Tag: Beacon Theater

We’re All Looking For A Little More Love: The Beacon Jams Week 6
Trey Anastasio returned for another installment of The Beacon Jams last night and delivered another astounding show with a well-crafted setlist that showcased several TAB debuts.

Trey was joined by the usual suspects rounding out his band. This included Ray Paczkowski (keyboards), Tony Markellis (bass), Russ Lawton (drums) and Cyro Baptista (percussion). In addition to his backing band, Trey was also again joined by the Rescue Squad Stings. They were composed of Maxim Moston (violin), Katie Kresek (violin), Rachel Golub (viola), and Anja Wood (cello). Jeff Tanski (piano) also sat in sporadically as well. The band was rounded out by the Angels 3 backing vocalists: Jennifer Hartswick, Celisse Henderson and Jo Lampert.

Trey and company wasted absolutely no time opening up with the Phish staple “You Enjoy Myself,” a TAB debut. The opening sequence of the song featured The Rescue Squad strings adding an elegant touch of flair to the beloved number. After “The Silver Light,” Trey turned to his acoustic guitar for a beautiful version of “Winterqueen” before shifting gears to the heavy-hitter “The Moma Dance.”

One of the highlights of the evening came in the middle of the set. Trey opted for the classic Phish ballad “Billy Breathes,” another full TAB debut, where Trey delivered the song’s signature solo (even though he claimed he “messed up”). Before a percussion-heavy version of “Bouncing Around The Room,” Trey dedicated the song to his longtime friend/co-writer Tom Marshall – who recently celebrated his birthday.

The evening wrapped up with a fitting message of hope and optimism in “Rise/Come Together” which fully embraces the overarching theme of The Beacon Jams as a whole. This week’s show also raised over $100,000 for The Divided Sky Fund which provides quality care and compassionate treatment for those struggling with substance abuse issues. If fans are able to donate they can head over to trey.com/donate. The Beacon Jams will resume next Friday at 8 p.m. on Trey’s personal Twitch channel.

photo credit: Jake Silco

Setlist via Phish.net

Set: You Enjoy Myself [1], The Silver Light, Winterqueen [2], The Moma Dance [3], Kill Devil Falls[3], Twenty Years Later[3], Mercy [4], Light [5], Summer of ’89 [6], Joy [7], A Song I Heard the Ocean Sing[3], Farmhouse, Tube[3], Billy Breathes[3], Every Story Ends in Stone, Bouncing Around the Room[3], Wading in the Velvet Sea[3], Are You There Colleen? [8], Rise/Come Together
- [1] Full TAB debut. Began with just Trey with The Rescue Squad Strings and Jeff Tanski on piano with the rest of the band and Jennifer Hartswick, Celisse Henderson, Jo Lampert joining in on vocals later. Lyrics changed to “boy, woman, god, shit.”
- [2] Trey on acoustic guitar with the full band and singers.
- [3] Full TAB debut.
- [4] Debut; with The Rescue Squad Strings and Jeff Tanski on piano.
- [5] With The Rescue Squad Strings.
- [6] With just Trey on acoustic guitar and The Rescue Squad Strings.
- [7] Full TAB debut; with The Rescue Squad Strings.
- [8] Debut.
This performance was part of The Beacon Jams series and featured the debuts of Mercy and Are You There Colleen? and the full TAB debuts of You Enjoy Myself, Moma Dance, Kill Devil Falls, Twenty Years Later, Joy, A Song I Heard the Ocean Sing, Tube, Billy Breathes, Bouncing Around the Room, and Wading in the Velvet Sea. You Enjoy Myself began with just Trey with The Rescue Squad Strings and Jeff Tanski on piano with the rest of the band and Jennifer Hartswick, Celisse Henderson, Jo Lampert joining in on vocals later. The lyrics in You Enjoy Myself were changed to “boy, woman, god, shit.” Winterqueen featured Trey on acoustic guitar with the full band and singers. Trey teased No Men In No Man’s Land in Moma Dance. Mercy through Joy featured The Rescue Squad Strings. Mercy also featured Jeff Tanski on piano. Summer of ’89 featured just Trey on acoustic guitar with the Strings. Trey quoted On the Road Again after Summer of ’89. Trey quoted She Blinded Me with Science in Tube.

