5/15/99 Palace Theatre, Albany, New York
Date: Thu, 20 May 1999 04:52:49 PDT
From: Swamp Ass [email protected]
To: [email protected]
Subject: Trey in Albany
We had been driving all day listening to the higher ground electric set,
and some 8 ft tubes tapes, and after the show we listened again and you
could really hear how much trey, tony , and russ have improved playing
together. We almost missed the beginning of the show due to an incredibly
long line for beer, but made it just in time. The first set was really
enjoyable. It's always cool to hear new songs that you don't know.
Highlight of the first set was easily Possum, with the crowd singing and
trey drinking his beer. But nothing could have prepared me for the second
set. It was so Trey, and so musically awesome. Trey's techno jam was out of
this world, and the encore, well let's just say, it don't get any better
than a double dose of Hendrix. Trey also showed some of his other musical
skills by playing piano and keyboard and drums. Overall, an excellent show,
and I hope to see some of these new tunes this summer. Trey also commented
about Oswego this summer, He said "we got alot of cool stuff planned, so
don't miss it." Trust me, I wont.
-Mike
Date: Mon, 17 May 1999 15:36:57 -0400
From: eric masters [email protected]
Subject: Trey review Albany
After seeing the Portland show, my expectations only increased as I knew the
true potential of a Trey solo show. The Palace theater was huge compared to
the State, but the crowd was very cool, although not quite as energized as
in Maine.
Once again, Farmhouse and Billy Breathes, along with Beauty of my Dreams and
Wading/Velvet Sea all fully benefitted from the acoustic treatment. Very
fine and sweet to hear Trey play these tunes alone, and with a fairly
respectful crowd. Snowflakes, again, a phenomenal new tune (please play
this summer!), and the drunken ditty You'll Know My Name were worthy repeats
from Portland.
Trey seemed to be playing better this night, and with no sniffles bothering
him as in Portland.
And this time he played Kissed by Mist earlier, when the crowd was quieter,
and it sounded better. Again, I love this one, but it needs more
work--imagery/lyrics don't quite mesh with the way Trey plays it.
Of course, the easy crowd fav was Possum, complete with us singing back-up.
The second set is where Trey climbed back on the mountain, once more to
remind us of why we follow his other band around the globe.
For the electric set, Tony and Russ layed down a super solid beat upon which
trey alternated creating beautifully intricate organic gardens upon which to
dance, or he unleashed the Hendrix demon within himself to shred our ears
into the next dimension. Each time the melodies appeared inviting,
hypnotic, sometimes even overly monotonous and repetitive. Then Trey would
begin playing with an increased complexity (watch his face!), until we were
all so into what he was doing that we forgot where we were and what we're
doing. I don't quite know how to explain it. Tony and Russ forge a
tapestry, already strong and colorful, and then Trey jumps on, and draws the
most incredible scenery and emotions using just a guitar. Such songs as
Heavy Things, Sand!, Jiboo, Mozambique (or is it Free Thought?) all fit this
description. Windora Bug was somewhat more playful, with a great reggae
backbone and more lyrics (another strong contender for Phish to play this summer).
I believe it was during Sand that he unleased one of the most beautiful, but
very anguished, guitar solos ever played since Hendrix did Machine Gun. He
sucked us in with some bouncy playing, and proceeded to destroy and
rebuild us.
A drum duel even more frenzied than Portland came out of Sand, and the last
three (all covers), were very tight and sounded awesome: Come On (Pt 1),
Wind Cries Mary, and Ooh Child, the perfect encore closer.
Kudos for Trey for going out on a limb, jumping off, and taking us all with
him on a grand, groovin' ride. And he sure has brought along a pair of
superb bandmates with him.(Thanks Tony and Russ)
The Palace was left dazed and satisfied. It wasn't Phish, and I was glad
for that. My MO has come in, and the summer shows hold great promise based
on all of the side projects that Jon, Mike, Page, and Trey have been doing.
Long live the open air of the lawn!
And thanks for bearing with me--Eric M
By the way, he played First Tube right?--not Last Tube,as some setlists
claim.
