10/18/08 Palace Theatre Albany, NY
I: Sand, Drifting, Peggy, Cayman Review, Burlap Sack and Pumps, Shine, Dark and Down, Push On Til The Day

II: Valentine, Simple Twist Up Dave, Let Me Lie, Alaska, Gotta Jibboo, The Way I Feel, Brian and Robert*, Back On The Train* > Farmhouse*, Bathtub Gin*

E: Bug   (* solo, acoustic)

In triumphant sort-of-homecoming to the vicinity where Trey spent fourteen months after getting into, in his own words, “some legal entanglements,”  Albany’s Palace Theatre was the site of a momentum-carrying show, juiced by the energy of the Northeast.  An immediately responsive audience greeted Trey with, far and away, the largest ovations of the tour.  Picking up on the energy generated in Wallingford, Trey and his Classic TAB barraged Albany with another incredibly strong performance.  With a setlist that included only one new addition, Trey arranged a show that flowed beautifully from start to finish, and was visibly happy with the results.

The first set included a lot of TAB staples, with quality improvised versions of Sand, Drifting, and Cayman Review, and Push On Til the Day.  Yet, the true highlights of this set came in the three song combination of- Burlap Sack and Pumps, Shine, and Dark and Down.  In the third consecutive performance of a song that Trey is clearly amped on, Burlap Sack and Pumps is quickly turning into one of the quintessential songs of this short tour, and provided another adventurous glimpse into what all-but-assuredly will be a new Phish reality.  The song’s, second, more exploratory jam, took a different path than the previous two dark psychedelic dungeons.  The band’s improvisation carried the music to a more uptempo and groovy space as Trey climaxing the piece with uptempo rhythm chords as opposed to beautifully distorted solos.  Clearly illustrating the diversity of direction the song can take- I’ll say it once more- this one seems primed for the jaws of the Phish.

As he explained after the most extended version of Peggy to date, Trey wrote a lot of his new material during his stay in the region.  In the first verbal acknowledgement that some of this new material is destined for Phish, Trey said, with a shit-eating grin, that a lot of his new songs that he was playing with his band, and would play with “that other band,” were written right in the audience’s “backyard.”  Receiving one of the loudest cheers of the night, this nod to the future certainly upped the energy in Albany’s ornate theatre.

In an improvised Shine, evoking the feeling of warm breezes on a summer afternoon, Trey delicately built a uplifting and thematic jam, spinning gorgeous melodies into the band’s refined textures.  The tour’s second Dark and Down, a track off of Bar 17‘s complimentary EP, 18 Steps, (not Shine, as I write yesterday) was the standout song of the set.  With a slower jam that strongly resembles the contours and soundscapes of Pink Floyd, this is another song that Phish could kill.  With a jam that shies from groove and leans toward whole band sound-sculpting, this backdrop provides a beautiful tapestry for Trey to paint with washes of color and soaring emotional, dissonant cries.  In what hopefully will transfer to his “other band,” Dark and Down is a odyssey for which the sky would be the limit for Phish.

The second set flowed like water from a faucet, as Trey created a set that carried a cathartic emotional thread, while providing some heavy grooves, and yet another inter-galactic Jibboo.  Opening with a wide open Valentine, the self-reflective tone of the set was put into place with Trey extending the spiritual composition slightly beyond its previous two appearances.  One of two brightest stars in the Northeastern sky last night, was the tour’s first appearance of Simple Twist Up Dave.  With an incredibly cohesive jam built on fiery improvised rhythm licks, Trey’s band shone as brightly as ever in this aggressive piece.  Bringing the audience far out with an intense fury of grooves before returning them to their realities, Trey was absolutely crushing on this top-notch show highlight.

A perfectly placed Let Me Lie blissed-out the crowd for several minutes with its newly arranged heavenly textures, upon which Trey’s guitar lines floated wistfully into the cloud-scaped ceiling of The Palace.  Yet, after this came to its proper close, Trey visited Alaska, before launching into the third consecutive focal centerpiece of Jibboo.  With smooth bass work by Tony, this jam grew into another impeccably mastered dance-a-thon that spun the entire building for over fifteen minutes.  In what seems to be Trey’s “choice of tour,” Jibboo has consistently provided the most inspired playing from the red headed Jedi on this tour, and since his return in August.  Last night providing another simply ridiculous version to stack right next to Wallingford’s, it seems that each show will contain a monster exploration of the funky piece of TAB history.  With stellar band accompaniment, specifically from Ray Paczkowski, who has been a standout player on this run, Jibboos continue to explode across the Tri-state area.

