Listen to the first night of this year's Mexico run last Wednesday but didn't have time to properly format it and post it in here that day.
So here it is belatedly.
1 28 26 Mexico
Set 1
Real nice choice of Hey Stranger to kick off the run tonight. It turns in an excellent version and ends up sounding like an alternate universe Moma Dance. Individually I wouldn't call it last year but it's tight and the energy is very high and it's evident the guys were very excited to come and play tonight. That goes a very long way!
Following that they kick it up and even higher notch with Moma Dance itself and BOTT.. Both are fantastic type 1 readings. Moma is borderline must hear for me, not really being anything special but just being one of those oh so perfect exactly right this is fantastic versions. Just red hot and energetic and enthusiastic sounding. And TIGHT!
The upswing continues when we next get a pair of X Factor magic beasts. Roggae is an exceptional version tonight. Most versions are terrific it feels like but this is definitely one of those versions with extra extra mustard on it. It's so ridiculously perfectly paced with the soloing just slowly building nicer and nicer by the second. Eventually erupting at the perfect moment and in the perfect way all of the soloing completely on point. There is an amazing moment where Trey hits a high sustained note and loops it so that it holds while underneath he hits a chord and then proceeds to pitch shift it downward and then back up for an incredible effect. An exceptional version absolutely must hear.
Even more must hear and more X Factor laden is this 14 minute version of Sand. This has to be the strongest version and most exploratory version since effing Dicks 2024. That's discounting the Philadelphia 2025 version of course. This one is a monster in the truest sense. Red hot from the get go of course but as with Roggae it's perfectly paced. Right away you know it's going to be an EXTRA version when the synthesizers come out. They spend a very long time taking the sucker as deep as a non-type 2 version can go. I'd say it goes into that type 1.5 area extremely heavily to the point where at any moment they could have gone deep if they wanted to. Just exceptional use of effects and patience and interlocking playing in between everybody. This is an extremely colorful reading full of character. Not some type 1 shredder although of course that does happen excellently at the end. An A+ version across the board from my money and absolutely must hear at all costs.
Back On the Train is the same and this one I would call must hear. It's energetic from the start but the soloing takes a long while to get going. But holy moly once it does Trey absolute lets it RIP for a solid minute of pure face melting. True excellence in a must-hear type 1!!!!!
Following that we get a huge bust out with the first version of Breath and Burning since Hartford 2022. And of course the song itself always sounds like it's tailor-made to be played in Mexico. I love this song and there's no reason that it shouldn't be played at least once or twice a year. This one has a very nice page organ solo but it's nothing particularly great though it is excellent to hear again.
After that we get an 8 minute Sigma Oasis. Staying firmly type 1, this version continues The X Factor that began with Roggae and Sand. An absolutely phenomenal reading that I give a 10 out of 10 all day long. Like holy freaking moley Trey is just on point in the craziest most magical way with a soloing on this one. A mind blowing type 1 reading must hear all day.
After that we get another big surprise with the debut of the Mike Gordon song Fling Your Head. It's a mid-tempo bluesy shuffle kind of dancing boogie woogie song. It's kind of oddball at first but it's very catchy once it gets going and this is a very nice reading of it from what I can tell. Excited to see it's hopeful evolution down the line.
The set concludes on another giant high note with a huge 16 minute Chalkdust. And boy is it a chalk dust! More X Factor magic continues throughout. The jam stays purely type but they stretch the crap out of it and it's red hot from start to finish. Listen to John Fishman absolutely tearing up the drums going nuts from start to finish. This version is just terrific all around. Even better there is absolutely zero meandering Bliss Rock! All fire baby!! Absolutely can't recommend this one enough!
All in all, this set absolutely blew me away!!!! Sigma, Roggae, Sand and Chalkdust are all truely MUST HEAR. Shout outs to everything else as well!! We got a 4-year bust out in a brand new song debut as well. If this set doesn't wrestle your Jimmy's in a good way then I don't know what to tell you.
The energy is high, the playing is tight and Trey is absolutely having a great night. A fantastic set all around, it's more than worth your time!
Set 2
The second half of the show begins with a rare reading of Waves. It's only 8 minutes and isn't really anything essential at all, but it's still a nice reading regardless. The song actually sounds rehearsed for once with out being butchered. Really nice choice to open the set!
Following a slightly rip cordy transition, we go into a massive 25 minute Fuego. Unfortunately this one is a pretty big disappointment for me. The song itself sounds great and the energy is there, but the band sound lost and do nothing but meander aimlessly for a very large section of the jam. It's not until the 17ish minute mark that things finally kick in the gear when Fishman leads them into a heavier darker beat. Everyone else reacts accordingly and the jam enters a really sick kind of swampy and psychedelic heat or whatever you want to call it. This lasts a good while and is pretty darn excellent and then they transform back into the typical classic rock jam and bring it to a close. This was a good jam overall but it really just didn't do anywhere near enough for it's run time and the initial six or seven minutes of the jam are basically a lost cause to my ears. Bummer.
