Phish finished its first run of 2025 last night with a “Soul Shakedown Party” on the beach at Moon Palace Resort in Quintana Roo, Cancún, Mexico. After opening Phish: Riviera Maya with a Wednesday welcome, laying down a historic “Piper” on Thursday, and firing up a 23-Minute “Fuego” and memorable “Beneath A Sea Of Stars” on Friday, Trey Anastasio, Jon Fishman, Mike Gordon, and Page McConnell brought Phish’s annual destination event to triumphant close with two sets of solid jams.
Kicking things off with a “Bathtub Gin” dedicated to “the people in the water” as the sun began to set, the band dove right into an impressive jam that was patient but never stagnant. From the opening notes, the four musicians seemed relaxed—comfortable and confident as they stretched out, getting down to business without delay yet clearly in no rush.
That laid-back feel continued as they embraced beachy reggae vibes with the first “Soul Shakedown Party” since August 14th, 2021 (a gap of 163 shows). The Bob Marley classic contained more patient, groove-oriented improvisation. Nobody soloed throughout the 11-minute excursion; everyone just listened and played together.
The crowd erupted to welcome “Martian Monster”, which was short but impactful, clocking in at just five minutes. Phish followed that up with a steady “Stash” jam and a smooth and gentle “Reba”.
TV On The Radio‘s “Golden Age” ramped up the energy a bit with a joyful, psychedelic rock jam, narrowly exceeding the opening “Gin” and “Reba” to mark the longest tune of the first frame. A well-executed fade-out set the stage for set-closer “My Friend, My Friend”, which capped off the weekend’s last first set on a dark but high note.
After that strong start to Saturday’s finale, Phish had plenty left to say in set two. The band got a lot off its chest during “What’s Going Through Your Mind”, playing past the 20-minute mark with a sense of purpose and aplomb. Layered looping and major modal noodling created a series of dreamy soundscapes fit for the tropical beach setting, with playful interaction between Trey and Page underscoring the band’s natural but deceivingly sophisticated cohesion.
That was only the start of a jam-packed set that pushed on with a quirky cover of “Crosseyed and Painless” spearheaded by the seriously whimsical Jon Fishman on lead vocals. Another memorable jam—one of the funkiest of the evening—emerged from the Talking Heads classic. If it wasn’t already clear, the band proved how deeply locked in it was over the course of a sprawling, exploratory jam, shifting between keys and feels with seemingly telepathic effortlessness. Page also had a bit of fun interpolating teases of “Funky Town”.
The next selection, “Tweezer”, is always a fan favorite, and this version was a good reminder that it’s not just the funky opening riff that makes the song so fun. Morphing from a funky minor-key groove to a blissful major-key jam and then back again before dissolving and seamlessly rematerializing into “Mercy”, the song was a highlight of the night.
After Phish showed “Mercy” with a slow and sentimental reprieve, the energy climbed back up to climactic heights with “Also Sprach Zarathustra”, a.k.a. “2001”. But the band wasn’t finished yet; Phish still had “More”.
Two solid sets complete, a three-song encore brought Phish’s trip to Mexico to a close, with “A Life Beyond the Dream” starting things off on a heartfelt note. “First Tube” cranked up the intensity one final time before a powerful “Tweeprize” callback capped off the weekend.
Check out videos from Phish’s Riviera Maya finale below or relive the run via LivePhish. All four shows are avaialble to stream in their entirety here. [Editor’s note: Live For Live Music is a LivePhish affiliate. Ordering a webcast or purchasing a LivePhish+ subscription via the links on this page helps support our work covering Phish and the live music world as a whole. Thanks for reading!]
Next up, Trey Anastasio will head out on a lengthy solo acoustic spring tour before linking back up with Fishman, Gordon, and McConnell for Phish’s eight-date West Coast spring tour.
Phish – “What’s Going Through Your Mind” – 2/1/25
Phish – “Crosseyed And Painless” Jam – 2/1/25
Setlist [via Phish.net]: Phish | Moon Palace | Cancún, Quintana Roo, Mexico | 2/1/25
Set 1: Bathtub Gin, Soul Shakedown Party, Martian Monster, Stash, Farmhouse, Reba, Golden Age, My Friend, My Friend
Set 2: What’s Going Through Your Mind, Crosseyed and Painless, Tweezer -> Mercy, Also Sprach Zarathustra > More
Encore: A Life Beyond The Dream, First Tube > Tweezer Reprise
Before Bathtub Gin, Trey said they would play it “for the people in the water.” Soul Shakedown Party was played for the first time since August 14, 2021 (163 shows). Trey teased In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida during Martian Monster. My Friend, My Friend did not contain the “Myfe” ending. Crosseyed and Painless contained Funkytown teases from Trey and Page.