MEXICO REVIEW: THIS IS WHAT PARADISE SMELLS LIKE
As we were doing our HF Pod review of Mexico, it made me want to share some additional thoughts on the last weekend of incredible music, relaxation and fun. I have a lot of thoughts on the music, but I also did a lot of thinking about what makes this so incredibly unlike anything else Phish does.
Important disclaimer up front: I realize how fortunate I am for being able to go on this trip. Even though it was a big expense for us, I was able to pay for the trip, arrange childcare for my kids, do my work remotely and take a few days off, and generally experience the beauty—which is a huge privilege.
Musically, post-”The Lizards,” I was immediately struck by how in control Trey was the entire weekend. He’s always in control, in a lot of ways, but the way he played all weekend was from the front—leading jams, playing fills and riffs where you don’t always hear them, and constructing these unique and interesting setlists. I got my first “Peaches en Regalia” in 27 years of seeing Phish, and the “I Never Needed You Like This Before” was a fiery trip. Add a 20-minute “Tweezer” and what I thought was a great combo of “Shade,” “Evolve,” “Tube,” “Sigma Oasis,” and “Sand,” and you have a great start to the weekend.
RIVIERA MAYA4 RECAP: FRIENDS AND TACOS
[Phish.net thanks user @ObviousFool (Silas Cole; www.niceshades.art) for recapping the final night in Mexico. -Ed.]
We arise at the crack of noon and slowly make our way to the pool. We are foggy, rather groggy, but it’s the final day in paradise and time is of the essence. We snag a couple chairs in the shade, order a couple of Miami Vices (half piña colada/half strawberry daiquiri), and make friends with our neighbors. Night four is rapidly approaching, and with plenty of bangers still on the table.
MYSTERY JAM MONDAY PART 494
Welcome to the 494th edition of Phish.Net's Mystery Jam Monday, the final puzzle of February! The winner will receive two MP3 downloads code courtesy of our friends at LivePhish.com / Nugs.Net. To win, be the first person to identify the song and date of both mystery clips, which are connected by a theme. Each person gets one guess to start – if no one answers correctly in the first 24 hours, I'll post a hint. After the hint, everyone gets one more guess before Wednesday at 11 AM PT / 2 PM ET. Stay safe!
RIVIERA MAYA2 RECAP: SMELLS LIKE SATISFACTION
[We would like to thank user @Phish_tank Andy Zellinger for recapping last night's show. -Ed.]
Everyone entered the venue looking relaxed and sun-kissed as they did the stingray shuffle past psychedelic art installations and street tacos, margaritas in hand. Tonight was the first full show of the run, following a funky dance party Welcome Set last night. The lights went down around 7:49 pm to start night two of this four-night run at the Moon Palace Cancun.
RIVIERA MAYA1 RECAP: DANCE PARTY ON THE BEACH
[We would like to thank user Kelly Wilson @KellyNICU for this recap. -Ed.]
There’s no better feeling than dancing to your favorite band with your favorite people.
As always, the energy in the crowd was palpable. People had been partying in the pools all day waiting for their band to play. On night one of Mexico we ended up staying on our balcony facing the stage because how often do you get a chance to do that? We met some strangers who soon became friends, and invited them up to dance with us because that’s what Phish is all about.
DIVIDED SKY FUN(D) RUN ANNOUNCED
The Divided Sky Foundation is partnering with the Antelope Running Club (on Facebook and Instagram) to plan a charity run in Ludlow, VT, May 14th to celebrate the opening of the first Divided Sky Center. Sponsors include Ben & Jerry's, and over 150 runners are already signed up for on-site or virtual participation. Register now at http://www.anteloperunners.com/dsf
PANDEMIC GRIEF AND THINGS THAT I FORGET
[This post courtesy of Keith Eaton, @Midcoaster, who first became obsessed with music when, in 1979, he sat in a darkened theater and watched Apocalypse Now. Nothing was ever quite the same after that opening sequence.]
A few weeks ago, it took everything I had in me to change my clothes and head to the elliptical for a run. Low clouds hung like gray gauze, and a drizzle was ruining the fresh snow. Such is the winter norm now on the New England coast. Classes were quiet, masks burying facial expressions. I muddled through the day and then dragged myself to the gym. Victory!
Some days, this is really difficult. After having had COVID following the New Year, getting back into this running routine has been even harder. The annoying bouts of asthma had become chronic, and the 'rona fatigue of which they speak is real. Plus, after these past two COVID school years focused on the day to day while being denied various annual benchmarks, I've had a difficult time mustering enthusiasm. It was a familiar feeling, too. Depression? Nah. Teacher burnout? Maybe. What about grief?
That word, grief, stuck in my craw as I randomly selected music from my iPod. Music wasn't even something I was "looking forward to"; this is just part of the running routine. Right? The iPod roulette landed on 10/20/21 Eugene's "Ruby Waves". It was a great choice. Trey's simple mortality lyrics, uniquely his own, produce a clear vision of his soul's travels after death. Our soul-spark becomes pinball energy and is reabsorbed into the whole, an "ocean of love."
The jam (much discussed) brought me into a serene space where body mechanics and conscious breathing fell away, and I was left to simply flow. That's when it came to me: grief. Since March of 2021, I have lost five people who were closely connected to me in one way or another. Three were friends from my incoming freshman class in college. I met them in the fall of 1985, and there was a large group of us who glommed onto one another, sharing a love of the Grateful Dead, punk, activism, and misfit culture. In many ways, our cheap beer and brick weed Frisbee lounge shenanigans seem like yesterday.
