Trey Anastasio Band’s Saturday night show from The Palace Theatre in Albany, NY is now available for download at LivePhish.com. The show features a solo acoustic first set full of Phish classics and a fiery full band electric second set, including a new cover of the Gorillaz “Clint Eastwood” and a re-worked horn-driven arrangement of Phish’s “Ocelot”. You can download the show now at LivePhish.com.

Check out the photos from Worcester and MSG below the review

Phish :: 12.31.10 :: Madison Square Garden :: New York, NY

Used with permission from Phish. Photo by Dave Vann Phish 2010

Getting to New York’s Madison Square Garden for Phish‘s New Year’s run was a
cakewalk compared to the blizzard
conditions that had universally complicated travel plans earlier in the week in Worcester. Outside the hallowed
venue, hundreds
of hopeful, ticketless souls wandered the tightly packed blocks of midtown Manhattan. Inside MSG, site of so many
notable moments in this band’s history, Phish closed the year in which they
truly
returned to form with three focused, sharp sets that were also not short on collective improvisation.

The first half of the first set was a perfectly paced party that also included its share of surprises. Punch You in the
Eye and AC/DC Bag, despite being two of the oldest and most frequently played staples in the Phish repertoire,
were played with real commitment by the whole band. Trey particularly zeroed in on the climax of the
latter
tune. As AC/DC Bag concluded with its upwardly spiraling fade out, the mid tempo funk of Moma Dance
emerged and quickly became the song when the band and audience truly relaxed into the set, the evening, and
perhaps the reality of another passing year. The clip of the infrequently played Scent of a Mule took the energy up
a notch, and was spot on throughout, including the tricky to navigate transitions from the klezmer jam back to the
bluegrass outro. And, as someone who won’t shy away from saying that Phish sometimes has an uphill climb with
accurate vocal harmonies, Mule was quite well sung.

The rest of the first set was a pleasantly mixed bag of debuts (the instantly likable shuffle of Phish’s next FM chance,
Burn that Bridge), classic staples from the near-yet-far era of the mid nighties (Weigh and Beauty of my
Dreams) and the downright unfamiliar (Gone, the obscure track from Party Time, that in my opinion may
have
been this set’s only misstep, inserting a pensive, tentative note into an otherwise celebratory collection of tunes).
Rock n’ Roll closed out the early set with a textbook jam that demonstrated Trey’s newfound climax-building
concision, a distillation of years of experience in the rarified field of jam artistry.

After a relatively short break, the band returned and burned through a non-stop second set that never let up in
intensity. Trey’s recent, more aggressive distortion tone led the charge on Wilson and a searing, Zappa-
fied 46
Days. The whole band appeared recharged for this set and ready to lay down some serious psychedelic prog-funk.
As Sand opened up into a weave of pointed staccato accents, the room exploded and the evening’s promise began
to truly come to fruition. In a year of many versions of Down with Disease, this outing delivered with both heroic,
major key riffage and twisted excursions into darkness. Ghost was also well balanced between its creepy funk
verses and a long, lighthearted major I-IV section. On a dime, the band collectively began to slow down until Trey
counted off a wonderfully executed You Enjoy Myself that included full blown Manteca choruses interspersed in
the jam, the bass solo, and in the final vocal improv that closed out the set. I think it’s safe to say the folks who
have dutifully carried around that Manteca banner all year were feeling pretty good right about now.

src="http://images.jambase.com/features/newswire/phishdancers.JPG">Used with permission from Phish. Photo by Dave Vann Phish 2010

Meatstick ambled to life to open the New Year’s set and at first didn’t even hint at the 19 minute spectacle that was
to follow. After the Japanese lyrics, a quartet of men dressed in traditional African garb entered stage right and sang
a few choruses, followed by a Mariachi band stage left, followed by an increasingly diverse collection of cultural
representatives all dressed in traditional outfits. Around this time, either a pre-recorded version of Meatstick
began playing or the front of house engineer had live-looped eight bars of the tune. Either way, the band was
subtley ushered off stage while the 50+ ensemble of dancers and singers went through a tightly choreographed
Broadway-style routine in the front of the stage and on risers behind the amps. Then the loop stopped, and the
company sang Meatstick in a chromatically ascending pattern until Phish emerged in the Hot Dog from New Year’s
past! Thousands of hot dog colored (and shaped) balloons began falling as the band, all smiles, traversed the
rooftop of the arena tossing foam wieners down on the crowd. Eventually landing on the stage, the band seamlessly
continued the tune until the countdown. A brief but incendiary After Midnight followed and served as the bridge
into the rest of the first set of 2011.

