GORDO, DUO, TREY, QUATTRO...

There are many names being bandied about to describe the quartet of musicians known to us as Trey, Mike, Marco, and Joe. There are even more opinions as to how their music measures up, as each auditor hears this lineup with varying degrees of familiarity with the musicians’ prior work, and with different expectations as to what this musical incarnation should sound like. It should go without saying that this is not Phish, and why should it be? Comparisons are inevitable, but the fact remains that this is a new lineup, with different strengths and a different energy. They are taking risks, and sometimes this results in dissonant confusion, but other times they reach moments of total musical cohesion. This is a fertile lineup of talented musicians, and watching them grow accustomed to each other onstage was an interesting lesson in musical dynamics.

I was fortunate to catch the final leg of this tour, a time when fans, musicians, and management concurred that the music had just begun to hit its stride. Joe Russo intimated to me that the first handful of shows were a struggle, and were, simply put, “not fun” for him. Marco Benevento agreed that each show was getting progressively better, as these two learned to settle into the monstrous shoes that had been previously occupied by Jon Fishman and Page McConnell. While Marco and Joe were already accustomed to having Mike onstage in their Trio format, they both agreed that getting accustomed to the dynamic with Trey onstage was quite a different challenge. No small feat, indeed, as Marco described to me what it was like to look down his keyboard to see Trey’s excited antics egging him on. Now that he had grown accustomed to that sight, he confessed to me that with four shows left in the tour, he was ready to play some Phish songs. He had, after all, grown up listening to that band, and here he was touring with two of the four. He was yearning to get some Foam out of his system.

TORONTO, ON – 07.17.06 CENTURY ROOM

Soon after Marco expressed that wish to me, he hinted that I had better get a spot on the Century Room dance floor, as he (and yes, his 3 other bandmates) would soon be wresting instruments from the house band, Grooveyard, to deliver a little treat to the Canadian faithful.

In the time it took Trey to extricate himself from a bevy of adoring fans backstage, the previously deserted dance floor became monumentally packed. While it took some time to find Mr. Anastasio a guitar, as Grooveyard’s Michael Occhipinti did not readily yield his weapon to the redhead, all four musicians eventually found some space on the small stage. With remnants of Grooveyard still loitering, they delved into a mini-set of crowd-pleasers that would befit a rockin’ wedding: Boogie On Reggae Woman, The Ocean, and Sex Machine.

On this tiny stage, it was a bit surreal to see Joe playing over Trey’s shoulder and to witness their resemblance that closely while they both contributed hugely to Zeppelin’s The Ocean. Somewhat surprisingly, it was also an occasion where Sir Russo’s smiles rivaled the Red Devil’s.

Festivities rolled on late into the night (or was it early in the morning?) as the quartet mingled with their Canadian fans, and yet there was no evidence of fatigue in their performance the next night at the Hummingbird Centre.

TORONTO, ON – 07.18.06 HUMMINGBIRD CENTRE

STREAM THE BENEVENTO/RUSSO DUO OPENING SET @ THE HUMMINGBIRD CENTRE

The Duo’s opening set was noticeably enhanced by the stellar acoustics in the Hummingbird Centre, and this made songs like Echo Park a treat to hear. Like many other Duo songs, sections of Echo Park can become muddled in a large outdoor venue, but here they came through crisply. Likewise, the subtle Memphis—Russo’s acoustic guitar ballad—had room to breathe in this space, despite the overly-enthusiastic additions of one fan, who called for a round of applause for Joe as the song drew towards a close. Marco later shared that he respected the attentiveness of the crowd during this set, and really felt that people were listening—not uncommon for a polite Canadian crowd.

STREAM GRAB'S SET @ THE HUMMINGBIRD CENTRE

When the Duo later emerged with their counterparts, they launched into an unforgiving Sand to open the show, immediately forcing the crowd to climb aboard or get left behind. Like other Sands we’ve heard, Trey propelled the first half, but once we hit the 8 minute-mark, it was Russo’s drum fills that elevated the song to an increasingly urgent level. Trey’s playing thereafter became high and loose, allowing Mike and Joe to hold down the parameters of the groove while Trey explored the periphery. Once that solid base had been established, and Marco’s organ began contributing a sufficiently ominous backdrop, Trey’s sound degenerated into evil noodling for the remains of the song. This Sand is perhaps prototypical of the quartet’s output: jams with varying degrees of invitation and repulsion mean that you’re either captivated or confused--there is very little middle ground.

