Phish Riviera Maya Continues In Mexico: Day Two – Setlist, Videos & The Skinny

By Scott Bernstein Jan 14, 2017 8:35 pm PST

On Saturday night Phish continued their second annual installment of Phish Riviera Maya, a destination concert event featuring three full shows held at the Barceló Maya in Riviera Maya, Mexico. The show was highlighted by an out-of-the-box “Chalk Dust Torture,” an adventurous “Light” and a “Drowned” played where it had never been played before.

Phish came out of the gates with a treat in the form of “The Curtain With.” The foursome only played the gorgeous composition twice last year including one at the inaugural Phish Riviera Maya event. Both guitarist Trey Anastasio and bassist Mike Gordon shined with the former weaving together beautiful leads and the latter punctuating the guitarist’s solo with throbbing notes. The old school start to the show continued with a typically fierce “AC/DC Bag.” Phish then played “Breath And Burning,” a song Anastasio wrote during last year’s event, and the first tune to be performed from Big Boat. “I loved watching the faces of all the people dancing and splashing in the ocean while we played. I kept thinking, ‘This will all end sooner or later, one way or another. So I’m gonna enjoy every last second of it while we’re still here. I’m not gonna wave away the dessert cart on the Titanic. I want to be like that string quintet that kept playing while it sank,” Trey told NPR about the genesis of “Breath And Burning” at the inaugural Phish Riviera Maya.

Saturday’s first set rolled on with staples “Poor Heart,” “Halfway To The Moon” and “The Line.” Surprisingly, “The Line” had a slow and bluesy feel at the start unlike other renditions of the much maligned Fuego track. Up next was “Waking Up Dead,” Mike Gordon’s contribution to Big Boat. While the band continues to hint at taking “Waking Up Dead” for a ride, the version in Mexico kept to a similar structure as the studio version.

Last summer Phish jammed out “Tube” for the first time in years thanks to the efforts of a Twitter account. Though the “Tube” on Saturday in Mexico didn’t reach the heights of the Chula Vista version, it featured powerful riffage from Anastasio that made it a winner. “Tube” was followed by one of the first Phish ballads, the gorgeous “Fast Enough For You,” and a languid “Ocelot.” Phish picked “Chalk Dust Torture” to end the opening stanza and after a set with few highlights, it was easy to think the band would turn in a straight-forward take on the rocker. Thankfully, the foursome moved beyond the song’s typical boundaries into a gorgeous major-key sequence they rode to glory and a euphoric peak. It had been a while since “Chalk Dust” received the treatment, but the one from Saturday was a keeper and is well worth multiple relistens.

Those attending the event in person could spend setbreak checking out the concert site with its wild lighting, pop-up performances from Mariachi bands and free drinks (included in the price of all-inclusive packages) at every turn as well as churros fried on the spot. Or they could wade into the ocean or just hang out with friends. For those of us following along from home, there were multiple Periscope and Facebook Live streams available to give a sense of the tropical location in paradise where Phish played.

“Crosseyed & Painless” had a big year in 2016 starting with Phish’s take on the Talking Heads classic in Mexico one year prior. The Vermonters opened the second set on Saturday with “Crosseyed,” but seemed to run out of ideas of which direction to go just when Trey’s solo turned into a full-band jam. Instead, the cover petered out and Anastasio revved into “Blaze On.” The uneventful “Blaze On” was followed by “Meatstick.” Phish extended “Meatstick” nicely with Trey working “Crosseyed & Painless” teases into the mix. After the adventurous, out of the ordinary jam came the ballad “Winterqueen.” Up next was “Mercury,” which despite being shelved between the 2015 and 2016 Dick’s runs seems to be back in regular rotation. The complex Anastasio/Marshall gem that was cut from Big Boat has now been played five times in the past 21 shows. “Mercury” was a highlight of the show as Phish nailed the composed parts and dug into the more open-ended sections with passion and energy.

“Light” usually gets a rolling start from the song that proceeds it, but in Mexico Phish had taken “Mercury” to near silence when Trey began “Light.” You can always count on “Light” as a springboard to a different jam space each and every time. Saturday’s rendition was a true Team Phish endeavor with all four members bringing masterful work to the table. Drummer Jon Fishman was a whirl of motion, laying down a beat that was one part calypso, one part samba and one part rock. McConnell inserted dirty Clavinet swipes, Gordon kept the action moving and Trey uncorked stabby rhythms and angular leads. No one member took the lead throughout the stellar “Light.” Another ballad followed in the form of “Wading In The Velvet Sea,” which surprisingly closed the second set. Phish last closed a second set with “Wading” way back on June 29, 2000 in Holmdel, New Jersey.

Another unusual song placement came to kick off the encore. The quartet encored with a cover of The Who’s “Drowned” in Mexico on Saturday marking the first time EVER they’ve played the song as an encore. All four members of the band screamed “still waiting” within the “Drowned” jam in reference to the earlier “Crosseyed & Painless.” A cover of “Rocky Top” brought the action in Mexico to a close. Phish concludes Riviera Maya 2017 on Sunday night. A live webcast is available via LivePhish.com.

Watch official footage of the opening of each set in the two videos below:

[The Curtain With]

https://www.facebook.com/phish/videos/10154028771756290/

[Crosseyed & Painless]

https://www.facebook.com/phish/videos/10154029048246290/

The Skinny

The Setlist

Set 1: The Curtain With, AC/DC Bag > Breath and Burning, Poor Heart, Halfway to the Moon, The Line, Waking Up Dead, Tube > Fast Enough for You, Ocelot > Chalk Dust Torture

Set 2: Crosseyed and Painless > Blaze On > Meatstick > Winterqueen, Mercury > Light > Wading in the Velvet Sea

Encore: Drowned, Rocky Top

Crosseyed was teased in Meatstick, Mercury, Light, and Rocky Top and teased and quoted in Drowned.

The Venue

Barceló Maya Grand Resort [See upcoming shows]

4 shows
01/15/2016, 01/16/2016, 01/17/2016, 01/13/2017

The Music

11 songs / 7:52 pm to 9:21 pm (89 minutes)

9 songs / 9:56 pm to 11:30 pm (94 minutes)

21 songs
18 originals / 3 covers

2001

9.65 [Gap chart]

N/A

All

The Curtain With LTP 07/08/2016 (33 Show Gap)

Light 15:42

Rocky Top 3:16

A Picture of Nectar - 2, Rift - 1, The Story of the Ghost - 1, Joy - 2, Fuego - 3, Big Boat - 3, Misc. - 5, Covers - 2

The Rest

77° and Partly Cloudy at Showtime

Koa 1

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