Christmas came early for Phish fans on December 24, with a 2pm premiere of December, an album from guitarist Trey Anastasio and Chairman of the Boards™, Page McConnell.
The sessions from the band’s recording studio, The Barn, in Vermont, were recorded over the summer, of which two songs were shared during The Beacon Jams series this fall.
The album features six tracks, all arranged for Page and Trey, offering a more melodic treatment of a few Phish ballads. The album leads off with Hoist track “If I Could” followed by “Mountains in the Mist,” and “Wingsuit,” “Joy” and “Miss You.” A 16-minute version of “The Squirming Coil” rounds out December, making it one of the longest versions of the song to date.
December was produced and mixed by Bryce Goggin, engineered by Ben Collette and mastered by Pete Lyman at Infrasonic Mastering, Nashville, TN.
Live music venues in New York such as the Capitol Theater in Port Chester, State Theater in Ithaca and Tralf Music Hall in Buffalo started 2020 with great lineups for the year to come. While walking through Times Square on March 12, however, came the first of many announcements of the Coronavirus and its restrictions that affected every aspect of society since.
Take the 2020 Love Rocks NYC event at the Beacon Theater, for example. The marquee annual music event raises money for a common goal: to help feed New Yorkers who are too sick to cook or shop for themselves and do it through the healing power of live music. With emerging news of COVID-19, the sold out theater restricted attendance to press and artists only, capped at a 300-person maximum. Ticket holders who could no longer attend would use a link to stream the show, a familiar practice that, with the pandemic taking hold, would be the only way to see live music in the foreseeable future.
Love Rocks NYC featured various artists and actors including Rochester, New York native Steve Gadd (Eric Clapton, Paul Simon) on drums for all performances. Highlights of the star-studded evening included special guest performances by Derek Trucks, Warren Haynes, Dave Matthews, and The Black Crowes. Before closing his three-song set, with Peter Gabriel’s classic “Sledgehammer,” Dave Matthews told everybody, “Now after tonight I have to remind y’all to go home and stay by yourselves, wash your hands, and don’t listen to the President.”
Being inside the theater that night to see the most special guest, Mr. David Letterman, who reunited with Paul Shaffer for the first time since the Late Show ended in May 2015, was a treat for all. Letterman made light of these newly presented restrictions for the live music entertainment world, quoting Tom Petty’s song “Letting You Go.” “It’s a restless world, uncertain times you said hope was getting hard to find.”
Letterman elaborated, “after listening to that song, tonight it occurs to me that when things are hard, harder than they’ve ever been, even more troubled, you have got to look for something positive and one of the great gifts, one of the great blessings of life, honest to God, is live music.” These words continued to echo across the Beacon Theater, and worldwide to this day, as major live music performances have no definitive return.
David Letterman (Beacon Theatre, 3/12/20)
New York State has a rich, vibrant live music scene that immediately reacted to the cancellation of the year’s major music events. Local artists across the State have since found ways to fill the void. Central New York’s John McConnell immediately took to Facebook Live offering interaction with his audience. As McConnell reflects on the overall changes in live performances, he says, “There was a time where you could play a soulful song in a venue and open your eyes to something other than a cell phone in your face. Wallpaper gigs help pay the bills, but do not always feed the soul.”
Another immediate stand out is Jess Novak, who utilized the streaming app Twitch to bring AM and PM live music to the quarantined masses. Some of us found our silver lining at The Gear Factory in Syracuse, being able to collaborate at the creative space with musicians like Ben Shearer, who would normally be on the road. Even though large live music events remained out of question, New York’s outdoor landscape in the spring and summer allowed Colloca Estate and Grace Tyler Estate Wineries to act as venues, so McConnell and Novak could still perform to a live audience, until temperatures brought in the impending “Frost.”
To offset the eventual change in weather, which would end live music outdoors, many local and major musicians alike continued with virtual options, some with a simple twist of fate. In Spring, Phish started “Dinner and a Movie,” a free weekly streaming event. Each week featured an archival release of a live Phish concert with the goal to raise money for their non-profit, The Waterwheel Foundation, towards a food empowerment project. In late September, the Dinner and a Movie series ended with the announcement of Trey Anastasio’s “first-of-its-kind” eight week virtual residency called “The Beacon Jams” at the Beacon Theater.
