3-4-01 - Fox Theatre, Atlanta, Georgia

Date: Sat, 10 Mar 2001 15:55:53 -0600
From: Justin Metz [email protected]
To: [email protected]
Subject: 3/4/01 Trey At the Fox Review
 
3/4/01 The Fabulous Fox Theater, Atlanta, GA
Trey Anastasio and his funky little side project
 
 1: Strawberry Fields Forever, Mozambique, Will It Go Round In Circles?,
Burlap Sack and Pumps**, Tops Off**, Sunday Morning**, Mellow Mood, Aqui
Como Alla
 
2: First Tube, Push on 'til the Day>>Tube Top Wobble, Drifiting, Windora
Bug, Sand>>I Want To Take You Higher, Last Tube
 
E: At The Gazebo
 
 There is so much to say about the sunday show at the Fox  that I don't
want to leave anything out.  First off, I've been to Atlanta numerous
times to see phish (I've seen them more at Lakewood than any other
venue), but I've never been there in the winter.  The freezing wind
chill outside was a sharp contrast to the blistering heat of Lakewood
summer shows.  It was strange to me to be walking in downtown Hotlanta
on a wintery day, but it did not deter the crowd at all for what was
thought to be the final show.  There was alot of activity in the street
and the lots surrounding the venue.  Hordes of ticketless people were
everywhere.
  As my friend and I approached the door 5 minutes before they opened
(it was freezing out and we were ready to head in) we noticed signs
posted everywhere about a second show added on Monday night.  Tickets
went onsale at midnight after this show only at the box office.  This
was much to my dismay, as I had to be at work in Memphis, TN around 1:00
PM on monday.  My friend was in the same predicament.  We talked about
skipping work, but decided it would be better to just head back to
memphis and go to work, then risk getting fired over a show.  We
couldn't catch the final show, which sucked, but we sucked it up, and
headed in to boogie down like we never would get a chance to see Trey
ever again.
   Going into the venue I was absolutely stunned at how incredibly
FABULOUS this place was.  Every square inch was decorated with expensive
and elaborate fixtures, structures, and paintings.  The bathrooms, the
lounges outside the bathrooms, the bar areas, the stairwells, most
everything was elaborately decorated.  The whole place carried a theme
of castle-like and medieval structures on the walls and reaching up to
the ceiling.  The Bathrooms seemed to carry an Egyptian Theme.  As you
entered the theater, the castle like structures continued, and ran up
the left and right walls.  Overhead was this huge wooden covering that
reached out about halfway across the ceiling from the back of the
theater.  The part of the Ceiling that was visible (between the Stage
and the This massive overhead covering) had all kinds of little lights
on it that were in the forms of real constellations!!  The place blew me
away, and I can only say that this theater MUST BE SEEN TO BE BELIEVED!
   I was definitely in a state of Euphoria in the moments before the
lights went down.  Then, darkness....
 Trey and his band come out and after a few moments pause...
 
Strawberry Fields Forever - Fuck Yea!  SSSAAAWWEEEEEEETT!!!  I didn't
see the setlist from SC, so this was an HUGE SURPRISE!  Trey was a
little shaky on the vocals for a line or two, but he pretty much nailed
it, imo.  The end jam lasted about 8 minutes or so and was very Trancy
and Groovy in nature.  Trey didn't take too many long notes in his solo
and there was alot of Space in the groove. The horns weren't active at
all for this song, and Mr. Andy Moroz had a Keyboard on stage for this
song only.  It  had some great notes from Trey and a nice little jam
that eventually just dwindled into nothingness.... Then Bam
 
Mozambique - WOW!  This song left us in 1999 after the Phish show In New
Orleans (which I attended) and that version featured Michael Ray and Tim
Greene on Trumpet and Sax, respectively.  I think Trey dropped it after
that because that Version in New Orleans was SO HOT, that he must have
realized this is a song that SCREAMS FOR HORNS!  Check out that new
orleans version (9/26/99), it was INCREDIBLE!  I also had seen this song
with Trey in St. Louis in May of 99,  but this version in 2001 blew BOTH
OF THEM AWAY!  "THE TRUTH" MADE THIS SONG!!  He really took the solo on
it during the jam section, and the horns in general allowed Trey really
just to groove on the hard chordal rhythm of the song.    It was really,
REALLY tight and powerful, and just a great number to boogie down to.
 
