2-21-01 - The Orpheum, Boston, Massachusetts

Date: Wed, 21 Feb 2001 01:51:18 -0500
From: Jake Cohen jcohen08@emerald.tufts.edu
To: dws@gadiel.com
Subject: Trey in Boston review
 
        Tonight was a real treat. I went into the evening with the expectation
of many new songs, and some excellent covers. I got all I could ask for and a
little bit more. Trey, with a fresh sounding horn section, blazed through 2
electric sets and 2 acoustic mini-sets. There was actually no original Phish
tunes that were not written by Trey specifically for his solo tour. Whereas
last time Trey played a good deal of acoustic Phish tunes, tonight he stuck to
the tunes he had written with Tony and Russ last time, and a few goodies
brought out excellently in the acoustic set.
 
        Scene was crazy, tons of people looking for tickets. Saw hardly anyone
w/ extras, and it was bitter-ass cold outside with a negative wind chill.
Gotta love February in Boston. Trey was a little bit more punctual than Phish,
but he still came out about 10-15 minutes after showtime was scheduled. We
were wondering a whole bunch of issues, was Kuroda on lights? would there be
an acoustic set (there was a chair and 3 acoustic guitars on stage)? Would
they play Phish tunes? Lights went out and all 6 musicians cam onstage to
ridiculous applause. They start up the excellent instrumental MOZAMBIQUE. This
nice little leftover from Story of the Ghost was played very cleanly, with an
excellent and very funky/jazzy horn arrangement. The horn players were all
reading from sheet music, so you knew that Trey had arranged and instrumented
a whole bunch of excellent tunes. Mozambique ended and Trey starts up this
slow, groovy latinesque song with Russ Lawton and "The Truth" both using latin
percussion. We swore that Trey teased the opening to It's Ice in there, but
then they played THE WAY I FEEL. This was likely a new song that I didn't
recognize with a slow, bluesy groove, and repetitive lyrics. Each horn player
took a turn and added his part to the melody as the chord was built. As it
faded into silence, Trey started up the opening guitar chords to the Band's IT
MAKES NO DIFFERENCE. This is one of my favorite Band tunes, and I knew it was
coming from an interview I read with Trey. Trey hit the song beautifully, even
singing with the sad desperation and scratchy tone of the original. The
melodies on the chorus were incredible. This jammed out in typical "rock star
Trey" fashion, with an excellently loungy sax solo from Grippo. Trey then took
a moment to welcome us and let us know we would be hearing some new songs!!
Nice, exactly what I wanted to hear.
 
        Trey introduced Mozambique and also introduced the next song, BURLAP
SACK AND PUMPS, according to Tony, a song about fashion :). The song was a
fast paced, jazzy almost swingy tune featuring a nice arrangement from the
horns playing a melody one by one, and finally with Trey over it all. Then it
went into a drum solo, and at the end of the 4 measure of drums, the whole
band just kind of raps "Burlap sack and pumps!!" It's a really cool song, and
BSAP featured some really choice soloing from every band member, especially
the horns. Next was a blues tune I didn't recognize, maybe called DONE DONE
IT? It was a classic, traditional 12-bar blues tune with a great walking bass
and some of the best Trey soloing of the night. Trey ripped up and down the
'doc with some classic Trey licks and very pre-'95 Phish jamming. Almost like
a raging My Soul, or Chicken Shack. Super-thick blues jamming. Next was a
really nice composed song, sounding quite Phishy, with an atypical
non-repeating bass and drums like most of the other songs they write. This new
tune might be called WAKE UP TO THE DAY, not sure. It had a nice little
composed jam, and then it fell Fluffhead style into a dark reggae jam. Some
really cool licks in there too. As soon as this ends, Trey takes off his 'doc
and picks up the acoustic as the rest of the band leaves the stage. He sits
down and plays BACK ON THE TRAIN with the same style as he did on the first
solo tour. Very nice, lots of audience noise and screams, annoying. Next came
an Oysterhead tune with Russ on drums and Tony on upright bass. It was a
bluegrassy tune with Trey on acoustic lead, kind of in a finger-picking "Inlaw
Josey" style. Great little tune, funny title: HAPPINESS IS IN MY PANTS. Then
the rest of the band comes on and Tony starts talking about the Grammy's,
letting me know that FIRST TUBE was on it's merry way. And oh, was it nice.
Really choice version, with the horns filling in the usual organ part.
Following the final feedbacked note of the ending, Trey starts up the riff to
WILL IT GO ROUND IN CIRCLES, a tune I recognized from the other tour and from
9-10-99 at The Gorge. What a fuckin rager!! Great funky horn parts, and some
really nice Trey jamming. Finished off the set in grand style, and Trey
promised another set.
 
