Show Review

You gotta hand it to him. Walking away from one of the greatest rock bands of all time couldn’t have been an easy decision. And though it was a hard pill to swallow for most Phish fans, when Trey Anastasio eloquently explained that he needed to close that chapter of his life and move on, it was reluctantly accepted. And why not…his solo project had continued to progress, develop and change, not to mention his orchestral work and obsessive writing habits. So it seemed as long as he was following his heart, and singing 20 year old Phish songs wasn't where his head was at, then that was ok with his devoted fans. So you can imagine the online banter it stirred when his latest incarnation turned out to be Phish 2.0.

That’s not saying its bad. On the contrary, its actually really solid for only being together a few months. And most bands would love that moniker. But it does seem a bit like leaving your wife of 20 years in a midlife crisis, and then immediately marrying another woman with four kids.

Trey Anastasio, Trey Band, 70 Volt Parade, whatever you want to call it, it’s his signature style of groove/guitar rock again, just with a new supporting cast. It's apparently what he feels most comfortable doing, and inevitably what the crowd wants to hear. But that deafening applause and roar from the crowd came when Phish bassist Mike Gordon appeared to join his old bandmate for an intimate acoustic pairing on three very poignant tunes. Hank Williams Jr.’s “Old Habits,” along with Phish’s “Back on the Train” and “Waste” were the heart of the show. Why they needed to break up in order to play together is a mystery, but the last few years of the band weren’t exactly clear.

Nevertheless, it was good to see them performing, and ironically what you hoped for since you bought the ticket. Gordon can’t sellout rooms like Trey, but given his subtle indications that he definitely wasn’t the one calling for Phish to end, he’s gained a new level of post-Phish adoration reserved only for him. After a collective encore of yet another Phish tune, “Wolfman’s Brother,” a “Tweezer Reprise”-esque version of “I Am The Walrus” closed things off in triumphant fashion, crescendo and fevered lights galore.

If Anastasio keeps this band together - with “if” being the key word given his extreme A.D.D. lately - they’re going to be phenomenal. New bass player Peter Chwazik will never fill the rolled up pant legs of Gordon, and he may never be turned up loud enough even if he could, but the outfit as a whole provides that textured foundation Trey loves to float above. And the addition of keyboardist/guitarist Les Hall is the much needed updating Trey was in dire need of. It’s a brand new project using the old Phish formula, with some killer potential. Second set compositional pieces are back (“Goodbye Head"), overly-horn drenched TAB songs are stripped down ("Simple Twist Up Dave") and even straight up rocking Oysterhead numbers run rampant ("Oz Is Ever Floating").

With a dismal tour opener evolving into this hot tour closer, it's safe to say by the time they hit the late night stage at Bonnaroo, Trey and his new band will be bursting at the seams. Unless he scraps it and starts Phish 3.0.

Photos by Adam Foley