Trey Anastasio, Mike Gordon, and the Benevento/Russo Duo - Chicago, IL

Ever since Phish announced a second, and much more permanent, hiatus back in the summer of 2004, the jam band scene has seemed to grow more and more fractured into smaller and smaller scenes. Unlike the way Phish seemed to absorb countless Grateful Dead fans after the 1995 passing of Jerry Garcia, there hasn't seemed to be one unifying band that has picked up the mantle to become the jam band to follow. This isn't necessarily a bad thing, as there are quite a few talented bands out there worthy of a respectable following, but none of them seem to have fostered the same level of dedication and true sense of community like the one surrounding Phish and its' fans. With fewer and fewer chances for that community to rekindle the dying fire, fans young and old were more than ready to jump at the chance to see Trey Anastasio and Mike Gordon on an extended tour together again - because, hey, half of Phish is better than no Phish, right?

The night kicked off with just drummer Joe Russo and keyboardist Marco Benevento on stage, ripping through a short set drawing from their own back catalog; reminding me more than once of a modern-day Silver Apples given the instrumental set-up and electronic-tinged drones. The grooves were tight and a couple songs took off into interesting directions, but their entire set seemed to serve as little more than background music as the fans filed in and greeted old friends and fellow tour veterans. Despite the overcast skies and humid weather, there seemed to be an anticipatory vibe in the air, as if this crowd was just waiting for the right moment to cut loose and turn it into one giant party. After a (relatively) brief set break, Joe and Marco came back out with half of Phish in tow, most notably a smiling Trey in a playful mood. As everyone set up and ran everything through a final tune-up, Trey gave a nod to Chicago baseball by playing "Take Me Out to the Ballgame" on his guitar and inspiring most of the crowd to sing along (he had earlier thrown out the first pitch at Wrigley Field before the Cubs game).

From there it was straight to work, with Anastasio tearing through a set of mostly new compositions that got the crowd moving and dancing from the get-go. All four guys on stage seemed to be having a great time playing together, bouncing and smiling as they improvised their way through jams that never once felt tedious. A couple early highlights included a jam on "Hap-Nappy" that featured some truly awesome bass work from Gordon and an ambient exploration evolving out of "Suskind Hotel". Each of these improvisational side trips worked surprisingly well, feeling more fresh and inspired than anything Gordon and Anastastio have done in the last half-decade - including the last several years of Phish's existence. I'm not sure if the new creative partners can take all of the credit, but it is wonderful to see Trey and Mike having this much fun making music again - reunion be damned. Anyone familiar with Trey or Mike will know how proficient each is with their respective instruments - both were in top notch form throughout the night, but I'm sure many were surprised by just how well Benevento and Russo held up their end. Russo in particular was thrilling to watch, knowing exactly when to attack his kit with ferocity and when to just lay back and carry the groove.

About two-thirds of the way through the set, Marco and Joe took a breather as Trey switched to acoustic guitar and Mike grabbed a banjo for a more intimate mini-set - as intimate as one can get in an outdoor amphitheater anyway. The pair cruised through a couple new compositions before nodding to their famed band by playing "Poor Heart" and "My Sweet One", both of which were greeted with a hugely enthusiastic crowd response. After teasing "Take Me Out to the Ballgame" a few more times and a charming cover of "On the Road Again", the full band came back out to bring the night to a close. The main set ended with a thrilling cover of "Who Are You" that was performed with probably ten times more energy than the pseudo-Who will be able to muster up themselves later this year. Trey really cut loose on this song, going as far as smashing his hand into his guitar while imitating Pete Townshend's legendary windmill attack - but not even that seemed to take the smile off his face. It was by far the highlight of the show to see all four guys completely getting off on the music and enjoying themselves, so much so that the encore of "Mud City" seemed anticlimactic in comparison.

The night's draw may have been the chance to see one half of Phish performing together on the same stage, but by the end of the night I think everyone in attendance had put away any preconceptions and just basked in the power of this quartet. This was no half-assed nostalgia act, nor was it an attempt to appease the fans with a perfunctory summer shed tour - this was just four extremely talented musicians having a good time, grooving to the sounds they were creating, and feeding off the rapturous fans. In other words, everything a successful jam band show should be.