Anastasio's jam is sweet August 10, 2005 - Indianapolis Star By David Lindquist Trey Anastasio, perhaps the second-biggest figure in jam band lore, didn't miss his chance to acknowledge the 10-year anniversary of the passing of No. 1: Jerry Garcia. The Grateful Dead guitarist-vocalist died on Aug. 9, 1995. On Tuesday, former Phish guitarist-vocalist Anastasio performed an unplugged rendition of "Ripple" as part of his concert at the Lawn at White River State Park. Despite a parallel (and eventual crossover) of devoted followers, Phish was no clone of the Dead. Nevertheless, the "Ripple" line about songs filling the air underscored the bands' similarities and captured the theme of Anastasio's performance. Test-driving songs from his upcoming album "Invisible," Anastasio seems to be challenging his new label, Columbia, to make him a hit-maker -- something old label Elektra never quite achieved. "Tuesday" sped past as the vibrant ideal of a windows-down classic made for summer radio airplay. Lyrically, the song merely wants to schedule a date with a girl, which could strengthen its bid for chart placement. During the Phish era, which ended last Aug. 15, a hard-charger such as "Tuesday" might have signaled the conclusion of a concert's first set and the beginning of intermission. But Anastasio and his new six-member band skipped the break to speed the arrival of another potential single, "Come As Melody." With vocalists Jennifer Hartswick and Christina Durfee supplying gospel tones, Anastasio and keyboard player Ray Paczkowski worked on minor-key progressions that built tension and heightened the ultimate release. The payoffs of "Tuesday" and "Melody" contrasted with the show's opening segment, when Anastasio's guitar sounded harsh, too prominent in the sound mix and perhaps even out of tune. Unlike past solo tours, when horns have been in the band, this lineup puts the pressure primarily on Anastasio and his new compositions. There's a danger of monotonous guitar ruts, but his enduring gift has been the ability to lift himself and an audience to unexpected plateaus. The first of Tuesday's transcendent moments arrived with "Money, Love and Change," a selection from his 2002 solo album and the fourth song of the night. When Anastasio, Hartswick and Durfee weren't singing mellow verses, he bashed his guitar into a crunching march. "Ripple" was part of a four-song acoustic session, which featured another message to the estimated audience of 3,000 within the 1996 Phish song "Waste": "Come waste your time with me." Article Copyright © 2005 Indianapolis Star