7/28/01 Trey Anastasio
Merriweather Post Pavillion, Columbia, MD
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On Saturday, we set out early for Merriweather Post to see Trey Anastasio and his ever-expanding band. I had visions of previous years' jams both (traffic and onstage) dancing in my head but those premonitions marked the only time I mistook this for a Phish-type experience. Traffic? What traffic? We sailed into the lot, worry-free and with plenty of a beautiful afternoon left to enjoy.
The blue-sky day sported occasional puffy, white clouds which provided moments of relief from the sun which, although warm, felt nothing like a Mid-Atlantic, late July afternoon. We relaxed and absorbed some rays as the lots slowly filled and the police and event staff crept about doing their jobs and making folks uncomfortable. After an hour, we chose to clear out of the sun for a bit and head to the shade.
Round the backside of the venue, a good walk from the lots, we found a picnic table near the fence and a sign which read, "Don't be the next fence jumper to be prosecuted." Seems like an effective warning and, with the plethora of tickets floating around in the lots, it didn't seem like much of a concern. From this table, we listened to the soundcheck which began with some warm-ups for the horn players.
Next they snaked though a tune which I want to say was Caravan but I'm uncertain. It may well be one of the many other instrumentals but, regardless, it was lengthy and cool. Something funky followed (again I'm not sure what it was- it might have been simply a jam) and wound down into a spacey, mellow funk jam (Noodle Rave Daddio?) Delightful background music to a beautiful afternoon. In sharp contrast to the bright sun and dusty air of the lots, we sat now at a table beneath towering ancient oak trees, touched by an easy, steady breeze with grand music wafting over the hill... They followed this instrumental with a New Orleans style boogie named In The Night. This got our feet a-tapping and had us fired up for a rocking show.
Back to the lots for a little dinner and socializing and then we trucked on inside for the show. Surprisingly punctual, the band filed onstage at 7:30, set themselves (plugged in, etc.) and jumped feet first into Burlap Sacks and Pumps. Trey laid back into the rhythm section, giving the first solo to Andy Moroz who set the bar to a comfortable height with his trombone. This kids reeks of Fred Wesley's influence and, to this reviewer, that's a mighty good thing. Jennifer followed Andy with a terrific trumpet solo driving the jam to the brink without going too far "out". While some performances of this song have apparently been stretched out, this version stayed concise and under ten minutes.
Acting The Devil batted second and drove a nice straight line down center field. Acting... is a ska song played Trey style and the horns give it a groovy, authentic flair. Russ Remington took a nice solo on his sax and Trey stepped up and took one too but remained tight and on track before quickly wrapping things up.
Next we were greeted by Tony Markellis' bass as he dropped into the deep end and drove Cayman Review with a force that swelled from beneath our feet as if from the very core of the earth. "Funky" is a word some might use; I'd use "Nasty". Trey stepped up and turned it on for this number, as the horns provided backing fills and keyboardist Ray Paczkowski turned to his clavinet for that "authentic, 70's groove". The song came back for a reprise and Trey took a second more expansive solo before nodding to Ray who took over and gave us his thoughts on the Caymans.
Ray's setup is typical of many rock keyboardists- he sits surrounded by an organ, Fender Rhodes, clavinet (atop the Rhodes) and a synth piano- and he's strong on each set of keys. Together with Trey (naturally), he holds down the weird department at the right side of the stage. On the left side, the horns are lined up and they hold down the straighter side of things, though given the arrangements that they're working with that's a neat trick. In the center of the stage, the core of the band, Russ Lawton (drums) and Tony Markellis (bass), hold court at ground zero, issuing regular shockwaves and syncopated aftershocks outward to the delight of the audience.
Continuing with the deep bass grooves, Last Tube came on and held itself at a controlled boil. A deep, dark thick groove like bubbling tar in the base of the amphitheater. The lyrics maintained their ethereal distance, becoming more a part of the groove than any distinct message and this became the first stretched out tune of the night.
Drifting followed, and as I did exactly five months earlier at Trey's show in Richmond, I loved it. Trey guided the band out into what felt like an extended jam. This ones more gentle than the earlier funk grooves though still danceable. Trey had his way with this song and, sadly guided it to a close just as Russ Remingon stepped up with his flute. We were surprised as well when the band then left the stage, closing the set after only an hour.
Set break only ran thirty minutes and, in a continuing show of promptness, the band returned to the stage at nine o'clock for the hot dance number, Mozambique. The horns broke away from their riser and came round to dance center stage with Trey- all on wireless equipment. As they formed boxes and lines and moved about the middle of the stage, they all raged on through the song. Jenn Hartswick took a terrific solo followed by Dave Grippo and then Trey took a turn. They jammed for about ten minutes before falling back to their places and - on Trey's cue- jumping into Moesha.
I believe that Trey has described Moesha as sounding like a seventies tv theme song and I can go along with that label. Rich with terrific horn riffs and fanfares and fun, catchy lyrics this might've been a pop song in another decade but now, in 2001, it's a Trey song and we're happy to have it.
Moesha be wrong,
Moesha be right.
Moesha be good,
Moesha be tight.Very tight. Lots of positive energy came off the stage during this one and the audience received, amplified, and returned that energy to the band. Looking to my left, I could see that even the Loge was rockin'.
Sidewalks Of San Francisco followed the short, punchy Moesha and brought back to the rolling, cowfunk from set one. Sidewalks... is a nifty tune centered on yet another tight groove from Russ and Tony. Grippo took a great solo on this one before about six minutes in, the horn section cleared the stage. The jam continued on, however, with a decidedly deep groove reminiscent of the '99 Trey tour. Ray helped bring the sparser '99 sound into 2001 with his organ and clavinet, landing the group, sans horns, into a more acid-jazz/electro-funk zone.
