With a solid tour almost complete, Trey Anastasio rolled into Jones
Beach
with little left to prove. Many fans have become familiar with
Trey's
new songs and seem to enjoy most of them. This was the overall vibe
in
the lots at Jones Beach on this friday night, and it was not uncommon to hear
people
hoping for certain songs, notably "Drifting", "Mr. Completely" and
"Quantegy". While it is true that many songs made back-to-back appearances it is important to recognize that this band is not Phish.

At the usual time of 8:05, Trey took the stage to an unusally empty venue.
Almost half of the upper level at Jones was vacant, and where I was down on
the floor, there were more than a handful of empty seats, which I'm sure was
a result of
the strictest security at any venue on the east coast. "Burlap Sacks and
Pumps" was the opener and had everyone grooving early. An older tune, this
one was familiar to many in attendance and helped get the show off on the
right foot. "Acting the Devil," one of my least favorite of the new tunes,
followed, but was quickly redeemed when the reworked "Last Tube" began.
Although I still do not know any words to the song, I cant help but try to
sing along. "Flock of Words" was next, which is a beautifully constructed
song that still hasn't caught on with the crowd. Possibly the best written
of the new
songs, it flows seamlessly with some great chord changes without much of a
jam
section. "Cayman Review" rocked, as usual, as it gives Trey a chance to
really build
and let loose a ripping guitar solo. Next up was "Sidewalks of San
Francisco". This a
great song and its a shame that this song isn't played every night as it is
fantastic. The set closed with "Moesha", which the general consensus deems
as the
weakest of the new songs. Although the song allows Trey to really showcase
his rock guitar
skills, the song itself is slightly cheesy and the lyrics are just an
extention of the music.
The first set was solid, but was not as strong as either of the previous two
nights.

"Money Love and Change" opened the second set, as it did on sunday at PNC.
Just like PNC, this version ripped. Again, the horns left the stage
leaving the foursome to really bring this jam up to a new level. Thirty
five
minutes later, the song went into "Plasma" which is really a great tune.
The
music in this song is one of the better written passages by Trey. "Mr.
Completely" was next, continuing the rocking vibe of the second set, and it
was at this moment that the audience really began to feel as though
something special might be happening, and this was not just another second set. This is another song that really lets the core foursome explore some textures and
sounds that written-out passages do not allow. Slight changes in Tony Markellis's
bassline permitted both Trey and keyboardist Ray Paczkowsi to take the song away from its
foundation. "At the Gazebo" was next followed by a set closing "Sand," both
of which, although played well, paled in comparison to the steller versions
at PNC.

Rumours of a Mike Gordon appearance were
heightened with his much publicized sit-in the night before at wetlands.
Those rumors were confirmed when the stage crew set up two mikes in front of
the drum set for the encore. The crowd exploded as out came Mike and
Trey with two acoustic guitars. The duo played a fanstatic
rendition of "Mountains in the Mist." Next up was "Back on The
Train".
Played slightly bluesier than the familiar version, with Mike playing lead guitar and
Trey playing
rhythm, they moved through a beautiful jam section which returned to the
original
beat of the song amazingly well. At the song's finale, almost everyone
cheered as if it
was the last song, however more was in store as Mike picked up an electric
bass. The opening notes of "Bathtub Gin" drove everyone into a frenzy,
especially at the chance to duplicate the crowd participation of the Red
Rocks version. Both Mike and Trey had huge smiles on their faces listening
to the crowd sing the lead line, culminating in both members stopping
altogether to listen to us pay homage to one of the best phish songs. For
a
full two measures, neither member on stage played a note as they just sat
their listening and enjoying the moment as much as the crowd. A fantastic
jam ensued which landed, briefly, in a "Twist" jam. The crowd went nuts at
the end as the two just sat there as if they were going to play another,
even
though it was 12:00.

At that point, a roadie came on stage and had to literally pull Trey off as he thanked the crowd. In retrospect, the first two sets of this concert were very similar
to the
PNC show a week ago, both in setlist and in vibe. However there were a number of nice moments, including the encore, which offered a fine bonus for fans of Phish.