Trey Anastasio Band at Vertex Festival [Review]
TAB goes old-school at inaugural Colorado festival
By Eric Frank
August 1, 2016
On Sunday, August 1 2016, Trey Anastasio brought his band to the inaugural Vertex Festival in Buena Vista, CO. A serene landscape played host to many notable acts, including Odesza, Alabama Shakes, Lettuce, The Claypool/Lennon Delirium, and of course, Trey Anastasio Band.
Now I may be a little biased in composing this review. I'm a long-time Phish fan whose relationship with live TAB goes back even further. Phish phans can, however, sometimes be overly critical of the band's live performances—sometimes to a fault. That said, I can honestly say that this was an all around great performance. The return of Cyro Baptista on percussion and Jeff Cressman brought a mostly old-school TAB set, with songs like “First Tube,” “Cayman Review,” “Money Love & Change,” “ Drifting,” “Simple Twist Up Dave” .... well, you get the idea.
SET I
"First Tube" was a rowdy opener and immediately, one could see that Trey was visibly excited. A solid "Cayman Review" followed by Bob Marley's "Soul Rebel" offered a nice one-two punch that featured a very competent solo from Natalie "Chainsaw" Cressman. At this point, Trey introduced the return of Natalie's father, Jeff Cressman, and joked about Jen Hartswick being in a “Cressman sandwich.” This prompted another Chainsaw- heavy tune, "Mozambique," which was expertly played.
"Money, Love and Change" would come next and easily embodied the hardest jam of the night so far. Trey was firing on all cylinders and the crowd matched his enthusiasm.
A beautiful "Drifting" calmed things down and reminded me of why this song has long been a TAB favorite for me. But the respite was short-lived as the moment demanded another energetic surge. Enter "Burlap Sack and Pumps," a heavily driving tune where keyboardist Ray Paczkowski emerged as the preeminent soloist, but seemed spearheaded by Trey's dissonant and demented chords. The combination birthed an exemplary jam in darkness and dissonance, albeit delivered rather succinctly.
Chainsaw got some more love with "1977" and the audience gobbled up every second of it. "Valentine" came as the first newer TAB tune of the set and was ultimately well-received (although a few blasé groans could be heard at the onset). "Dark & Down" was sheer nastiness with Trey showcasing his dirtiest tones. The horn section would leave the stage for the jam, allowing Trey to dig halfway to China. His rage-faces during this tune were perhaps raunchier than I've ever witnessed.
Next was a very welcomed "Sand." This jam saw some heavy improvisation that culminated in a beautiful and perfectly punctuated climax. Closing out the set was a high-energy "Tuesday" which brought huge smiles from the band and straight onto the audience's collective face. Trey was absolutely giddy by the end of the tune.
Great photo, eh?
SET II
As lightning flashed in the distance, the crowd wondered about the second set... will it downpour, or is the rain isolated in a tight pocket, never to spill onto the inaugural Vertex Festival? A light sprinkle was all that ever fell, and the aforementioned tight pocket coalesced with the band rather than the weather. A slightly shaky beginning to "Curlew's Call" found its groove and from then on, the band never strayed. A playful "Gotta Jibbo" saw Trey teasing the ladies of the band with some alternate chords, which brought audible laughter. This jam too would get down and dirty, again showcasing Trey's best John Scofield impersonation of facial contortions.
A VERY tight "Magilla" followed, one which saw Trey hitting rhythmic accents in perfect unison with the rhythm section. A fist-pump from Trey at the end meant the band nailed it. Next came a well-placed and slightly down-tempo "Alaska" (at least, compared to the Phish version). A sturdy jam featuring plenty of The Milkman ensued and wonderfully prepped us for...
"Simple Twist Up Dave". HOLY SHIT. I don't exactly know how to describe the energy of this one. My notes simply read, "FIRE". I recall an increasingly up-tempo jam that again, got pretty dark—definitely nasty—and featured a seemingly endless build that eventually climaxed into a rolling boil until it spewed itself over the crowd. Hands were raised, feet left the ground, lights flashed and Trey just kept BUILDING!! If this show is in circulation, be sure to give this STUD a listen.
Next came some fun for percussionist Cyro Baptista as he showcased a wide variety of (sometimes comical) percussion instruments. This lead into "Plasma,” the eerie and sometimes ominous march that reminds us that "you always end up where you start."
"Shine" is a fun tune and is most often received well. The harmonies between Trey and the girls is beautiful—and they know it. The Gorillaz cover, "Clint Eastwood" was the first true spotlight for Jen Hartswick and, per usual, she absolutely nails it. The perfect closer that is "Push On 'till the Day" closed the set. A flawless rendition saw tight execution of the composed section and an energetic jam. One would never know that this lineup hasn't played together in a while...
Encore: "Show of Life" was a welcome treat for me as I've never seen TAB perform this increasingly popular closer. Buzz began, however... "Would this be the period to a show that deserved an exclamation point?!" The answer, of course, was “Hell no!”
A killer "Dazed and Confused" was that exclamation point, and what an exclamation point it was! Jen absolutely crushed it as the band summoned their innermost Zeppelin.
All in all, a fantastic TAB show. One of the best I've seen in years. Give it a listen, if possible. That being said...
DOES ANYBODY HAVE A RECORDING OF THIS TAB SHOW?!
If you do, please leave a link in the comments.