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!" that would have made Christopher Guest proud.