Anastasio's jams pack the Palace October 30, 2002 - Louisville Courier-Journal By Jeffrey Lee Pucket ..are sometimes spread a bit thick Trey Anastasio has led his band, Phish, to the rarefied position of succeeding the Grateful Dead as the world's most popular jam band. That's no small feat, and he demonstrated how he did it last night at a nearly sold-out Louisville Palace. Anastasio is out on his own again while taking some time off from his regular night job, and he has built an impressive 10-piece machine. It even included a four-piece horn section, a rarity in these days of much-cheaper digital sampling. Like the Dead, Anastasio takes roots music and ups the groove ante a few hundred percent. When it works, it's impressive. Last night, the band was in a New Orleans/Brazil/Memphis/New York state of mind. With the horns, a drummer, and both full- and part-time percussionists, the band has a ton of rhythm options to choose from -- and often simply chose them all. The basic idea was this: Set up a groove and keep it tight, but leave a lot of room for improvisation. Anastasio would frequently look over the band in the middle of a song and choose soloists, most often from among the horn players, and give them a minute or two to showcase. With a band that size, it made for some long songs. Real long. Some arrangements and solos were fine enough that it was hardly noticeable; the songs would build and build until Anastasio pulled the band back into near silence before setting it loose again. But some songs were a chore to get through, crossing the fine line between good jam and indulgent jam. The Latin-inspired epic that opened the show's second half was no longer than the percussive blast that began the show, but it felt as if it would never end. Maybe the band dipped into the red wine and mary jane a little too much at intermission. Considering this was only the tour's sixth show, it was surprisingly tight. But Anastasio has played with all of the musicians at one time or another, including sessions for his solo debut, "Push On Til the Day." Several of those songs appeared, but in versions far different from those on record. Phish fans were out in abundance, no doubt getting warmed up for Phish's return later this year. An album, "Round Room," comes out in December followed by the band's traditional New Year's Eve show at Madison Square Garden. Phish will hit the road full time in February, spreading the jam coast to coast. For the simply curious, last night's set was probably enough to last for a long while. For Phish fans, it was nothing more than an appetizer, preferably sushi. © 2002 The Courier-Journal