By: David Schultz

With Bar 17, former Phish frontman Trey Anastasio holds out no olive branch to his phormer phans who wish him to remain phishy. Although it has its upbeat moments, Trey's latest, featuring Don Hall's lush orchestral arrangements, retreats from the spontaneity of Anastasio's mythical live performances, coming instead from the same part of Anastasio's soul as the softer Billy Breathes-era "Waste." For the opening night of his fall tour at New York City's Webster Hall, his first headlining show in months outside of this summer's G.R.A.B. performances, Anastasio made the decision to forego focusing the entire evening around his relatively plaintive new release, sagely opting against alienating the sold-out boisterous crowd. Those in attendance knew not to expect a Phish phest, but meditative, reflective album or not, they came to Webster Hall for some good-old jam-based rock 'n' roll. A consummate performer, that's exactly what Anastasio gave them.

Anastasio's enthusiasm in returning to the stage transformed itself into a marathon performance. While he showcased new material like "A Case Of Ice And Snow" and "Host Across The Potomac" he didn't ignore other signature, crowd-pleasing solo tunes like "Tuesday," "Come As Melody" and "Money Love and Change." Admittedly looking forward to getting a chance to perform, Anastasio's excitement also seemed linked to the fun of playing with some old friends. Joining longtime band members Jennifer Hartswick, Christine Durfee and keyboardist Ray Paczkowski, who has become "The Big Man" to Anastasio's "Boss," are drummer Jeff Sipe and bassist Tony Hall. While Trey and Sipe can trace their history back to recent stints with Phil Lesh & Friends, their relationship goes back to the early 90s, when Sipe's Aquarium Rescue Unit regularly toured with Anastasio's Phish. Anastasio clearly relished playing with Tony Hall, facing off with him during second set renditions of "Gotta Jibboo" and "Night Speaks To A Woman." Anyone thinking Anastasio's guitar heroics are simply masturbatory wanking might have a field day with his near orgasmic facial expressions, especially during his center stage face-offs with Hall. However, the ecstatic expressions matched the inspired solos.

For the New York shows, Don Hall and a revelatory string section appeared for the tail ends of each set, providing soaring orchestral passages akin to those from the most indulgent Seventies' disco tracks; an astonishing counterpoint to Anastasio's guitar work. On "Goodbye Head" and "Shadow," Hall's strings recreated their lush arrangements from Bar 17, accentuating the music to such a degree that their prowess seemed out of place for Webster Hall. While the strings blended nicely, if not understatedly, with Anastasio's Zappa-esque guitar solos and Paczkowski's piano ruffles during "Bar 17," they seemed a tad misplaced during "Come As Melody," where they struggled to find their proper space. The evening's standout moment, an exquisite version of Phish's "The Divided Sky" with a slight detour into "Guyute" saw the most polished interaction between Anastasio and the strings. Played in honor of Anastasio's mother’s birthday, Anastasio played the tune solo on an acoustic guitar, allowing the talented orchestra to gloriously interpret the rest of the song.

Bar 17 features notable guest performances from the likes of Mike Gordon, John Medeski and the Benevento/Russo Duo. Opening night didn't include an appearance by any of Anastasio's recent collaborators but it did include a song from an old one. Although one of the night's weaker moments, old friend and Phish lyricist Tom Marshall joined Anastasio for "Skip The Goodbyes." The overly poppy tune seemed out of place amongst the guitar heavy tunes, although it did provide an interesting segue into the orchestral part of the evening.

Since beginning the solo phase of his career, Anastasio has weathered blistering criticism from some corners. That part of Anastasio's audience either stayed away from the guitarist's opening night or quite possibly, are warming up to his individual efforts. The perception shift seemed clearest during the crowd's warm reception of a wonderfully spirited rendition of the unfairly denigrated "Shine." A vocal segment of Anastasio's listeners seem to be trolling for a big catch in waters their quarry no longer calls home. They catch a nibble here and there, as in the orchestral "The Divided Sky," but for the most part they're missing Anastasio's evolution into a solo performer, best typified in the night's encore. In returning to the stage, Anastasio spoke to the crowd for a few minutes, introducing the band, providing an update on Phish drummer Jon Fishman and telling an interrelated anecdote about Paczkowski's prowess at milking cows. After the strings interpreted the psychedelic Beatles-ish opening to "Cincinnati," Anastasio led the band through one more jam, satisfyingly ending the evening close to four hours after it began.

Labels: Trey Anastasio