All eight weeks were free to stream on Twitch and encouraged viewers to donate to the Divided Sky Fund that will focus on delivering quality care and compassionate treatment for those suffering from addiction. Trey has been a major advocate for progressive treatment of addictions since his personal struggle and subsequent recovery in Upstate New York, culminating in this Divided Sky Fund. The community responded by raising over a million dollars, many donors will even receive an autographed print of the event by Artist Jim Pollack and Trey Anastasio. A total of 5,300 copies were signed.
To paint the picture of what has occurred inside the Beacon Theater during its residency you, have to go to Rochester’s live music photographer, Jake Silco. Silco captured the essence of every night with its lit up backdrop in all of its glory – with the band facing brick, opposite of where the crowd would normally be. The empty Beacon Theater seats were alive with full stage lighting intertwined. A new face on screen from Buffalo, NY was pianist Jeff Tanski, he helped Anastasio rehearse for over 150 hours for the Grateful Dead’s “Fare Thee Well” shows in a Manhattan Studio in 2015.
Now to the rhythm section that was on site every week who has collaborated with Trey since 1999: Tony Markellis (Bass), Russ Lawton (Drums), Ray Paczkowski (Keyboards) and Cyro Baptista (Percussion, Paul Simon) helped kick the nightly grooves off. It was only appropriate that the whole residency started with an Anastasio solo song titled “Corona,” with its lyrics shouting: “When Corona touches oceans and the judgement comes at last, when all of this over and the truth meets the past.”
The song ends appropriately with a reference that all of us want right now, reiterating “when all of this is over.” As if this wasn’t enough to start the October residency, there was a Sinatra/Beatles studio-like string section who assisted from weeks two through eight. Named on the spot as the “Rescue Squad Strings,” the quartet was comprised of Anja Wood, Rachel Golub, Katie Kresek and Maxim Moston.
During week five, Syracuse native and drummer, Jon Fishman, came down to help resurrect Anastasio’s Ghosts of The Forest composition with Jennifer Hartswick (TAB), Celise Henderson (Lizzo), and Jo Lampert (Joan of Arc, David Byrne) on backing vocals. Ghosts was written as a tribute to Chris Cottrell, Anastasio’s life long friend.
The final musicians that joined for weeks seven and eight were Natalie Cressmann (TAB) on trombone and James Casey (Lettuce) on saxophone, who made the trip to New York from Kauai, Hawaii.
Attached to the Theater at The Beacon Hotel was where I was able to stream the shows as close to the source as possible, with the floor vibrating beneath you. Just as the same Times Square I walked through the day of COVID-19’s arrival, this same city has been subject to a “Story of the Ghost” [town] since. The Upper West side that would usually be flooded with 2,001 fans before and after the show was desolate and many of the performers could be spoken to after each night’s gig. Gone are the days in front of the State Theater in Ithaca being able to speak to Anastasio about his old club dates at The Haunt.
After the October 23 Beacon Jam, I spoke briefly with Anastasio, 6-feet away via a mask of course, on the Broadway street corner about the great Jazz musician Theloinus Monk. I had enveloped a copy of Monk’s Tips For a Gig: 20 Gig Tips From One Of The Greatest Jazz Masters Of All Time by Thelonious Monk for the occasion. When presented with it and his knowledge of Monk he exclaimed,” Yes, of course! Oh I love it!, I will read it! I’ll put it up and tack it on the wall for the next show, alright see ya later”
The following week October 30, to help create a festive vibe of Halloween weekends past on the empty Upper West side a Halloween PhanArt Card.
A quick “Happy Halloween buddy!” to which Anastasio replied on the go, “Thank you my friend!” Jon Fishman also received some PhanArt, with a request if he was planning on staying in NYC for a cover of Derek and the Dominos “Got to Get Better in a Little While.” Fishman’s Facebook posts will show his active political engagements and how in his home state of Maine he has been elected for two three-year-seats on Lincolnville’s Board of Selectmen.
One of Monk’s tips “a genius is the most like himself,” immediately dismisses a request for a cover song, but it could have been appropriate for the band and soulful backing singers to rejoice on Eric Clapton’s lyrics: “Revolution all across the land, just like Sly, You got to take a stand, please don’t hurt nobody, don’t knock nobody down, give them a helping hand to get up off the ground”
Italian illustrator, Moreno Chiacchierra who composed Frank Zappa’s comic art work in 1982 during a tour of the country inspired the art exchanges with Jon and Trey. In the just released What Calls You Home documentary, Anastasio comments on his relationship with Fishman. “So um, I count every minute playing with him as a blessing , I hope it’s me , if one of has to go first, because I don’t want to be on earth without having him to play music with.”