All photos by Jake Silco
November 14, 2020
Trey Anastasio Resurrects His ‘Ghosts of the Forest’ On Fifth Night of Beacon Jams
The fifth performance of Trey Anastasio‘s eight-week residency at New York City’s Beacon Theatre took the exact form of one of his many recent side projects. From the opening zoom to the stage that soon showed backup singers and a different looking drummer, it was clear early on that tonight would finally be a variation of the core lineup from the first four weeks of The Beacon Jams. Tonight, Trey took his Ghosts of the Forest side project out for its first run in well over a year. If there was any rust on it, it was minimal.

Expectations for this evening started getting a little hyped up early on Friday, thanks to a nondescript Twitter post from Don Hart, Trey’s longtime orchestral and arrangement collaborator. A warning shot like this will rarely go unnoticed within the Phish community.

Immediately, hopes ran high with some sort of orchestral configuration of a Phish song or multiple songs. Perhaps an updated version of “Times Turns Elastic” or an elaborate run through of “You Enjoy Myself”? Apparently, per Trey, Mr. Hart was was still composing arrangements for this evening right up until 20 minutes before showtime, so anything was fair game.

Instead of traditional Phish canon, tonight’s orchestration was directed to one of the more recent Anastasio solo efforts, his Ghosts of the Forest album that was performed a handful of times in early 2019. It’s a complete album with more than 20 songs in all, written by Anastasio in the emotional wake stemming from the death of one his longtime friends, Chris Cottrell.

The opening zoom in to the stage immediately revealed a different lineup tonight. There were three backup singers visibly present: Celisse Henderson and Jennifer Hartswick, both from the original GOTF format, as well as “newcomer” Jo Lampert. The other distinct difference was a scruffy-haired Jon Fishman behind the drum kit this evening instead of Russ Lawton who manned it the first four nights. Together, with other Beacon Jam mainstays like Tony Markelis on bass and Ray Paczkowski on keys, this completed tonight’s GOTF ensemble.

With the “new” Ghosts of the Forest lineup established, they wasted no time in going into the outfit’s namesake song. Even though this was only the band and camera crew onstage, the fog and echo effects that accompanied this one were crowd-ready. “Drift While You’re Sleeping” followed, with the backup singers directing the the bulk of the vocal effects this time. Another sophisticated reverb effect introduced the reggae-ish breakdown sequence and it was clear early on nothing was being held back production-wise.

After this impressive opening sequence, Trey took the time for a quick round of band introductions, including one for Fishman, aka “some guy he picked up hitchhiking,” as well as new backup singer Jo Lampert. Trey made sure to remind folks that Lampert not only served as a clone in Phish’s New Year’s show at MSG last year, but also as one of the backup singers for their Ziggy Stardust musical costume from Halloween 2016. So she was certainly no stranger.

It wouldn’t be a “Beacon Jam” without some sort of spatchcock reference and that’s exactly what led into into the next GOTF song, “Friend.” Instead of the traditional four-piece Rescue Squad Strings that had accompanied Trey the previous weeks, this one would be “spatchcocked” into a fuller and doubly richer eight-piece ensemble Trey’s lead solo sounded even richer with the backing of the additional strings on this one.

photo by Jake Silco

After a quick shoutout to the Phish Chicks Facebook group, the backup signers returned and then it was right into “Sightless Escape,” complete with a “No Men In No Man’s Land” tease and a monstrous vocal breakdown from Celisse at the end. Afterwards, Anastasio honestly confided they were “having too much fun” tonight. “Halfway Home” featured a slowly building and ascending jam topped off with another Trey solo and sterling backup vocal harmony. After this, it was a quick switch to the acoustic guitar for “If Again” which sounds like it could be the uptempo cousin of “The Inlaw Josie Wales.”

