport us into a deep hose jam that got there organically. Very good stuff and they bring it back to original ending, love love love that they are doing this more often. Would recommend. >

Tube: -> Runaway Jim > Tube: Woah, never saw that Jim coming – cool segue and transition. This is a short jam. They do bring it to its original ending but then deftly segue it somehow back into Tube. Very cool and creative this deep into set two. They easily could have given us some crap here but instead we get this – love it!

ENCORE:

Bug: Standard. >

Tweezer Reprise: Standard.

Summary: Absolutely awesome show, I love it. Two all timers. They really delivered the goods. More than happy to give this a 4.5 out of 5. It’s that good.

Replay Value: Birds of a Feather, Axilla (Part II), A Song I Heard the Ocean Sing, A Wave of Hope, Tweezer

Driver was performed for the first time since July 30, 2021 (131 shows). Shipwreck was quoted in Axilla (Part II)
SHOW RATING
Ratings are currently offline.
Overall: 5/5 (

Was the 2nd set the best set of Phish ever? You decide. It sure felt like it down on the sand. Actually, from BoF on thru the end...I'll put that stretch up against any 2hr stretch of a show, any year.

But what a ridiculous exercise, right? Its fun to compare, but a night like last night is a religious experience, beyond comparison

The first set started off kind of disjointed to my ear. They started to gel in the Gumbo, and then from Birds on it was utter madness. That Axilla to end set 1.... It was absolute spaceship abduction. Trey lined us all up under the ufo hovercraft and sucked us all up.

From the very opening notes of ASHITOS, it was clear they were going to destroy us. I can't believe the AWOH was 35 mins...time stopped for me, utter bliss danceparty. Oblivion brought the realness...Phish's climate justice anthem , so dark and surreal to hear it like that on the beach in MX. And then, the payoff...was it the hardest hitting Tweezer romp ever? it sure felt like it. It did not let up for a single moment. Reminded me of the 12/2/95 New Haven Tweezer in its length and intensity...Now I gotta go listen to both back to back to confirm which sub 16min Tweezer romps hardest.The transition back to the main theme was sooo smooth too.

The Runaway Jim-Tube-Jim mashup was supreme danceparty Phish. Ridiculous crowd energy. Perfect way to close an epic set of music.

And then for me, the perfect closer. An absolutely gorgeous Bug, and a top notch Reprise. Thank you Phish. Wow

4 star first set. 5 star second set.
BOAF thru Reprise is all must hear Phish

I will go out on a limb and say this was the best Mexico show in recent memory, especially if you dig the deep jams. It really gets going with BOAF and Axilla at the end of the first set. But this show is all about the 2nd half. Strong jams in A wave of Hope and Tweezer, these things lifted off into the stratosphere and got pretty wild. Tube -> Jim -> Tube was a nice touch. and bug > tweezprize was a solid encore. Mexico shows are usually not shows we talk about and relisten to for years to come but i think some of these jams are worth revisiting. 2024 is going to kick ass I think. Rating for this show would be 4.25 for me

This is an awesome show. I can’t imagine how cool it would’ve been to be hearing this on the beach. Top show ever? No. Great listening experience the day after? Yes. That being said. It’s time to bring ratings back. I propose we are able to custom vote down to .1 increments just for the sake of how interesting and accurate it could get. I give this show a solid 4.2 in the context of 3-4.0 phish. In all of phish it might be a 3.8. As a live experience? Probably a 5.0