2019/10/30 Trey Anastasio @ Carnegie Hall
Night one, seated in the literal best seat in the house, I couldn’t shake the feeling that Trey looked so alone and vulnerable. Perhaps it was because it was just me and him, no other phans in view, the entire auditorium behind me. Night two presented the ultimate paradox. Seated as high as could be in the front row of the balcony, the entirety of Carnegie Hall in front of me, Trey seemed so safe and protected, nestled on the edge of the stage amongst the phamily with which he shares the ultimate in mutual admiration. Love was in the air last night. And joy. Appropriately, Trey opened the set with “Free” and “Set Your Soul Free.”
And then it was on to the first story of the evening, 1978, Trey a fourteen year old boy, taking public transportation from his Jersey home to the big city for guitar lessons right here on the Upper West Side. Walking through Port Authority and Central Park, guitar strapped to his back, world at his literal finger tips, thinking this is the greatest thing that ever happened. And then he said it. The quote that literally sums up my life, it began, “If you’re anything like me,” and finished, “Live music is the antidote to my perpetual discontent.” Yes, Trey. Yes.
A delightful “Dog Faced Boy” followed before one of the early highlights, “Waste,” and “46 Days” with some great looping effects. “NICU” was so much freaking fun, especially the line “Look back on my days when my life was a haze,” as the crowd cheered, and Trey laughed and quipped, “Junkies!” As we all sang along, Trey reminded us, just for good measure, that we were singing in Carnegie Hall, and as the night evolved, our collective loose and carefree behavior (in the cleanest and purest of spirits, mind you), became a running inside joke that we were partying in music’s most hallowed and sacred hall.
“Ruby Waves” found yet another format that it agrees with, from GotF to Phish to Trey solo, this tune is sublime. “My Problem Right There” was the perfect addition to this loose night in the Stern Auditorium before another funny story, this one about a ballet dancer named Benjamin who really had the “full package.” Yep, Trey really said that. Whoops. “Farmhouse” and “Joy” were resplendent, but my knees were hurting from the tight space in the balcony, so I used the first half of “Lifeboy” to relocate to some standing room at the back of the first tier just stage right. Little did I know these boxes are called buses and have locked doors that need to be opened by an usher with a key. Somehow, sans ticket, I convinced an usher to open a door that I randomly selected which held four very close friends. This is the experience I was looking for. I was about to dance and get my Komito-steps in Carnegie-freaking-Hall. Yes!
“Kill Devil Falls” led into a ridiculous “Twist” that went deep and dark and, dare I say, had a few Type 2 acoustic jams…woooooo! It feels realllly good to scream like that in Carnegie Hall, just sayin’. “Pebbles and Marbles” was beautiful, I really dig that tune. “A Life Beyond the Dream” is another song that I’ve now seen in all 3 formats, the last two acoustic versions being my favorites (LFH included), and while some criticize the simplicity of its lyrics, I find the lucidity of iys message to be part of its allure, emphasized by the hard strum of the acoustic guitar echoing around the hall while the crowd sang along, “Don’t give up hope. Keep dreaming.”
“Bouncing Around the Room” and “Bathtub Gin” closed out the set with a lingering energy and singalong that carried through the entirety of the encore break, “Dooo, do do do do do do, doo do do do do, doo do do do do do do,” until Trey came back and picked up the crowd’s tune with his guitar.
After that magical moment, Trey told the crowd, “you guys are better at Carnegie Hall.” Than who, I don’t know, but if he was talking about night one, I tend to agree that this crowd was more loose and playful and that surely affected Trey’s performance. I kind of had this sneaking feeling all night that we, Trey included, were collectively mocking the seriousness of the hall. That point was driven home with certain lyrics, and especially so as Trey introduced “Sleeping Monkey,” “Didn’t they have cell phones, or a better plan than sending him home on the train,” as he laughed along with us through every single verse. “I think that this is what they were waiting for when they built this room!” Possum was the penumltimate end to the silliness and the fun, a song my wife has been making fun of for its wanton lyrics since time immemorial, before “More” closed out the tour, sending me home singing. “We’re vibrating with love and light, pulsating with love and light. In a world gone mad, a world gone mad, there must be something more than this!”
Trey’s sobriety intersects with mine, so I am always aware of the influence that it has on his playing and my enjoyment. We in AA have a saying, “Don’t take yourself too seriously,” that played itself out perfectly on this last night of the tour. I managed to sneak in 3,159 steps from the back of the first tier bus over the last hour of the show, every one a victorious fuck you to the sobriety of the hall. God it felt good to stand and move!
Feeling really lucky to do the things I do with the people that I do them with, and if you found a way to lay eyes on this, that includes you!
Side note: I saw Rene Huemer’s photos from night one but never saw a photographer. From this vantage point in the bus, I noticed that the black circle behind the stage is a hole in the wall. Sneaky detail Carnegie Hall, but I see you.