Just a few thoughts on last night’s Albany Trey show. You can get the setlist here on Phish.net or on Hidden Track. And you can download the show from etree.

1.  The entire acoustic set is beautiful, in part given the audience sing-alongs. Also, the arrangement of Guelah Papyrus in particular is unusual, surprising and charming. I had no idea what song it was before Trey began the lyrics. It has an almost spell-bindingly repetitive riff during the verses, and the chorus ain’t shabby either. If you’re a fan of this song, it’s worth downloading this show to hear it. And it doesn’t hurt that Trey plays Buffalo Bill, of all things, on his acoustic next.

2.  Trey -- after explaining why Wading in the Velvet Sea means as much to him as it does (hear the banter for yourself) -- dedicates the song to Tom (with whom he wrote the song) and even bromantically sends his love to Tom, thinking that Tom wasn’t at the show, and then Tom (I think) yells “I’m here!” which leads to some amusing words from Trey. Gotta love intimate small-venue shows if only for exchanges like this. And I also heard (I think via Eric Wyman on Twitter) that the Drifting that Trey played last night was in response to a 5-year-old girl with a sign for it. Precious.

3.  Devil Went Down To Georgia with the horns in a bluesy-klezmer arrangement is wonderful, just a riot.

4.  The electric set is tight. It made me realize how much I missed Trey band. Jaded Trey-vets probably won’t be blown away by any of the jams, but I just love the horn arrangements, and I don’t think I ever want to hear Ocelot sans horns again. It adds so much to the song. I was never much of an Ocelot fan, but this is easily my favorite version. Hear Ocelot with horns. (And hear Alaska with horns, too, from the Portland 2/18 show!)

5.  I am not embarrassed to admit that I was unfamiliar with the “Gorillaz” until Trey’s cover of Clint Eastwood, and think it’s awesome that he covered this song (which I’ve downloaded from iTunes, and am listening to now). If you are familiar with this song, Trey’s homage to its greatness is entertaining, but be prepared to be surprised. Trey’s arrangement is about as true to the original as Phish’s cover of Floyd’s Great Gig in the Sky.

In any event, if you’re still on the fence, check out what Trey’s doing this tour -- if only to hear the horn arrangements and unique acoustic arrangements of your favorite Phish tunes. I’m only seeing the tour closer at the Fox, and now wish I were seeing a lot more shows. $0.02.

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