Trey then took the time to give personal introductions to all eight members of tonight’s Rescue Squad Strings, including one whose friend formerly dated Jon Fishman. The strings added a wonderfully delicate touch to “In Long Lines” as well as “There’s A Path Above.” Afterwards, Trey thanked and mentioned Don Hart’s involvement, confirming arrangements were being completed right up to the last minute. Naturally, this somehow digressed to another spatchcock reference that ended with Trey telling Fish he plays a song quite regularly about this, “Split Open and Melt.” This led into one of the few GOTF numbers that’s seeped into the Phish repertoire, an electric “About To Run” with no strings or singes, just another ferocious Anastasio solo, capped off with an election and a “running for office” pun.

“The Green Truth” saw the backup singers return in a big way as they seemed to dominate the tail end of this one. “Beneath a Sea of Stars Parts 1 & 2” followed and featured a nice, drawn out opening sequence with Fishman taking lead on drums for a while. “The lights are flashing” line seemed to nod to the simple yet highly effective combination of flashing house lights and the minimal light rig used onstage. The Rescue Squad Strings then re-entered before “Mint Siren Dream.” This delicate little number saw Trey in full crooner mode, using only the microphone to sing while being supported by the strings and timely fills from Ray on keys.

“Stumble Into Flight” featured more lively play from Paczkowski, that meshed with a distinct echo effect from Trey and powerful backing vocals to produce a notable jam that contained a “Pigtail” quote at one point. Immediately afterwards, with no hesitation, “Ruby Waves” started up, giving this two-song section of the evening a distinct Phish taste. Although no Alpine Valley version, this “Ruby Wavs” got plenty deep and developed another intriguing jam that grew organically, sounding by far the closest to anything purely Phish from “The Beacon James” so far, including the still impressive lighting display.

The strings ambled back on stage for “Shadows Thrown By Fire,” a brief instrumental number with the backup singers adding airy vocals atop. “Wider” was another highlight of the evening, with heavy bass play from Markelis early on bass and a catchy “Gonna get wider when I die” lyric. More strong play on the clav and organ from Ray added to a bit of an extended jam.

Trey then gave the chat room one more nod, and noted that up to $400K in donations have been made to date towards The Divided Sky Fund. This elicited more heartfelt thanks with Anastasio advising a site for the proposed rehabilitation house has been found, and it’s on track to open in late 2021.

photo by Jake Silco

The strings returned once more for “Life Beyond The Dream,” an appropriate song to follow talk of a rehab house with its “don’t give up hope” lyrics. As expected, the string ensemble took this song to another level in a dazzling display of orchestration towards the end. “In This Bubble” followed, with its wishful “going home” lyrics and a melody once again driven by the backup singers who were all in great form all night. This immediately transitioned to the end of the “Sea of Stars” suite with “Beneath a Sea of Stars Part 3 (blue)” that was appropriately heavy on all available shades of blue house lights.

This effectively ended the set. The encore began with another spooky, echoey effect that bled into the beginning of the hauntingly somber “Brief Time,” with Trey again on acoustic. “Pieces of the Machine” with more “Ghosts of the Forest” vocal teases finished things for the evening – a complete performance of Ghosts of the Forest exactly as it had been played in its handful of performances earlier last year. Or, in other words, just another Friday night at The Beacon for Trey.

photo by Jake Silco

Trey Anastasio “Beacon Jams” Beacon Theatre – New York City, NY 11/6/20

Setlist via Phish.net

Set: Ghosts of the Forest > Drift While You’re Sleeping, Friend [1], Sightless Escape, Halfway Home > If Again, In Long Lines [1], There’s a Path Above [1], About to Run, The Green Truth, Beneath a Sea of Stars Parts 1 & 2 [1] > Mint Siren Dream [1], Stumble Into Flight > Ruby Waves, Shadows Thrown By Fire [1], Wider, A Life Beyond The Dream [1], In This Bubble > Beneath a Sea of Stars Part 3 (blue)

