2015 has certainly been one for the books for Mr. Trey Anastasio and his fans. After being invited to play the Fare Thee Well shows with the living members of the Grateful Dead, Trey set out on a blockbuster tour with his regular gig Phish. Now, as the year turns to fall he is on the road again with his solo outfit TAB. Two full concerts at The Fillmore here in Denver gave fans ample opportunity to snag tickets, but come show time there were many with hopeful fingers thrust upward. Doors opened around 6:30 PM and ravenous music fans charged in, raided the merch table, and then headed for the rail.

The Trey Anastasio Band has taken on many configurations over the years, but Big Red seems to have settled in nicely with this lineup. Jennifer Hartswick, Natalie Cressman, and James Casey all take up horn and vocal duties with Tony Markellis on bass, Russ Lawton on drums, and Ray Paczkowski on keys. Each of these road-tested veterans is an intricate part of the big band approach that is TAB. Trey himself was all smiles as he emerged into a pool of iridescent blue light. They opened with perfect rendition of George Harrison’s “What Is Life.”

The Trey Anastasio Band is touring hot on the heels of their October 30th release of Paper Wheels. “Speak To Me” was the first of many off the new album and featured a funky, energetic vibe with solid harmonies between Hartswick and Anastasio. Phish fans that were paying attention noticed a jazzy “Magilla” interlude that melted away before a tight “Pigtail.” One massive segue later and we were all knee deep in the guitar drenched “Dark and Down.” James Casey hit his percussion stand jamming nicely with Lawton on the kit on the space funk tune, “The Land of Nod.” “Lever Boy” was the valley to the brass-tastic blast off peak of “Valentine.” We were treated to some classically flashy TAB with “Burlap Sack and Pumps.” The sentimental unrequited love song “It Makes No Difference” was beautiful, but the set closing “Bounce” into the monstrous “Night Speaks To A Woman” was the highlight of the first set.

After a brief set break, TAB returned with another track off of the new album, “Invisible Knife,” which acted as a nice jamming vehicle with a few whale calls making their way into the mix. The historic venue pulsated with energy and the band rode the wave into an epically timed “Simple Twist Up Dave.” The Phish kids were happy to hear “Let Me Lie” before it exploded into a lively “Tuesday.” They went into Crosby, Stills & Nash’s “49 Bye Byes,” and he kept the singer-songwriter vibe going on the subtle “Greyhound Rising.” “Mr. Completely” and “Shine” represented some old-school Trey Band. Suddenly the smooth sounds of the Gorillaz’s smash hit “Clint Eastwood” filtered out of the PA. Hartswick took the lead vocal duties much to the delight of the audience. The snappy hip-hop tune soon gave way to a powerful set-closing “Push On ‘Til The Day.”

The full band returned for a stellar encore that featured Phish’s now standard show-ender “Show Of Life” followed by Led Zeppelin’s “Black Dog.” I used to think that TAB was an escape for Trey and a chance to have total control over a project. Now, in the 3.0 era, Trey Anastasio Band is just another outlet for a man that oozes with creativity wherever he goes. The man creates so many songs that he has to have a separate conduit in which to channel different tunes. TAB is Trey’s big band, horn-infused, rage circus. Phish will always be Phish, but Trey will continue to seek our other avenues for his inventiveness. Hell in 2012 Trey was a composer for an award-winning Broadway musical. Who knows what the future will hold for Big Red, but as the time go by, I’m positive he will look back fondly on the year 2015.

Setlist – Trey Anastasio Band at the Fillmore Denver 11.14.15

Set 1: What Is Life, Speak to Me, Magilla, Pigtail> Dark and Down, The Land of Nod, Lever Boy, Valentine, Burlap Sack and Pumps, It Makes No Difference, Bounce> Night Speaks To A Woman

Set 2: Invisible Knife> Simple Twist Up Dave, Let Me Lie> Tuesday, 49 Bye-Byes, Greyhound Rising, Mr. Completely> Architect, Shine, Clint Eastwood> Push On ‘Til The Day 

Encore: Show of Life, Black Dog

Words and Photos by Nicholas Stock. A full gallery from both nights in Denver can be found here.