Dazed & Confused (Led Zeppelin): Last Played: 6/7/2003
2003 saw two Jennifer Hartswick-led Led Zeppelin covers make their debuts: Black Dog and Dazed & Confused. While the former has stuck around and continues to crush, Dazed & Confused was last seen at the Memorial Auditorium in Burlington, VT. Read more about the story behind these covers later in this piece.
Audio: 6-2-2003
[audio:https://glidemag.wpengine.com/hiddentrack/wp-content/uploads/2010/07/treyconfused.mp3]
In The Wee Wee Hours (Professor Longhair): Last Played: 11/2/2002
When Trey sat down with Rolling Stone in 2001 to discuss his solo tour and Oysterhead, he mentioned specific songs he wanted to play including some stuff by Professor Longhair and It Makes No Difference. As you’ll see in the excerpt for It Makes No Difference below, I have been searching for this quote for a long time and finally found it.
Audio: 6-11-2002
[audio:https://glidemag.wpengine.com/hiddentrack/wp-content/uploads/2010/07/treywee.mp3]
It Makes No Difference (The Band): Last Played: 5/16/2010
Excerpt from It Makes No Difference Cover Wars, Published November 30th, 2010
While I can’t find it anywhere on The Internet (yep, this happens), I distinctly remember when Trey Anastasio was getting ready for his first solo tour with the horn section in the Winter of 2001, he mentioned this song in a few press interviews. More specifically, he said they were going to be playing the song and that he hoped his fans, “liked long songs”. Which I just found hilarious because It Makes No Difference, while a long song, is significantly shorter than many songs in the Phish catalog. This performance from Austin City Limits 2004 is one of the best sounding recordings of this version of Trey’s ever-changing solo act. Dave Grippo destroys the alto sax solo every time Trey Band plays this one. Source: 9-18-2004
[audio:https://glidemag.wpengine.com/hiddentrack/wp-content/uploads/2010/07/difftrey.mp3]
O-o-h Child (Five Stairsteps): Last Played: 10/25/2008
Excerpt from O-o-h Child Cover Wars, Published February 2nd, 2010
O-o-h Child was a staple on the Trey Trio tour in 1999, being played almost every show. When the horns were added in the Winter of 2001, the song transferred over, but became increasingly rare and disappeared after two performances in the Summer of ’01. The song came back for two performances in 2004, once at the private show for Jake Burton and once at Austin City Limits. And then it disappeared again and came back for a few performances without horns during the Classic TAB Tour of ’08. There’s no real soaring peak in this one (like a lot of the ’99 performances), but it’s a real nice volume control jam. Source: 8-2-2001
[audio:https://glidemag.wpengine.com/hiddentrack/wp-content/uploads/2010/02/treychild.mp3]
Root Down (Beastie Boys): Last Played: 6/8/2003
The story of how the band decided to cover Root Down is a hysterical one and I had the pleasure of hearing about it from Jennifer eight years ago in an interview I did for Phantasy Tour. Here is an excerpt…
PT: Did you grow up listening to Led Zeppelin? How soon before the tour did you hear Black Dog?
JHa: It’s really embarrassing, but I literally learned it the day before we performed it. Dazed & Confused we were going to do last tour so that one I already knew. Singing it at the Hammerstein was one of the few times I actually was nervous about performing because every single person in the crowd probably knew that song better than I did.
Same thing with Root Down, this is hysterical. That was the most challenging one for me, I finally learned it well for Burlington. We were in the airport flying to San Francisco, and it’s 7 o’clock in the morning, and I happen to pass Trey in the airport and he goes, “Jen, Root Down, Beastie Boys” and starts laughing. And I didn’t laugh, ‘cause I didn’t know the song, and didn’t know it was funny. He was shocked I didn’t know the song I covered it up and said, “Well I don’t know it well”, I can’t be 22 and not know anything by the Beastie Boys. So he grabs my hand and we walk into the nearest record store, one of those little tiny things in the airport that just has the Top 40 stuff. So he finds the Anthology, 2-disc set, gets that, and walks up to the counter,
Trey: I need this and a discman??
(and the people were just laughing at him from the start)
Record Store: Ok. Would you like headphones?
Trey: Yes, I would like some headphones?
Record Store: Batteries?
Trey: Yeah, I need batteries.
Record Store: Which discman do you want? Red, Silver
Trey: (cutting them off) Red, totally Red.
Record Store: Would you like a splitter so you can both listen to it?
Trey: Yeah!
Record Store: And another set of headphones?
Trey: Yeah!5 minutes go by and we are so set for life. And after all that, they say “These CDs are 2 for $20” and he says “No Way!” and grabs some Curtis Mayfield. Being with him is like a constant train-wreck that never quite wrecks, it’s just like “What are you doing?”, I love it, every moment is an adventure with him.