Out of that and into a welcome No Man to get us rocking again. It's highly energetic but weirdly gets lethargic in the back half. Fishman seems to be having a rough go this set - does anybody know if you was having technical issues or something? All throughout this set and still to come there's rhythm issues or dropped beats and things like that. Anywho, No Man is almost really good but ends up kind of fizzing out.
They make up for it with the one true must hear highlight of the set, a giant 24 minute version of Mercury, the longest since Dick's 2019 if I remember correctly!!! It's MILES better than the uninspired Fuego. It's a bit all over the place and not completely flowing 100% and I wouldn't say X Factor kicks in until the very end but I would definitely still call it must hear. Its excellent on the whole. Solid meandering bliss rock goes up to about the 13 minute mark. From there they flirt with going deep and using loops and backwards delay and all that for a while but eventually after a couple minutes they revert into hard rocking classic rock style jamming and absolutely blow the roof off the place. Oddly enough before the jam ends it reaches a cool point where it finally goes true type 2 and shifts into this bluesy shuffle. It totally sounds like they are trying to set up a version of Truckin to be played or something in honor of Bob weir but alas it's not to be.
instead it magically shifts into Boogie On but Boogie On ends up being a nothing burger and barely even jams. What a disappointing conclusion!
The jam fizzles out and we go into average readings of Number Line and Character Zero to close the set. Both are strong but regular type 1 versions that are nothing essential but get the job done.
Following an ultra rare dog face boy we close the set with a face melting ghost. Maybe not must here but it's easily the best thing of the second half of the show besides Mercury.
All in all, set two was vastly inferior to set one in my opinion. Set two was very loose and kind of ragged although Trey's playing was still mostly on form even though there were large sections of wandering and figuring out what to do etc. Mercury is the only must hear peace, the rest of the set is a bit of a struggling let down though they get an A for effort. For whatever reason the second set just didn't click like it should.
Really weird.
The second half of the show begins with a rare reading of Waves. It's only 8 minutes and isn't really anything essential at all, but it's still a nice reading regardless. The song actually sounds rehearsed for once with out being butchered. Really nice choice to open the set!
Following a slightly rip cordy transition, we go into a massive 25 minute Fuego. Unfortunately this one is a pretty big disappointment for me. The song itself sounds great and the energy is there, but the band sound lost and do nothing but meander aimlessly for a very large section of the jam. It's not until the 17ish minute mark that things finally kick in the gear when Fishman leads them into a heavier darker beat. Everyone else reacts accordingly and the jam enters a really sick kind of swampy and psychedelic heat or whatever you want to call it. This lasts a good while and is pretty darn excellent and then they transform back into the typical classic rock jam and bring it to a close. This was a good jam overall but it really just didn't do anywhere near enough for it's run time and the initial six or seven minutes of the jam are basically a lost cause to my ears. Bummer.
Out of that and into a welcome No Man to get us rocking again. It's highly energetic but weirdly gets lethargic in the back half. Fishman seems to be having a rough go this set - does anybody know if you was having technical issues or something? All throughout this set and still to come there's rhythm issues or dropped beats and things like that. Anywho, No Man is almost really good but ends up kind of fizzing out.
They make up for it with the one true must hear highlight of the set, a giant 24 minute version of Mercury, the longest since Dick's 2019 if I remember correctly!!! It's MILES better than the uninspired Fuego. It's a bit all over the place and not completely flowing 100% and I wouldn't say X Factor kicks in until the very end but I would definitely still call it must hear. Its excellent on the whole. Solid meandering bliss rock goes up to about the 13 minute mark. From there they flirt with going deep and using loops and backwards delay and all that for a while but eventually after a couple minutes they revert into hard rocking classic rock style jamming and absolutely blow the roof off the place. Oddly enough before the jam ends it reaches a cool point where it finally goes true type 2 and shifts into this bluesy shuffle. It totally sounds like they are trying to set up a version of Truckin to be played or something in honor of Bob weir but alas it's not to be.
instead it magically shifts into Boogie On but Boogie On ends up being a nothing burger and barely even jams. What a disappointing conclusion!The jam fizzles out and we go into average readings of Number Line and Character Zero to close the set. Both are strong but regular type 1 versions that are nothing essential but get the job done.
Following an ultra rare dog face boy we close the set with a face melting ghost. Maybe not must here but it's easily the best thing of the second half of the show besides Mercury.
All in all, set two was vastly inferior to set one in my opinion. Set two was very loose and kind of ragged although Trey's playing was still mostly on form even though there were large sections of wandering and figuring out what to do etc. Mercury is the only must hear peace, the rest of the set is a bit of a struggling let down though they get an A for effort. For whatever reason the second set just didn't click like it should.
Really weird.
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