This continued for a couple minutes until Trey let out a primal scream from his guitar, stepping the groove up into more aggressive territory. More than one fan screamed out, as Trey continued to wail, "Voodoo Chile!", proving that I was not the only one thinking of the '99 tour. But 2001 persisted and the horns returned to help reprise the Sidewalks... groove.
Trey took another turn and began playing some fairly psychedelic-sounding licks and they transitioned into Plasma. I didn't recognize this tune and am not positive about the name (however popular sources seem to agree, for the moment) but enjoyed its sound: up-tempo grooves with great lyrics at the close which said something about "...End up where you started". We danced throughout and this one ended about twenty minutes after Streets... began.
Next, Ray slid to his piano and put forth his best Prof. Longhair/Dr. John impression for In The Night. We'd heard it earlier at soundcheck but this one immediately showed signs of improvement. The band held tighter and at the same time swung out in that true New Orleans style. The audience boogied. The Loge was rockin' and folks seemed to dig the break. Knowing that Trey has probably mapped out each show completely before they begin, I felt that this show was moving nicely, energies building and diffusing beautifully from song to song.
Taking the hyped up energy from In The Night and turning it up a notch, Trey kicked the band into First Tube- receiving an overwhelmingly positive response from the audience. Ray matched Trey in drive (and grooviness) while Tony locked in the bottom and the horns danced on top. Trey drove the whole thing though, slowly incrementing the intensity and moving from groove to psychedelic to the gushing release at the end. The ten minute song's tension progression is similar to watching someone inflate a balloon to well past its "normal size" and continue blowing until, suddenly and inevitably, it bursts and deflates- leaving you a bit jarred by the experience.
Afterwards, they opted for the dreamy, short, instrumental: Nothing But a G Thing. This began with Trey conducting the horns and reminded me a bit of Dear Prudence though the similarities extend only to the tempo and general beauty. Afterwards, they dove back into the groove thing with Money, Love and Change. Yet another of the new groove-based horn driven tunes, this one was the closest to the reported Fela influence than all but Burlap Sacks.... Unlike Burlap Sacks... however, Trey stepped up and stretched his solo out, relaxing on the comfortable bed of made up for him by the band. The dancers sure were getting their fill at this show.
Trey decided to give us another break to catch our breath with a run through At The Gazebo. Trey seems to be really proud of this tune and it is notably stronger than five months ago. It opens with the horns swelling through a sort of lysergic chamber music. Next, Tony with his bowed upright bass and Trey on acoustic join in, followed but Ray and Russ; who does gentle rolls on his kit with mallets. It's short but, not short enough for some, who frowningly sat it out or headed to the restroom.
Before most restroom visitors could return to their spots, the band exploded once more; this time into the heavy, alt-rocker Mr. Completely. Greatly fleshed out since its origin on Trey's One Man's Trash album, Mr. Completely is catchy, gritty and hot. If recorded by this group and made to sound anything like its live feel, it could possibly make a go at "alternative rock" radio. Trey guitar took on a frenetic voice, over-driver, distorted, and echo-y. The horns back the song with a dissonant swing that really tugs at the ear and the songs refrain sticks happily in the head long after its over.
But not too long because, next came Push On Till The Day with its catchy verse, chorus and, well, everything. This song was the oft played big hit of the February tour this year and has, since then, only improved. Trey sang the verses at their hurried pace and Jenn joined in for the chorus before the terrific horn riffs that lead both back to the verse and into the jams. During the jams Jenn came down from the horn riser and she and Trey began dancing.
At first, they were doing some simple dance moves, trying to stay in unison and laughing the whole time. Then they turned and faced each other and began an odd looking dance that looked like a cross between grinding (though they weren't actually making contact) and mime sword-fighting. This had us baffled and laughing and shaking our heads before they returned to their places and reprised the song. The reprise smoked and they left the stage with it ringing in our ears.
Less than a minute later, they filed back to their places- smiles on their faces reflecting the generous ovation given by the audience. Sunday Morning has got to be one of Trey's best ballads ever. Folks received it well, smiled and most danced slowly to its mellow beat. Trey took a beautiful solo before coming back to the chorus once more and introducing Jenn Hartswick with "Jenn's gonna do it to you." She did, too. Turning in yet another delicious solo, Jenn solidified her MVP status for the night and during the band introductions that followed, the ovation given when she was introduced, confirmed it.
Through the introductions and after the encore, the entire band garnered a great deal of applause and deservedly so. Russ and Tony played rock solid, centered grooves throughout the show. Ray, while not always in the front as a soloist was ever-present- either locked in with Russ and Tony or providing other means of support including the all important "weird department". The horns, as a unit, brought the band away from the electronica and techno grooves and carried them in more traditional, disco, funk, and afro-funk directions. Additionally, each player added significant meat to the stew with his/her solos. Trey, naturally excelled as the leader of the band but, to his credit, he didn't always stand out. He found his spot, deep in the pocket alongside Tony and held there often; generously cueing the other players to take their turns.
Five months ago, this band had intensity, edginess and the glimmer of things yet to be. Now they're opening the bottle, the genie is sneaking out and this genie knows how to rock. I found myself wondering; as I sped home in the late-night drizzle, humming "Mr. Completely" to myself; if this band would survive beyond the planned album and supposedly upcoming Oysterhead album. Given the strength of what they did at Merriweather, I would like to think so. But then, I thought the same about Phish.
©2001- jmh
About the Author jmh is a family man who is thankfull for beer, LPs, and extra guitar strings. Donations of any of these things or cash for their purchase will be happily accepted.