For some Baltimore-area Phish fans, last night’s (7/6) Trey Anastasio Band performance at the Pier Six Pavillion was long overdue.
After a pair of previously canceled gigs (a July ‘93 Phish show was aborted due to poor ticket sales and a May ‘20 TAB concert fell victim to the pandemic-related shutdown) the affable guitarist was finally able to bring his unique brand of psychedelia-laden improv to the cozy Inner Harbor confines of Charm City.
That wait was well worth it, however, as Anastasio led his talented ensemble through a pair of sets that featured the usual array of Trey’s newer material, along with a bevy of classic Phish songs, as well as an exceptionally rare and emotional performance of the Five Stairsteps’ “Ooh Child”, marking the first time TAB has covered another artist’s material since 2020.
Originally billed as the “Classic TAB” quartet, Anastasio made a last-minute executive decision to incorporate the remainder of his solo group for this brief weekend run along the east coast. The pre-show buzz that the group would be accompanied by Trey’s infamous horn section, composed of James Casey (saxophone), Natalie Cressman (trombone), and Jennifer Hartswick (trumpet) was palpable, though hearts quickly sank when the band took to the stage shortly after 7:30 without Casey, who is recovering from colon cancer.
Fortunately, the rest of the ensemble stepped up to fill the void left by Casey, as great performers often do, delivering a red-hot performance that matched the sweltering conditions fans were experiencing inside the covered GA-seating section.
The group kicked things off with the bouncy groove of “Everything’s Right”, from the 2020 Phish album Sigma Oasis, with Anastasio leading the troupe through the optimistic lyrical section before disembarking for the first of the evening’s many extended musical excursions.
A funky arrangement of the beloved Phish classic “Camel Walk” was bolstered by a captivating groove from bassist Dezron Douglas, who lived in the pocket all night, as well as some raucous brass-infused solos from Hartswick and Cressman.
The opening salvo’s trend of Phish material continued with an extended take on “Blaze On” which featured some brooding keyboard work from Ray Paczkowski as well as some altered lyrics referencing the abutting Chesapeake Bay before giving way to a pair of newer Anastasio tunes, “Mercy” and “Hey Stranger”, from his 2022 solo album, Mercy.
After a somewhat tepid response to the newer material, which admittedly lacked much of the energy of the preceding performances, the crowd was seemingly reinvigorated by the grooving shuffle of another Phish classic “Back on the Train”.
The energy levels remained high for a climactic rendition of “Set Your Soul Free” which eventually led to a searing jam that featured plenty of musical fireworks and counted among the many highlights of the evening.
The opening stanza concluded on an energetic note with “Pigtail” as well as an explosive take on the Phish groove special, “Sand”, which shined particularly bright due to some funky clavichord runs from Paczkowski.
After a brief set break, which offered little to no relief from the oppressive heat and humidity, the band returned to raise the temperature even higher with a surprisingly lively rendition of Anastasio’s “Wave of Hope”, from the guitarist’s 2020 solo album, Lonely Trip.
The summery vibes continued with the Caribbean-infused fan favorite “Cayman Review” before another of the evening’s highlights, a dark and funky reading of “Undermind”, which continued the wildly entertaining trend of percussionist Cyro Baptista roaming the stage with his dazzling array of (literal) bells and whistles.
A breezy romp through “Sweet Dreams Melinda” finally cooled things down a bit but that respite was short-lived as the group got the crowd buzzing again with extended takes on “…And Flew Away” as well as “Gotta Jibboo”, which featured an impressive percussive breakdown courtesy of Baptista and drummer Russ Lawton.
The second set wrapped up on a similarly exuberant note with a trio of heavy hitters, including a dramatic and brooding rendition of “About to Run”, which was highlighted by some apoplectic guitar work from Anastasio, as well as the appropriately nautically-themed “Moma Dance”, before capping things off with a scorching version of the fan-favorite, “Push On ‘Til the Day.”
Always one for surprises, Anastasio saved the most emotional moment of the evening for the encore when he invited Casey, who was physically unable to perform for the entire show but was still in attendance with several Baltimore-area family members, to take over lead vocal duties for a tear-jerking rendition of the Five Stairsteps’ “Ooh Child”, which had been absent from TAB setlists since 2017 prior to last night.
With the start of Phish’s highly anticipated summer tour only days away, Anastasio is clearly fired up and ready to go.