So they start opening everything for us, the discman, hooking up the splitter…
PT: Did they know who he was?
JHa: No. It wasn’t until we started singing along to the music playing in the store, it was so obnoxious that some flight attendant commented, “Y’all must be musicians.” And we said yeah. “What’s the name of your band?” so Trey says that he was in Phish and the record store people say, “No way, we carry your CD!” and they grab Round Room off of the wall and have him sign it.
It was a big scene, but the final result was like something out of a movie, we’re both grooving down the airport at seven in the morning, listening to this red discman with a splitter both grooving and laughing, and it’s so early and everyone thinks we’re all messed up, but we just thought it was funny. And we got those notecards and performed it at the Warfield. But I really knew it by the Burlington version.
Audio: 6-8-2003
[audio:https://glidemag.wpengine.com/hiddentrack/wp-content/uploads/2010/07/treyroot.mp3]
Signed Sealed Delivered (Stevie Wonder) Last Played: 3/5/2001
This Stevie Wonder cover was debuted at one of my favorite TAB shows, 2/24/2001 at the Tower Theater in Upper Darby, PA. The show features a must hear Gotta Jibboo and some great Trey banter as he talks about the greatest guitar tuners of all time.
Audio: 2-27-2001
[audio:https://glidemag.wpengine.com/hiddentrack/wp-content/uploads/2010/07/treysigned.mp3]
Sing a Song (Earth, Wind & Fire): Last Played: 6/13/2004
Debuted at a private surprise birthday party for Jake Burton, this cover was played once more at Bonnaroo 2004.
Audio: 6-13-2004
[audio:https://glidemag.wpengine.com/hiddentrack/wp-content/uploads/2010/07/treysong.mp3]
Sultans of Swing (Dire Straits): Last Played: 2/28/2010
Excerpt from Sultans of Swing Cover Wars, Published August 25th, 2009
Trey added this cover to his solo band’s repertoire in the Summer of 2002, the third tour for the ever-evolving Trey Band with horns. It was the sixth show into the tour, in the encore slot, when the crowd in San Diego was treated to the debut. Everything about this song made perfect sense for that band to play. Quick shoutout to trombonist Andy Moroz, who did the dirty work of actually transcribing the guitar stabs into horn arrangements. Source: 6-7-2002
[audio:https://glidemag.wpengine.com/hiddentrack/wp-content/uploads/2009/08/treyswing.mp3]
Video From 10/29/02 Palace Theatre, Louisville, KY:
Will It Go Round In Circles? (Billy Preston) Last Played: 12/30/2006
Excerpt from Will It Go Round In Circles? Cover Wars, Published September 22nd, 2009
Trey has kept this cover in somewhat steady rotation over the last ten years. He first played it as part of the Trey Trio tour in 1999 and it was played frequently. Trey was quick to keep it in the rotation when the horns were added to the band in February of 2001 and played it four times in the Summer of 2001, the first tour to feature Ray Packowski on keyboards. Summer 2002 saw just two appearances of the cover and then it disappeared for five years, reappearing from the stage of a 70-volt parade show in 2005. It made two final appearances in 2006 after Billy Preston’s death. Oh yeah, and Phish played it twice in 1999 as well. Source: 7-31-2001
[audio:https://glidemag.wpengine.com/hiddentrack/wp-content/uploads/2009/09/tabcircles.mp3]
So please cast your vote for your favorites. If I didn’t include what you consider the best, feel free to tell me so in the comments section. But remember, covers only played on ’99 tour and covers played during the 70 Volt Parade era were not eligible…feel free to mention them though.
14 Responses
Will it Go Round in Circles on this tour Trey, PLEASE! 🙂
Where can I download these tracks/shows?
Where’s I Can See Clearly? Best of the 99 covers.
voted for Preston’s Circles.
I have seen both TAB and Phish perform this live and it’s still one of my faves. So much so, I recently burned the TAB live version for my buddy’s band Stereopticon to cover soon at one of their gigs.
What a great song. So hoping they resurrect it this tour.
Small Axe Memorial Auditorium Burlington, VT with Michael Fianta from Spearhead
we PWNED that balcony 10/21/08
While it’s not a cover, Acting the Devil needs to be reintroduced! Trey bring it back at the Riv in Chicago. I love me some ska!
bell bottom blues 5.15.99
for me it the horns blowin that sound… but small axe would get my vote
Bell Bottom Blues needs to come back SO BAD. Thats a tear jerker
Love the Root Down story, although I trust Trey knows that it’s actually a Jimmy Smith tune…
LOVE the Root Down cover, and also I Am the Walrus which was not mentioned…….great version of cover wars btw……..peace
Where is Sledgehammer? That should have made the top 10.
If you like Beastie Boys, Tool or A perfect circle listen to this band on myspace called Aandoband. They are my new favorite.