Little did we know that friendships seeded then would last a lifetime.
MYSTERY JAM MONDAY PART 493
Welcome to the 493rd edition of Phish.Net's Mystery Jam Monday, the second puzzle of February - thanks to @justino and @sumac22 for the great clips! The winner will receive an MP3 download code courtesy of our friends at LivePhish.com / Nugs.Net. To win, be the first person to identify the song and date of both mystery clips, which are connected by a theme. Each person gets one guess to start – if no one answers correctly in the first 24 hours, I'll post a hint. After the hint, everyone gets one more guess before Wednesday at 10 AM PT / 1 PM ET. Stay safe!
MYSTERY JAM MONDAY PART 492
Reminder: For the first MJM of each month, only folks who have never won an MJM are allowed to answer on the blog before the hint. If you have never won an MJM, please answer as a comment below. If you have previously won an MJM, but you'd like to submit a guess before the hint, you may do so by PMing me; once the hint has been posted, everyone should answer on the blog. If that's confusing to you, check out the handy decision tree that I threw together for you. If you're not sure if you've won before, check in the MJM Results spreadsheet linked below.
Welcome to the 492nd edition of Phish.Net's Mystery Jam Monday, the first of February. The winner will receive an MP3 code courtesy of our friends at LivePhish.com / Nugs.Net. To win, be the first person to identify the song and date of the mystery jam. Each person gets one guess to start – if no one answers correctly in the first 24 hours, I'll post a hint. After the hint, everyone gets one more guess before Wednesday at 10 AM PT / 1 PM ET. Stay safe!
MYSTERY JAM MONDAY PART 491
Welcome to the 491st edition of Phish.Net's Mystery Jam Monday, the final puzzle of January. The winner will receive two MP3 download codes courtesy of our friends at LivePhish.com / Nugs.Net. To win, be the first person to identify the song and date of both mystery clips, which are connected by a theme. Each person gets one guess to start – if no one answers correctly in the first 24 hours, I'll post a hint. After the hint, everyone gets one more guess before Wednesday at 10 AM PT / 1 PM ET. Stay safe!
MYSTERY JAM MONDAY PART 490
Welcome to the 490th edition of Phish.Net's Mystery Jam Monday, the third puzzle of January. The winner will receive an MP3 download code courtesy of our friends at LivePhish.com / Nugs.Net. To win, be the first person to identify the song and date of both mystery clips, which are connected by a theme. Each person gets one guess to start – if no one answers correctly in the first 24 hours, I'll post a hint. After the hint, everyone gets one more guess before Wednesday at 3 PM PT / 6 PM ET. Stay safe!
VOTE FOR 2021'S JAM OF THE YEAR
On behalf of the users of the Phish.net forum, the current members of the “Jam of the Year” committee are pleased to announce the 2021 “Jam of the Year” bracket:
MYSTERY JAM MONDAY PART 489
Welcome to the 489th edition of Phish.Net's Mystery Jam Monday on Tuesday, the second puzzle of January. The winner will receive an MP3 download code courtesy of our friends at LivePhish.com / Nugs.Net. To win, be the first person to identify the song and date of both mystery clips. Each person gets one guess to start – if no one answers correctly in the first 24 hours, I'll post a hint. After the hint, everyone gets one more guess before Wednesday at 10 AM PT / 1 PM ET. Stay safe!
MYSTERY JAM MONDAY PART 488
Happy New Year and welcome to the 488th edition of Phish.Net's Mystery Jam Monday, the first puzzle of 2022! The winner will receive an MP3 download code courtesy of our friends at LivePhish.com / Nugs.Net. To win, be the first person to identify the song and dates of both mystery clips. Each person gets one guess to start – if no one answers correctly in the first 24 hours, I'll post a hint. After the hint, everyone gets one more guess before Wednesday at 10 AM PT / 1 PM ET. Stay safe!
ANNOUNCING THE NARRATION CHART, VERSION 2.0
We are excited to unveil a new home for the Narration Chart!
First completed on the Silver Anniversary of the Crest Theater Gamehendge show, the chart now features 182 transcriptions of every available Gamehendge narration from April Fool’s Day, 1986, through the most recent “Harpua” from the 2021 Halloween run.
The project began in 2017 as a spreadsheet with links to the setlists, audio from phish.in, and all new transcriptions created by a team of volunteers from the phish.net forum. Its new placement within the site’s database will ease access and maintenance and hopefully increase exposure to this unique aspect of Phish’s performances.
In addition to the five “complete” performances (and one partial version) of the Gamehendge saga originally introduced in Trey’s thesis for Goddard College, The Man Who Stepped into Yesterday, the chart also includes a wide variety of performances from the two narrative heavyweights, “Fly Famous Mockingbird” (75 entries) and “Harpua” (57 versions), 23 different pleas to read the f***ing book, 12 “Rhombus Narrations” that served as an introduction to “Divided Sky” for several years during the first decade of the band, along with rare narrations accompanying songs like “Esther,” “Tela,” “The Lizards,” “The Sloth,” “Llama,” “Punch You in the Eye,” not to mention one very special “Wormtown.”
Volunteers will continue to keep the chart updated as new performances occur and new recordings appear (like last year’s 3/8/93 release!). Of course, please send along a note if you find any kind of narration (but banter ≠ narration) hiding in the recesses of old shows or if an egregious error requires an edit.
Phish.net
The Mockingbird Foundation