The Fillmore in Charlotte was originally intended to be the next-to-last date of Trey Anastasio Band’s brief but meaty Winter Tour. That is until Winter Storm Pax dumped inches of snow and ice in the Queen City last week, worrying many fans that the show would simply be cancelled or perhaps made up months later. The old adage, “The show must go on” prevailed instead, and TAB brought their sound to eager fans on Monday, closing down a month on the road in style.
The show got off to a quick start with a couple fan favorites from Anastasio’s self-titled release, “Cayman Review” and “Money, Love, and Change.” The pipes of trumpet player Jennifer Hartswick, and trombonist Natalie Cressman jumped to the front rapidly, and hearing those two divas belt out the choruses reminds the audience that the Trey Band is more than the sum of its parts. “Pigtail”, “Magilla,” and “Spin” filled in nicely, providing a varietal look at tracks from the old and new. “Valentine” from his latest release Traveler was lilting and soft, running into the first strums of “Wherever You Find It” which lent itself into one of the sickest jams of the night, “Land of Nod.” The song is funky and fun, with a slight Eastern European tinge, and it had the crowd bouncing and smiling. “Gone” and “Frost,” perhaps another tip of the hat to winter, were up next, followed by the always danceable “Burlap Sack and Pumps” from the instrumental album The Horseshoe Curve. This tune slid into the first Phish offering of the night, “Gotta Jibboo” much to the delight of the packed house.
The second set hit the ground running, opening up with the tropical, salsa-dance feel of “Curlew’s Call” that perhaps transported fans briefly to the islands. Next came favorite “Night Speaks to a Woman,” a shuffling groove with big singing from Cressman and Hartswick. The title track from 2005’s Shine appeared, and then another Phishy tidbit came from hilarious “Alaska” that had fans singing along with Anastasio. Another highlight of the evening came when Cressman stepped up to the mike to deliver a near perfect rendition of French-Chilean musician Ana Tijoux’s “1977.” This cover was debuted this tour, and the frantic Spanish rap she delivered was delightful and astounding, dropping jaws throughout the venue, and sounding like she’d been flowing in a second language all her life.
A couple more tunes from Traveler followed, including “Architect” which saw Anastasio manipulate his guitar with not only sonic sound, but also light, as strobes bounced off his instrument illuminating the crowd and highlighting the leader of the band. Slinky ramble “Sand” was up next, a standard in Phish’s repertoire as well. TAB’s take on Gorillaz favorite, “Clint Eastwood” blasted out of the “Sand” jam and gave Hartswick a turn at quick lyrics, which she nailed with great gusto. In the middle of the tune, Trey treated fans to some insider info, including the notion that TAB writes songs for Phish, and vice verse, whether intentional or not. The “First Tube” fans were waiting all night for closed the set in frenetic fashion, satisfying an already satiated crowd. The encore was sweet, with the soft slower “Drifting” quieting things down, before ripping into “Push on Til the Day” to send the happy flock on their merry way.
photos by Brad Kuntz
One Response
TAB has been killin’ it this tour, hope they hit the road again soon.