Trey Anastasio Rocks Carnegie Hall

When was the last time you put on patchouli oil and patchwork for a night out with the New York Philharmonic? Hopefully your answer to this question is never, but this past Saturday evening, boundaries were broken as a diverse crowd packed Carnegie Hall to hear Phish frontman Trey Anastasio play two sets of original compositions with the New York Philharmonic. While I was unfortunately not in attendance, the reviews of this show were phenomenal across the board. Included in the set were Phish classics such as "You Enjoy Myself," "Guyute," and "The Divided Sky," and also new tunes like "Let Me Lie," and the 23-minute multi-movement "Time Turns Elastic." The experience was said to be amazing by many in the crowd and by the look on Trey's face (see video below), it was clear he was overwhelmed with joy. Click here to read the New York Times review of the show. Below is a video snippet of "You Enjoy Myself." The video quality is mediocre, but the crowd's reaction when Trey hits the high notes (see about 4:35) gives you a good sense of what it was like.



Trey Anastasio and the New York Philharmonic: 9/12/09
Set I: First Tube, The Inlaw Josie Wales, Brian and Robert, The Divided Sky, Water In The Sky, Pebbles and Marbles, Guyute
Set II: Time Turns Elastic, Let Me Lie, You Enjoy Myself
Encore: If I Could

On another, more negative note, it was reported by many sources that the amount of nitrous gas dealers camped outside the venue was both very heavy and very clear. Any who have gone to a number of shows or festivals in the past few years are probably aware that these nitrous dealers have become more and more common at music gatherings as of recent. While many enjoy using this substance despite its numerous health hazards, most would agree that these vendors are detrimental to the live music experience and the community of fans as a whole. The sale of this gas is causing police officers to teem concert parking lots and many believe (although nothing is confirmed), that a murder at this summer's Gathering of the Vibes festival was a result of foul play over nitrous. Personally, to hear about these dealers running nitrous operations outside of Carnegie Hall, one of the most beautiful, historic, and respected venues in the world, while Trey Anastasio is inside trying to crush stereotypes by performing to a diverse crowd of people is one of those moments that makes me question, "What has the world come to?"
Thats just my two cents, but I'd be interested to hear yours.