Trey Anastasio Band continued their 2021 Tour at Leader Bank Pavilion in Boston on Saturday. TAB welcomed back former trombonist Jeff Cressman, father of current trombonist Natalie Cressman, in place of saxophonist Cochemea “Cheme” Gastelum who had a previously scheduled gig. Gastelum is filling in for James Casey as he undergoes cancer treatment.
The concert also marked the second show for newly minted TAB bassist Dezron Douglas after debuting in Maine the night previous. Anastasio and company kicked things off in Boston with “Shine” before stretching out a bit on “Blaze On.” Following some horn blasts from the Cressmans and trumpeter/vocalist Jennifer Hartswick, Trey reeled off some twangy riffs as the band locked into a groove. The guitarist then utilized some wah effects before heading back into the “Blaze On” refrain. “Magilla” came next. Composed by Phish keyboardist Page McConnell, the jazz number is a natural showcase for the horns and Trey would introduce Jeff after the song. “So we have tonight, what I consider to be the greatest father and daughter dual trombone combo on planet earth,” Anastasio said. Jeff last performed with TAB in 2016.
The classic “Cayman Review” came next followed by “Sand.” The jam saw Trey winding up and hitting some big notes toward the end of the 11-and-a-half minute excursion. “Valentine” and the Phish tune “46 Days” followed ahead of the driving number “Push On ‘Til The Day.” Anastasio had some more hot licks in store for the jam on the first set closer.
TAB dipped back into the Phish catalog to open up the second set with “Carini.” Although the dark Phish classic appeared during a TAB show in 2011 in which Trey opened the show with an acoustic set, the full TAB debut of “Carini” came during the Beacons Jams finale on November 27, 2020. The Boston TAB “Carnini” marked just the second time the full band played the song. The jam saw Trey toggling between crunchy wah effects and a cleaner tone ahead of some echo hits at the end of the 12-minute version.
Substantial installments of “Pigtail” and “Alaska” followed ahead of “Mozambique,” another song on which the horns shine. TAB brought the second set to a close with “Money, Love and Change.” Drummer Russ Lawton and percussionist Cyro Baptista presided over a sparse groove to begin the improv as Trey and keyboardist Ray Paczkowski trickled in with some spacey interplay before Anastasio leaned into some soaring licks over the song’s main riff. The conclusion saw Trey introducing the entire band. TAB would return for an encore of “Show Of Life” ahead of the rocker “About To Run,” which, as per usual, featured Trey on some sizzling soloing to bring the evening to a close.
Watch fan-sot video from the show below via the Jambase Live Video Archive:
Setlist (via Phish.net)
Set One: Shine, Blaze On, Magilla, Cayman Review, Sand, Valentine, 46 Days, Push On ‘Til the Day
Set Two: Carini, Plasma, Pigtail, Alaska, Mozambique, Money, Love and Change
Encore: Show of Life, About to Run
TAB Tour 2021 continues tonight in New Haven, Connecticut.
