Anastasio Displays Some New Hooks In Solo Show August 5, 2005 - Boston Globe By Steve Morse Last summer, Trey Anastasio tidied up his affairs with Phish and moved on after they played their last show in the farmlands of Vermont. Last night, he began his solo tour in Boston, revealing a more song-based, deliberate side of his character, rather than the madder and crazier jams with Phish. Anastasio, who has invited back Phish lighting designer Chris Kuroda but is otherwise looking to forge new ground, rocked a sold- out crowd of 5,000 at the Bank of America Pavilion. He's making a solo album for October release and many of his new songs were extremely promising, especially the hopeful "Shine" (with the refrain "The light shines on"), the upbeat "Air Said to Me," and the exploratory "Goodbye Head," which he wrote with his daughter. The songs have a more mainstream flavor than much of his Phish output, but there's nothing wrong with being more radio-friendly after a career with Phish, which generally operated outside of any radio support. Last night's show really felt like a whole new ballgame, unified by Anastasio's remarkably lyrical guitar picking, which is the one big carryover. And he received an ample boost from his band, 70 Volt Parade, which featured two strong, R&B-influenced female singers (Jennifer Hartswick and Christina Durfee) and was a fluid ensemble that could merge two keyboards or two guitars in a song, alongside the durably funky bass of New Orleans great Tony Hall. Anastasio also dipped into his earlier solo albums for such tracks as the easy-skanking "Cayman Review," the trance-psychedelic "Drifting," and the over-the-top "Mr. Completely." Deadline pressure forced me to cut the second set short, but Anastasio's general sense of rejuvenation was apparent. Opener Matisyahu is a Hasidic reggae singer who captivated the crowd with his ability to switch from roots vocals to dancehall rapping, while also displaying electric showmanship as he pogoed up and down, then raced across the stage and jumped on speakers. He's definitely someone to catch next time around. Article Copyright © 2005 The Boston Globe