Drifting took on a noticeable improvement on this tour, as this composition is well-suited to the tight interplay of four musicians. While the song has been a feel-good staple for other Trey Anastasio Band incarnations, this lineup delivers by far the most delightful rendition, with a straight-ahead approach that is both tight and loose, as it playfully careens toward an undeniable euphoric peak. Joe and Marco’s contributions on this song are clear, but it should be noted that any song previously played by TAB is irrefutably enhanced by the presence of Mike Gordon on bass. Period.

Goodbye Head did a 180 degree turnaround from the dark version I witnessed in Essex Junction, VT, and here regained some of the Reba-esque characteristics I’d become accustomed to. Trey left plenty of room for each of the guppies to shine on this one, as Russo boldly experimented with the time and Marco playfully chased and provoked Trey’s guitar. The interplay between the latter pair was readily apparent on this song, and they frolicked their way into a pocket where Gordon began to lay down the bass line for Plasma, and the 20-minute Goodbye Head plunged seamlessly into a 12-minute Plasma vortex.

Plasma granted many opportunities for the weird (Marco’s toys and talented tinkerings) and the wonderful (Trey’s hard rock sound floating on Gordon’s bassline), but this was admittedly the kind of version that would leave most people scratching their heads and wondering what part of the universe they had just visited.

The second-half highlight was Suskind Hotel, which began with the treat of hearing Gordon’s quirky vocals over a big rock sound. The solo commenced slowly, with Marco punctuating the keys under Trey’s smooth notes. Gordon’s bassline undulated freely, indicating that the musical journey had indeed begun, and there were some beautiful moments of fusion between the four men onstage (see clip below).

Who Are You is a perfect cover for this group, and they were hot going into this version. The song contains moments of delicacy and sections of sheer rock n’ roll bombardment, and these guys have all aspects covered. They nail the anthemic keys, the monstrous arena-rock drumming, the searing guitar, and even Mike’s brilliant mid-song turn on acoustic guitar is pitch-perfect. Dare I say it: these four deliver a version even The Who themselves could not match. The ethereal “whooo-ahhh-oooos”, accompanied by the piano, conjured up notions that perhaps this un-named band was poking fun at itself. Whether intended as a tongue-in-cheek statement or an exercise in pure rock, seeing this song performed by these four is well worth the price of admission.

As a special tribute to their Canadian fans, the band gave their best shot at These Eyes, by Winnipeg’s The Guess Who. While Trey made an honest mistake of calling them a hometown band (to which Brad Sands later quipped, “The Guess Who aren’t from Toronto, are they? I told him to just say Canada…”), it was a thoughtful gesture for them to tip their hat to Canadiana. This version was slow and funky, and forced Trey to go beyond his usual vocal range with each successive verse. When I suggested that perhaps the band was having a hard time figuring out when to stop ascending one note, Marco said it was more like they were just having fun torturing Trey.

After the show, I spoke with Marco about how one can actually hear his personality come through the keys now that he has been relieved of having to provide 100% of the melody (as he does in the Duo). He responded that he has experienced a huge liberation in concentrating only on that aspect of his sound. When I told him how much I was enjoying these solos, he confessed that his increasing comfort in taking solos had prompted Trey to admonish him, half-jokingly, to “get out of the Shinebox”! But with Marco’s playing taking on new depths, I, for one, hope that he makes himself at home in the Shinebox and continues to needle Trey with his playing.