The whole band outdid themselves on the version of Backwards Down the Number Line that followed. This was a
valentine to the crowd, managing to simultaneously channel both a heart-tugging poignancy and a ferocious energy.
The same could be said of Waste, which induced memories of the many years and hundreds of shows many in
attendance had experienced together. Trey wove knots of Leslie-drenched notes at the song’s conclusion, and
eventually fell into a long, patient Slave to the Traffic Light. The band gathered at the front of the stage for the
absurd barbershop of Grind, and closed out a well considered and appropriately high energy show with First
Tube. Though for the first time in the band’s history they and many in the room would be returning the following
night for another show, this set felt like the exclamation point it was meant to be — a remarkable year for a band
whose diverse history is already marked with many.

All setlist information from Phish.net

Monday :: 12.27.2010 :: DCU Center :: Worcester, MA
I: Sample in a Jar, Funky Bitch, Cool It Down, Roggae, Heavy Things, What Things Seem, Roses Are Free >
It’s Ice, Mountains in the Mist, Julius

II: Mike’s Song > Mound, Weekapaug Groove, Farmhouse, Seven Below > What’s the Use? > Twenty Years
Later, Wading in the Velvet Sea, Possum > Cavern > David Bowie

E: Loving Cup

Notes: The end of Cavern was changed to “take care of your boots.”
Live Phish Download

Tuesday :: 12.28.2010 :: DCU Center :: Worcester, MA
I: Kill Devil Falls, My Mind’s Got a Mind of its Own, Alaska, She Caught the Katy and Left Me a Mule to Ride,
Wolfman’s Brother, Pigtail, Stash, Bouncing Around the Room > Rift, Stealing Time From the Faulty Plan, The
Birdwatcher
II: Carini > Backwards Down the Number Line > Back on the Train -> Limb By Limb > The Wedge >
Frankie Says > Albuquerque, Harry Hood > Bug
E: Shine a Light
Notes: She Caught the Katy was last performed on July 21, 1998 (323 shows). Trey used a device that
played Sarah Palin quotes during Alaska and after the debut of Pigtail. This show also featured the Phish debut of
Birdwatcher. Back on the Train featured a Streets of Cairo tease from Trey.
Live Phish Download

Thursday :: 12.30.2010 :: Madison Square Garden :: New York, NY
I: Cities, Chalk Dust Torture, Gumbo > Quinn the Eskimo, Halley’s Comet > Camel Walk, Maze, Driver,
Bathtub Gin, Fat Man in the Bathtub, Timber (Jerry) > Golgi Apparatus, Character Zero
II: Tweezer > Light > Theme From the Bottom -> My Friend, My Friend > Axilla, Fluffhead, Boogie On
Reggae Woman -> Also Sprach Zarathustra > Suzy Greenberg
E: Run Like an Antelope > Tweezer Reprise
Notes: The P.A. cut out during Camel Walk. My Friend did not contain the “Myfe” ending.
Live Phish Download

Friday :: 12.31.2010 :: Madison Square Garden :: New York, NY

I: Punch You In the Eye > AC/DC Bag > The Moma Dance > Scent of a Mule, Burn that Bridge, Weigh >
Ocelot, Beauty of My Dreams, Gone, Rock and Roll
II: Wilson > 46 Days, Sand, NICU > Down with Disease > Ghost, You Enjoy Myself -> Manteca -> You
Enjoy Myself
III: Meatstick, Auld Lang Syne, After Midnight, Backwards Down the Number Line > Piper > Free, Waste >
Slave to the Traffic Light, Grind