Sliding in nicely with the autobiographical nature of the set, The Way I Feel was another way for Trey to fully incorporate his band’s chops in his story telling.  In a version that stood out for the tender loving care infused into each and every note and tone, this piece slowly rocked the show into a seductive groove before Trey disappeared from stage, reemerging with his acoustic guitar for the final portion of the set.

After leaving the stage with the entire crowd vocally carrying the classic melody of Bathtub Gin throughout the entire encore break, Trey came back giving the audience their own round of applause for their role in what was a collectively introspective ride through the second set.  Seeming like an obvious First Tube encore, Trey instead chose the much more appropriately themed, Bug.  With a staggeringly emotional solo, Trey closed the book on a self-satisfying reflective return to what was his home away from home.

Tonight, we are going home.

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DOWNLOAD OF THE DAY:

LINK FOR WALLINGFORD SET 2 SHOULD BE UP TODAY!

All props due to Matt Quinn for turning the show around in a flash and getting to you right here on Phish Thoughts!

I: Sand, Cayman Review, Let Me Lie, Gotta Jibboo, Dragonfly, First Tube

II: Alaska, Last Tube, Sweet Dreams Melinda, Valentine, Drifting, Brian and Robert¹, Chalk Dust Torture¹, The Way I Feel, Spin

E: Heavy Things, Burlap Sack and Pumps

¹ Solo acoustic

In a solid tour opener that featured some significant Phish foreshadowing, and some flashes of fiery Trey, Roseland was a fun, if not crowded, way to get things going.  At these “Classic TAB” shows, only three old, a pattern is already emerging.  The known Trey classics- a la Sand, Jiboo, Night Speaks, and Cayman Review will still be played as a nostalgic platforms for Trey to shred on, while other songs have begun to transform into previews for what is to come with Phish.  Tonight, the shredding-spotlight was centrally focused on the first set explosion of Jibboo.   As Trey first spoke with a disgustingly dirty tone reminiscent of ’03, specifically the darker voice of the 12.29 Philly Twist, he built a scorching solo from these distorted tones, improvising heartily in what will sure be talked about as the “highlight of the show.”

However, the highlights of the Classic TAB shows, are not always the most significant moments for the future world of Phish.  Tonight, two new developments occurred that should see ripples in the new pond.  “Let Me Lie,” appearing as the third song of the show, featured a new arrangement with a mellow backing groove that served as a palate for some minor improvisation.  When put in context of Phish’s reemergence, this seems like it will surely be a calm launching pad for a layered Phish jam.  With a lyrically appropriate theme of recovery, and the song’s significant placement and rearrangement, it certainly signifies a probable entry into Phish’s new repertoire.

The second major development couldn’t have come from a more unlikely place.  In what seemed like an afterthought to the encore of Heavy Things, Trey stepped to the mic and began to explain the genesis of what would be the final song.  Reminding the audience that such Phish songs as Jibboo, Sand, and First Tube were originally co-written by his band members, bassist, Tony Markelis and, drummer, Russ Lawton, he introduced the last song, “Burlap Sack and Pumps.”  Also written by the Classic TAB duo, this song appeared for the first time ever played by a four piece band.  A staple of Trey’s Afro- Cuban “big-band” era, Burlap Sack and Pumps has always been a song that featured horns, percussion, and multi-layered textures.  Tonight, it was completely different.

Arranged for a four-piece, introduced as the next in a tradition of TAB-to-Phish songs, and with a new psychedelic and exploratory jam, this seems like a shoo-in as a new Phish improvisational vehicle.  What seemed like the denoument of the show was potentially the most significant part, as we look forward to March.  Out of nowhere, this song which Trey explained started as “a little dance number,”  emerged a new launch pad for improvisation that Phish could absolutely slaughter.  You can stop thinking about the big-band, call-and-response tradition of the song- this was a whole ‘nother thing all together.