        Venue is really beautiful, very old school grand music hall style.
Balcony was really a nice place, very chill. Started off the set with OOH
CHILD, a great Motown classic with nice R&B horns, and a long, long jam
afterwards. This jam wound down to huge quietness before coming back and
grooving it along to a screaming climax. It all ended with a return to the
jam. 3 HORN SOLOS, well, I don't remember this one. RESCUE ME was a jazzy
little tune, I didn't know what it was originally. As the song ended, Russ
counted off the beat to SAND. Oh, thank you Trey!!! This Sand absolutely
raged, possibly the highlight of the show. It built to a huge, rockin and
groovy pace, with heavy bass and some nice major sounding horn chords in the
background supporting Trey's flying guitar lines. Trey then picks up his
acoustic and begins to explain that the next song is AT THE BARBEQUE from his
One Man's Trash album. The song following it would be a followup to it, called
At the Gazebo. Barbeque was a very dissonant, highly composed Trey jazz piece
for just the three horns. Very atonal and dissonant, but it flowed really
nicely with some very well-chosen chords and intervals. AT THE GAZEBO began in
the same manner, only much happier and diatonic sounding. Then after a horn
part, Trey played acoustic guitar in the finger-picking style with Tony on
upright bass. One of the most beautiful and inspiring pieces of instrumental
music I've ever heard. Reminded me a little of TMWSIY. Next song was WAVES, a
song Trey announced he had written while at sea. Another equally beautiful and
sweet guitar/acoustic bass tune. These last two were so beautiful, Trey
actually got the entire audience to remain silent and just bask in the
beautiful music. A new Ska tune was next, making a fun little addition to the
set. Called maybe ANGEL AND THE DEVIL. Led by the horns, this ska based groove
was really old school fun. Finally the set ended with an enormous and very
nicely composed ballad maybe called IT'S TRUE. This was really big and hard
rockin, and kind of reminded me of Bug or something. Very big grand ending.
Encore cheers were long and loud, and they came back and started the slow,
lumpy reggae of WINDORA BUG. Having caught both of Phish's performances of
this tune, I was psyched. Tony sings the "Is that a wind" line much
differently than Mike, and Russ just kind of David Byrne's the followup lyrics
that Page sang, but it was still fun. Trey pulled some keys out and played
some nice little synth noises for a few minutes. They then started a little
New Orleans jazz tune that sounded composed, and they all dropped out but Russ
as Tony introduced the band and announced that Phish had lost the Grammy to
Metallica. Boo Metallica!!!! Trey gave the thumbs down. They ended the song
with a flare, and the night was completed.
 
        All in all, it was a great show, exactly what I was looking for. I
wanted all Trey tunes, no Phish stuff, a ton of new songs and I got all of it.
Plus, all the jamming was classic Trey style, so it was Phish based jamming
from Trey on his stuff. Every song had a great, and sometimes very varied,
authentic Trey sound. A perfect way to keep this head happy for a little while
through this silly hiatus.
 
Hoping for Europe tour Spring '02,
-Jake
jcohen08@tufts.edu

Date: Thu, 22 Feb 2001 11:14:27 -0500
From: johnson longwhales johnsonlongwhales@hotmail.com
To: dws@protos.lifesci.ucla.edu
Subject: Re: Trey Orpheum Review
 
Trey Anastasio
The Orpheum
Wednesday 2.21.2001
BostonFusion.com
 
It seems strange, but it was just three weeks ago that Trey Anastasio,
guitarist of the Vermont jam band Phish, announced his 10 date solo tour.
Three weeks! Weird, very, very weird. Just a few hours ago I was one of the
three thousand or so privileged, able to see Trey at his tour kickoff show
at the Orpheum. Anticipation was high for this show, and as I waded through
the sea of Trey phans, some with tickets, some without, I couldn't help but
feel only gratitude knowing I was on my way to seeing a living legend.
 
What was I to expect? What would he play? Would he open with 1st Tube, the
rock instrumental nominated for a Grammy? Would he play any Phish songs?
Would he be the same Trey I have learned to love? Hundreds of questions have
been racing around my head for the past three weeks. This would be my first
Trey solo show, and I was very excited.
 