E: First Tube

Notes: This show featured the Phish debut of Burn That Bridge. Ocelot, NICU and First Tube contained
Auld Lang Syne teases. Beauty of My Dreams was played for the first time since July 22, 2003 (133 shows). Manteca
was played for the first time since October 30, 1998 (301 shows) and the ensuing YEM vocal jam contained Manteca
quotes. Before midnight, several groups of multiethnic dancers appeared on stage and sang the Meatstick lyrics in
their respective languages. The band joined the dancers and then stealthily disappeared from the stage, only to
reappear at the other side of the arena in the giant hotdog from past NYE shows (’94 and ’99). As a result, portions
of the Meatstick were pre-recorded. Appropriately, the post-show music was Captain Beefheart’s Tropical Hot Dog
Night.
Live Phish Download

Saturday :: 01.01.2011 :: Madison Square Garden :: New York, NY
I: My Soul, Tube > Runaway Jim > Foam, Guelah Papyrus > The Divided Sky, Round Room > Walk Away >
Gotta Jibboo > Reba, Walls of the Cave

II: Crosseyed and Painless > Twist > Simple, Sneakin’ Sally through the Alley > Makisupa Policeman ->
David Bowie

E: Fee, Frankenstein

Notes: Round Room was played for the first time since July 13, 2003 (140 shows). Twist contained
Manteca quotes from Trey. Makispua included the lyrics “I went home late last night after doing the New Year’s
stunt, I laid back on my couch and rolled myself a blunt” and also featured a “kick drum solo.” Frankenstein featured
Page on keytar.
Live Phish Download

12/27/10 – 1/1/11 – Phish @ DCU Center
(Worcester, MA) & Madison Square Garden (New York, NY) View
Photos

Phish Tour Dates
:: Phish News ::
Phish Concert
Reviews

Phish :: 10.29.10-10.31.10 :: Atlantic City Boardwalk Hall :: Atlantic City, NJ

Pop over here to see the full gallery of pictures from the Halloween run!

Like a whirlwind of ocean and sand, the tidal wave that is Phish 3.0 stormed into Atlantic City for a Halloween weekend to close their fall tour. Halloween runs are always an event for the band and its minions; this would be no different as the boys gave new definition to “Boardwalk Empire.” Phans descended on the nearly century old Jersey Shore landmark, funneling a much needed boost to the off-season economy of this blue-collar destination while also taking full advantage of its 24 hour playground. The hotels, casinos and nightclubs were crawling at all hours with revelers, costumed and imbibed like only we do.

Friday, October 29

Photo by Dave Vann Phish 2010

An elated, palpable excitement permeated the salty ocean air as people filed in for the first gig. Though a sea of heads clogged the boardwalk outside the venue all three nights, the stately hall slowly filled as tickets were hard to even give away Friday. Yet once the band lined up for a barbershop quartet “Star Spangled Banner,” everything was set in place for an blockbuster weekend.

The first set of music started out innocently enough, brevity and excitability contained within spirited takes. “Light Up or Leave Me Alone” shifted gears quickly, a sonic foreshadowing of treats to come, Page’s gleeful verses and choice Fender Rhodes Winwood-isms sparking the twilight. The second portion of the first frame sought to harness the frenetic energy within the room. “Timber Ho,” “Axilla” and “Rift” saw Trey Anastasio charging with fierce Languedoc tones, leading the tightly wound troupe into proper funk. “The Moma Dance > Cities > 46 Days” only served to up the ante, low-rider, uptempo cow-funk giving way to raging arena rock bombast, a collective effort in spades. The first set displayed command of some of their dramatic yet cohesive amalgams of style and substance.

Friday’s second set saw more sonic diversity, showcased by the devastating “Sand > Carini.” If the stutter-step crunk of 3.0′s “Sand” is criminology, then this is Exhibit A. The intoxicating dance riddims and sensual aural layers detonated an aggressive, steppin’ groove. Trey juxtaposed a forceful metallic vengeance – a “Carini” segue wrought with rampant redhead riffage as Cactus digi-bombs bludgeoned and shared descending insanity culminating in a clav-drenched milieu.

To steer into port, the boys demonstrated distinct intent with a masterful tandem of “Slave” and “Fluffhead.” The former was a beacon of 3.0 reinvention, blissed-out and ethereal in flight, its emotional command tangible. “Fluffhead” was a love letter from the boys, signed, sealed and deliberate, as was the atypically tipsy “Loving Cup” that kissed us off into the windswept midnight Jersey shore.

