Even without Phish, Anastasio's willing to share solo time July 23, 2001 - Indianapolis Star by David Lindquist In the recent Phish documentary Bittersweet Motel, there's a scene in which bass player Mike Gordon criticizes guitarist Trey Anastasio for playing too many notes during a performance. Who's to say if this type of comment has anything to do with the group's decision to suspend operations indefinitely? We do know Anastasio is touring America this summer with a different band, and no musician seems to be catching heck for playing their instrument. The eight-member outfit -- bulging to nine with guest keyboard player John Medeski -- performed Sunday night at Verizon Wireless Music Center, attracting an audience of 13,800. From encouraging trumpet player Jennifer Hartswick to run with a solo to trading licks with flute player Russell Remington, Anastasio went out of his way to share the spotlight. In fact, horns dominate most of his new solo material. Acting Like the Devil, Push On 'Til the Day and Burlap Sack and Pumps hinge completely on upbeat charts executed by Hartswick, Remington, trombone player Andy Moroz and saxophone player Dave Grippo. A reworking of Phish instrumental Last Tube allowed the quartet to show its darker side. Framed by keyboards, a guitar loop from Anastasio and clean-hitting drummer Russ Lawton, the horns summoned a film noir sound worthy of an old-time detective movie. Playing more rhythm guitar than he did in 17 years with Phish, Anastasio visibly relished his repeated chords in the context of his brassy companions. One could say his new direction has a good beat and is easy to dance to. While some tunes unfolded too densely to reach epiphany, the entire project deserves some slack as a work in progress. The evening's second set felt decidedly more Phish-like than the first, perhaps because trademark glowsticks flew against the night sky and the songs turned more aggressive. One obvious connection to Phish was an intense rendition of Sand, from the band's 2000 album Farmhouse. This track included a rare opening for Medeski, who stepped up with a wicked assault of clavinet tones. And it's actually pretty great when Anastasio packs bunches and bunches of notes into a solo. Mister Completely, a chiming rave-up of psychedelic pop, was the concert's primary guitar showcase. Lighting engineer Chris Kuroda was a welcome holdover from the Phish family. Sunday's designs featured bright colors from pinpoint sources, proving again that Kuroda "paints" a band and audience better than anyone else in his field.