In February, Trey Anastasio and Classic TAB completed a highly successful 16 show tour. While certain songs were played every night, there were plenty of tunes that made sporadic appearances over the three week jaunt. For this edition of The Number Line we took a close look at the setlists from each of those shows to compile a few statistics you might find interesting.

[Photo by Joe Ringus]

Here’s what we came up with…

400 – Total Songs Played
50 – Different Songs Played With Full Band
30 – Songs Also Performed Live by Phish (First Tube, Sand, Gotta Jibboo, Mozambique, Alaska, Drifting, Mr. Completely, Let Me Lie, Wilson, Backwards Down the Number Line, Bathtub Gin, Brian and Robert, Chalkdust Torture, Magilla, Sample in a Jar, Water in the Sky, Back On The Train, Kill Devil Falls, Sleep Again, Strange Design, Waste, Windora Bug, Beauty of My Dreams, Driver, Farmhouse, Heavy Things, I’m Blue, I’m Lonesome, Joy, Stealing Time From The Faulty Plan, The Inlaw Josie Wales)
18 – Different Songs Played Solo Acoustic
18 – Most Songs Played in a Set (2/21/10 Set 1)
16 – Shows Played
14 – First Tube Encores
10 – Shine Openers
9 – Shows That Featured A Solo Acoustic Portion
8 – Black Dog Set 2 Closers
7 – Lowest Number of Songs Played in a Set (2/25/10 Set 2, 2/21/10 Set 2, 2/16/10 Set 2)
7 – Number of Band Members
7 – Different Covers Played (Sultans Of Swing, Black Dog, Small Axe, Sweet & Dandy, Beauty Of My Dreams, I’m Blue, I’m Lonesome, Rocky Mountain Shuffle)
6 – Full Band Songs Played Only Once (Flock of Words, Heavy Things, Love Is Freedom, Moesha, Peggy, Rocky Mountain Shuffle)

READ ON for more Trey and Classic TAB stats…

Welcome to the 2010 edition of Cover Wars – March Madness. We are taking our efforts from last year and doubling them: this year we’ve got 32 covers in the running for the Championship. Over the past year, we’ve had six different artists win Cover Wars more than once. For these winners, we have paired them up against each other in the first round. For example, if you were going to vote for Trey Anastasio because of your loyalty to him – now you have to decide if he plays a better O-o-h Child or Sultans Of Swing. We have also paired up original artists whenever possible – Did Joan Baez or The Grateful Dead do better justice to their Bob Dylan cover?

All of the winners’ audio/video has been embedded for you and we have linked back to the corresponding Cover Wars that led to each artist’s victory. We have enjoyed running this piece for you every week (or maybe, three times per month?) and hope you enjoy Cover Wars March Madness. My personal highlight would have to be us running The Ballad Of Curtis Loew edition in early May and seeing Phish pull the cover from deep off the shelf three weeks later at Fenway Park. Let’s look at the first eight matchups…

1) Cortez The Killer (Built To Spill) vs. The Maker (DMB)
2) Sultans of Swing (Trey) vs. O-o-h Child (Trey)
3) Will It Go Round In Circles (The Bridge) vs. Godzilla (GUTML)
4) Ballad Of A Thin Man (GD) vs. A Hard Rain’s Gonna Fall (Joan Baez)
5) Sweet Virginia (Phish) vs. Everybody Wants To Rule The World (Clare & The Reasons)
6) You Can’t Always Get What You Want (Max Creek) vs. Eminence Front (MC)
7) Naive Melody (Perpetual Groove) vs. Time (Flaming Lips)
8) Lenny (Umphrey’s McGee) vs. Can’t You Hear Me Knockin’ (UM)

For bout number one, we’ve got Built To Spill covering Neil Young’s Cortez The Killer vs. DMB’s cover of Daniel Lanois’ The Maker…

Built To Spill – Cortez The Killer

Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.

Dave Matthews Band – The Maker

Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.

