Respectively, this show should be closer to a 4.5 than a 4 for a multitude of reasons. Not the least of which is the fact that both sets contain strong but patient jams. An 18-minute Simple seamlessly into Sanity before busting out a more than timely Chalk Dust Torture Reprise? It's been played only what 5 times? And hasn't been played since the pandemic? WOW!!! More than good placement following the previous night's exploring of Chalk Dust Torture but who saw this coming? And coming in the first set too? Many phans noticed that CDT wasn't finished but that's not unusual. Even if you did call this to happen in the show, I don't believe that you called it to happen in the midway into first set. This is another great example of the unexpected that this run produced. With a beautiful Wolfman's inspired by a full moon with teases of a Howling to come in the second set 2. A long and well-built Bathtub that transitioned cleanly into Cavern? This is just the first set...

A well placed and fitting Howling under a fully moon to open the second set isn't anything to write home about but certainly added to the magic and crowd interaction of the night. Then three concurrent Jam's including a sandwich with No Man's > Ruby > Golden > Ruby? What a journey that was. The set not only maintains its structure with a well-executed Twist but closes out strong with an energetic Possum.

The encore opening More was not transformative but not bad either. The real hero is this Jamed out 2001 > Slave to punctuate what will arguably be the best Phish Mexico run ever and is certainly the best Phish Mexico run to have happened yet. The fact they produced not just one but three shows worth of a 4.5 is absolutely phenomenal. I'm so grateful to have been present and witnessed this run down here. I've seen this band enough times to know this was a special run and this was an unexpectedly great show from that run.

I don't care what anyone else says it's worthy of a 4.5 or being rounded up to it. Def not a 4.

PHISH, SATURDAY 02/24/2024
MOON PALACE
Cancun, Quintana Roo, Mexico

SET 1:

Simple: Upbeat and major mode – fun jam to start the show and an awesome segue into Sanity although it takes Page a bit to catch up ->

Sanity: Holy Toledo, amazing placement and segue! Awesome!!!

Chalk Dust Torture Reprise: Fun, fun, fun.

Wolfman's Brother: Funky at first and then eventually has that low key major mode celebratory vibe.

Mercy: This song is terrible.

Rift: Standard.

Bathtub Gin: This one has is quite the group effort. This jam never tries to do too much – nice and patient – another Mexican mindbender. Also love that they finish this one properly before segueing into Cavern. Would recommend. ->

Cavern: Standard.

SET 2:

The Howling: Ugh. >

No Men In No Man's Land: Standard. >

Ruby Waves: Noisy, evil, and dark following the theme of this run. Eventually has that low key major mode celebratory vibe. Would recommend. ->

Golden Age: Fun, bouncy vibe to it with some start stop elements to keep you on your toes. ->

Ruby Waves: Nice bookend. >

Ether Edge: Standard.

Twist: Standard.

A Life Beyond The Dream: Standard.

Possum: Standard.

ENCORE:

More: Yuck. >

Also Sprach Zarathustra: Only the third time seen in the E slot, each of these were 3.0 versions – here are the other two: 7/16/2014, 8/5/2018. Strong version! Love the groove that they go with in the 6 to 9 minute range. Would recommend this version. >

Slave to the Traffic Light: Standard.

Summary: Very solid show. This show is more workmanlike in nature than the previous two nights but has plenty of merit. I would rate this as a 4/5.

Replay Value: Bathtub Gin, Ruby Waves, Also Sprach Zarathustra

Chalk Dust Torture Reprise was performed for the first time since December 28, 2019 (142 shows). Mike teased Sundown in Bathtub Gin.
SHOW RATING
Ratings are currently offline.
Overall: 3.5/5 (

Having spent the previous night finally doing it up proper until the wee hours at the DJ pool afterparty, on the morning of February 24th, 2024 it was everything I could do to drag my carcass out of the 5-star floating marshmallow cloud I was sharing with my warm and comfortable m’lady to answer the prompt and cheery 8:45am wakeup call that i had arranged for, but with a selfless, heroic effort I somehow managed to do exactly that.

Ten minutes later I commandeered a chauffeured golf cart to take me to the nearby central building so I could get a large delicious coffee before getting delivered all the way to the golf course side of the massive Moon Palace resort, where I had a free massage booked in the large, standalone spa manor courtesy of the timeshare tour m’lady and I had endured earlier in our vacation. Slowly sipping my coffee during the ride through the jungly forest that separates the two sides of the resort provided a Zen-like start to the meditative hour(plus) that I had coming.