Monk’s tips are debatable as an influence over the course of eight Fridays, “In Rounds” where the band performed more than 150 different songs without a single repeat and not one cover. One major influence on Anastasio is Frank Zappa, especially after the just released 2020 Documentary Zappa. Trey produces the same non-stop work ethic in various compositions. New solo material produced during quarantine at his Upper West Side apartment, just blocks from the Beacon, called Lonely Trip was incorporated in the residency. He also helped The Roots come back to life on the Tonight Show. Anastasio was Jimmy Fallon’s first in studio musical guest since the lock down at Rockefeller .
When Jon Fishman accepted his local Syracuse “SAMMY Lifetime Achievement Winner Award” in 2015 at the Dinosaur BBQ he referenced sneaking out of his Halton Rd. house to make the short trip down “the errant path” to Manley Fieldhouse to see Zappa perform live.
Fishman was spotted last fall in attendance at a metal band show for Cattle Decapitation at Wescott Theater in Syracuse. Now, The Errant Path is a weekly radio show announced by Jon Fishman on Sirius XM. After hosting Bootsy Collins on air in November, his latest December episode amongst various jazz tracks included Frank Sinatra’s “Drinking Again” and John Lennon’s “Mind Games.”
At the 2017 SAMMY AWARDS CNY local, Megan Voss, was the only woman to be honored in its Hall of Fame. She brought her husband, producer, Eric Clapton and drummer Steve Jordan to the event. Like Anastasio who teamed with Relix for Beacon coverage, Jordan just participated as the musical director with them for America’s “Bird Calls” benefit concert – a virtual celebration of the life of Charlie Parker that raised money for the Jazz Foundation of America.
A New York City native, Jordan will be the musical director for the upcoming Play On CBS music special, benefiting racial justice and hunger across the nation. A quick nod to another Syracuse native and fellow Lifetime Achievement award winner in 2017, and Frank Sinatra’s conductor for 10 years, Vincent Falcones. His arrangements have been revisited.
Fishman and Anastasio, alongside other members of Phish, sang acapella on Sinatra’s “Send in the Clowns” during the final moments before midnight at Madison Square Garden, where the band rang in the New Year to start 2020 with its appropriate closing lyrics “Well, maybe next year.”
My grandfather Frank Romano (Falcone Cousin) remembered seeing Vinnie perform in 1948 at the Inn Between Restaurant in Camillus, New York with, “Vinnie on piano, Norm on Bass, and Sal the saxophone player.” Frank (Romano) reflected on Sinatra’s and Falcone performance at Saratoga Performing Arts Center on August 25th, 1975 as well.
Speaking with Saratoga Springs native, Tony Markellis, outside the Beacon Hotel before making the trip back upstate that day, about an infamous Utica gig from the past. I got his input on Monk’s Tips as well.
Markellis, who in his lifetime has seen Jimi Hendrix perform twice in New York State – once at Buffalo City Memorial Auditorium on March 23, 1968 and the other at the Singer Bowl in Flushing Meadows, New York on August 23, 1968, delivered his esteemed thoughts.
We immediately switched gears to talk about Ray Paczkowski’s playing on the keyboards every night, Markellis said, ” He’s brilliant, I mean his playing is so unlike anybody, he’s kind of playing like Monk in a rock setting that nobody does and he makes it work.”
Tony Markellis (Beacon Hotel 11/21/20)
A brief conversation happened with Paczkowski outside the Beacon, just minutes before he casually walked in and performed on the Phish Classic “You Enjoy Myself.” We spoke about drummer and producer Brady Blade. Packowski played with Brady, Trey, Tim Reynolds, and Tony Hall under the Dave Matthews and Friends Arena tour, that came through Rochester and New York City in the December of 2003. He referenced how great it was collaborating with Brady, but went on to quickly say, “His brother Brian Blade, is a whole ‘nother trip”
soule monde (Onondaga Community College 11/23/13)
Well, Ray certainly knows his stuff because just last week Brian Blade along with Christain McBride and Chick Corea were nominated for Best Jazz Instrumental for a 2021 Grammy. Like Chick Corea, who performed at Onondaga County Community College’s “Legends of Jazz Series” in September 2014, Ray Paczkowski and drummer Russ Lawton have also performed at the Frederick Marvin & Ernst Schuh Recital Hall back in November of 2013. The duo performed outside of the Trey Anastasio Band under the name Soule Monde that operates as a highly funky, Afro beat improvisational keyboard and drum performance.