Friday Setlist
Set 1: The Star Spangled Banner, My Soul, AC/DC Bag, Ocelot, Sample in a Jar, Light Up Or Leave Me Alone, Sugar Shack, Timber (Jerry) > Bouncing Around the Room, Axilla > Rift, The Moma Dance > Cities > 46 Days
Set 2: Punch You In the Eye > Sand -> Carini > Prince Caspian, Corinna, Piper > Theme From the Bottom > Golgi Apparatus > Slave to the Traffic Light > Fluffhead
E: Loving Cup

Order the show for Download on LivePhish.com

Saturday, October 30

Photo by Dave Vann Phish 2010

Despite the typically great opening night, nobody could have dreamt the magic of the penultimate show Saturday night. After a soundcheck filled with their songs and a heavy-traction rumor that picked up steam, “Zeppelin” was on the tips of many tongues. On this marvelous evening, Boardwalk Hall would be adrift, a Mischief Night passage to a haunted house of the holy.

The punked-up bluster of “Cavern” announced an early fever, a tightly wound “Guelah Papyrus” scorched with concision. As the band careened skyward during “Chalkdust’s” fierce jam, Trey and Mike hijacked the vehicle with a potent “Whole Lotta Love” riff and the boys initiated a weighty liftoff. The ‘trick’ was unveiled with this vigorous verse, only this was a mission not a small time thing. A crunk detour in “Ha Ha Ha” and an anthemic “Walk Away” marched to an uber-funky Wolfman’s.” Toward the end of this boogie hustle, a peculiar vocal jam began bleeding into focused, mathematical cyber-funk sonic malevolence. This wicked display piloted into a phenomenal take on “Undermind.” With such first class Phish on display throughout the first frame, unmitigated bliss permeated the setbreak, and it seemed the band was keen to treat fans maybe not blessed with a Halloween ticket to their own magic carpet ride on this chilly Saturday night.

A second frame opening “Tube” was a proper funk workout, a lesson in premeditated groove science, but it was the open-ended “Tweezer” that set the room ablaze with an endless spate of getting the Led out. Portions of “Heartbreaker,” “Ramble On” and the exquisite “Thank You” were all stuffed inside the Zepplified “Tweezer,” only to cap the madness with an emotive rendering of “Stairway to Heaven’s” final coda, complete with Robert Plant-ish crooning and proper Jimmy Page-like wailing.

Lighting director Chris Kuroda was locked and loaded in furthering this mission, and per usual his accompaniment was indescribable visual delight. Phish fulfilled the Zeppelin rumor by bringing it to fruition – Halloween delivered early-style with gusto. The room was still reeling as “2001″ announced more funk ferocity, the band one nation under a groove, a collective in the zone, rolling into a magnificent “Bowie.” In suitable fashion, the evasive “Sleeping Monkey” settled back down to earth, with a colossal “Tweeprise” the exclamation point on a ridiculous penultimate journey.

Saturday Setlist
Set 1: Kill Devil Falls, Cavern > Foam, Guelah Papyrus, Chalk Dust Torture > Whole Lotta Love > Chalk Dust Torture, Ha Ha Ha, Walk Away, Wolfman’s Brother > Undermind > Bathtub Gin, The Squirming Coil
Set 2: Tube > Possum > Tweezer > Heartbreaker > Ramble On > Thank You -> Tweezer > Stairway to Heaven, Halley’s Comet > Also Sprach Zarathustra > David Bowie, Show of Life, Backwards Down the Number Line > Good Times Bad Times
E: Sleeping Monkey > Tweezer Reprise

Order the show for Download on LivePhish.com

Sunday, October 31st

Photo by Dave Vann Phish 2010

After arriving and receiving the welcome news (via the PhishBill) that the musical costume was Little Feat’s 1978 live album Waiting for Columbus, the anticipation was bountiful. Boardwalk Hall was levitating as, appropriately, Page McConnell’s keytar-led “Frankenstein” ushered in the final excursion. Halloween had arrived and the natives were restless. Costumes were plentiful and more than creative, the sold-out AC massive quaking in its boots. After the astonishing Saturday show, the bar was more than raised for the last gig of the tour. An early and snaking “Ghost” traversed slowed-funk riddims as Trey unveiled “Spooky” to fit the premise. “Divided Sky,” “Roses are Free” and “Boogie On Reggae Woman” also brought the goods. This particular trifecta was intricately woven, disparate in design yet similarly methodical – wide-ranging, cohesive jamming, all strikingly diverse intentions extremely well executed. Surprisingly, it was the dark, foreboding jam tucked within “Stash” that not only illuminated the night’s haunted aura, but most defined the limitless potential of a reinvigorated foursome.

