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| Photo via Trey Anastasio Instagram (source) |
I'm going to try out a new format in this post, a tour review! You can listen to the Goose sets from this tour on nugs.net and the TAB sets on LivePhish+. I've included my picks from the collabs at the end of the post.
For those who live outside the jam band bubble, Trey Anastasio Band and Goose hit the road for an 8 show run on the east coast in November. In our scene, a joint tour of this nature is a rarity, especially with the amount of collaborations between the two bands - it’s definitely worth covering.
Let's get the Goose talk out of the way first. Depending on the circles you run in, Goose may be the Next Great American Jam Band ™️, or fraudulent millennials with no business being mentioned in the same breath as Phish. Here at Space Force One, we’ll try to take emotion out of the discussion and take a cold hard look at the analytics 1. No matter how you slice it, Goose has been on an absolute tear of late, and have shown no signs of slowing down. There are still some flaws musically, but the unique combination of an incredible songbook and a freakish work ethic (both by the band and their business operation) have more than set them apart.
From the Trey camp, TAB has continued to be a truly vital outlet for the do-it-all musician over the past few years. The Beacon Jams gave us some really fun moments in the darkness of 2020, but hardship lingered for the band. Bassist Tony Markellis, a true force on stage, and a close collaborator with Trey for over 20 years, passed away in April 2021. Later in the year, prolific saxophonist and backup vocalist James Casey found out that he had colon cancer, and has been fighting it since. He's been an absolute warrior, not only playing in most TAB shows (and finding time for other collaborations), but delivering better-than-ever performances.
Trey himself has been in a particularly generous mood in 2022, making a number of guest appearances throughout the year. He took the stage with Dave Matthews and Tim Reynolds as well as My Morning Jacket in Mexico in February, followed by Goose and Billy Strings in New York in the summer. The sit-in at Goose's Radio City Music Hall show on June 25 was a particularly meaty offering. He immediately helped them deliver the signature version of their new song Hungersite, and he stayed onstage for nearly a full set. The internet poked fun at the significance of the event, but in all seriousness, it felt like a good fit, and really set the stage for this tour.
The bands played at an unusual list of eight venues, but this tour was not a “usual” one by any means. Trey (and Goose, to some extent) typically favors the Northeast US when touring. Combine the regional bias, the last minute nature of the tour, with the reality that the bands’ combined popularity lands them in the “awkward zone” of 5-10k capacity venues, and the group of eight begins to make a little more sense. In addition, "TABoose" was able to take advantage of the opportunity to hit 4 minor league hockey arenas on this tour - fellow listeners of one of my favorite podcasts, 36 from the Vault, are aware that these arenas have played host to some of the hottest Grateful Dead and Phish shows over the years 2.
Here are my main takeaways from the tour:
1. Full strength TAB is back in a big way. RIP Tony Markellis but we know that he is looking down and smiling. On this tour, they struck the perfect balance of being creative while remaining tight and concise. For me, in terms of super-groups, TAB is to funk as Tedeschi Trucks Band is to blues.
2. We've known this for a while, but Goose could really benefit from having both a full-time rhythm guitarist and a full-time keyboardist. Peter does his best to do it all, but Trey’s presence as a second guitarist on this tour really solidified this point. The band sounds fuller and I would argue that types of jams that necessitate being as "tight" improvisationally as a four piece configuration (see: Phish) allows are not their strength to begin with. If only Goose could clone Peter!
3. It’s a lot to ask for a tour like this, but I would have liked to see more of the TAB horns/vocals on the Goose songs as opposed to just throwing in Trey for most of them. The TAB horns sounded fantastic on Fish in the Sea and Hot Tea - it's a shame we didn't get more than two songs! Trey made himself useful on each collab but there was a lot of him and Rick go back and forth, echoing each other's riffs again and again. I enjoyed hearing that - don't get me wrong - but it got repetitive for me by the end of the tour. Even still, the collabs that we got were impressive given how little time these musicians have all spent together, and I'm certainly grateful.