Encore: Brief Time [1], Pieces in the Machine

Notes: [1] With The Rescue Squad Strings : Katie Kresek, Maxim Moston, Phil Payton, and Mary Jo Stilp on violin, Monica Davis and Rachel Golub on viola, and Eleanor Norton and Anja Wood on cello

All photos by Jake Silco
November 7, 2020
Trey Anastasio Begins ‘Beacon Jams’ Residency

Phish guitarist and New York City resident Trey Anastasio kicked off his eight-week virtual residency at the Beacon Theater last night, delivering the kind of live music we’re all starving for right now. Appropriately named “The Beacon Jams,” this Friday night, and the next seven as well, will serve as a weekly musical oasis for a world currently deprived of massive live shows and indoor concerts. Broadcast by twitch.tv, Trey and friends delivered two-plus hours of music spanning the musician’s prolific career.

Photo: Jake Silco via Trey Anastasio Facebook

Tonight’s performance was essentially a stripped down version of the current Trey Anastasio Band configuration. Longtime stalwarts Tony Markellis and Russ Lawton manned the bass and drums, respectively. Cyro Baptista was behind the percussion kit, and delightfully present and high in the mix all night. And a spry Ray Paczkowski added his signature sound on keys for most of the night. Jeff Tanski, a friend, theatrical collaborator and fellow NYC resident, would also sit in on piano for a few songs.

One of the more interesting aspects of the show was that instead of a typical stage setup with the band facing the seats, the back of the stage was opened up entirely for the cameras and the band faced the opposite direction. With the majestic yet empty Beacon Theater as the backdrop, the night started off aptly with “Corona.” Making its first live appearance since a 4/27/18 Trey show in New Orleans, this set the tone nicely with a short but passionate outburst of a jam.

Photo: Jake Silco via Trey Anastasio Facebook

The “Blaze On” that followed carried things even further. Cyro and his wearable rub board gave it a nice percussive touch early. And the extended jam that ensued had everyone getting in on it courtesy of rotational solos before Trey put the finishing touches on it.

He had a noticeably fun time all night “breaking the fourth wall” after songs and mentioning/thanking the twitch chat room that was shown in front of him on a monitor. and mentions/thanks the chat room. After some playful banter, it was time for “I Never Left Home,” one of the many new Trey songs from his new Lonely Trip album that was recently produced and released while in quarantine. The echoe-y vocal effects and spellbinding dark and psychedelic jam that this evoked in its first live showing just oozes with Phish potential.

The ensuing “Soul Planet” featured another extended jam, this time fueled by Russ on drums. Trey then took a quick moment between songs to read some more chat room messages and also wish his Mom a happy birthday. Jeff Tanski then came out for “Shade” on piano with Ray moving over to the organ.

Photo: Angela Cranford/MSG Entertainment

“Dark and Down,” a classic TAB song then followed before the debut of another Lonely Trip song “A Wave of Hope.” The upbeat lyrics and positive sentiment noting “this too shall pass” carried right over into the next song, “If I Could See The World,” another new Lonely Trip number.

Things then shifted from inspirational to funky through the “Sand” that followed. With Ray heavy on the clav per usual. this one is given the full treatment with pulsating rhythm supplied by Russ and Tony and another passionate Trey solo on top of it all.

One of the true highlights of the evening was the “Stash” that immediately followed. This would be the only “old school” Phish song played tonight and it was anything but traditional. Trey was only accompanied by Jeff Tanski on piano and Cyro who added a mesmerizing percussive element simply by clapping along in various rhythms. This all served to create an acoustic “Stash” of sorts that is a must hear.

Photo: Jake Silco via Trey Anastasio Facebook

The Phish vibes were out once again in full force in the “Everything’s Right” that came later. Cyro began this one with what seemed to be percussive ping-pong paddles of some sort before a Russ shuffle beat steered the song into its familiar beginning.

