Phish.net

Bass struts along the pavement, tipping its cap to a quick nod of a guitar riff, and the horns salute as they pass. Trumpet and trombone step from the alley to briefly converse before giving way to the flute, which floats above the strolling instruments in a thought bubble. Every few blocks they take a break, gathering energy for the next hill. Ambling up Castro, rambling down Lombard, hanging on Haight; this music travels the “Sidewalks of San Francisco.” Trey once described the song’s horn arrangement as “not very far removed” from the “vocal layers in ‘Twist’ or ‘Bouncing Around the Room.’” 

“Sidewalks of San Francisco” debuted on 2/21/01 in Boston, MA during a nine-minute groove showcasing Jen Harstwick on trumpet and Andy Moroz on trombone, while Trey played a mostly supporting role. The four subsequent performances during that tour saw “Sidewalks of San Francisco” become more of a brief transitional piece clocking in at less than six minutes, although the 3/3/01 outing lingered for a while longer thanks to numerous false endings. When the 2001 summer tour came around, Trey really took “Sidewalks” out for a stroll, playing it at a brisker tempo and stretching it out into a full jam. The 7/12/01 L.A. and 7/17/01 Red Rocks versions built to wild crescendos, while the 7/13/01 Greek Theater offering was pushed to the eighteen-minute mark and 7/28/01 rolled for more than thirteen minutes before a smooth segue into “Plasma.”

May 2002 would see Trey Anastasio Band take the road again, now touring as a 10-piece with the additions of Peter Apfelbaum and Cyro Baptista. “Sidewalks of San Francisco” maintained a spot in the rotation, but would have its excursions reined in significantly. Flute and saxophone largely took the place of trumpet and trombone, and the song now followed a fairly fixed structure of brief solos and repeated phrases. Instead of the city-wide promenades of the previous summer, the 2002 performances were quick trips to the corner store, a change which was cemented with two similar outings in October. Following two more brief jaunts in 2003, “Sidewalks of San Francisco” took off its sneakers and retired from live performance. It would, however, be included on the 2007 release The Horseshoe Curve, which showcased some of Trey’s previously unreleased instrumental tunes.