READ ON to place your vote in this matchup and to check out and vote on the other seven March Madness bouts in this part one of our Round of 32…

There was enough Grateful Dead material to make this Last Week’s Sauce entirely focused on GD-related-bands. But we’ve been using a lot of Furthur in this feature lately, so I chose just two of the Dead bands for inclusion.

From the Phish world we’ve got a few more tracks from Trey Anastasio & Classic TAB as their 16-date-tour came to a close. There will soon be Mike Gordon tracks showing up in the coming weeks in this column, I’m sure. And representing the present, Thom Yorke debuted a few new songs overseas, we’ll take a look and a listen to those. And Umphrey’s McGee tackled another contemporary cover when they stopped by New York City during blizzard conditions last week. As always, enjoy…

Artist & Title: Bill Kreutzmann Trio aka BK3 – Estimated Prophet
Date & Venue: 2010-02-26 Moe’s Alley, Santa Cruz CA
Taper & Show Download: shark420

I love this band, saw one of their first performances in Northampton a couple of years ago and really dug what they were laying down. It’s just a winning combination of musicians and you should catch this band the next time you can. While there are no BK3 tour dates on the books, Billy plays with Steve Kimock, Bobby Vega, Michael Kang & Chris Berry in Hawaii at Tropical Jam 5 next week.

Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.

Help On The Way from the same show:

READ ON for tracks from JGB, UM, TAB and Thom Yorke…

The Trey Anastasio and Classic TAB Tour concluded last night with one final show at the Tennessee Theatre in Knoxville that found the band channeling the same formula for success as in previous shows. There were Phish songs played by Trey by himself on acoustic (Kill Devil Falls, Wilson), there were a number of fun covers (Small Axe, Sweet and Dandy), a heady Moesha bust out and the standard TAB ragers (Jibboo, Night Speaks, ML&C).

We haven’t heard the last of this band with an announced and a few as-of-yet unannounced gigs to follow. Let’s take a look at last night’s setlist courtesy of the Oh Kee Pah Blog…

Trey Anastasio and Classic TAB
February 28, 2010
Tennessee Theater,
Knoxville, TN

Set I: Push On Til The Day, Valentine, Small Axe, Burlap Sack and Pumps, Night Speaks to a Woman, What’s Done, Cayman Review, Gotta Jiboo, Tuesday, Money Love and Change, Sultans of Swing, Kill Devil Falls@, Waste@, Strange Design@, Backwards Down The Number Line@, Chalkdust Torture@, Wilson@

Set II: Shine, Last Tube, At the Gazebo, Spin, Alaska, Mozambique, Sand, Goodbye Head > Mr. Completely, Black Dog

Encore: Sweet and Dandy, Moesha, First Tube

The next scheduled Trey and Classic TAB performance is set for the Hangout Festival in Gulf Shores, AL some time between May 14 and 16.

We’ve reached the end of Trey Anastasio and Classic TAB’s highly successful Winter Tour. The group rocked The TABernacle last night in Atlanta and will conclude the three-week run in Knoxville later tonight. Down in Atlanta, Trey dusted off one of the first songs he played with Tony and Russ when they kicked off the three song encore with Heavy Things. Also, the acoustic interlude returned and Windora Bug found its way into the set.

Let’s take a look at last night’s setlist courtesy of Dog Gone Blog…

Trey Anastasio and Classic TAB
February 27, 2010
The Tabernacle
Atlanta, GA

Set I: Shine, Push On ‘Til the Day, Words to Wanda, Obstacle of Course, Night Speaks to a Woman, Cayman Review, Valentine, Let Me Lie, Mozambique, Money, Love and Change, Sultans of Swing, Water in the Sky*, Backwards Down the Number Line*, Bathtub Gin*, The Inlaw Josie Wales*, Wilson*

Set II: Gotta Jibboo, Alaska, The Birdwatcher, Sand, Windora Bug, Alive Again, Drifting, Goodbye Head, Mr. Completely, Black Dog