Although he never left the stage, some true acoustic songs seemed to begin the unofficial “encore.” This included a tender rendition of “The Inlaw Josie Wales,” a song Phish hasn’t tackled in 20 years, although it does get some run through TAB. This also gave Trey a chance to talk about the rehabilitation house that proceeds from this residency are going towards, obviously a project near and dear to Trey’s heart.

“46 Days” saw the rest of the band then come out and finish things off in style. This marked the end of night one with another seven Friday nights of Beacon Jams lined up to follow. It’s fairly clear that each night will feature new guests, stories and interaction with Trey via twitch, and live music that’s good for the soul.

Trey Anastasio “Beacon Jams” Beacon Theater – New York, NY 10/9/20

Corona > Blaze On, I Never Left Home [1], Soul Planet, Shade [2], Dark and Down, A Wave of Hope[1], If I Could See The World[1] > Sand, Stash [3], When the Words Go Away [4], Everything’s Right > …And Flew Away[1], The Inlaw Josie Wales [5], Sunset Days [6], 46 Days

[1] Debut.
[2] Jeff Tanski on piano.
[3] Only Trey, Jeff Tanski on piano, and Cyro clapping.
[4] Debut; Trey solo acoustic.
[5] Only Trey on acoustic and Jeff Tanski on piano.
[6] Trey solo acoustic.

October 10, 2020
Widespread Panic Marks Leap Day With Timely Beacon Run
In the spirit of the Allman Brothers, fellow Georgia peaches Widespread Panic graced the Upper West Side with a multi-night run of shows at The Beacon Theatre as a prelude to spring. Southern accents and charm were prevalent throughout the crowd, as many fans made the trek for the noteworthy occasion. Included in the shows was a Leap Day show on February 29, which brought together a “time” theme in the second set of the show.

The music was complimented by a stunning light rig, with vertical rows of lights in the center and left, and a circle of lights on the right. A beacon of rainbow light was often radiating just above Duane Trucks and Domingo Ortiz on their raised drum stands behind the rest of the band. The stage floor contained powerful rotating lights that often embellished the iconic Egyptian-themed ceiling.

Bust-outs were found throughout the run, including “Vicious” by Lou Reed, which hadn’t been played in over 1000 shows, dating back to the band’s Halloween run at Madison Square Garden in 2003, and the rare “E on a G,” which had only been played eleven times prior.

On Friday, the band did not let up in set one, and came out firing as they had the night before. The show started out strong with early Panic classics “Wondering,” “C. Brown” and “Can’t Get High.” Jimmy Herring got loose on “All Time Low,” which followed for the first big jam of the night. Fans were treated to the rare “Dark Day Program,“ last played on in July 2011. To close out this high energy first set, Dave Schools asked the crowd if they wanted to dance and the band unleashed a monster cover of Robert Johnson’s “Stop Breakin’ Down Blues.”

A heavy “Sleeping Man” opened the second set, followed by a pair of covers from The Band, “Ophelia” and “The Shape I’m In.” And while it felt like they were about to dive into Pink Floyd’s “Breathe” just out of “Driving Song,” the band treated the crowd to the twelfth ever version of the instrumental “E on a G.” Herring kept his foot on the gas during the set closer of “Chilly Water,” while the crowd sprayed their water and added a visceral soaking sensation. The night wrapped up with a delicious double encore of “Blue Indian” and “Climb to Safety.”

But how would the band commemorate the quadrennial Leap Day that followed? There are few songs with ‘Leap’ in the title, so a reflection on time was in order, and found throughout much of the second set, in both obvious and subtle ways. Set 1 started with classic Panic numbers “Space Wrangler” and “Walkin’ (For Your Love),” and the newly minted jam-vehicle “Up All Night” which never fails to deliver. A rare “Tortured Artist” followed, along with the fresh “Sundown Betty.” The first set closed with a trio of high energy numbers in “Machine,” “Barstools and Dreamers” and the apropos for Saturday NRBQ cover “Flat Foot Flewzy.”