CLEVELAND, OH - 07.19.06 PLAIN DEALER PAVILLION

I never thought I’d say this, but Cleveland is an entirely picturesque town. Perhaps it was just the vantage point from the Plain Dealer Pavillion, but the river and skyline made for a gorgeous sun-drenched backdrop for this show. While seeing the Duo in daylight is somewhat akin to hanging a disco ball in broad daylight, but it was a pleasure to catch a rare My Pet Goat in the twilight, and see Russo flip his sticks a bit (a habit he indulges in frequently with the Duo, but hasn’t been practicing with the quartet: he says he has enough on his plate in the GRAB set without trying to incorporate any stick-flipping).
To close the Duo's set, Marco saluted the crowd with a hearty "Thank you Cleveland!"

STREAM GRAB'S SET @ THE PLAIN DEALER PAVILLION

While the first three songs of the GRAB set didn’t seem to gain much momentum, they hit their stride with the 4th song, a special version of Mud City. We were fortunate enough to get some face time with Trey before the show, and he inquired as to whether my friends and I were happy to be included on the Mud City roster. We described how we had unwittingly stumbled upon the reference, and he replied that he had hoped we’d hear it live for the very first time, but he was glad that we approved of the ‘INA’ inclusion.

This later made for hilarity, because instead of singing that line after the keyboard solo, as is normally the case, on this evening Trey cut prematurely to the ‘INA’ line, and thus scrambled to include the rest of the characters in the Mud City lineup. He subsequently apologized to us after the show for his (in his words) ‘Premature Vocalization’, and then mimed puffing a cigarette. Ah, well, the funky Billie Jean jam made up for his overly-enthusiastic fumble. See Billie Jean clip below...

Hap-Nappy is hard to resist, as it channels the funk of 46 Days, and ends in an Ether-Sunday-esque denouement. Trey took advantage of Marco’s sweet piano outro to segue into a similar sampler of borderline retro-cheese, as he led the quartet into another attempt of These Eyes. This version certainly gained steam, as the boys happily propelled Trey’s voice up almost an entire octave (Marco was keeping score). From that perch they launched into a short version of Get Back, notable mostly for its appetizing keys. They wasted no time exploring the Beatles song, however, and instead headed straight for Mr. Completely at the first opportunity. This 12-minute version was distinguished more by Gordon’s palpable bass line than by its typical thrashing guitar. While some Mr. Completely’s are relentless, this version explored both the acceleration inherent in the guitar riff but also the lower end, where the interplay between Trey and Marco midway through the song was fascinating.

The last song in this four-song segue is a spectacular rendition of Goodbye Head. Clocking in at almost 20 minutes, it features some of the most intricate jamming I heard this quartet produce. It never lags or rushes (they took over three minutes to even begin the lyrics) and never returns to explore musical corners it has already visited. It was the first time I noticed a natural cycle, as this ending had an astral quality that recalls the opening lines of the song, “Don’t you know the stars in the sky might not even still be there, ‘cause it takes a thousand years for the light to reach your eyes from way up there in the big blue sky… and it takes a thousand years for the sound to reach your ears from way up there in the big blue sky”. This certainly seemed true as the final drops of music fell from the speakers overlooking the Cuyahoga River on this beautiful Ohio evening.

The outro of Goodbye Head was used by the crew to assemble material for Trey and Mike’s acoustic mini-set, a phenomenon repeated since its debut in Atlanta. Hendrix’s You’ve Got Me Floating has been a staple in the set, but does not resonate as the most appropriate selection for a guitar-banjo duet.

A song that does seem absolutely perfect for this duo is Willie Nelson’s On The Road Again, as it is hard not to be touched by the sincerity in their voices as they sing, “The life I love is making music with my friends, and I can’t wait to get on the road again”. The smiles and intimacy shared between these two is readily evident, and while this one clocks in at under three minutes, it creates a special memory to see these two former members of Phish share the line, “We’re the best of friends, insisting that the world keep turning our way. And our way, is on the road again…”

From that sentiment, the two delivered an acoustic Wilson, with a whimsical vocal jam by Trey during Mike’s banjo solo, as he toyed with the Wilson lyrics in honky-tonk style: “Oh, Cactus, King of Prussia, I lay this hit on you”. The vocal jam continued into a banjo-fueled We’re Still Having Fun jam, a sentiment that was clearly obvious as Trey laughed his way through, “fun, fun, we’re still having fun”. For anyone who debates the merit of any post-Phish musical projects, this capricious improv should serve as the bottom line: when the musicians are having fun, chances are you will too. (And if you’re not, please be so kind as to find somewhere else where you can have fun.)