Encore: Heavy Things, Show of Life, First Tube

* Trey Solo Acoustic

• Trey in Charlotte: Audio Torrent
• YEMblog: Trey Anastasio Classic TAB Audio, Videos & Reviews
• Previously on HT: Charlottesville Photos, Stream The New Songs, 9:30 Club Setlist, Charlottesville Setlist, Philadelphia Setlist, Boston Setlist and Photos, Philadelphia Photos, Wallingford Setlist, Red Bank Setlist and Photos, Review: Trey Anastasio and Classic TAB Don’t Need Nothin’ But A Good Time, Milwaukee Setlist, Picture Show – Trey in Milwaukee, Trey and Classic TAB in Chicago – Setlist; Picture Show – Trey Anastasio in Minneapolis, Trey in St. Louis – Setlist and Discussion, Del McCoury Sits In With Trey in Nashville, Trey Anastasio and Classic TAB in Charlotte Setlist,

Last night in Charlotte, Trey Anastasio and Classic TAB took their tour down south and apparently left the acoustic interludes in the Midwest. Big Red and his band delivered two electric sets that included covers of Toots and the Maytals’ Sweet and Dandy and Led Zeppelin’s Black Dog plus a number of tunes that have been forgotten about this tour, namely A Case of Ice and Snow, Peggy and Burlap Sack and Pumps.

Let’s take a look at last night’s setlist:

Trey Anastasio & Classic TAB
February 26, 2010
The Fillmore
Charlotte, NC

Set 1: Shine, Burlap Sack and Pumps, Push On Til the Day, Cayman Review, All That Almost Was Sweet Dreams Melinda, A Case of Ice and Snow, Mozambique, Sweet and Dandy, Night Speaks To A Woman, Tuesday

Set 2: Curlew’s Call, Gotta Jibboo, Valentine, Alaska, Peggy, Sand, Goodbye Head > Mr. Completely, Black Dog

Encore: Dragonfly, Show Of Life, First Tube

The tour concludes on Sunday in Knoxville after hitting Atlanta tonight.

• Trey in Charlotte: Audio Torrent
• YEMblog: Trey Anastasio Classic TAB Audio, Videos & Reviews
• Previously on HT: Charlottesville Photos, Stream The New Songs, 9:30 Club Setlist, Charlottesville Setlist, Philadelphia Setlist, Boston Setlist and Photos, Philadelphia Photos, Wallingford Setlist, Red Bank Setlist and Photos, Review: Trey Anastasio and Classic TAB Don’t Need Nothin’ But A Good Time, Milwaukee Setlist, Picture Show – Trey in Milwaukee, Trey and Classic TAB in Chicago – Setlist; Picture Show – Trey Anastasio in Minneapolis, Trey in St. Louis – Setlist and Discussion, Del McCoury Sits In With Trey in Nashville

Bluegrass legend Del McCoury sat in with Trey Anastasio last night at the historic Ryman Auditorium in Nashville. As has become the custom, Big Red ended the first set with a number of solo acoustic tunes. McCoury came out in the middle of the unplugged interlude for Blue and Lonesome, Beauty of My Dreams and another tune that we’ve been unable to confirm the title of. The other members of TAB and McCoury’s band joined the two front men for a take on Rocky Mountain Shuffle that ended the opening stanza.

We hope to have the entire setlist sorted out by the end of the day, but here’s what we have for now courtesy of the OhKeePah Blog…

Trey Anastasio and Classic TAB
February 25, 2010
Ryman Auditorium
Nashville, TN

Set One: Shine, Push On Til The Day, Cayman Review, Valentine, Night Speaks to a Woman,  Last Tube, Let Me Lie, Drifting, Birdwatcher, Money, Love, and Change, Backwards Down the Number Line@, Wilson@, Blue and Lonesome@*, Beauty of my Dreams@*, Rocky Mountain Shuffle$

Set Two: Gotta Jibboo, Sand, Tuesday, Goodbye Head, Mr. Completely, Sultans of Swing, Black Dog
Encore: Show of Life, First Tube

Notes:
@ Trey solo acoustic
* with Del McCoury
$ with Full Tab and Del McCoury Band

Trey Anastasio and Classic TAB are set to put the wraps on a terrific first tour this weekend. They take the stage The Fillmore in Charlotte, NC tonight.

