Phish's Guitarist Does Swimmingly February 26, 2001 - Newsdaily.com by Ian D'Giff Big Phish takes solo swim. At Roseland Ballroom, Manhattan. LAST FRIDAY, as the Roseland Ballroom house lights faded to black, Trey Anastasio emerged from the darkness to the maddening roar of a sold-out audience. Bathed in a purple haze and flanked by a three-piece horn section, drummer and bass player, Anastasio grabbed his electric guitar and gave his fans a knowing wave. With a wink and a nod, he quickly led his band into the global rhythms of "Mozambique," causing one concertgoer to let loose with a jubilant, "finally!" After delaying the start of the show by nearly an hour, many could have mistaken the shout for one of disgusted relief, yet the freely flowing tears streaming down the shouter's face told another story. Nearly six months into Phish's open-ended hiatus, Anastasio's solo gigs will likely be the closest thing to a Phish show in 2001, and his legions of devotees know it. Throughout the evening's two sets of intense jamming, the bearded guitarist wove a brilliant tapestry of original compositions, popular cover tunes and favorites from the Phish songbook. He also took some time to address those in attendance, saying, "I want to thank all of you for coming and I want you to know that I'll never forget where this energy comes from." Despite looking thin and ragged, dressed in baggy jeans and a long-sleeved blue shirt, Anastasio's playing was robust, focused and complex. The first set was marked by some incredible contributions from the horn section (Dave Grippo on sax, trombonist Andy Moroz and Jennifer Hartswick on trumpet), particularly during "Gotta Jiboo," a song from Phish's most recent album, "Farmhouse" (Elektra). Thanks to the impeccable time-keeping of drummer Russ Lawton and bassist Tony Markellis, Anastasio shifted effortlessly among backwoods rhythm and groove, dirty funk and space-aged jams. As the first set came to a close, the band left the stage to allow Anastasio to render an impressive solo acoustic version of "Back On the Train." The evening's grandest moments, though, all emerged during the 90-plus-minute second set, which yielded many surprises and one very welcomed guest. About midway through the set, Anastasio thrilled many in attendance by launching into a version of Bob Dylan's "Rainy Day Women # 12 & 35." Even the security staff joined in to sing the uproarious chorus of "Everybody must get stoned." A cover of the Five Stairsteps' "Ooh Child" followed. It included the most stunning guitar solo of the evening, leaving countless mouths agape. After a brief silence, the crowd erupted once more. Phish keyboardist Page McConnell appeared on stage to add his funky textures to "First Tube," which was recently nominated for a Grammy Award for best rock instrumental, ending the set. Five minutes later, the band, plus McConnell, all re-emerged to turn in a two-song encore that included the infectiously funky "Noodle Rave Daddio" and a cover of Billy Preston's signature piece, "Will It Go Round in Circles." Immediately after his solo tour, Anastasio plans to enter the studio with Primus bassist Les Claypool and Police drummer Stewart Copeland to begin work on the first Oysterhead album.