It was only September when Phish played their last show together before
embarking on a hiatus that could last a year or a lifetime. Since then, my
time has been filled experimenting with other bands, going to different
shows, attempting to move on. After all there are plenty of fish in the sea
right? My experience has been a pleasant one. I have been exposed to a new
school of bands, with new sounds, and new guitarists. And through this
experience, I am able to determine one thing; Phish is the shit, and so-far
I have not been able to find an equal.
 
So, when I first read the rumors of a Trey solo tour, I was more than
excited, I was alive.
 
Game on.
 
You see, Trey tour presents the opportunity to do what I love, travel to see
my favorite band, or in this case, my favorite musician. The whole process
from A - Z is what's fun for me. Planning out a possible itinerary, planning
how to get tickets, planning how to get drugs, planning how to plan, and
then planning some more. Savoring the days prior because there is nothing
like a good jolt of anticipation.
 
But this time I wouldn't have to plan for much. The show was in my back
yard, Boston. My home for twenty some odd years. 15 minutes away from my
apartment. I could take the Green line! Unreal. As some of you may know,
Phish has not played in Boston since 1996. The fucking Fleet Center sound is
so shitty, they refuse to sacrifice their musical integrity. So, Trey at the
Orpheum was a real treat, for many reasons.
 
The Orpheum is small, with one main entrance at the end of an alley. Not the
best set up for a venue, certainly not for a Trey show. There were a lot of
people ticketless, waiting in the brisk Boston cold, with the slightest bit
of hope that someone would offer them an extra. I don't think there was much
ticket selling being done. Those with wanted in on this show, this was one
not to miss. And for good reason.
 
Tonight's show was much different than what I expected. This is no Phish
show. Not even close. My mind was not blown.
 
But tonight's show was amazing, different, but amazing. Trey Anastasio is a
gifted artist who should be commended not only for his un-measureable guitar
ability, but for his varied angle attack at music in general. You see, he
seems to approach everything he does like it was his first show. You can see
it in his smile as he sways back and forth spewing chunky rifts from his
personalized guitar "Marley III" (named after his late dog Marley), or when
he speaks about his current band members with honest appreciation. Trey is
loved because he loves what he gets to do. It's that simple.
 
Tonight Trey and CO played a wide array of music. Most importantly they
busted out a bunch of new tunes, throwing this rowdy Boston crowd for a
spin. All in all he played nine new songs... Nine. And this is his first
show. Crowd favorites seamed to be 1st Tube, Sand, and Windora Bug. Three
songs which were in the rotation for Phish fall tour 2000. This did not
surprise me because change, at times, can be difficult to swallow. And I
think that is certainly understandable.
 
Overall I think tonight was a very good tour opener, but it was definitely a
tour opener. You could tell that these guys haven't been playing with each
other for 17 years. It was interesting to see Trey really lead the stage. It
was clearly his night, and the band was playing to his people. Trey was in
his usual stage right position, only tonight he was bouncing around, almost
orchestrating the other band members at what to do and when to do it. He
would point at another band member, waving his arms in some type of
directive motion, and the band member would react, playing a some type of
faded rift. It was great, and as the night progressed, so did the band.
 
As eluded to above, highlights of the show were Trey staples, 1st Tube and a
fifteen minute Sand. But as equally enjoyable were a few new songs, Burlap
Sack and Pumps, Rescue Me, and what is now only known as the "Grammy loss to
Metallica jam".
 
So, after tonight, I feel a sense of serenity I haven't felt in months. I am
still high from tonight's events. Still trying to digest what went down.
Still trying to process the information. And I feel great about the
immediate future. This Trey tour will surely be a blast, and I am fortunate
to see two more shows. But after that what? Recent talks of an Oysterhead
album (and tour?) have been rumored for months now. And some speculate that
Phish will be back on the road by the fall. All I know is that I have two
more Trey shows to hit, and then it's back to crossing my fingers and
waiting for more. Until next time.
 
Johnson Longwhales III
www.bostonfusion.com
 
Setlist
(for more detailed setlist information click here)
 
I: Mozambique, The Way I Feel, It Makes No Difference, Burlap Sack and
Pumps, Done Done It, Wake Up To The Day, Back On The Train, Happiness Is In
My Pants, Trey talk, First Tube, Will It Go Round In Circles
 
II: Ooh Child, 3 horn solos, Rescue Me > Sand, At The Barbecue, At The
Gazebo, Waves, Angel and the Devil, It's True
 
Encore: Windora Bug, "Grammy loss to Metallica jam"


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