Phish guitarist Trey Anastasio surprise released official audio featuring the Trey Anastasio Band‘s October 25, 2002 concert at the Stanley Performing Arts Center in Utica, New York. A complete recording of the show is available for download and streaming now via LivePhish.com.
Anastasio and TAB trumpeter/vocalist Jennifer Hartswick discussed the concert in the latest episode of JamBase partner Osiris Media’s Trey-focused podcast Alive Again. “We played in Utica and that was the night that the balcony almost broke. People were dancing so hard they stopped the show from the dancing. It was intense,” Anastasio explained. “We’d change keys and modulate, modulate, module. Up a third, up a third, up a third. People got dancing so hard. I was watching people dancing. I was using these tools to build the intensity, build the intensity, build the intensity.”
“It was a particularly raucous evening. We were feeling no pain,” Hartswick said. “Just super in it and then all of the sudden you could see the whole balcony start [crumbling] with the music. That’s not a coincidence, that’s science right there.”
“The balcony was going up and down and then these plaster pieces started falling on people’s heads. The balcony was shaking so much that it started breaking the plaster. Everyone’s panicking as people are animalistic dancing,” Anastasio added. “It sort of became an extra band member. Now we’re using this. Then someone came from the side of the stage and said, ‘Hey, you can’t do this anymore,’” noted Jennifer.
“Somebody ran on stage, they’re like ‘you’ve got to stop right now, the balcony’s going to fall down.’ And I did! That was it,” stated Trey. “You hear it. It stops and I had to play a solo acoustic song. They’re like, ‘no more, you’re literally bringing the roof down.’” The moment to which Anastasio referred to came towards the end of a 28-minute “Mr. Completely.” The guitarist then capped the second set with a solo acoustic “Ray Dawn Balloon” and unamplified “At The Gazebo” before performing “Pebbles & Marbles” solo acoustic as the evening’s encore.
Head to LivePhish.com to stream/download TAB’s Utica 2002 show.
Setlist (via Phish.net)
Set One: Javier Cinakowski, Night Speaks to a Woman, Acting the Devil, The Way I Feel, Mozambique, Perhaps [1], Last Tube
Set Two: Curlew’s Call, Windora Bug, At the Barbeque, Mr. Completely, Ray Dawn Balloon [2], At the Gazebo
Encore: Pebbles and Marbles[2]
- [1] TAB debut.
- [2] Trey solo acoustic.