When James Casey was asked about his interpretations of Thelonius Monk’s tips, he said it was required reading in college. As a drummer I stated “make the drummer sound good” in turn Casey replied “that’s what it’s all about.”
On top of his studies at Berklee was saxophone player Sam Kininger, out of Utica, New York, who was referenced under the Beacon Marquee as well. “I’d watch Sam play every Sunday and Tuesday night, never, ever making my 9 a.m. class on Monday or Wednesday because we were all out there until 2:30, taking it all in. I had learned my vocabulary there.” Markellis also commented about “Uticat” Kininger. “Of Course I know Sam! He’s one of the greats!” Sam Kininger started 2020 live and funky in front of crowds in January and February at Putnam Place in Saratoga Springs. He also performed with Lettuce on November 20, 2019 at the Stanley Theater in Utica.
Sam Kininger (Stanley Theater 11/20/19)
On the final evening of The Beacon Jams in Upstate, NY from October 25, 2002 at the Stanley Theater was reminisced by everyone on stage. Anastasio plays off the band, of a great night where “the plaster fell from the ceiling,” the band was booming and the unison of the crowd “was rocking to the beat of the humanity.”
Via Eliza’s production assistance and the Twitch live stream to an empty theater, under the name “romanoorange,” I was able to get feedback on a night that all of us from Liverpool, NY were in attendance can still remember, the balcony “pulsating to the music.” Drummer Russ Lawton touched on Monk’s Tips and Utica by saying, “Thanks for passing the tips on to me, so great. Of course I love the tip that if you’re not a drummer you still need to count. When you have people grooving with you it’s the best,.UTICA, best rocking show ever!!!”
In light of the trend to give back during COVID-19, perhaps Phish could release the show as an archival release with proceeds going to the Stanley Theater? After all, don’t they owe them for structural damage?
Before heading back Upstate for the winter, just a couple blocks from the 1929 palace for motion pictures and vaudeville (Beacon Theatre), The New York Historical Society is currently running a live exhibit Bill Graham and the Rock & Roll Revolution on Bill Graham, one the most influential concert promoters of all time. What would he propose for how live music should be viewed going forward? Maybe testing around the corner at the West 69th Urgent Care that offers three forms of walk in tests for COVID-19 before being able to enter the Beacon? What would the artists who make up the exhibit say?
After Beatlemania, John Lennon celebrated his 31st birthday at The Hotel Syracuse on October 9th 1971, his final live on stage performance was with Elton John at Madison Square Garden on November 28, 1974 He also found a silver lining in his “isolation” only releasing material from The Hit Factory and his home at the Dakota Building.
Roger Waters, who carried on touring to bigger venues like the Carrier Dome created “The Wall” between him and his audience making the restrictions as part of the performance. Perhaps we could utilize the size of the newly redone Carrier Dome with its 50,000-person capacity for a socially distant live concert or continue with the virtual options to help raise money for a cause by revisiting Paul McCartney’s infamous performance at the Carrier Dome on September 23, 2017.
Bruce Hornsby just helped honor our front line workers at Upstate Hospital in Central New York with a virtual concert that raised more than $500,000 in donations. Upstate Foundation reimagines gala with virtual Upstate Strong COVID Relief Benefit Concert featuring Bruce Hornsby and the Noisemakers Dec. 4.
Maybe the cosmos have the answer, where live performances have never stopped.
“The Sky Church is still here, as you can see,” according to Hendrix at Woodstock. On December 2, 2020, a meteor crashed into Earth’s atmosphere above Central New York where dogsledder captures the meteor on video after an ‘explosive’ boom. The next show at Tully Lake on December 21, Jupiter and Saturn will form “Christmas Star” the first visible “double planet” in 800 years. Like Little Feat’s lyrics “So it seems that the world keeps on turnin’ but so what I don’t doubt it, it just keeps on the move.”
We all have to keep moving to the beat of humanity into 2021.
