TAB | Review & Photos – Live Music Daily

Trey Anastasio Band

Live at Brooklyn Bowl | August 17, 2014

By Mitchito
Amidst what has been a huge summer tour for Phish, Trey Anastasio Band came to the Brooklyn Bowl in Greenpoint, Brooklyn as a part of PBS’s series Front and Center. After playing two nights at Peach Fest, the band seemed practiced, comfortable, and ready to rock and roll.

Coming on around 8:15, the band casually walked on stage to a warm reception from loyal fans. They kicked things off with the groovy “Sometime After Sunset,” setting a playful, laid-back tone for the evening. Right out of the gate, you could feel the energy ooze throughout the Greenpoint bar, which happens to be part-venue, part-bowling alley. A quick look around revealed a room full of excited people busting moves, having a great time, and eyeballing the cameras that floated over the top and around the stage.

Next, the band jumped right into the classic TAB track “Cayman Review.” Cayman’s combination of island and bluesy guitar tones continued to build up the energy. Trey’s guitar tone was warm and noodly, like a delicious cup of Ramen Noodles on a cold Vermont winter’s night. From there, Trey and his band were off to the races. The horns in songs like “Money, Love, and Change” complemented Trey’s guitar sound and provided a strong backing to a buoyant, driving rhythm section held down by Trey’s drummer and friend Russ Lawton. Other notable first set tunes were “Valentine”, “Bounce”, and “Pigtails.” “Alaska” was also really well done and featured a beautiful mix of Trey guitar licks and some nice bluesy keys by Ray Paczkowski.

The first set featured a nice mix of old and new tunes, which I felt was both welcoming and intriguing. But the real first set gem was the “Gotta Jibboo.” The Phish-by-way-of-TAB tune featured virtuositic interplay between each member of the group. Trey weaved in and out of Ray Paczkowski’s keys, sometimes rhythmically, sometimes following the melody, and sometimes even throwing some spacy, Phish-esque looping. Tony Markellis held down the groove on the bass, maintaining a low, smooth tone throughout the evening. His tone was rich, deep and propellant, which provided the rest of the band with a solid foundation for improvisational jams. The horn section felt like the cherry on top. Their joyous, jazz-flavored flourishes pushed the groove to new heights and connected beautifully with Russ’s controlled, yet loose drumming. The set closed with another Anastasio classic “Tuesday,” which also featured some strong jamming, and the band retired to the green room for a quick meeting and some cappuccinos.

When the band came back on for the second set, they surprised everyone with a “Sand” opener. The “phan-phavorite” set the tone for the rest of the night: unabashed jamming and extended grooves. Seeing TAB in an intimate club setting allows you to really hear and see every bit of communication between Trey and the rest of his band. During “Simple Twist up Dave” you could see Trey communicating with Ray and the horns section as they built the groove up into a stellar crescendo jam. Even for standard tracks like “Shine”, you could feel the interplay and excitement among the band members.
Trey seemed to strike a perfect balance between expansive jamming and TV-friendly tunes on Sunday night, jumping back and forth between rhythm and lead, which allowed his band mates to follow, imitate, and expand each song to interesting and often uncharted territories. “Push On til the Day” was a great example of this balance. This song is perhaps the most iconic TAB song because it is both a catchy ditty and an extensive jam that features strong melodic solos and interesting ideas from every member of the group. The horn melody and driving rhythms melded with Trey’s Ramen Noodle guitar, building the jam to a beautiful peak and the crowd responded with a giant roar! Right as the song began, I heard the guy next to me say, “Haha I wonder how many times I’ve heard this song?” Then when the peak came I heard the same guy yell out: “I freakin’ love this song! Holy Shit! Holy Shit!” I’m telling you, it was that good.

Other second set highlights include “Architect,” which I think is more fitting for TAB than it is for Phish. I also enjoyed the humorous but cool cover of “Clint Eastwood” by the Gorillaz. But the real treat was the cover of Zeppelin’s “Black Dog” to close the second set. After more than 2 hours of high energy jamming, Trey cranked up his distortion and played the classic rock standard to perfection. Jennifer Hartwick (trombone, vocals) put down her horn and moved towards the center where she not only destroyed one of the most difficult rock vocal songs of all time, but also challenged Trey to a vocal-guitar battle that amounted to something of a musical orgasm on stage. (On a side note: It was Jenn’s birthday so Trey brought out a chocolate cake and I found out that Robert Plant’s birthday came just a couple days later.)
Just before the encore, Trey offered a few words of thanks to the crowd and told the story about the formation of Trey Band in Burlington in 1998 as a part of the opening of the then-new venue Higher Ground. It was a special moment for everyone involved. He explained that “First Tube” was the first song that they wrote as a band right after they were asked to be a part of the Higher Ground opening. Fittingly, the band plunged into the throes of a “First Tube” jam that truly brought the show– or should i say event– full circle.

If you couldn’t infer this from my review, I’ll say it again: this show was something special. After an amazing summer of Phish 3.0, or as I like to say 3.5, Trey proved that he could seamlessly transition into his side projects without losing any steam. His tone was pure Trey and his attitude was joyous. The music was dialed and emotional. He seemed as happy as he has been in years and I felt honored to be able to share that joy with him and everyone else who was there. He truly is the Baron of Jam. Trey just unleashed a monster 2+ hour set onto a jam-packed room of just over 800. And the best part: PBS captured the entire thing in HD. See you all soon!