Phish Welcomes Dave Matthews At Riviera Maya 2022 Opener In Mexico – Setlist, Recap & Skinny
Matthews added to the evening’s three-song encore, including Phish’s first cover of Daniel Lanois’ “The Maker” since October 15, 1994.
By Scott Bernstein Feb 24, 2022 • 9:04 pm PST
Phish took the stage on Thursday to kick off Phish: Riviera Maya 2022 at Moon Palace in Cancún, Mexico. The band, each member sporting a beard, began the fifth installment of their destination event with a lengthy “Welcome Set” that marked Phish’s first performance in front of a live audience since last Halloween and was highlighted by a +21-minute “Tweezer.” The night concluded with a three-song encore featuring special guest Dave Matthews.
Thursday’s concert began in shocking fashion with a trip to Gamehendge, as Phish opened with “The Lizards” for the first time in the song’s 34-year history. Guitarist Trey Anastasio delivered the solo with passion and precision after struggling a bit with the composed sections. A concise and frisky “The Moma Dance” followed “Lizards” before the quartet busted out “Peaches En Regalia” by Frank Zappa. Phish last covered the Hot Rats instrumental on July 22, 2017 during the second night of their Baker’s Dozen residency at Madison Square Garden in New York City.
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After starting the set with three songs debuted in the 20th century, Phish went with “I Never Needed You Like This Before” from Anastasio’s 2020 solo album Lonely Trip. Trey then welcomed the crowd and pointed out a sign referencing bassist Mike Gordon noting, “Gord side, shore side.” Fittingly, Mike stepped into the spotlight to lead the band through Son Seals’ “Funky Bitch.” Next up, to the delight of the audience, was the beloved “Tweezer.”
Keyboardist Page McConnell set the tone for the long and stellar “Tweezer” jam with wild tones from a Prophet synth added back to his rig for the run. Phish transitioned from typical “Tweezer” terrain to blissful territory as the four-piece worked over a gorgeous chord progression akin to The Allman Brothers Band’s “Revival.” The second main movement of the “Tweezer” jam saw Trey utilize a wild synth tone of his own for a funky exploration before landing on the main “Lizards” theme for another bout of blissful improvisation around the lauded 20-minute mark that gave way to “Piper.”
Drummer Jon Fishman propelled the “Piper” jam with a double-time beat. Trey and Page unleashed a torrent of powerful riffs on top of the sped-up groove before the guitarist shifted gears to start “Soul Planet.” Anastasio was all smiles as he sang “The ocean is love” to the beachfront venue on the shores of the Caribbean Sea. Phish quickly moved from “Soul Planet” to “Meat” via a jaw-dropping transition that included “Tweezer” teases. The band was clearly having a blast as Trey fit “Smoke On The Water” teases into the particularly dirty “Meat” and kept the funk coming with an extended version of Sci-Fi Soldier standout “The Howling.”
Read on after The Skinny for the rest of the recap and more.
The Skinny
The Setlist |
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Set 1: The Lizards, The Moma Dance > Peaches en Regalia, I Never Needed You Like This Before, Funky Bitch > Tweezer -> Piper -> Soul Planet -> Meat > The Howling > Shade, Evolve, Tube > Sigma Oasis, Sand Encore: So Damn Lucky [1], The Maker [2], Tweezer Reprise [3]
This show featured two bustouts: Peaches en Regalia, which was performed for the first time since July 22, 2017 (139 shows), and The Maker, which was performed for the first time since October 15, 1994 (1,001 shows). So Damn Lucky also made its Phish debut at this show. Tweezer contained Freddie's Dead teases from Trey and The Lizards teases from Trey and Page. Trey teased Tweezer in Soul Planet and Tube. Trey teased Smoke on the Water in Meat. The encore featured Dave Matthews on guitar and vocals. |
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The Venue |
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Moon Palace Golf & Spa Resort [See upcoming shows] |
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4 shows |
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The Music |
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18 songs / 9:03 pm to 11:23 pm (140 minutes) |
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18 songs |
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2003 |
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70 [Gap chart] |
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So Damn Lucky (Dave Matthews) |
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All |
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The Maker LTP 10/15/1994 (997 Show Gap) |
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Tweezer 21:35 |
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Peaches En Regalia 3:23 |
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A Picture of Nectar - 2, The Story of the Ghost - 2, Farmhouse - 2, Sigma Oasis - 2, Sci-Fi Soldier - 1, Misc. - 5, Covers - 4 |
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The Rest |
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78° and Partly Cloudy at Showtime |
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Koa 1 |
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Last Dave Matthews Guest Appearance - June 17, 1995 (945 Show Gap) First The Lizards Opener |
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“Shade” and Phish’s third-ever take on “Evolve” from Lonely Trip provided a breather. The quartet then took “Tube” for a spin as Trey inserted more “Tweezer” teases into the mix and shredded a tasty solo while Page alternated between Wurlitzer, Prophet, C-560 and Clavinet. Next came “Sigma Oasis” and a “Sand” with its typical soaring peaks to end the set.
Phish returned to the stage with Dave Matthews in tow fresh off his own destination event at Moon Palace with Tim Reynolds that included a Trey Anastasio guest spot. Dave’s last appearance at a Phish show took place on June 17, 1995 in Bristow, Virginia.
First, Matthews led the group through the Phish debut of “So Damn Lucky” off his 2003 debut solo album, Some Devil. Trey contributed to Some Devil and participated in a Dave Matthews & Friends tour supporting the LP. Next, Matthews accompanied Phish on their first cover of “The Maker” by Daniel Lanois since October 15, 1994 — a span of 997 shows. Dave and Trey shared lead vocal duties on a song Lanois released on his Acadie record in 1989. The DMB frontman stuck around to add acoustic guitar to the evening’s “Tweezer Reprise” finale.
Phish: Riviera Maya continues on Friday with a two-set concert that has a scheduled start time of 7:30 p.m. ET. A livestream is available LivePhish.com with SiriusXM airing the show on Phish Radio.
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The Lizards
Phish From The Road Photos
Poster
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