Date: Sun, 16 May 1999 07:51:11 GMT
From: Phishbill [email protected]
Subject: Trey rocked Albany
okayyy we didn't get any rarities like they did in WI, but what a show!! seeing
Trey without the rest of the Phab Phour was interesting cause u got to see him
do a few things he rarely or never does with Phish e.g. play piano(Billy
Breathes-sorry to hear the slight tech. difficulties, Paul-i was trying to toss
u my maglite!), play drums(good duo w/ Russ-much better that the Free bit that
had gotten a little tired by late 96..), or drink beer while singing Possum
(possuuuuuuuuuuuuuuu-sip/gluguuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuusip/gluguuuuuuuuuuum!).sorry,
but comparisons to Phish fall on deaf ears with me-it's an apples/oranges
argument. To me it was about 3 friends havin some fun and rippin it up in some
of the more intimate venues Phish has outgrown over the years. and i may be
setting myself up for flamehendge here but..to all of u folks spreading the
Trey/heroin rumors..cmon, man. allright Trey briefly thought he was in Syracuse
last night, but he played a nice long show with his usual brilliance. call me
naive, but my guess is the only horse Trey Anastasio does in the one before
Silent in the Morning. anyway, heyyy just only my 2c..i know y'all in
burlington and CO will get some great shows-ENJOY!!! "I walk through the
hallways inside my mind" peace, bill
Date: Sat, 17 Jul 1999 07:04:40 -0400
From: Bryan [email protected]
Subject: Albany and objectivity
First let me preface this by saying that I had a great time in Albany
last night and there was no where else I would have rather been. That
said, I am very disapointed that the reviews I have read so far have been
filled with "greatest show I've ever seen!" and been more or less
proclamations that Trey is god. Mike said something very important once
that once a group's fanbase believes they can do no wrong, they will
scream in joy for anything played regardless of its musical merit, and
that that is the worse thing that could ever happen to a band.
Not to say that there weren't moments when I thought that last night. Not
to say that people don't all groove and get down differently at shows. Not
to say I'm not a huge phan and am knocking on Trey. But IMO, in order to
truly appreciate the mastery that Phish/Trey can produce, you must be able
to distinguish between the good and bad. Sometimes 2 notes played by Trey
is much more fitting and appropriate then 32, and at certain points last
night I felt he was overplaying. Let me try to be a little more specific
so those there can hopefully see where I'm coming from.
The acoustic set was as a whole stronger than the electric. Due to the
long line I got to my seat at the start of Farmhouse. Kissed by Mist was a
very cool song and should satisfy those looking for something more along
the composed line. Possum was wonderful, with Trey showing his mastery of
tension/release even alone on an acoustic plus his humorous side as he
strummed with one hand while the crowd attempted to sustain its
"Posummmmmmmmm...". Billy Breathes on piano was a real treat, Trey should
just quit trying to make it work on guitar because on piano he can play it
brilliantly. After the acoustic set I was totally pumped not just for the
electric set but also for summer tour as Trey is at another level and this
summer will be the next step for Phish.
The electric set peaked early and I would have left the show very
disapointed if Come On and Ooh Child hadn't salvaged the tail end. I
believe it was Last Tube that was the highlight, turning into a raging jam
that peaked somewhere in the stratosphere. But the next 5 songs weren't so
glowing. The best way I can think to compare these with were 94' Tweezers,
where a couple minutes or measures would be great and then the next couple
of minutes would be lacking. I felt at many points that the jams just
didn't groove. Trey was a bit overzealous with the effects and strange
noises he can produce and seemed not to realize when the jams lost focus.
I wasn't the only one as many strangers around me would stop dancing or
sat down at points. I did enjoy Jiboo (the song section), if you haven't
heard it listen to the 12/29/98 Boogie On jam and it is basicaly a variant
of that feel. I was impressed with Trey's prowess in drumz, as my friend
put it Trey wasn't on the same level technically but because he's such a
genius used the skill he had perfectly (which is quite a lot of skill).
