On Friday, Feb. 23, Phish made history with the third night of its seventh annual Riviera Maya series. Following the inaugural welcome set on Wednesday and the first full set on Thursday, this engagement kept the energy at a roar with a total of 16 tracks over two sets and an encore. Among the defining moments of this memorable was a record-setting rendition of “Chalk Dust Torture,” which lasted for a remarkable and transcendent 40 minutes, marking the standard’s longest-ever iteration.

Phish set out with “Set Your Soul Free,” the riotous and liberatory 2018 Trey Anastasio original, erupting from its darkened mood with a total segue to a twisted, effects-heavy treatment of “Ghost” and another to “Fast Enough for You,” the relative live rarity from Rift. Then, the band staged “Evolve” and “Mull,” leading into “46 Days,” which Trey ornamented with a number of brief teases from the preceding track to ease the landing. “Kill Devil Falls” came next, working from a continuation of the set’s spirited, strutting tone up to a left turn into a Type-II clouded experimental zeal, from which “Wading in the Velvet Sky” emerged, followed by a frame-closing presentation of “Sigma Oasis,” the title track from the band’s latest studio album.

Set two began with a high-energy “Blaze,” building to the astounding extended “Chalk Dust Torture,” which seized a spot among the band’s 10 longest jams ever with a psychedelic, interstellar odyssey that ran the range of its countless sides and sounds. “Beneath a Sea of Stars Part 1” followed this masterpiece, paving the way for propulsive straight-ahead treatments of “Backwards Down the Number Line” and “Harry Hood” to conclude the set. For an encore, the band staged a rousing cover of Los Lobos’ 1992 classic “When the Circus Comes,” then added the phan favorite “Character Zero” as a cherry on top.

Tonight, Phish will bring all the excitement of its 2024 Riviera Maya run to culminate in a final performance. Visit LivePhish to stream the last shows of the thrilling concert getaway.

Phish
Moon Palace – Cancun, Quintana Roo, Mexico
2/22/24

Set I: Set Your Soul Free -> Ghost -> Fast Enough for You, Evolve, Mull > 46 Days* > Kill Devil Falls > Wading in the Velvet Sea, Sigma Oasis
Set II: Blaze On > Chalk Dust Torture+ > Beneath a Sea of Stars Part 1 > Backwards Down the Number Line > Harry Hood
Encore: When the Circus Comes^, Character Zero

Notes:
* w/ teases of “Mull”
+ 40-minute treatment, w/ “Shipwreck” quote and left unfinished.
^ cover of Los Lobos’ “When the Circus Comes”