Colors swarm around due to the contentious flashing lights while the ambient jam ever so often turns into organized chaos. The entire venue is jumping around like hungry animals craving more, stinking of patchouli with hair flying everywhere.
This is a description of a happening that will not occur again until the end of 2001 or longer because Phish has decided to take their first extended hiatus in 17 years and have not yet set a date to return. But for those “phans” that cannot live without their scene, you have a slim opportunity to follow the 10-show solo tour of Phish’s lead guitarist and vocalist Trey Anastasio.
The only Ohio stop was the fifth show of the tour at the State Theatre at Playhouse Square in Cleveland on Feb. 26.
The streets of downtown Cleveland became more and more cluttered with long-haired kids selling their crafts as one moved closer to the venue. This is no coincidence. Most likely, this is the first time the State Theatre had such a pungent and original scent coming from the lobby. The remnants of the dirty, oily odor leaked outside the lobby, which was overflowing with kids in patchworked pants.
The crowd’s energy was evident to all. The excitement built as crowd waited anxiously for the band to appear for 25 minutes after the scheduled start time. When the band finally took the stage and the lights went down, crazed fans began to rush the stage.
The band consists of Anastasio on lead guitar, bassist Tony Markellis and drummer Russ Lawton, who both previously toured with Trey, as well as trumpeter Jennifer Hartswick, trombonist Andy Moroz and saxophonist David “The Truth” Grippo, who are all new additions to this tour. Both Hartswick and Moroz played on Phish’s studio album “Farmhouse.”
The stage crew was polite and directed people in the aisles to their seats, but became less and less insistent as the show progressed and by mid-second set, one could stand wherever they could get to. The band almost seemed to thrive off this commotion created by the crowd, much like Phish does, but do not be confused this band is NOT Phish!
The band does play some Phish songs, but only one of the four members of Phish is on this tour on a regular basis. The band doesn’t click together as if they have been together for 17 years and show some inexperience by comparison. Fans who are looking for Phish should look elsewhere.
One who is looking for a musical stew with a Latin, reggae, jazzy, energetic feel would enjoy this show very much. Many songs from the first set like “Acting the Devil” and “Aqui Como Alla” had an immense Latin feel as well as the Phish song “First Tube,” which many critics have said sounds better with the addition of horns.
All these songs carried a tremendous amount of vigor but it wasn’t until Anastasio sat down by himself to do a few acoustic songs that the crowd was fully engulfed by his musical genius. The first song was new titled “Waves,” which came with an unfinished story because the crowd was too excited to listen. The second song was an old Phish favorite titled “Bathtub Gin.” The audience participated during the whistling section of the song.
After the song ended, Anastasio brought out the band and gave a short speech were he said, “I don’t want to sound rock’n’roll cliché, but I just love playing in Cleveland. And that’s the beauty of this Napster thing and the tapes you guys collect, because you know that I don’t just go around saying that.”
Anastasio continued by introducing another new song, “At the Gazebo,” which is the second supplement to the song “At the Barbeque.” Since Anastasio seemed to be in such a good mood he decided to play both the new song and its predecessor. The first set ended after “Will it Go Round in Circles.” The total time of the first set was 75 minutes.
The second set began where the first left off. The opening song, “(Come on Baby) Lets Go Downtown,” immediately got the entire crowd grooving and excited for the remainder of the show. The next song, a Stevie Wonder cover, “Signed Sealed Delivered I’m Yours,” set the theater off. Everyone that was not already standing or jumping around started to during that song and the commotion carried the crowd the rest of the night.
The remainder of the set had a few more of Anastasio’s original songs, including “Sunday Morning” and “Nothing But an E Thing,” which showcased all aspects of the band, especially the horns. The originals were entangled with a few more Phish songs, including “Sand” and “Gotta Jibboo.”
The second set highlight came during “Windora Bug”, which was initially played by Anastasio on his first solo tour but has also been played by Phish. Around the midpoint of this 10 minute reggae influenced jam, the sound and lights became very spacey and a hush came over the crowd. However, a handful in the audience were unruly.
The crowd began shhh-ing those talking so they would be quiet. The shhh-ing began to echo around the entire theatre. Anastasio picked up on the sound and began mocking it with his voice and synthesizer while matching the movement of the lights.
The encore for the evening was “Mellow Mood” by Bob Marley, which was a fitting end for a great show. While it was definitely not Phish that played in Cleveland last Monday, the crowd loved every minute and was left wanting more when the band departed the stage for a final time.
Check out www.thelantern.com to hear the majority of the show mentioned.
