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Trey Anastasio soars at sold-out show

Kanada Kev

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Kanada Kev

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http://www.burlingtonfreepress.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20081020/ENT05/81020002

Trey Anastasio soars at sold-out show

SOUTH BURLINGTON – Well into the first set of his sold-out concert Sunday night, Trey Anastasio noted that many of the songs he and his solo band were playing were among those they performed at the original Higher Ground soon after it opened in Winooski in early 1998.

“We’ll see if the songs have ripened with age,†the guitar hero told the crowd in the newer Higher Ground Ballroom. “I know I’ve done a little ripening myself.â€

• GALLERY: Photos from the concert

There have been a few changes in Anastasio’s life in that decade. His Vermont-born band, Phish, continued its rise to become one of America’s biggest bands. Then Phish grew too big too fast and decided to take a break. They got back together. Then they broke up again, for good, they said. Then Anastasio hit his lowest point, with an arrest on drug charges, which led to him being placed on probation. Then, just this month, Phish announced it will get back together this March for three shows in Virginia.

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With the tumult of the past 10 years, it’s no wonder Anastasio was happy to be home.

The concert (clocking in at almost four hours) was a vast improvement over the last time he headlined the room in 2005, a few months after Phish broke up. Anastasio debuted a new solo band then and seemed tentative and unsure, leaving that sold-out crowd muttering “You broke up Phish for this?â€

He returned to the Ballroom with Classic TAB (as in Trey Anastasio Band), featuring three Vermont-bred musicians who’ve been playing with Anastasio on and off for much of the past decade – drummer Russ Lawton, bass player Tony Markellis and keyboard player Ray Paczkowski. They were at ease with each other, Anastasio was clearly happy to be in friendly territory after all he’s been through of late, and the music soared.

Anastasio, who turned 44 three weeks ago, paid immediate homage to the pending Phish reunion, opening with one of that band’s late-career tunes, the silly, jaunty “Gotta Jibboo.†He led Classic TAB through a long jam session, creating a wah-wah sound with his guitar and seemingly mouthing the words “wah wah†as he struck his patented pose in which he appears to be scanning the back wall for the next notes to play. The crowd gave a loud ovation at the end of the song, and Anastasio acknowledged his fans with a fist pump and a smile.

The next couple of songs (“Peggy†and “Dark and Downâ€) were slower and Anastasio’s expression was intense and serious. He finally spoke to the crowd with a sheepish “thank you†before mentioning that he made the drive from the previous night’s show in Albany, N.Y., into Vermont and instantly noticed the air was cleaner.

“It’s the most incredible feeling. I can’t explain it,†he said, smiling broadly. “I’m so happy to be here.â€

From then on, starting with the mesmerizing “Push On ‘Til the Day,†the serious intensity left Anastasio’s face and the music picked up energy. His solos grew livelier and he started making eye contact with the crowd. Once he acknowledged how happy he was to be back, the happiness came out in his music.

Anastasio sent the crowd into the set break with a request to check out the silent auction in the adjacent Higher Ground Showcase Lounge to benefit the Seven Below Arts Initiative, a Burlington City Arts program he founded that’s based at his old recording studio, The Barn, in Westford. As many as 100 people went to the Lounge, some to find out more about Seven Below, but many to watch the deciding game of the American League Championship Series between the Boston Red Sox and the Tampa Bay Rays.

The Sox, the crowd favorite, were down 3-1 when Anastasio and his band started their second set. The music was being pumped into the Showcase Lounge, and the jazzy, jammy “Burlap Sack and Pumps†was almost drowned out by groans when David Ortiz grounded out to end the eighth inning.

There were still about 50 people in the Lounge as the Red Sox tried to rally in the ninth. An especially frantic guitar solo by Anastasio on “Last Tube†served as the soundtrack to the nervous energy in the Lounge. He and the band grew mellow and pensive with “Let Me Lie,†but Sox fans became even more restless when Jason Varitek struck out.

