Phish Show Review - 2/21/19 Barcelo Maya Beach, MX
Phish’s Mexico 2019 run, to me, is an extension of the fall 2018 sound. Continuing the blazing streak of shows they had laid down in October and at MSG, the three-night run on the beach at the Barcelo Maya resort would place high among best shows of 2019 and produced a number of outstanding jams.
2/22 is widely known for its twin 20-minute monsters of Set Your Soul Free and Mercury to open the second set as well as its jam-packed first set (outstanding renditions of No Men in No Man’s Land and Tube as well as the first You Enjoy Myself opener since 7/9/03) and 2/23 for its extensive six-song encore. 2/21 seems to fall a bit under the radar but stands as a top-tier Phish show.
Opening with the first Spock’s Brain since 7/30/03, the band grooved their way through high-energy and standard renditions of Twist and Free before the second massive bustout of the night came with Who Loves The Sun?, a Velvet Underground tune not played since its debut as part of the Loaded Halloween costume set on 10/31/98.
Next up came the first extended jamming of the night in Everything’s Right. After Trey forgot a verse and his guitar solo, the band jumped into a faster-than-normal jam, pushing with incredible momentum as the strong Type I section modulated to major-key. As Page laid down a solid bed of Rhodes and then grand piano, Trey made a mid-jam guitar switch and tore into an absolutely ripping solo, peaking the jam with great ferocity and intensity before a somewhat rocky return to the song. One of the strongest versions of ER played to date at the time, this jam is a great example of the band locking in on a single theme and exploding with energy.
The set closed with a run of We Are Come To Outlive Our Brains (still waiting for this one to be jammed out), Rise/Come Together, a BLAZING Funky Bitch, and a typically strong set-closing Sand.
A predictable Soul Planet second set opener arrived next (“the ocean is love” on a beach), and its twisted and gnarled jam got funky before a perfect segue into the first performance of Little Feat’s Spanish Moon since its costume debut on 10/31/10. Starting up the electronic-inspired Page song I Always Wanted This Way, I remember being a bit disappointed due to my dislike of the song and its penchant for not really doing anything interesting. I would be proved wrong minutes later, however, when the band modulated out of the song’s groove into a balls-to-the-walls race to the peak with each band member giving their all. Fish is absolutely the MVP of this jam, as his insistent tempo and fills pish the other members to new heights.
Post-peak, Trey starts a vamp and overtop of Fish’s continuing speed, the band dives headfirst into some absolutely filthy jamming. Propelled by Page’s fast clav tapping and Trey’s pulsating waves of delay, Mike enters with some deep synth bass as the momentum refuses to let up.
Gradually fading amongst a cloud of delayed guitar into Death Don’t Hurt Very Long, the band takes their time on the Kasvot Vaxt tune with Trey ripping out some hot solos. It becomes clear during this second-set landing pad that Page’s B3 is emerging as the MVP of the Mexico run – a trend that would develop over the 2/22 and 2/23 shows as well.
The fantastic late second-set call of 2001 came next and offered one of the strongest versions of the modern era. With a first jam lasting just over six minutes (check out that awesome space haze segment just before the first chorus with hypnotic and pulsating guitar!) and a second jam absolutely dominated by Page’s Moog Voyager (this would be the last run with that synth before it was replaced by the Moog One for the 2019 summer tour – see my rig breakdown for more info), this incredibly strong dance party was a great way to keep the energy and flow of the set up.
Offering up strong Type I renditions of Bathtub Gin and The Squirming Coil to close, Phish returned for an encore of Waste and Bold As Love before concluding their first night on the beach.
2/21/19 may have a lot of the sloppy composition playing that characterized 2018 and 2019 shows, but it is absolutely overflowing with standout improvisational moments and should not be overlooked!
Thanks for reading!!