I would like to add to the chorus of applause for this musical costume. Little Feat’s seminal double live record, recorded in London and Washington D.C. in 1977 was a perfect marriage of styles, song craft and spirit for Phish to tackle. Augmented by a five-piece horn section consisting of Aaron Johnson, Stuart Bogie, Ian Hendrickson, Michael Leonhart and Eric Biondo for several tunes, the band was ably assisted by Giovanni Hidalgo on percussion for nearly the entire set. From the opening “Fat Man in a Bathtub,” the vibe peaked with a strong, emotional expedition through this great record. Highlights speckled the whole frame, and included the Cajun-fonky “Oh Atlanta” and the familiar “Time Loves a Hero” and “Dixie Chicken”.

However the strongest for this writer was the excruciatingly dirty swank of “Spanish Moon.” Fish carried a drunken funk swagger while Hidalgo mixed it up in the space between as Gordon laid down merciless grooves, half steppin’ along as they let the horns blow. Later, “Willin’” simply wowed; masterfully introduced by Mike Gordon’s sublime piano and expressively crooned by Fishman in full frontman mode. The band in full even took a victory lap around the arena wearing shit-eating grins. From start to finish Waiting for Columbus was an absolutely ideal collection of songs and jams that was expertly executed by Phish with extraordinary accompaniment.

Photo by Dave Vann Phish 2010

The final set of tour was a celebration of sorts, a fantastic voyage through the Phish songbook. A restarted “Disease” settled into a jovial “Jiboo” that saw climatic band interplay achieve a galloping pace. Beginning with the swagger-funk of “Camel Walk,” bubonic Gordon bombs crunched Red’s descending riffage with authority, culminating in a sinister, grinding “Wilson” metal jam that pulverized the venue to the core, Trey’s leads channeling the ghosts of Hendrix and Stevie Ray. “Hood” and “Silent” offered introspection and an emotive dalliance, and “YEM” was what Phish is in its essence – a passionate, joy-fueled romance between a band and its audience.

The “Julius” encore was icing, with the full complement of horns and Hidalgo returning for a feisty rollicking sendoff that may have been the finest rendition this writer has heard.

There were few walking out of the venue not completely blown away by this incredible three-day Phish display. Even the most jaded tour veterans were nearly speechless, delighted, cheesy grins abounded as full-blown dance parties ignited at the bars and casinos that dotted the boardwalk. Magic was in the salty ocean air as people traded superlatives to describe their own takes on the “Zeppelin trick” or “Little Feat treat.” Nights, weekends and tours like this solidify the arrival of a new era for this band. The comeback sun has set, and as hoped, IT happened – once again.

Sunday Setlist
Set 1: Frankenstein, Big Black Furry Creature from Mars, Ghost > Spooky > The Divided Sky, Roses Are Free > Funky Bitch, Boogie On Reggae Woman, Stash, Character Zero
Set 2: Fat Man in the Bathtub, All That You Dream, Oh Atlanta, Old Folks Boogie, Time Loves a Hero > Day or Night, Mercenary Territory, Spanish Moon, Dixie Chicken > Tripe Face Boogie, Rocket in My Pocket, Willin’, Don’t Bogart That Joint, A Apolitical Blues, Sailin’ Shoes, Feats Don’t Fail Me Now
Set 3: Down with Disease > Back on the Train > Gotta Jibboo > Camel Walk, Suzy Greenberg > Wilson > Harry Hood > The Horse > Silent in the Morning > You Enjoy Myself

Order the show for Download on LivePhish.com

Continue reading for more pics of Phish’s 2010 Halloween shows…

10/29/10 – 10/31/10 – Phish @ Boardwalk Hall (Atlantic City, NJ) View Photos

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