Things went Hendrix, and Come On (Let the Good Times Roll) had a lot of
energy to close out the set. After coming out for the encore, Trey teased
Castles Made of Sand before beginning The Wind Cries Mary. While he had a
nice solo, the highlight of this song was the excitement at the opening
notes. However, Ooh Child was excellent, containing my favorite type of
jam where happiness enfolds the entire building. I left the Palace
satisfied but missing the contributions Page and especially Mike bring to
Trey's playing. I just hope we as phans can continue to objectively listen
to Phish, admitting when the only show we saw wasn't the greatest ever and
realizing that there will be many more chances to be hosed.
Bryan
Date: Tue, 18 May 1999 17:23:59 -0400
From: Mathias [email protected]
To: [email protected]
Subject: Albany Trey Show Review
Like so many other fans, I think I was totally unprepared for what I
experienced this past Saturday night at the beautiful old Palace Theater. I
had been listening to the Higher Ground show for about a week and was
getting really into it, but didn't think or know what it would really sound
like live, in a more formal concert setting.
The first set began with a beautiful instrumental. I hope this one pops
up somewhere again down the line, either at a Phish show or better yet maybe
on a Trey solo disc. A whole bunch of new tunes, the best of which was
definately the one dedicated to the woman in the tree. Wonderful lyrics and
music. Reminded me of the folky storytelling of the sixties. Possum was the
most interactive musician/audience fun I've had in a long time. Singing
along, and actually being expected to do so made this one really special.
Billy Breathes, as someone else pointed out, in its simplicity rose to a new
level of grandeur. Like so many others, I too would have driven and paid
full price for this set alone.
Saying this, I would have driven twice as far and paid twice as much for
the second set alone. I was not ready for this. At all. I was getting pretty
tired (not much sleep the night before), yet when Trey, Russ and Tony took
the stage, the energy in that place picked me right up. The first tune was
very cool (don't know the name. Maybe Heavy Things?) Nice vocals by Trey as
he switched back and forth between two mics. The second tune of the set
however really did it for me and was the highlight of the night (In fact, I
have not had this type of heart exploding out of chest, pure ecstatic joyous
feeling since really perhaps the Went Hood). I'm not sure if it was Last
Tube or First Tube, but it was a sweet instrumental with just a driving,
heavy groove. The solo was dirty and nasty and got really intense. If anyone
noticed a screaming, drooling dancing fool in about 12th row, that might
have been me. Windora Bug was a super sweet followup and cemented this shows
place in my all time best record book. My buddy had the out-of-mind
experience I had with Last Tube during this song and with good reason (Both
of us were sober btw) and spent a good portion of the ride home describing
how fired his neurons were because of this tune. Mozambique was seriously
flubbed by Trey at the beginning and didn't feature any lyrics. I had been
hoping to hear this one as the one from Higher Ground really kicks. This one
was great with nice start/stops at the end, but I was a little thrown off by
the lack of lyrics. Bell Bottom Blues was very beautiful. Trey took the solo
about as clealy as I have ever heard anyone play guitar (similar to the
Amazing Grace solo on FarmAid). Sympton or Sand was a little long but great
nonetheless. Same sort of jamming as in Last Tube. Trey looked like he was
really into. I just couldn't keep up after awhile. Drums were really cool as
well, and a nice breather in many respects. The closer Come On #1 was
starightforward rocking goodness.
The encore left everyone super happy. Wind Cries Mary was beautifully
played and is just such a classic beautiful song. Ooh Child is even better
and definately made everyone's night (I heard a lot of people humming and
singing this one outside after the show).
I feel truly priveleged to have seen one of these shows. It felt very
special and very fresh. I hope this type of rejuvenated Trey sticks around
for the Phish summer tour.
