https://forum.phish.net/forum/permalink/1378118056

A restless artist fears stagnation and loves reinvention. Phish had become a giant touring production by the end of 1998, and Trey was likely feeling constrained by what Phish had become. All four band members had previously participated in side projects, but only with the clear understanding that those projects would be isolated and temporary, a "bend in the road" rather than a detour. The 8 Foot Fluorescent Tubes one-off show in May 1998 initially seemed like the latest example of this, but it was also a prototype for what would eventually become the Trey Anastasio Band. By early 1999 Trey seemed to be itching to play some shows without his other Phish bandmates, and after a warm-up benefit show in February, Trey took Tony Markellis and Russ Lawton on the road for 12 shows over 16 days in May. He was ready for another creative outlet, and the May shows allowed him to try out some favorite covers and new material written with Tony and Russ.

When Phish reconvened rehearsals for their Summer '99 tour, Trey had new material to teach the others, and a few other changes to put forward. His stage position moved from between Page and Mike (his spot since the days of three-night stands at Nectar's) to far stage left, on the other side of Fishman's drum riser. Trey had previously used a rotating Leslie speaker for occasional effect, but now his guitar sound was now heard through the Leslie almost exclusively. Whether these changes were Trey's reaction to perceived stagnation is speculative, but the result was an assertion of Trey's personality even further into the band's music. When the band released their next studio album, Farmhouse, in May 2000, it tellingly featured only songs Anastasio had co-written with lyricist Tom Marshall or with Lawton and Markellis, and none co-written with the other band members.

These new songs and the change in direction came to define the "Millennial Sound" of live Phish during 1999-2000. The casualness that had defined 1997 and 1998 was still there, but Trey began driving the jams like he had in the band's early days, instead of laying back and playing something complimentary to the others. As result, some jams became more focused, while others were diffused and languid, depending on how inspired Trey felt at the moment. This show features some of the best brain-shocking examples of this approach. 7/9/99 has already been heavily mined for Live Bait selections, and I couldn't fault someone who thought that was all that needs to be heard from this show. But I find the first set to be quite enjoyable, with good Trey solos in Limb By Limb, Farmhouse and Divided Sky, Page getting a chance to shine during Llama, and a hazy Runaway Jim set closer. Harry Hood encores are not to be overlooked, either. The overall listening experience is different from the early 90's or most of 3.0, but as always, the sound of Trey's guitar playing makes everything all right.