4. Single Set Goose is the best Goose. One of their weaknesses is frequently dragging 10-12 minute jam vehicles to the 20+ minute range (which is fine sometimes, but they rarely are able to keep things improvisationally interesting enough to warrant it on a regular basis). Unsurprisingly, it's less of a temptation for them to do this to every song in a single set format, so this tour was refreshing from that perspective. I don’t think it’s a coincidence that some of the best end-to-end Goose shows are festival sets that are only 1 to 1.5 hours. That isn't to say that the jams aren't improving. One fun tidbit from the Lowell, MA show - Trey implied that Rick is only 31 years old. I'm sure I could have found this information is online somewhere but I had assumed he was a few years older. The future is bright!
5. Billy MFing Strings! The Fairfax, VA show on November 17th may have been THE signature moment of 2022 for the jam community, thanks to this man. We'll take a closer look at that night later on in this post.
Let’s get down to the nitty gritty and take a look at the collaborations that happened at each show. (Sadly, I don't have the time and you don't have the patience to read through an overview of every single song, so I'm only covering the collaborative efforts.) Each show generally followed the format of a 90 minute Goose set, in which Trey and/or the TAB horns sat in for the last 2 songs, followed by a 90 minute TAB set, with Rick and Peter sitting in for the last few songs (with the exception of the Billy Strings set). Then, all members of both bands would take the stage for the encore.
Cross Insurance Arena - Portland, ME (November 9th, 2022)
Estimated Capacity - 9,500
Hockey Team - Maine Mariners (ECHL)
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| Photo via Goose Instagram (source) |
The collabs got off to a scorching start with Trey’s sit-in during All I Need at the end of the Goose set on night 1. Goose sometimes extends All I Need too far for my taste, but this one stayed interesting throughout. Trey struck the perfect balance of being assertive yet collaborative in the improvisational moments, and this was altogether really enjoyable. After All I Need, we were served some Pancakes to round out the Goose set. I’m not a Pancakes guy, but these were perfectly agreeable, and I’m always happy to see a snappy 10 minute run time.
At the end of The TAB set, Rick and Peter sat in for Wolfman’s Brother, featuring some solid guitar interplay. Then, both full bands took the stage for fun versions of Llama (TABoose TABoose!) and First Tube. I was impressed by what they were able to do with all members of TABoose onstage during this tour's encores, but as you might imagine, it's not really feasible to produce anything improvisationally intriguing with that configuration.
Official Videos: All I Need
Tsongas Center - Lowell, MA (November 11th, 2022)
Estimated Capacity - 7,000
Hockey Team - UMass Lowell River Hawks
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| Photo via Trey Anastasio Instagram (source) |
In Lowell, MA, Goose brought out Trey at the end of their set for an exploratory Wysteria Lane. I have to give props to Goose for delivering some interesting versions of Wysteria recently, and this one turned into one of the best I've heard. Trey stayed on and helped to deliver a fun Arcadia, which was arguably better than the one from Radio City Music Hall. I'm definitely Arcadia'd out but there was some creative work from Trey here, making it worth a listen.
The TAB set featured Rick and Peter for Back on the Train and Steam. Back on the Train was a quick one but it was cool to hear Rick's solo, and Steam featured a nice little jam. They kicked off the encore with a bit of an acoustic snoozer, first Trey playing a solo Theme from the Bottom before bringing out Rick for Strange Design. Then, all members of both bands came out for the full TABoose Blaze On, which was about as tight as you can ask for given the circumstances. It was a lot of fun, and it's hard not to smile watching everyone process off of the stage at the end.
Official Videos: Blaze On
Mohegan Sun Arena - Uncasville, CT (November 12th, 2022)
Estimated Capacity - 10,000
Hockey Team - None (Connecticut Sun -WNBA)
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| Photo via Trey Anastasio Instagram (source) |
The next stop was the "The Sun" for a Saturday show, which happened to be only night of the tour I was in attendance for. At the end of their set, Goose brought out the TAB horns for Fish in the Sea. This is an awesome cover for Goose that they really make into their own. Here, they let James, Jen, and Natalie dominate the sound and the result was stellar. After Fish in the Sea, they subbed in Trey and launched into the epic intro for Factory Fiction. It must have been a pretty emotional moment for Rick to play with one of his idols on a song he wrote at least 10 years ago. While I enjoyed this one, I don't think it lives up to the Bingo Tour version, which I consider to be the standard.