We’re Still Having Fun jam was resumed once Joe and Marco took the stage for the conclusion of the electric set, opting to rip into Who Are You. Trey later lamented to us that he should have combined the “I must inquire Wilson: Can you still have fun?” lyrics with the “I really wanna know… who… who… who….” to create something like a “Who’s still having fun?” jam. Maybe next time, Trey.

CHICAGO, IL – 07.20.06 CHARTER ONE PAVILLION

STREAM GRAB'S SET @ THE CHARTER ONE PAVILLION

The Chicago show began with a playful reminder of Trey’s afternoon activities, as he delivered a taster of into Take Me Out To The Ballgame to commemorate his having thrown out the first pitch at Wrigley Field earlier that day. This was the first of many a Ballgame tease, and this one had the crowd jauntily singing along, blissfully unaware of how many times they would hear this refrain over the course of the evening.

For the second show in a row, the band selected Host Across the Potomac as an opener, a choice that puzzled me in Cleveland, and even more so here, as it seems to be rather aimless in its progression and remarkably un-catchy. Even after repeated listens, I have trouble recalling the melody of the song. While Trey hits some nice notes in the solo, the effort would be likely be better expended elsewhere than in this song. Likewise, the Elliot Smith song Coming Up Roses is almost indistinguishable, even to those familiar with Smith’s version. There is a deliciously groovy Hap-Nappy between these sleepers, though, that is worth a listen. See the Hap-Nappy jam clip below...

The Chicago version of Drifting experiments with time a little more than usual, thanks to the efforts of Joe Russo. The other contribution he makes on this track, which should not go unnoted, are his backup vocals. It may not be note-worthy to most, but for yours truly, a recovering hippie, it is gravy to hear the man many call ‘Danja-Russ’ (yes, as in dangerous) singing “love, love, love” at the top of his lungs. When I pointed this out to him, he laughed, but seemed more concerned with whether his pitch was on. I assured him that despite his dark public image, he indeed managed to hit every lofty “love” dead on.

The highlight of this show, for sheer variety, was a very unusual take on Tuesday. While this song has been a summertime favorite for many because of its unrelenting good-times energy, this version was different. Within eight bars of commencing of the solo, the band had slowed the tempo to half speed, and for several minutes, they seemed to experiment with notes not played. This made Gordon’s bass even more poignant, and it was a welcome tonic to the ears. Of course, Tuesday wouldn’t be Tuesday without a rousing finale, and Russo supplied plenty of bash to get them back up to full gallop by the song’s close.

Tuesday was followed by the Duo’s Becky, a song that has also been performed in Trio format. While I clearly have nothing against Marco Benevento’s left hand, this song is often more captivating with Mike Gordon supplying the baseline. It is like having another animal scurrying around in the dissonance and it frees up Marco to make other sounds--he here approximated a sound more like a buzzsaw than an organ. It is also interesting to note that Trey’s touch is barely audible until the very end of the song, where he delivered just a few tonal highlights. He seemed content to let the trio dominate the material that was familiar territory for them.

The acoustic set contained a few gems, notably Doc Watson’s More Pretty Girls Than One, where the banjo and harmonies were worthy of its bluegrass roots, and My Sweet One, which Trey introduced by saying, “At this time we’d like to do a classic number by one of my all-time favorite composers, a great musician, and one of my all-time favorite people, this is written by Jon Fishman”. This number was rounded out with yet another Ballgame tease, and the fans provided vocals for the second time.

As in Cleveland, the set drew to a close with Who Are You. While I could have dispensed with the replication of the Potomac opener two nights in a row, I could listen to this cover close every show for the foreseeable future. I was accompanied in Chicago by the biggest Who fan I know, and she proclaimed this version to be better than any she’d heard. Instead of describing the peak, I’ll let you witness her full cardiovascular interpretation below.