CHEERS!!!
I finally got to see the GRAB show I had been anticipating all summer at 10K, last Saturday night; and to be honest it was not all that I had hoped for but after hearing some fairly negative reviews I was suprised at how well they seemed to play together. With the cast of musicians that Trey finally had to accompany him and especially on a stage such as the Main Stage at 10K headlining the last night, you could tell Trey was trying to provide the audience with a good show. But by following SCI and Phil, this task could just not be accomplished. Cheese played one of the best shows I have heard and also received this type of statement from many veteran fans, and Phil also played an AWESOME show (Shakedown, St. Stephen>Dark Star simply cant be beat).
With that being sad I am glad to see Trey progressing forward and attempting to create music that is somewhere close to being on par to his previous level of playing. Hopefully this tour has motivated him enough to find the right cast of muscians for a band and to play GOOD music.
I put in a vote for “good”, with a sidenote for “potential to be great/phenomenal”.The Duo cooks, Mike may be one of the most important musicians out there right now, and Trey is definitely playing with more Vigor every time I see him.I do however fear that this was a one time tour, and Trey will be on to some other project in two months,so this group will not reach its great/phenomenal potential.
I voted great. Now, I know that I am a bit biased for this as I was front row center for the show that I saw. Being that close to Mike & Trey easily made it one of the best non-Phish shows I’ve ever seen. Secondly, I went into the show with pretty low expectations after reading the reveiws from the previous shows on the tour. I just didn’t think they would deliver a great show. But I was blown away with what I saw. I think the Duo can hang with just about any musicians out there. Of course Mike was droppin’ the funk as usual. And, to echo previous statements, it was great to see Trey play with such vigor and learning to let the reigns loose and let others shine (no pun intended). Sort of a glimpse of Phish: the good years.
I, too, fear that this tour was a one time deal, and Trey may move back to a 35 volt-type style. Let us hope that a clean and vibrant Trey will put feelers out and try to get Page & Fish on board (we all know Mike is game) and ‘get back to where you once belong.’
i said GREAT. i too was two people from the rail in front of Trey at the 10k show. expectations somewhat tamed down after reading and hearing other reviews/shows. but i thought they were tight as a drum and even trey’s new shit sounded MUCH LESS bubble-gummy and more funky and listenable. trey’s tone was the best i’ve heard since pre-hiatus, no OVER-distortion and he was sitting back to let the groove ooze out from the others too, instead of forcing a jam to change they were all letting it push itself naturally…russo is SICK, marco is top notch, and gordo was on point as usual…BOMBS!!!
i’m gonna download this show and a couple others and then i’ll have a bit of a better objective opinion. in the moment, that was my favorite 10k show, even though that SCI was nasty nasty, and Phil was great (1st set had some holes in it, 2nd set was the heat)
i went into the SPAC show with open ears are was pleasantly surprised. i tried to avoid all fan reviews up to that point and i knew that it being early in the tour they were going to be a little rough around the edges. they put on a great show and i enjoyed every minute of it.
i went to darien lake the following weekend and was expecting mostly the same songs but i felt they would be more mature as a band and able to take them in different directions. well they did. aside from the quick trey balads they had some great interplay with each other and i felt they were really listening to one another now. trey didnt take center stage anymore and they seemed to be holding their own on stage as a group rather than a collection of musicians.
i feel if they worked together and kept practicing while also adding some new originals and covers into the mix they could really blossom into a great band. however, this was probably their only tour and i dont anticipate them to do another one.
I’ve downloaded some shows and i’m diggin it. Only 20 or so gigs and they sound connected… Imagine after 2 years of gigging together… WOW!
^pho’ real b
i voted PHENOMENAL
…i don’t mean it’s as good as phish, but i was really REALLY impressed with the 2 shows i saw, and that was only half way through their tour.
i think i was just creaming myself to hear trey sound like trey…it’s not phish, but it’s i’d say it’s about just over half way there, which is saying a lot because it’s never been a sum of the parts…but they definitely connected like i’ve heard few bands do before…i’m not making much sense…i’ll stop trying.
PHENOMENAL!!!
I voted good. I think GRAB delivered on its promise, but knowing its most likely a one-off project it’s hard to get too excited about them.
i was at Bonnaroo and Raleigh.
i remember Bonnaroo as being a lot better and more exciting then Raleigh but that could have been due mostly to the element of suprise.
it’s good but it becomes very apparent watching it that Trey and Mike were just meant to play with Page and Fish.
that’s just the way it is.
My shows in order of greatness:
Raleigh- Good, but not nearly as good as the other two.
Allgood- Fun as hell. Very Clean. Incredible music.
Bonnaroo- Well, you all know how I feel about this show. As Jawbone said, it was a very big surprise, and I had one of the greatest experiences of my life.
so who else has voted phenomenal??? don’t leave me hangin…chime in!
when it comes to phish and their members (huh huh) i am very easily pleased…there are very few shows that i’m overtly critical of…i’d probably have voted phenomenal for everything i’ve ever seen by any of them (except for 70vp [esp at bonnaroo])
they’re on a different scale in my book, and GRAB definitely did not disappoint.
putting GRAB into the context of other side projects, i’d have to say they’re right up there
i guess i’m tryin to say, i’m no greg… 
raleigh was good but boring at times
all good was a cream dream supreme
this is a one shot project in my mind. i can’t think the duo likes to play second fiddle to trey and mike all the time. the money’s great i’m sure, but their music is not heard in the proper venue when they play these giant sheds. i would like to see mike become a permenant fixture with the duo. heard the roo '05 discs yet? i was front row and it’s just as i remember. FUCKIN GREAT! trey only muddies up the sound with the three of them. i love trey, don’t get me wrong, but that configuration resembled phish way too much except with music that is not near as good.
cleveland was awesome… wilson
i see that i am the only one that voted fair. So i better back myself up.
the total talent of the individuals > The sum of the band
They could be amazing yes the idea is amazing. The sound is Meh.
I saw them at roo and loved it but that was probably only b/c of the idea that trey,mike , and phil were on the same stage.
PS Casey jones and GDTRFB were awesome
i’d have to agree with most of that…dou+gordo was the shiz fo sho…even though i still think grab is phenomenal, grb was prob MORE phenomenal (i told you i am a shitty critic…but i do actually think both configs are totally sweet).
grb really left room for marco to go nuts. i mean, he fucking NAILED YEM! (in his own style of course)
my vote goes to “good, but not nearly as good as Mike w/ the Duo”
i was right in the middle of the tent for that show!!! one of the best of 'Roo last year…that Mike’s encore was complete insanity, crowd singing and all!!! mike just gels with those two so well and marco definitely has all the tools to carry the lead when he needs to.
but, i digress…i love GRAB and think that the potential for this project is unmeasurable…however, it’s not gonna last (which is fine), but it was fun. all of them will take something great from this tour and be better people/musicians because of it.
Good.
They sound alright, but I don’t really think its gonna go anywhere.
The Duo needs to do their thing and Trey needs to figure out what he wants post-Phish. Mike has his Ramble Dove & stuff w’ Leo. I don’t think GRAB will be long lasting.
Trey seems to be everywhere. Oysterhead, Grab, Solo, etc…
I would like him to settle down and pick a path.
I would like him to play solo acoustic. I really like that the best.
Kinda go the Bruce Springsteen route.