Onward to 2025!! Ive got 5 or 6 weeks to make it through 12 shows (Mex and Spring) before I see them in Charleston.
Lets friggin go!
1/29/25 Riviera Maya
Set 1
14 minute Sand opener! Awesome! Sand is really good. Like a late 90s
version, it takes its time nicely. Its not aimless, but they wallow in
it, sloooowwwlllyyy taking their time. Nice wah playing. Finally in the
back section is positively explodes. Really nice version if not must
hear. Great opener!
Theme is next and this one I would call must hear! There is a ridiculous amount of...oomph to this one! Seriously, this one has some SERIOUS heft! Fantastic version!
Free keeps the energy going. Not particularly great and doesnt do that
much, but the energy is there still so that goes a long way.
Small complaint so far - Trey seems REALLY low in the mix. He is downright hard to hear. Wtf.
Mull is up next. As with Free. Good and high energy but nothing really happens, if you will.
11 minute KDF is a great choice. Unfortunately, both Trey AND Page are hidden in the mix! Its all drums and bass! What in the hell is going on?! Wheres Page?! This
SOUNDS like it has a unique and interesting jam Id love to hear about
but the mix is so bad I cant hear Page OR Trey until nearly the end of
the song!!! And that REALLY sucks because this has a cool kind of "dark
chill" vibe evolving into a lengthy fireball finale. What I can HEAR is
awesome!
Sounds like they fix the mix and its ok after this
We have a really cool 14 minute Ghost next. It starts very slowly,
basically kind of "fading in" like the studio version. This is totally
different to the "rocked versions" we are used to. The song has a super
laid back night time vibe that is just fantastic. The jam begins with a
short bliss rock section before quickly moving into a more funky,
rocking direction with Fishma introducing a cool shuffly kind of snare
pattern. From here it just evolves into your typical uptempo rock jam
that you expect. Like Theme it develops some serious oomph and just
rocks like hell before returning to the song. Id call it must hear. Its
not mindblowing, its just really, really good though!
A nice 11 minute Antelope follows after an excellent reading of Evolve.
Thankfully Antelope is seriously hot and turns in a legitimately
smashing reading. Hottest playing of the set, wow!! Definitely MUST
HEAR. This thing kills!!
All in all, this was a GOOD set. Surprisingly, the playing is
really tight and the energy is high. Honestly, the only real, true
complaint is that Trey sounds kind of uninspired. He doesnt hit any bum
notes and solos fine, but his playing also just sounds really,
really....restrained??
Its weird. Even the "hot" stuff isnt as hot as it "should be. Nothing
feels undercooked but most of it just sounds really average but also
strong at the same time. That makes no sense, I know. I guess "average
excellent" is how to describe it. These are not poor or uninspired
readings, they just arent anything incredible either for the most part.
Id say grab Ghost and Theme, probably Sand too. KDF - if the sound was better... Actually, that Antelope was fantastic too!
Its hard to explain - there's a lo of really, really good stuff but even
the must hears feel ever so slightly "lesser" than expected. Its
nitpicking but its there, imo. Id say Antelope is the TRUE beast though.
A genuinely ripping rendition!!
Good set!! My complaints are definitely nitpicking!! 
Set 2
14 minute SYSF to open like its 2019 again. Its a solid enough high
energy rocking version that doesn't really do anything and isnt really
that impr yet still gets the job done at the same time. I mean, its
genuinely good, but also nothing you need to really revisit either. It
kinda starts to go type 2 but really just fades itself out, if you will.
Enjoyable version, just really one-note.
And then, oh snap! Right into an 18 minute Cities! 
The song sounds great as usual. Right away the jam begins in this
freaking awesome, laid back, night time kind of starry sky "dark groove
funk" area. Super unique, this is friggin awesome. Finally some X Factor! Hell, this is already must hear by this point!
Thankfully they spend a long time here, taking their dang time just
building this soundscape. Eventually Trey leads them out and into
synthy, laid back major key playing. Yo, this jam is chill as hell, brah. But
its a terrific kind of chill. Slowly it builds some steam and they work
into a rocking upbeat jam. Midtempo and patient. It slowly keeps
buildinf and we end up with a fireball rocking finale section that is
super long and fantastic, Trey trilling away to his hearts content. Yo, this friggin ROCKS!!! That final section was just explosive!! THIS CITIES WAS AWESOME! TOTALLY MUST HEAR!
The fun continues into a 15 minute Light. The songs sounds tight and
energetic. Despite its name, the jam has a darker kind of angsty vibe to
it. Lots of rhythmic interplay. The guys are totally "locked in" and
playing off each other so well. Listen to Fishman going nuts, using everything on his kit, lol. He's INTO this jam, haha. This
is a terrific little "full band" jam with nobody taking center stage
and everyone truly working together. It eventually winds its way into a
terrific kind of synthy tropical section for a long time which leads it
on out. This light is fantastic!!! The segue back into
Light and the final synthy blast to close are just perfect. Im calling
this sucker must hear. I think this is GREAT!! Its the kinda jam you
just sit back and sink into .....
Mikes Song is up next and holy crap this version smokes!!!! That
word "oomph" applies so hard to this one. Its just a dang
steamroller!!!! Trey is ripping and everyone else is just going insane!!
MUST HEAR!!! THIS THING IS FRIGGIN NUCLEAR!! WHERE DID THEY PULL THIS FROM?!?! THIS IS FRICKIN AWESOME!!!!!!!!!!!!!
HOOOOOOOLLLLLLLLYYYYYYY CRAP!!!! 
Hydrogen is tight and nailed and then something really interesting
happens. Im sure it wasnt, but it ALMOST sounds deliberate - they begin
Paug at about half tempo and keep it there. And ya know what? It really works!!! The
slower tempo allows them to REALLY dig in hard. Its extra super funky
and Mike is even more impactful then he would be. "Heavy Paug!". This is
total X Factor again and oh so kickass!!! THIS IS FREAKIN AWESOME!!! CHECK THAT PEAK FINALE!!! MUST HEAR!!! THIS RULES!!!
And into a 13 minute Twist we go. And Twist is spectacular!!!! It
begins really chill and works as a wonderful cool off like a ballad.
The first half of the jam is wonderfully patient and laid back. Really
great. And thrn sweet baby banana jeezus it explodes and goes off the deep end!! Even hotter than Mikes song, it goes full tilt nuclear bomb megadeath annihilatoon!! HOTTEST TWIST OF ALL TIME HOLY.MOTHER OF CRAP WHAT IN THE HELL!!!
The set ends nicely with a standard Number Line, lol
Encore of a rare My Sweet One with Carini to top it off. And, again, Carini is INSANE!!! NUCLEAR BOMB AGAIN!!!
No joke, it just devolves into this ridiculous wormhole vortex of
shredding psychedlic kind of insanity. Christ, its OVERKILL!!!
All in all...HOLY CRAP!!! Aside from Numberline and MSO, literally
everything from Cities through Carini is spectacular, blazing hot, and
just loaded with X Factor. No clue what happenned at set break but this
second set was unbelievable.
Set 1 was good but maybe undercooked though it definitely had its moments. Set 2 was full tilt destruction.
My god....
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