At the end of the TAB set, Rick and Peter came on for No Man in No Man's Land and 46 Days. I wouldn't say that they added much to No Man's but the horns were pretty awesome. 46 Days got into a nice groove, and there was a cool section with both guitars and backup vocals. It's definitely fun to hear the TAB treatment on some of these that I'm used to hearing from Phish. Carini was the perfect encore choice for full TABoose - it was powerful and fun to see live, even if it doesn't stack up improvisationally to a Phish version. And listening back, it's pretty impressive how tight it sounds given the literal number of humans onstage.
Official Videos: Fish in the Sea, Factory Fiction
Cool Insuring Arena - Glens Falls, NY (November 13th, 2022)
Estimated Capacity - 7,000 (ballpark estimate)
Hockey Team - Adirondack Thunder (ECHL)
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| Photo via Goose Instagram (source) |
Red Bird kicked off the collabs in Glen Falls, NY, the hometown of Jimmer Fredette. It’s one of the Phish-iest in their songbook but they make it their own with a punchy Goose groove. Unsurprisingly, Trey fit right in, even delivering a silky vocal performance, and Goose stepped up, leading to my favorite collab of the tour. Trey's assertiveness combined with Peter’s heavy involvement were the golden recipe for a truly sublime jam. A pedestrian Hot Tea with Trey rounded out the set. I was hoping they would bring out the horns for Hot Tea - luckily we got the full treatment later in the tour.
TAB kicked off the collabs by inviting Rick and Peter on for a really fun Mr Completely in which everyone got involved. It features a nice little keys section with Peter and Ray, which leads a groove featuring the horns, and finally a guitar buildup at the end. Rise/Come Together was pleasant if straightforward, then we had a powerful full TABoose encore with Possum.
Official Videos: Red Bird
UMPC Events Center - Moon, PA (November 15, 2022)
Estimated Capacity - 5,000 (ballpark estimate)
Hockey Team - None (Robert Morris Colonials Basketball)
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| Photo via Goose Instagram (source) |
In Moon, PA, Goose kicked off the collabs by inviting Trey onstage for This Old Sea. In my opinion, this is not necessarily a song that Goose needs Trey for, but the result was pretty good. Perhaps controversially, but I actually still prefer the version from Ted Fest last year with Taylor Goldsmith from Dawes. Next, we got an Empress of Organos - things got off to a promising start during the composed section as Trey adds in some tasty licks. Then, Peter explodes, but is able to keep himself mostly in control, flowing into a jam that is solid but nothing transcendent.
Later on in the TAB set, Rick and Peter came out for Sand. There was some noodling that sounded decent but this didn't really scratch the Sand itch for me - I want a groove, and this didn't quite deliver. Trey led off the encore with two solo acoustic songs, before all of TABoose took the stage for a really fun version of Suzy Greenberg. Shoutout to Peter who was clearly living his best life filling in on the Fishman vocal parts.
Official Videos: This Old Sea
EagleBank Arena - Fairfax, VA (November 17th, 2022)
Estimated Capacity - 11,000
Hockey Team - None (George Mason Patriots Basketball)
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| Photo via Trey Anastasio Instagram (source) |
Next, the bands headed to EagleBank Arena in Fairfax, VA, home of the 2006 Final Four Cinderella GMU Patriots. Rumors of a Billy Strings guest appearance swirled in the air - his tour schedule lined up perfectly, but it almost seemed too obvious, would it actually happen?
The encore didn't disappoint either. Trey and Billy came out for an acoustic version of Billy's Love and Regret. The crowd erupted when Billy snuck in a "and the sweet licks that Trey's gonna play" line. After an acoustic Water in the Sky, TAB came back on with Rick and Peter for an electric Back on the Train, and finally the full TABoose Carini rounded out the night.
