Tag Archives: Trey Anastasio
Trey Anastasio Launches Tour in Portland, Maine
February 21st, 2011State Theatre – Trey Anastasio – February 18, 2011
(Photo: Gregg Greenwood)
On Friday night the vibe at the State Theatre was one of anticipation as those in attendance waited for Trey Anastasio to take the stage and begin his new tour. He played most of the first set—mainly Phish originals—alone. Some acoustic highlights included a sublime version of “Cavern” and an energetic “Suzy Greenberg.” Eventually horns came out and then the entire Trey Anastasio Band closed the set with a raucous cover of OutKast’s “Hey Ya.” The singer-guitarist beamed while his energy inspired the crowd, which responded with its own intensity.
Before the second set, Anastasio said, “We are going to play some loud rock and roll.” And with the full TAB lineup on fire, that proved to be true. “Acting the Devil,” played for the first time in almost nine years, was a big surprise. Perhaps the words had referenced Anastasio’s past situation, but that was all clearly behind him, and he let everyone know. His perfect rendition of “Sand” drew excited roars from the crowd. Another inspired bust out came in the encore with “In the Wee Wee Hours” getting played for the first time since 2002, prompting a boogiefest. All in all, Anastasio was on a mission, and he let the music (and energy) speak for itself. —Rob Arken
Trey Anastasio Medals at Terminal 5
February 17th, 2010Trey Anastasio – Terminal 5 – February 16, 2010
Toward the beginning of the second set of Trey Anastasio’s marathon show at Terminal 5 last night, someone tossed the Phish guitarist a Brian Leetch USA hockey jersey, which he displayed on his amp the rest of the night and then wore during the encore. It was appropriate because Anastasio was playing like an Olympian. From the get-go, it was pure joy, as the mind-probing lights seemed to be induced purely by his smile and energy. Hopping around the stage like a moguls skier, he eased his band into the evening with strong versions of “Push On ’Til the Day,” “Mozambique” and “Gotta Jibboo.”
The Classic TAB, with a horn section and a bass-drums-keys rhythm section backing Anastasio, acted more like a jazz ensemble than a jam band. While it would have been easy for everything to devolve into filler between axe solos, Anastasio has fleshed out this side project with its own fully functioning repertoire. This got mixed up a bit at the end of the first set with an extended solo acoustic sing-along featuring the typically rocking Phish songs “Sample in a Jar,” “Chalkdust Torture” and “Wilson” that was pure joy for musician and audience alike. The second set featured counterintuitively horn-heavy covers of classic-rock staples “Black Dog” (mightily sung by Jennifer the trumpet player) and “Sultans of Swing.”
Still the highlights of the night were when the band relaxed into a groove and Anastasio just shredded. The band reduced to a quartet on songs like “Jibboo” and “Sand”—the bass and drums transforming into gates in a slalom downhill, and Anastasio barreling downhill, gaining momentum and dangerous speeds, with just fractions of a second the difference between gold and crashing and burning. And at the critical moment, the horns would return for a tremendous climax, and there was no question about who would be taking the podium. —A. Stein
Photos courtesy of Gregg Greenwood | www.gregggreenwood.com