Mathias
Date: Mon, 17 May 1999 16:29:21 EDT
From: [email protected]
To: [email protected]
Subject: Trey at Albany Review (Long)
Hello my friends,
I haven't seen many reviews for Trey shows in general this tour, and only one
for this show so I'll offer my thoughts on his (and Tony's and Russ's too :o)
show last night in Albany -- the only one I (luckily!, I might add) got to
see from the tour (I've also heard the Higher Ground tapes). Here is the
setlist from the Phish.Net, with a little of my own added in:
5/15/99 - Palace Theater
I: Minestrone, Get back on the Train, Farmhouse, Kissed by Mist, Beauty of my
Dreams, Wading in a Velvet Sea, Snowflakes in the Sand, Possum, Billy
Breathes, You'll Know My Name (:46)
II: Heavy Things, First Tube, WindoraBug, Mozambique, Jiboo, Bell Bottom
Blues, "Short Trey Jam" > Sand -> Drums, Come One (Part I) (1:35)
E: Wind Cries Mary, Ooh Child
The scene outside the Palace was relatively festive -- some vendors, and lots
of fans in the little park across the street. A mini Phish scene of sorts.
The line outside was long and slow moving and as a result, a bunch of people
(myself included) missed the opening of the show. I doubt anyone could have
sneaked in; I think we had to pass through two or three gates, and then the
tickets were sent through a scanner. A fairly minimum patdown, also.
However, once we got inside, the (little) security there was were totally lax
-- more about this later.
For those who have never seen the Palace, GO to a show if you get the chance!
It's a beautiful old building with spectacular architecture. Our --real--
seats were right up front in the center of the balcony, and they didn't give
a bad view at all. We arrived in the middle of Farmhouse and finally found
our seats at the end of it, and as a result I didn't pay attention very
well.
From what I heard, though, it sounded *great* solo and acoustic. The rest
of the set was very good, if a little short. Trey probably played a little
bit shorter than usual (in comparison to the Binghamton first set, at least)
because of the fans. I was pleased that during some of the intimate moments,
people were respectful enough to shut up, but just as I would start to think
that the crowd was getting better, some insensitive jerk would howl something
out. Not as bad as the Higher Ground tapes ("ALUMNI!" after every damn
song), and at least they were well behaved in my section :-).
Trey appeared a little frustrated with the crowd (he stressed how it was the
"chill acoustic set," if memory serves, and that the next set would be the
proper time for "drunken mayhem.") Billy Breathes was beautiful, with Trey on
Piano. It was so simple and sounded so pure. Trey had his full
concentration in the music the whole time. I felt the same way about Wading;
its simplicity made it grand. Possum was great, and before the final
"POSSUM!," Trey started strumming open strings and then drinking (!, while
playing) for about 30 or 40 seconds. He also ripped a mean acoustic solo
(akin to the one in Chalkdust from 2/15/99). Pretty cool.
Setbreak was lonnng, but it gave me the chance to find my friend Dave and get
a new place to sit. The security guards just totally gave up, and the whole
lower level turned into a giant Dance Floor. Aisles were clogged up, but
since people were all spread out, it was easy to find a lot of dancing space
not too far back from the stage. I don't know if things were different or
not in the balcony, but down below, it was great. Trey, Tony and Russ walked
onstage all smiles. And now a word about Tony and Russ: they provided a
really solid background for Trey, who had, essentially, control of
everything; and he appeared to like it just the way. He led them along, but
they did some fantastic work, too. Russ was an amazing drummer, and even
though a lot of the jams seemed to fall into a similar beat, he still did
some really interesting (and technically advanced) stuff. I didn't know some
songs in Set II, so take it all for it's worth and with a grain of salt:
After a quick starting tune, which I didn't know (Heavy Things) First Tube
was launched into and this was the start of some of the crazy psychedelic
jamming that would take place as the night moved on. LOUD, CRAZY jamming was
contained here. Similar kind of stuff would be later seen in Sand. In both
songs, when It was on, It was full-throttle, in your face, straight rock and
roll. When it was off, Trey seemed caught up with pedals and just noodled
around for a while, as the other band members essentially kept up a basic,
repetitive groove, seemingly waiting for Trey to lead the way with something
else. Wind or a Bug was my personal highlight of the set. The three
musicians layered vocals (Meat-esque ones from Russ :-) and "Is it a wind, or
a bug" from Tony), and Trey's vocals -- which sounded like stuff Page would
usually tackle in Phish (i.e. higher that what Trey usually does) -- were
great. The tune launched into a chilled out, Makisupa-like Reggae-ish jam
that subtly soared. A lyric-less Mozambique ("Free Thought"?) was good, and
Trey took some time from the jam to banter, introducing the band members and
inviting everyone along to Oswego this summer. Jiboo also contained a nice
jam (whether on or off, btw, the jamming in this set seemed very laid back at
most times), and was one of the most well received songs by the crowd. Bell
Bottom Blues was very well done, and considering the level it was played at,
I would've hoped for some more nice jamming -- it was fairly short, but nice.