The second set played off of a ‘time’ theme with references throughout, starting with “Blackout Blues” (in the middle of the night), a tease of the theme to Norman Lear’s All in the Family “Those were the days” (which is set in nearby Queens), “Airplane” (must have been a year ago), “Holden Oversoul” (one last time), “Henry Parsons Died” (6 o’clock on Saturday). A trio of ‘time’ songs followed – “Time Zones,” Los Lobos’ “Somewhere in Time” and The Dillards “There is a Time” – but the time references didn’t end there. J.J. Cale’s “Ride me High” (this mornin’) and the first half of the encore “This Part of Town” (the other day) tossed in some subtle but notable references to time on this extra day of 2020.

Also notable, there were numerous references to Southern USA, including “Up All Night” (Savannah), “Henry Parsons Died” (Georgia), “Blackout Blues” (Mississippi) and the show closing “Red Hot Mama” (Louisiana). For the second half of the encore, the timeless Neil Young classic “Mr. Soul” wrapped the night up with high energy, and the audience holding out for a rare second encore that did not come to pass. As fans made their way into the brisk night, Dr. John’s “Right Place, Wrong Time” serenaded an audience who caught a show of rarities on a rare day in a classic venue.

With five sold out shows at The Beacon this year, and three sold out shows last year at The Capitol Theatre in Port Chester, one can only hope that Widespread Panic will follow in the tradition of another southern rock band, The Allman Brothers Band, and have an annual residency at The Beacon Theatre for years to come.

Setlists – Widespread Panic, The Beacon Theatre, NY, NY

Thursday, February 27

Set 1: Porch Song, Rebirtha > Greta > Jam > Stop/Go > Little Lilly, Proving Ground > Bust it Big > Proving Ground > Action Man

Set 2: Steven’s Cat > Jam > Walk On > Blight > Help Me Somebody > Jam > Fishwater > Drums > Fishwater >Pilgrims, Pusherman > Conrad

Encore: You Wreck Me > Tall Boy

Friday, February 28

Set 1: Wondering, C.Brown, Can’t Get High, All Time Low> Jam> Junior, 1 x 1, Dark Day Program, You Got Yours, Stop Breakin’ Down Blues

Set 2: Sleeping Man, Ophelia > The Shape I’m In, Surprise Valley > Bear’s Gone Fishin’ > Surprise Valley > Driving Song > E on a G > Driving Song, Don’t Wanna Lose You, Chilly Water

Encore: Blue Indian, Climb to Safety

Saturday, February 29

Set 1: Space Wrangler, Walkin’, Up All Night, Tortured Artist > Sundown Betty, I’m Not Alone, Machine > Barstools and Dreamers > Flat Foot Flewzy

Set 2: Blackout Blues -> Jam in C* -> Airplane -> Holden Oversoul -> Henry Parsons Died > Time Zones, Somewhere in Time, There is a Time, Ride Me High -> Drums-> Ride me High, Red Hot Mama

Encore: This Part of Town > Mr. Soul

*All in the Family theme tease

Sunday, March 1

Set 1: From The Cradle > One-Arm Steve > Let’s Get The Show On The Road > Ribs And Whiskey, Bowlegged Woman, Honky Red, Trouble, Hope In A Hopeless World > Postcard

Set 2: Let’s Get Down To Business, Little Kin, Disco, Diner > No Sugar Tonight > New Mother Nature, Papa’s Home > Drum Solo > Cease Fire > Protein Drink > Sewing Machine
Encore: Vicious, Ain’t Life Grand

Monday, March 2

Set 1: I Wanna Be Sedated, Travelin’ Light, Old Neighborhood, Imitation Leather Shoes, The Last Straw > Pleas, Rock, Jack > Love Tractor

Set 2: The Waker, Pigeons, Hatfield > Impossible^ > Saint Ex^^ > Tie Your Shoes > Jam, Nobody’s Loss, North

Encore: City of Dreams, Life During Wartime

^The Other One tease
^^Won’t Get Fooled Again tease
Widespread Panic, Beacon Theatre, NYC
March 2, 2020