Last night, Saturday, Feb. 1, 2025, Phish concluded their destination concert event by offering a final engagement at the Moon Palace Resort in Cancún, Quintana Roo, Mexico. After building pressure over three nights, Wednesday and Thursday, performing an inaugural two-set welcome show, their most extended “Piper” since 2004, and 20+ renditions of “Wolf Brother” and “Fuego,” the Vermont foursome were prepped and primed to send their audience off with a bang.
Phish’s final installment for this particular run found members Trey Anastasio, Mike Gordon, Page McConnell and Jon Fishman seeking the rightful moments to punctuate their musical offering with careful placements–playful nods served hot as instrumental teases and high-powered jams to fuel the second set. In addition to the first “Soul Shake Down Party” since August 14, 2021, effectively ending a 163 performance gap.
As a nod to pre-show activities, Anastasio addressed the crowd and mentioned folks in the water before dipping into “Bathtub Gin,” which highlighted the interplay between the guitarist and McConnell. The initial offering, which lasted 14 minutes, helped define the group’s ability to stretch and jam past the expected cut-off.
The night’s bust out landed next, accentuated by McConnell’s lyrical siege of Marley’s “Soul Shakedown Party,” which was highlighted by reggae flair before Gordon sought the rightful moment to take the cover deeper and beyond its expected form. Next, they worked through “Martian Monster,” which eventually gave way to a relatively subdued “Stash” compared to last year’s mighty A Picture of Nectar run-through in Mexico.
Phish performed the title track from their ninth studio LP, Farmhouse, before they entered into “Reba.” Eventually, the band co-opted TV On The Radio’s “Golden Age.” The cover led with fully-fledged improvisation to the elation of the jam-loving audience, who twisted and turned, moving in response to the music. The final song of night four’s initial frame saw the band deliver a tight take on “My Friend, My Friend,” sans “Myfe” ending, a different path from past performances, including their prior play, NYE’s 20-minute rendition.
The onset of the second set allowed the band to percolate newer material. “What’s Going Through Your Mind” wheeled in memorable moments from Anastasio. The tone-shifting jam preluded a textured take on Talking Heads’ “Crosseyed and Painless,” which contained a tease of “Funky Town.” A punchy take on “Tweezer” collided with “mercy,” allowing Anastasio’s lyrical mastery to flourish.
Adding more covers to the mix, Phish unleashed “Also Sprach Zarathustra,” taking the night’s party status to new heights before closing the latter frame on “More.” Given the finality of the band’s 2025 destination concert vacation coming into view, they offered a three-song encore that kicked off with “A Life Beyond The Dream.” “First Tube” took the second slot before all four players slid into fitting finisher “Tweezer Reprise.”
Phish
Moon Place – Cancun
Feb. 1, 2025
Set I: Bathtub Gin, Soul Shakedown Party, Martian Monster, Stash, Farmhouse, Reba, Golden Age, My Friend, My Friend
Set II: What’s Going Through Your Mind, Crosseyed and Painless, Tweezer -> Mercy, Also Sprach Zarathustra > More
Enc.: A Life Beyond The Dream, First Tube > Tweezer Reprise
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