The “plus” would mostly refer to an imposed bout of relaxing in the large steam room before my massage. There were a few hot tubs in there, a wading pool with a waterfall, a large sauna extension…it was probably the closest I’ll ever get to the Playboy Mansion’s famous grotto, sans the beautiful women (genders were segregated upon arrival). I shunned it all and just laid myself down on a bench, where I relaxed as hard as I could until my number came up.

I’d booked a “golf ball massage”. I could easily and gleefully describe to you what my golf ball massage entailed, but I think it would be more fun for the reader to just picture it for themselves. Suffice to say, the experience was glorious. Afterwards there was more relaxing before hitting the shower and blissing myself out of there.

Shortly after we started back to my room the golf cart driver made a short, unsolicited detour through the woods which brought us to a secluded bar that was empty, save the lone bartender who was standing there polishing a pint glass; straight out of the movies..

“What’ll it be, sir?” he asked me with a raised eyebrow.

I ordered myself two Jack and Cokes and just like that we were back on the trail through the forest. I hadn’t even stepped out of the golf cart. I tell you, staying at the Moon Palace is like being King for a Day, except it’s five days. And Phish is playing.

After a solid brunch in the buffet I joined m’lady and a gaggle of friends at the pool until 2pm, at which point I ducked into a jam session that was scheduled on the beach under the same canopy where I had been joining the ohm crowd for morning meditation sessions. The jam was way more fun than I was expecting it to be. I even led a couple: Character Zero, Friend of the Devil, and I kicked off an epic Chalk Dust Torture jam that eventually ended in a comical Chalk Dust Reprise, the likes of which I had never heard before.

After returning to the room to change m’lady and I decided on in a quick dinner at the outdoor steakhouse again. This final show of Phish’s four-night run was slated to start early (at 6pm, which meant they’d actually be playing by 6:30 or so), so we didn’t want to take a chance in one of the fancy specialty restaurants. Our waiter dude brought us the wrong steaks but we didn’t care and they were both delicious. Then we hustled along the beach to the venue, where we joined a group of friends up close on Mike side, just where the playa starts to dip down to the ocean.

It was a pretty good spot and the closest we were to the stage throughout the run, but I’d liked the spots we had on the other nights better. No matter, we were in good company, with sand between our toes and a great band playing their butts off just a few dozen feet away.

On my first drink run I finally remembered to try out the Volkswagen bus packed with craft beer that I had noticed every night as I was leaving the concert. It was about fifty feet behind the main drink depot, so it had been stupidly easy to miss out on. No more.

After tasting all three of their offerings I got what proved to be the last round of their West Coast IPA; my four cups emptied the keg. I stopped on the way back to get m’lady a vodka soda and successfully juggled my booty back to my crew the front. My friend Dave was blown away when I convinced him that the beer I was offering him was not just another bland lager but was indeed an actual tasty IPA. I ended up making that same IPA run countless times over the course of the night (along with plenty of corresponding trips to the bathroom). All they had left at the end of the night were the final dregs of their hazy IPA..

One unforgettable moment during the show was a glorious moonrise that came during the middle of the first set. I turned and gaped at the giant yellow orb rising out of the Atlantic Ocean while Phish jammed out a killer Wolfman’s Brother behind me. It was a beautiful sight that forebode a chilling run through The Howling, which proved to be the second set opener).

Another notable memory came just before that Wolfman’s, when Phish offered up a giggle and a nod to the previous show’s landmark forty-minute Chalk Dust Torture with a hilarious tear through Chalk Dust Torture Reprise, a song that a) I hadn’t known actually existed, b) Phish had only played five times in the previous thirty years, and c) was, of course, a total karmic nod to the blazing Chalk Dust Torture Reprise that me and my guitar-strumming brethren had kicked out at the beachside jam session earlier that afternoon. ‘Twas awesome.

After a great show we all returned to the DJ pool party and found our way back to the semi-secluded wading pool that we had discovered and commandeered the previous evening. I tell you, a Moon Palace afterparty really is one hell of a shindig. I ate way, way too much one again, and we all just kept drinking and drinking and drinking. All within the very lap of hippified luxury.

The next morning the bubble burst as we checked out of the grand and lavish Moon Palace promptly at 11am. I shan’t bore you with our further Mexican escapades (Mexipades?) except to say that they included a couple or three days relaxing and eating tacos in Cancun proper, a straight-up laze that was broken up with a unique scuba diving excursion that saw us exploring the very cool MUSA Underwater Museum of Art just off of Isla Mujeres.

So even when we were done seeing Phish we were seeing fish. And statues. Then we flew back to Newfoundland and played with our cat.

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