While this weekly feature is normally a good way to recap what touring bands were up to by way of choosing audio and video to embed for our readers, this week we’re also going to give you a recap of last week’s shenanigans involving the Disco Biscuits and this publication, Hidden Track.

At around 2PM last Thursday afternoon, Disco Biscuits bassist Marc Brownstein simply tweeted the URL www.planetanthem.com. With no real fanfare, tDB had launched a fun, and somewhat hilarious, pre-order site for their first studio release in eight years, Planet Anthem. While some of the items available for purchase were pretty standard (i.e. signed CD’s, a copy of the CD plus entry to the record release shows at the TLA in Philly), some were much more interesting (i.e. for $500 you and four friends get to sing the “Oooooooo” part of tDB epic Basis For A Day at Camp Bisco or $250 to get the Disco Biscuits to remix a song for you).

At 2:40pm EST, I sent ScottyB an email to ask a) if he had seen the Pre-Order page and b) if this situation was ripe for satire. With a little help from tDB guru Matt Quinn we went live with a B List at 5pm titled 10 Rejected Planet Anthem Pre-Order Items.

The post was well received with a few of our readers joining in on the comment section to offer up their own entries of funny would-be pre-order items. I also got a couple of emails from friends saying they enjoyed the piece and we were all happy with the way it went. Fast forward to 8:06am the following morning when I got a text message informing me that a number of the jokes listed in our B List had magically appeared on the actual pre-order page! While some of the Hidden-Track inspired items have been purchased, fans still haven’t been able to pool together the $1 million to get tDB to make their triumphant return to the Pacific Northwest.

READ ON for more on this highlight in Hidden Track history and for LWS selections from tDB, Trey, Wilco, George Clinton & P-Funk and MMW…

Trey Anastasio and Classic TAB are about to take the stage at The Pageant in St. Louis for a show that will be webcast on iClips. Some fans had issues accessing the site, but once you get connected the video and audio is fantastic. We’ll recap tonight’s setlist here…

Trey Anastasio and Classic TAB
February 23, 2010
The Pageant
St. Louis, MO

Set 1: Shine, Push On Til The Day, Cayman Review, Night Speaks to a Woman, Valentine, Alaska, Mozambique, Gotta Jibboo, Tuesday, Kill Devil Falls*, Bathtub Gin*, Backwards Down The Number Line*, Wilson*

Set 2: Simple Twist Up Dave, The Birdwatcher, Drifting, Sand, Let Me Lie, Liquid Time, Money Love and Change, Goodbye Head, Mr. Completely, Black Dog

Encore: Show of Life, First Tube

* – Trey Solo Acoustic

Are you able to watch the show? Let us know by leaving a comment below…

We’ve got big news about Big Red this morning, as the former 70 Volt Parade lead singer will induct Genesis into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in New York City on March 15. Anastasio has long professed his love for The Lamb Lies Down on Broadway and other early Genesis LPs and has cited the band as an influence. As we previously reported, Peter “The Prick” Gabriel will not attend the ceremony as he needs to wash his hair or something.

In the past, many of those who have inducted a band have joined said band during their performance or during the all-star jam at the end of the ceremony – see Aerosmith’s Perry + Tyler with Led Zeppelin. We would be thrilled to hear Trey rip up Turn It On Again or Abacab or even Land of Confusion. Luckily, we can all watch Anastasio’s speech and possible sit-in as it happens on Fuse TV. Other presenters announced this morning include Wyclef Jean (inducting Jimmy Cliff), Barry and Robin Gibb (Abba), Billie Joe Armstrong (The Stooges) as well as Jackson Browne (David Geffen).

Tune in to Fuse TV at 8:30 PM EDT on March 15 for the ceremony.