They shot out of the room almost as soon as Jed Lowrie grounded out to end Boston’s World Series hopes, rejoining Anastasio in the Ballroom for the light jam feel of “Drifting.†The party was now focused solely on Anastasio and his band.

That set the tone for a second set that included the fiery, boogie-fied rocker “Moesha†- with Anastasio joking that he would forget the lyrics to the wordy tune and fans would make fun of him the next day on the Internet – and a rolling solo on the bouncy “Dragonfly.â€

The mood crystallized soon after the Red Sox fans rejoined the party, when the band played “Alive Again.†Anastasio repeatedly sang “The time has come for you to be alive again,†and the crowd sang it with him. It was as if they were sending messages to each other: The crowd was thrilled to see Anastasio happy (and alive) after his tribulations, and he was letting his fans know that he and, in a few months, Phish, are back.

The scene Anastasio and Phish had created was indeed alive again. Or, maybe, it had ripened.

Contact Brent Hallenbeck at 660-1844 or bhallenb@bfp.burlingtonfreepress.com.

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Hartamophone Explorer

Hartamophone

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I like how the review turns into a sports commentary with Trey as the soundtrack. The last place I would have been if I attended the show would've been in front of a TV in another room groaning about Major League Baseball but hey, thats just me.
Yeah, we definitely don't have the baseball culture here that they have in Boston. Now if it was the Montreal Canadians in Game7 of the Eastern Conference Finals I'm betting you'd find just as many Canucks in the lobby watching TV

Yeah, Burlington is definitely a part of Red Sox Nation, so I wasn't at all surprised to read that (even if it did go into a little bit too much detail about the game itself). It also said that there were only about fifty people in the lounge watching the game. Personally, I think it would be kind of cool to be able to sneak a peak at a few minutes (not necessarily two innings) of a game with Trey ripping it up in the background.

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jayr Newbie

jayr

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Yeah, we definitely don't have the baseball culture here that they have in Boston. Now if it was the Montreal Canadians in Game7 of the Eastern Conference Finals I'm betting you'd find just as many Canucks in the lobby watching TV :)

True enough! I'm not much of a sports nut though.

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Booche Newbie

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Now if it was the Montreal Canadians in Game7 of the Eastern Conference Finals I'm betting you'd find just as many Canucks in the lobby watching TV

I'ld be yelling at Trey.

"Shut the fuck up for once, I am trying to pay attention to the game you stupid Wanker!"

Actually, I would give my ticket away.

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Jakis Newbie

Jakis

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Now if it was the Montreal Canadians in Game7 of the Eastern Conference Finals I'm betting you'd find just as many Canucks in the lobby watching TV

I'ld be yelling at Trey.

"Shut the fuck up for once' date=' I am trying to pay attention to the game you stupid Wanker!"

Actually, I would give my ticket away.[/quote']

As a leaf fan I don't think i ever have to worry about this..

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Kanada Kev Newbie

Kanada Kev

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Yeah, we definitely don't have the baseball culture here that they have in Boston. Now if it was the Montreal Canadians in Game7 of the Eastern Conference Finals I'm betting you'd find just as many Canucks in the lobby watching TV :)

Multi-task :) I remember being at a Canadiens game in The Forum while a Blue Jays World Series game was on. I had a tiny battery powered TV (2" screen ) and was paying attention to both. Surprisingly, a LOT of fans in the seats around us were interested in the baseball score.

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Schwa. Rookie

Schwa.

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I hope that's why the whole crowd spent the show looking at their Blackberrys.

I was starting to think that nobody would ever be happy where they were again.

get a frukin cel phone you luddite no-fun loser

Velvet would tell ya that cell phones single handedly ruined Phish tour.

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ollie Newbie

ollie

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Multi-task :) I remember being at a Canadiens game in The Forum while a Blue Jays World Series game was on. I had a tiny battery powered TV (2" screen ) and was paying attention to both. Surprisingly, a LOT of fans in the seats around us were interested in the baseball score.

What were you doing to keep tabs on the Penguins game?

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