Oh well.
Trey then took a minute or two to head to his synthesizer and "play" what
sounded like a few preprogrammed loops. Russ started up Sand's drum beat off
the end of it, and Trey moved to the guitar, but he would revisit the
keyboards sporadically later in the jam. Sand was long and, as I mentioned
(see above), it worked at times and didn't at others. It segued into a mean
drum jam between Russ and Trey which was excellently played, yet a little
long. Either way, Trey has really improved since the 95(?)-96 Free drum-kit
days. A blind estimate would say that Sand->Drums was about 30 or 35 minutes
long. Tapes will tell. A fairly short Come On (Part 1) rocked the crowd and
ended a generous, hour and a half-plus second set.
The encore was amazing -- Wind Cries Mary was great and Ooh Child possibly
the most fun song of the night :-). Overall, I thought this show was
_superb_ and any flaws were probably just because it's their first tour
together. To those who haven't heard any of this music yet, you are
deprived, and I'm therefore offering to spin you a DAUD3 (mmmm ... Schoeps
tubes, thanks Greg) of the Higher Ground show if you send me a pleasant
response that is Phish-related. Any and all one-line responses will be
laughed at and promptly deleted with no mercy what-so-ever. Thanks for
reading my long winded thoughts,
Alec
Date: Mon, 17 May 1999 13:48:57 -0400
From: Dan Schillace [email protected]
To: [email protected]
Subject: Palace Theater Review
I have to start out by saying that what I experienced on Saturday night I
was not prepared for. As a long time fan of Phish, I was expecting your
basic solo performance of some new tunes perhaps mixed with some of the
old. No way did I imagine the intensity that was to come. It was truly
an impressive display of the broadest spectrum of Trey's talent, from
guitar, to piano, drums to his synthesizer. The first set was basically
just a good acoustic work of some old favorites and some new tunes, very
enjoyable especially as Trey interacted with the audience. His work on
piano during Billy Breathes was better than I had heard.
The second set simply blew me out of my seat, I still can't figure out why
most of my section in the balcony was sitting (maybe they were expecting
Phish songs or something, I don't know). As Tony and Russ laid down a
real basic, yet extremely tight beat, Trey explored the far reaches of his
music. It was a mixture of Techno, Reggae and Rock. Last Tube and
Mozamique, I swear I felt like I was at a rave or something of the sort.
WindoraBug made me feel like I was in Jamaica, Trey's lyrical work in this
song is amazing, pure Reggae. His take on Bell Bottom Blues was simply
perfect, a real tribute to one of guitars greatest. And then there's
Jiboo, I pray to God that this song makes its way into the Phish rotation,
it simply rocked!! Trey and Tony's drum solo had shades of Bill and
Mickey in it, real intense. Although I was hoping for a Row Jimmy encore,
Hendrix's Wing Cries Mary coupled with Ooh Child was the icing on the cake
of one of the greatest nights of music I have witnessed in a long time.
All of this solo work the boys have been doing since New Years is the
recipe for a fantastic summer tour, don't miss it, it could be an epic
summer!!
Dan Schillace
Date: Sun,
16 May 1999 12:22:55 -0400 From: Mike Libertucci [email protected]
To: [email protected]
Subject: PALACE, Albany NY show. 5-15-99
The show was absolutely great. Could not have come at a better time for
me either. It was teh middle of finals week, what a great break from
reality. I got pretty much knowing what to expect after hearing some
tapes and chekcin setlists. Trey accoustic was great, I probably would
have spent the 28 dollars to sit there and listen to him play all night,
but the second set was even better. I am not really familiar with song
names but hopefully they start bustin some out thsi summer. THe second
song of th esecond set was teh most intense piece of music I have ever
experienced.
Mike
return me to the trey solo page