Phish Riviera Maya Mexico 2022 – Night 3 Setlist, Recap & Skinny

Phish delivered night three of their 2022 Riviera Maya run in Mexico on Saturday. The Vermont Quartet took first set songs “Twist,” “Divided Sky” and “Wolfman’s Brother” deep, the latter stretching to over 22-minutes, and launched the second set with an equally adventurous “Set Your Soul Free.”

Phish kicked things off with the rocker “Axilla.” Guitarist Trey Anastasio said “Do shine that thing in my face man” and uncorked vibey leads as part of the extended “Axilla II” ending. Keyboardist Page McConnell washed the Moon Palace with Fender Rhodes before coming in on the synth as Trey segued into “Twist.” The band dropped into another groovy jam with Anastasio soloing and McConnell adding complimentary piano touches. Trey hung up on a jangly riff which signaled a major key change in the jam. Anastasio nailed some trilly licks as drummer Jon Fishman picked up the beat, gliding on the ride cymbal and Page doubling on Wurlitzer and piano. A switch back to a minor key with McConnell focusing on the piano and adding some jazzy chords followed as the “Twist” jam built and toggled again to a bouncy, happy groove. The guitarist then jumped into “Your Pet Cat.”

Page hit the correct samples from the Chilling, Thrilling Sounds Of The Haunted House favorite before the band got into the groove, soon laced with Clavinet from the Chairman of the Boards before he manned the Wurlitzer as Trey danced around with riffs featuring an overdriven auto-wah tone. Next, bassist Mike Gordon hit some octave shots and Page switched to the Yamaha synth. Trey then got into the industrial stuff. McConnell returned to the Clav with Anastasio utilizing his classic tone once again as the groove ramped up and waxed a little chaotic, out of which emerged the main “Your Pet Cat” descending riff ahead of the song’s conclusion.

Trey then jumped into the beloved “Divided Sky.” The band began to cycle as Mike and Trey did some non-trampoline bouncing. The bubbly section with Page on organ spread across the beach before Trey jumped into the iconic riff as Page worked the draws to add a shimmering effect. “Turn off the lights please,” Anastasio asked lighting designer Chris Kuroda. “Don’t shine that thing in my face,” Anastasio quipped in calling back to “Axilla.” The guitarist resumed the riff for a darkened Moon Palace as Kuroda brought some nice blues, greens and purples back in with Trey wrangling his usual sustain wizardry to conclude “Divided Sky.”

Gordon and McConnell added low end on bass and Wurlitzer respectively for “Mull.” Anastasio added rocking runs on the song written by Mike that Phish debuted last summer. Next, “Wolfman’s Brother” rang through the Moon Palace. Trey led the band through the song which contained some vocal magic on the round lyrics and an interesting final chorus.

The Vermont Quartet then dropped into the groove, which started off on an even keel but took a more measured tone with Rhodes from Page as the band explored a kinder, gentler, but darker “Wolfman’s” jam which saw some Moog magic from McConnell before things took a major turn. Trey unleashed some soaring notes before the band descended into a blissy segment featuring Fish on an echoing snare beat. Trey then swerved things in a more rocking direction with the guitarist dictating his notes leading into a “Wolfman’s” vamp to close out the tune. Fish then dropped right into the cymbal-laced beat of “Cavern.” Mike and Trey pulled off their usual choreographed dance during the set closer ahead of a big fill and pause from Fish.

Read on after The Skinny for the rest of the recap and more.

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Phish launched the second set with an exploratory “Set Your Soul Free.” Trey led the band through the tune before kicking into a loopy riff with the band surging in tight around him. Page climbed the piano ahead of ascending licks from Anastasio. Trey then reeled off some quick right-hand stuff as his bandmates dropped into a groove that waxed into a major key featuring McConnell on synth and electric piano. Trey delivered some quick happy notes before a clicky clack jam ensued with Page dropping wild synth runs as Trey matched him with a Clav-like tone. Anastasio ramped up the industrial stuff as Mike whirled behind him and the guitarist toggled back to the Clav-tone. The jam then got futuristic. Fish pulled the section back with slowed-down snare rolls as Trey rolled into “Simple.”

Page dropped the jam into a groove with some single pentatonic piano notes while Fish picked up a reggae beat before the band locked into a bluesy section. Trey then swerved into the intro of “Scents And Subtle Sounds.” The band reeled off some nice “colors in the void” before Fish’s immaculate cymbal work led the four-piece down a sensory trail. Anastasio ramped things up onto a more rocking plane with some rapid note and wild guitar work as the band coalesced around him and Fish shuffled the beat around. Next, the guitarist kicked it up a notch with smokin’ licks. Page once again bathed the crowd in Rhodes before Fish dropped the band into “Crosseyed And Painless.”

The middle section saw Anastasio uncork some backward-sounding licks before the “still waiting” refrain returned. The jam saw McConnell hop on the Clavinet for a section consisting of a descent into an understated groove as Mike bumped around on the bass. Trey found his way into a major key and the group hummed along at a happy pace led by Fish hitting the bell on his ride as Page and Trey weaved together some tasty lines. The drummer rolled the snare into a transition to the ballad “Waste.” Page took a short but sweet solo and Trey reeled off some impressive stuff ahead of the song’s conclusion.

Phish went with “Blaze On” to close Saturday’s second set. McConnell highlighted the version with some rolling Hammond organ swells. Trey threw in a “dancing on the beach” line before the band slipped into a funky and groovy jam to end the second frame.

“The Wedge” got the encore gliding along nicely. Next, Trey gave a shout-out “to the people of Mexico who welcomed Phish to their home” ahead of “Sleeping Monkey.” McConnell tossed in a “Shipwreck” quote on the “shoreline” lyric before Fish stepped into the spotlight ahead of the song’s “Let It Be” ending. A classic “Slave To The Traffic Light” would bring the three-song encore and evening to a close.

Phish: Riviera Maya concludes on Sunday with a concert featuring an early scheduled start time of 5 p.m. ET. A livestream is available LivePhish.com with SiriusXM airing the show on Phish Radio.

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