Promising Oysterhead has come a long way in short time November 1, 2001 - The Denver Post By Candace Horgan Judging by the fan reception of the Oysterhead set at the Fillmore Auditorium Tuesday night, if Trey Anastasio decides he never wants to play with his Phish cohorts again, he will not be lacking for musical opportunities. Anastasio - whose band Phish is on indefinite hiatus - together with Primus bass virtuoso Les Claypool and drum maestro Stewart Copeland, formerly of the Police, played to a packed house of fans who came to worship at the altar of Trey in the first of two sold-out shows. Those in attendance were treated to some fantastic playing from what can legitimately be called a supergroup. Oysterhead opened the show with 'Army's on Ecstasy,' a 17-minute edgy rocker from its new CD 'The Grand Pecking Order.' Claypool took the vocals, singing into two different microphones, creating a megaphone effect. Anastasio's fingers effortlessly flew all over the fretboard on a charged solo, while Copeland moved around his massive drum kit with surgical precision. Toward the end of the song, Anastasio picked up a guitar that had a set of antlers attached at the bottom. Anastasio used the antlers like a theramin, adding some coloration vaguely reminiscent of classic Led Zeppelin to the solo. The band was unable to sustain this level, however. 'Little Faces' was lifeless, while the chaotic dissonance of 'Owner of the World' seemed to be an attempt to create something strange for strangeness' sake, rather than because the tune called for it. Anastasio picked up an acoustic guitar for 'Birthday Boys,' another tune from the new CD, and the band seemed to regain its focus. Anastasio started the tune with some subtle, solo fingerpicking, before Copeland and Claypool jumped in halfway through to add interesting dynamics to the tune. Oysterhead followed with a smoking rocker called 'Pseudo Suicide,' the highlight of the set. Claypool's thumping bass line shook the Fillmore while Anastasio's distorted guitar lines sang clearly over the complicated rhythms of Copeland's drumming, which echoed Claypool's bottom end beautifully. However, the jam at the end of the song quickly grew repetitive, with Anastasio's guitar lines flashing by so quickly they lost any sense of melody. The dissonant jamming continued on the next song, 'Polka Dot Rose,' which had moments of brilliance amid its freeform improvisation. The band closed its set with 'Mr. Oysterhead,' a funky tune that also appears on the new CD. Anastasio and Claypool harmonized nicely on the chorus, and Anastasio took a strong solo out of the break, ending it in a rousing crescendo. Claypool matched Anastasio's intensity with a solo of his own, throwing in some riffs from 'Voodoo Chile' and 'Rapper's Delight' between some complex, intricate playing, before taking the final verse. Those used to Phish's marathon shows were surprised that Oysterhead only had one more tune to play, instead of taking a set break. The band encored with 'Rubberneck Lions.' Anastasio's flashy playing started strongly but deteriorated at the end of his solo, as he repeated a phrase several times while practically banging away on his guitar. Oysterhead has been playing together for a little over a year, part time at that, and only has one record out. Yet the group does have strong promise. It is hoped as the musicians grow more used to playing with each other, the shows will get a little tighter. Drums and Tuba opened the show with an hour-long set of edgy jazz instrumentals, with the tuba covering the bass parts and the guitar adding crunchy, distorted power chords and ethereal keyboard sounds, via a guitar synthesizer. The trio sounded like Tangerine Dream at times, and its set was well received.