Official Videos: Meet Me at the Creek
War Memorial Arena - Syracuse, NY (November 18th, 2022)
Estimated Capacity - 7,200
Hockey Team - Syracuse Crunch (AHL)
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| Photo via Trey Anastasio Instagram (source) |
Let’s talk Syragoose! The collabs kicked off with a Treyhuvan at the end of the Goose set. Great on paper, unfortunately the real thing was a little underwhelming. It's really a bummer, because Madhuvan is such an unbelievable song (just listen to the studio version!) but Goose really struggles to stretch it to 20 minutes and keep it interesting for me throughout. The common exception has been when it's part of a sandwich (e.g. Moby), but it’s capable of being a jam vehicle on its own - perhaps a Chrysler Pacifica, Honda Odyssey, Dodge Caravan, I could go on. Next, we were treated to a particularly phenomenal Animal featuring Russ Lawton on Drums, with some excellent work by Peter at the end.
We started to get more Rick and Peter on TAB songs by the end of the tour, and I'm certainly not complaining. They came on for Mr Completely first, and it was tight, if maybe not quite as interesting as the 11/13 rendition. Plasma was a cool one and featured some Angry Trey, which is always a real treat. Next, we got one of the best TAB collabs of the tour in Wave of Hope. This is definitely one of Trey's best new songs, and I think I prefer the TAB treatment of it to Phish's. James Casey delivered a silky saxophone riff and Rick and Peter's contributions put this one over the top. Interestingly, the encore was just TAB, Rick, and Peter as opposed to full TABoose. First up was a Quantegy that was standard fare, and a groovy Money Love and Change closed out the show.
Official Videos: Madhuvan, Animal
Santander Arena - Reading, PA (November 19th, 2022)
Estimated Capacity - 9,000
Hockey Team - Reading Royals (ECHL)
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| Photo via Trey Anastasio Instagram (source) |
Onto the last night of the tour in Reading, PA! Goose brought on Trey at the end of their set for Rockdale and Elmeg the Wise. I've been enjoying Rockdale recently and this was a cool one with some heavy involvement from Peter. Elmeg didn't really benefit from the Trey sit-in for me, though. The real treat of this set was Hot Tea featuring the TAB horns. I was surprised that it didn't get the TAB treatment before the last night - the horns were a natural fit on the studio version so I expected them to bring out this arrangement earlier. The result was pleasant, relaxed and largely composed but still funky, coming in at an ideal 12 minutes. The horns tee off Trey and Rick for a nice little guitar section at the end to send it off.
We got another heavy dose of Rick and Peter during the TAB set on the last night. Ghost featured a pretty wild intro from Cyro that I would not want to hear if I happened to be on psychedelics, that's for sure. An unexceptional Hey Stranger gave way to a juicy Everything's Right. The composed guitar solos from Trey and Rick were crisp, and it's easy to forget that, despite some impressively corny lyrics, this thing is a serious jam vehicle. First Tube rounded out the set, not as tight as usual given the extra baggage onstage, but still fun and gave Rick a chance to shine during the build-up. The encore was back to TABoose TABoose, so naturally Llama was a great choice for the last show. A tender Show of Life and a bangin' Party Time rounded out the show, and with that, they all slowly took a stroll into the night.
Official Videos: Rockdale, Elmeg the Wise, Hot Tea
Nate's Picks - these are my favorite collabs from the tour, enjoy!
- All I Need 11/9 w/ Trey
- Wysteria Lane 11/11 w/ Trey
- Blaze On 11/11 w/ Goose
- Fish in the Sea w/ TAB Horns 11/12
- Red Bird 11/13 w/ Trey
- Mr. Completely 11/13 w/ Rick and Peter
- Suzy Greenberg 11/15 w/ Goose
- Meet Me at the Creek 11/17 w/ Billy Strings
- Possum 11/17 w/ Billy Strings
- Moma Dance 11/17 w/ Billy, Rick and Peter
- Gotta Jibboo 11/17 w/ Billy, Rick and Peter
- Plasma 11/18 w/ Rick and Peter
- A Wave of Hope 11/18 w/ Rick and Peter
- Hot Tea 11/19 w/ TAB Horns
- Everything's Right 11/19 w/ Peter and Rick
1 But if you ask me, Peter Anspach definitely has that dog in him.↩
2 Steven Hyden, one of the hosts of 36 From the Vault, wrote an awesome article about Goose - highly recommend that you give that a read, in addition to checking out the podcast.↩
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