Throughout the show, Trey sounded clean, precise, and tight, and seemed noticeably more comfortable on stage than at his comeback show in Brooklyn.  Despite a relatively lackluster setlist, and a momentum-killing acoustic segment of Brian and Robert, and an awkward Chalkdust, Trey still put together an intriguing and exciting show.  The second appearance of Valentine, although no more extended than in Brooklyn, reaffirmed its potential as a monstrous Phish launchpad, while the set closer of Spin, featured an adventurous outro jam that moved into more groovy territory than usual, providing a upbeat ending to the mellow twenty-plus minutes of the second set that had preceded.

A sure sign that the next seven shows will be fun and meaningful, Roseland was a tasteful preview of what is to come.  In the over-sized bar scene, a large part of the New York City audience seemed unfocused and overtly social the majority of the evening, treating it as a night out rather than a night with Trey.  The other portion of the crowd was noticeably enthused by the goings on, especially throughout the more uptempo first set.  With what is sure to be a less metropolitan crowd in Wallingford, CT, tonight, look for Trey to extend more of his songs with more fun and improvisation in the musically focused theatre.

And perhaps a big second set Burlap Sack and Pumps?

ROSELAND JIBBOO

Trey & Classic TAB @ All Points West Festival; Jersey City, NJ
Sand, Drifting, Caymen Review, Alaska, Gotta Jiboo, Mr. Completely, First Tube E: Heavy Things, Tuesday

Trey came out and followed up his intimate and exploratory Brooklyn show with one that was much more rocking and straight forward.  Not at all lacking in shredding or precise groove, the show featured high-quality standard versions of most all of the Classic TABs greatest hits; all repeated from Brooklyn. Also notable was that he did not play any of the new songs that dominated the second set on Thursday, and debuted nothing else as well.  It was more of a customary festival set with all the songs that everyone that came to see Trey wanted to see.

However, as with Phish, greatest hits can often produce great moments, and in this short 70 minute set, Trey Band staples Jiboo and Mr. Completely certainly provided these moments.  While Jiboo stayed within the confines of its jam and chord progression, the improvisation featured some smoking Trey licks and grew into a blistering version; the first song to really bring the crowd to the next level.  The Mr. Completely that followed was the most original improvisational playing of the evening with a dark groove that had a 2001-esque feel to it- definitely the jam of the set.  Sand also provided a jump start as the opener of a very high-energy set that featured a lot of solid interaction between Trey and Ray on keys.

Definitely a step down the right path, Trey pleased the crowd within the limits of a 60-minute festival slot.  While not delving very deep, his playing was as precise and sharp as in Brooklyn and his enthusiasm was certainly all there.  With rumors of a Fall Trey Tour swirling, one would expect that his new songs to resurface in the upcoming months.  Yet, it would be cool, if not cooler, if he didn’t play them a lot with his Classic TAB ensemble, and kept them for Phish to define, characterize, and pave the destiny of.  In all likelihood, they will come up throughout the fall but we shall see what else also comes up, knowing how many songs he’s been writing.

Thinking a llittle further down the road, you gotta’ hope “Goodbye Head” resurfaces as a Phish song, such amazing potential.  “Backwards Down the Number Line,” “Valentine,” “Light,” and “Peggy” just sound like Phish songs.  The mere templates were of these were exposed in Brooklyn, waiting for Phish to develop the jams out of them, and they would simply obliterate the Spin jam.  We’ll see how “established” these songs are by the time the stars are realigned.  All in all, quite an exciting weekend in the Phish universe. Trey is clearly back with intention.  There are many new songs written that seem to be massive Phish jams in the waiting.  The fire is burning again.  Trey seems excited to get out on the road.  Old friends are reconnecting.  Things are in motion, and according to Newton, objects in motion tend to stay in motion- thankfully.  Summer 2009 is looking very good right now, seems about right.  In the meantime, Trey is back in classic form and waiting to play with your minds again; catch him if you can.  This period will only last so long, and before long, well- you get the point.

One more thought- with all of his great songs, why did he decide to keep “Tuesday” in rotation?  Hmmm.

Check out some of the Mr. Completely jam (thanks to linusj)