Will It Go Round In Circles - This song sounds much more beefed up with
the horns compared to 99 Trey Versions.  Trey ripped this one apart!! I
was sitting in the second row of the balcony, and the balcony was
rocking back and forth like a boat because of all the people grooving so
hard!  THE ENERGY IN THE ROOM AT THIS POINT WAS PHENOMENAL, BETWEEN THE
CROWD AND TREY THE GROOVE COULD BE FELT FROM WALL TO WALL!!
 
Burlap Sack and Pumps - Funky New Tune that's been played at nearly
every show.  Thanks to the wonder of the digital/interntet/mp3 age I was
able to score 2 MP3s of Trey shows, Syracuse and Roseland, so I could
familiarize myself with the new material before I went to Atlanta. This
tune was great, and had a special guest, Joseph Somerville, on Trumpet.
The horns really dominated this funky groove with Trey relishing in "The
Truth's" truth!!  Somerville had a great solo, and Grippo was just
laughing and dancing while the big black man screamed on his trumpet.
Very funky little tune that will never see a phish stage, unless the GCH
(or any horns) play with them again.
 
Tops Off - I missed this song on the 99 Trey Tour.  It's a great little
blues tune that gets deeper into it's groove as the song progresses.
This sounded much more polished than 99 versions and Trey has started
shouting "Tops Off!" at the appropriate time (in 99 it was played
instrumental).
Great version.  Very Solid show to this point.
 
Sunday Morning - I was familiar with this tune as well.  I had read on
some setlist somewhere that this was a motown cover.  Now I've come to
learn that this is a Trey original.  I think I like the Idea of this
being a motown cover better.  It's a good song, but it's just too pretty
to be a Trey song.  It's really cheesy and loaded with Cliche's in it's
lyrics.  Though I will admit, I do like it.  I just don't like the Idea
of Trey writing these types of songs.   It's a nice little tune, but I
hope phish doesn't do this one too much.  At the end of the song Trey
altered the lyrics... "Now Jen's gonna do it to you," and Jennifer took
a solo.  Then Trey says "Jen just did it to you, but the song just
couldn't be through, until Tony does it to you," and Tony took a solo.
It made the song different and better than the mp3's I had heard.
 
Mellow Mood - Hell Yea!  Such a great tune!  I didn't see this on
Phish's fall tour, so when I saw that Trey was playing it on this tour,
it became THE SONG I wanted to see in Atlanta!  I was Very Stoked they
played it!  It was played a little faster than the Roseland and Syracuse
versions, though slower than any of the 4 phish versions!  Mellow Mood
Filled The Fox!!  The horns walked off for this one, excpet for
Jennifer, who was singin back-up.
 
Aqui Coma Alla - Another song I missed on Trey's 99 tour.  Very well
done here.  Trey just noodling in that groove!   It was long and Nobody
missed a beat! Just Trey, Tony and Russ for this one.
 
And that was set 1.  I have to tell you, sitting there at setbreak, I
was VERY IMPRESSED at how polished this band was!  This was not the band
I saw in 99, and they sounded Much improved from the Syracuse and
Roseland shows I had heard.  They were ON for the whole set, and the
funk and solidness of the groove just filled the fox for 70 straight
minutes!   This was a Great set!  And now  I had to go down to the bar
for a drink and to relax.  Oh yea, did I mention that the Fox has
several full Service bars!!!!!!!
 
So after I got my drink, and met with some friends at the bar, my
friend, Brandon, and I went back to our setats started talking about
songs we wanted to hear.  I named 4 - Push On Til The Day, Drifting,
Sand and First Tube....  then, darkness...
 
 
First Tube - HOLY MARY MOTHER OF GOD!  IN MY 34 SHOWS WITH TREY
ANASTASIO, I HAVE NEVER, EVER, EVER SEEN HIM FILL A SONG WITH SO MUCH
EXPLOSIVE ENERGY!!!!  I've seen this song 6 times (twice with trey, 4
with Phish) and this was BY FAR THE BEST, MOST ENERGETIC, HARDEST
PEAKING VERSION  I HAVE EVER HEARD OR SEEN!!!  IT WAS MY FAVORITE MOMENT
OF THE SHOW!!!  TREY AND THE ENTIRE CROWD ALONG WITH HIM WERE JUMPING UP
AND DOWN WITH ENERGY!!  IT REACHED AN UNBELIEVABLE PEAK AND JUST KEPT
PEAKING FOR AT LEAST 2 OR 3 MINUTES!!
 
