On Wednesday night, Trey Anastasio played the first of two shows at Port Chester’s The Capitol Theatre. This first show was a rescheduled date from October 28th, as that show was cancelled due to Hurricane Sandy. Trey seemed pretty giddy to be playing the Cap, as he has had two shows cancelled there in the past. Overall, the show was solid and well-played, but had a very laid-back vibe to it. The first set saw standard versions of “Cayman Review” and “Alive Again”, but concentrated heavily on Trey’s new album Traveler.
While the first set may not have been filled with high frenetic energy, these new songs are pretty damn good. Trey is writing relevant music, and it translates so well with the TAB lineup of Russ Lawton, Tony Markellis, Ray Paczkowski, Jen Hartswick, Natalie Cressman, James Casey, and the wild-card Cyro Baptiste. You can’t really ask for a better group of musicians. A highlight of the first set, however, was when Trey decided to play a fan request of Toots & The Maytals’ “Sweet and Dandy”, to which he said to the crowd, “Don’t thank us; thank that guy.”
The second set saw a bit more improvisation from the band with an always welcome “Sand”, and in particular a fantastic version of “Simple Twist Up Dave” which saw great interplay between Trey and the horn section. Hartwick, Cressman, and Casey add so much to an already incredible lineup, that you would be hard-pressed to find better compliments to this band. A trippy moment during the show was during “Architect” when all the stage lights went white and shone down directly on Trey, and one light was aimed directly at his guitar and made it shine like a star. It was truly a Jedi-like moment for The Red One, as all eyes in the audience were captivated in awe by the sight.
The encore saw Trey break out his acoustic for “Flock of Words” and “Heavy Things”, the latter of which we were told that “the actual Mary is in the audience” and that James Casey “is Honey Boo-Boo.” The show ended with a cover of Dire Straits’ “Sultans of Swing”, which is so good with the backing horn section; you have got to love it. It was a solid show that left everyone in attendance wanting to come back the next night to “Reconvene, Reconnect, and Raise a Glass to The Architect.” While it wasn’t a show full of bust-out’s and 15-minute jams, it’s tough to say anything negative when it is so plain to see that Trey is at the top of his game, having a great time doing it, and clearly appreciating these moments. This is what we, as fans, live for.
Setlist
Set 1: Cayman Review, Alive Again, Pigtail, Magilla, Sweet and Dandy, The Land of Nod, Money Love and Change, Scabbard, Frost, Sweet Dreams Melinda, Dark and Down, Valentine
Set 2: Sand, Corona, Simple Twist Up Dave, Let Me Lie, Goodbye Head, O-o-h Child, Alaska, Architect, Clint Eastwood, Push On ‘Til the Day
Encore: Flock of Words, Heavy Things, Sultans of Swing
