Trey jams solo July 27, 2002 - The Commercial Appeal (Memphis) By Mark Jordan Album Review - Trey Anastasio From its founding in 1983 until it went on hiatus in 2000, the freewheeling Vermont band Phish redefined jamming for a generation that found the Grateful Dead's psychedelic insouciance a bit dated. But is it possible that the improvisational monster actually hindered frontman Trey Anastasio's compositional development? His fourth solo album would seem to suggest so. The record shows Anastasio has been honing his songwriting, filling out his sound with a full horn section as well as bringing in strings (notably on the classical-tinged instrumental At the Gazebo) and playing around with funk and Latin rhythms. The result is Anastasio's most deliberately artistic record. Phishheads need not worry, however; there is still plenty of jamming here, but the noodling has a point now. With Phish frozen for the time being, Athens, Ga.'s Widespread Panic has become the undisputed king of the jam bands. Musically more akin to Skynyrd than the Dead, the band's studio albums have largely been excuses to come up with new material for its live shows. So it's no surprise that the Panic catalog gets its best representation yet on this exhaustive (and exhausting) three-CD live set. Recorded in April 2000 before a friendly hometown audience, the disc features a number of fan favorites, including the opener Action Man and the band's cover of J. J. Cale's Ride Me High. Guests include R.E.M.'s Bill Berry and guitarist Derek Trucks, but bittersweetly, the real star of the show is Panic lead guitarist Michael Houser, who was recently diagnosed with terminal cancer and has left the group. With more than three hours of music, "Live in the Classic City" is not for neophytes, but by showcasing the band's best strengths and material, it stands as its most complete disc yet, and as a fitting tribute to Houser. © 2002 E.W. Scripps Company