Push On til The Day>> - Yes! I loved this song on Conan just a week
prior, and the mp3's I had heard just made me like it even more.  This
is such a great song!  It's very groove-oriented, It's got a few nice
changes, It's got great funky lyrics, and It has a great solo from Trey
which leads into a Jam section.  What else could you ask for in a Phish
song?? (and I say Phish song, b/c there is no doubt in my mind that this
will become one).  Trey nailed the lyrics (unlike Syracuse and Conan),
and the jam was nice!  it wasn't too long, but his solo is so happy and
full of energy that you can't help but dance to this tune!  I love how
it just drops into
 
Tube Top Wobble -  This tune isn't too improvisationally oriented, imo.
I say that b/c there isn't much space for them to jam.  It's a great
little instrumental though, and maybe if phish takes it over, Mr. Gordon
and Mr. McConnell will turn this into a tour-de-force?!?!
 
Drifting -  When this kicked in, I leaned over to my friend and said
"Hell yea, dude, this is everything I wanted to hear!" (minus Sand, but
that was coming).  I LOVE THIS SONG!  It was especially cool to hear
Trey Say "we go the moon and stars above" and when you looked up to the
ceiling, there were the stars above!!   Trey and the entire band really
grooved on this.  There was alot of interaction between everyone, and
the jam lasted a good while!  This is another phish song, at least I
hope!!!
 
Windora Bug - Yet another tune I missed on The 99 Trey tour and 2001
phish fall tour.  I've heard some dissent among phans about this tune,
but I love it!  You can't beat the reggae groove, and Tony Markellis
getting all crazy with the lyrics!!  Some people hate the keyboard
ambience that Trey gets into here and other places, but I like it.  I
think onstage he just wants to be really prolific, and I'd rather see
him be prolific with that keyboard then with his drumkit/(jamkiller).
Great Tune! nice Treat for me!
 
Sand>> - Here we go.  This was it!  The groove of the show!  I just have
to say, that I like this song better with Trey's band.  Now don't get me
wrong, It's great with phish, and I still want to hear them play it.
But there was something about the 99 Trey Sand's that were just so raw.
The hard thundering bass and drums just digging harder into the groove
as Trey just rips and rips and rips.  Sand's with Phish tend to get a
little more spacy and less thundering in their groove,  The sands on the
2001 Trey tour were just so Powerful!  The HORNS ADDED SO MUCH!!  And
Trey just tore it apart at nearly every show!  20 minute sands were
played at nearly every show!!  This one got really Raging and Trey was
explosive with his solo, then in the middle of this huge jam, he walks
over to Russ and BAM they are playing
 
I want To Take you Higher - Great Segue!!  Huge jam, then Bam, new
song!  Sly and the Family Stone!!  Hartswick and Markelliss switched off
on Vocals and Trey tore into it near the end!  Funky as all hell!
 
Last Tube - Well, we've come full Circle, from First Tube to Last Tube.
I had seen this in 99 with Trey also, and this was SO MUCH BETTER!  The
horns all soloed, and Trey soloed as well.  It featured a band
introduction by Tony and when he got to Dave Grippo, the crowd started
screaming "TRUTH!" and he said, "I want you to know that spelled with an
F"  and the crowd continued screaming "TRUFE!"  Then he got To Trey and
the crowd errupted, and Tony said "this man is just a ball of energy,
and my favorite musician!"  That was such a good way to describe him!!
Then finally he said that they just were having so much fun that they
didn't want to stop, so they added a second show, and tickets go onsale
at midnight.  Then he said "those of you who traveled great distances to
see us, drive safely and be careful!"  He said something similar to this
at the St. Louis 99 show, and it just put a smile on my face, b/c you
don't get that kind of acknowledgement with phish, it's just kind of
understood.  It feels good to hear it though!
 
Encore: At The Gazebo - I don't really care for this tune.  It's a quiet
little piece, but it's not a stand alone encore.  It kind of left a bad
taste in mouth, because it really cried for a second song, imo!  It
wasn't a great way to close this GREAT SHOW!  But such is life.
 
If Trey ever does this lineup again, CATCH IT!  IT'S A BREATH OF FRESH
AIR, AND A SOLID FUNK-GROOVE!
 
til the next tour,
 
peace kids!
 
Justin from Memphish
 
[email protected]

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