A surprise for anyone who caught any of the eight weeks of The Beacon Jams – “What Calls You Home” – a 17-minute short documentary featuring interviews and behind the scenes footage was released on Thursday, December 10. .
Created by the MSG Entertainment team, “Whatt Calls You Home” features exclusive performance highlights and in-depth conversations with Trey Anastasio and members of the production who helped bring the virtual residency to life.
The Beacon Jams was an overwhelming success – held at the historic Beacon Theatre, Trey along with his band and several special guests performed 151 original songs (with no repeats) and more than 20-hours of live music. Over eight weeks, hundreds of thousands of fans tuned in for the live streams, and in turn helped raise $1 million in donations for the Divided Sky Fund, part of Phish’s WaterWheel Foundation, which will help fund a drug treatment center in Vermont.
“What Calls You Home” is a fascinated look at how this unique residency came together at such a critical time in the music industry and across the nation and world, a true tribute to the power of live music.
Read NYS Music’s reviews of each weekend of The Beacon Jams here.
All good things must come to an end. For Phish fans, these eight weeks of Trey Anastasio and the Beacon Jams have been a shining light in the darkness deep. The previous seven shows had featured all sorts of stories, guitars, guests and strings and the eighth and final week of this journey was no different.
The finale was highlighted by an explosive “Carini,” beautiful versions of “Pebbles and Marbles” and “Slave to the Traffic Light” and a touching “Liquid Time.” Over 48,000 viewers flocked to Twitch for this final, free, live–streamed performance as donations poured into The Divided Sky Fund, which focuses on delivering quality care and compassionate treatment for those suffering from addiction, through Phish’s Water Wheel Foundation.
photo by Jake Silco
Earlier in the evening, Trey posted on Twitter for fans to tune in again at 7:50p EST for another installment of his pre-show video series with Page McConnell. This time they treated us to a brief but truly beautiful rendition of “Brian and Robert.” McConnell’s Wurlitzer added considerable depth to this duet as Trey’s acoustic guitar danced around the notes that Page played. The song choice couldn’t have been more appropriate as we’ve all been staring at our walls for the last three seasons and this past month and a half’s worth of shows has certainly been a welcome relief for phans around the globe.
Deviating from the usual opening, the show started in the stairwell of the Beacon Theater with Trey Anastasio playing acoustic guitar, accompanied by James Casey, Natalie Cressman and Jennifer Hartswick. The foursome sang the first part of “Just A Touch,” before moving with the camera onto the stage to join the entirety of the Trey Anastasio Band to end this debut with the new way to end any song these days: “Science!” The energy of the show ramped up immediately as the opening notes of “Carini” filled everyone’s living rooms. Harnessing the power of every second set opener ever while adding the intensity of both horns and Cyro’s energy knocked this song into 12th gear.
photo by Jake Silco
Trey started his audience participation portion by reading a “thank you” on behalf of firefighter fans, a comment about one fan’s dog being scared by that monster of a Carini, and a comment about Cyro perhaps playing an empty pie tin from Thanksgiving as an instrument. This segued perfectly into “Mozambique.” This short TAB favorite was followed up by “Burn That Bridge,” a song written by Anastasio and his “Hands On A Hardbody” partner, Amanda Green.
It was only 30 minutes into the show when the donations hit $100K and Trey was visibly blown away by all of the support that had been shown, not only so far this evening, but throughout the entire Beacon run. Showing his gratitude to all those watching, the band went into a marvelous version of “Cayman Review,” featuring Cyro jamming away on the washboard. The conversation then moved back to spatchcocking, to which Ray mentioned that he always hears his name when the topic comes up. (I think we’ll be hearing him referred to as “Ray Spaczkowski” for years to come.) We also learned that Cyro is now officially a grandfather and that Trey now has a picture of his cat Joey on the headstock of his guitar. After these revelations, the band dove into “Speak to Me,” a song that Trey says might be about organic chemistry, which became reality thanks to some new lyric changes.
photo by Jake Silco
After a few heartfelt dedications and fan group donation shout-outs, Trey improvised a mini-song about Buzzetta before going into “Love Is What We Are,” as the donations for the night surpassed $200K. Trey’s chair and acoustic guitar came out as the Rescue Squad Strings arrived on the stage for the first time of the evening and the hearts of everyone watching leapt as Trey began to play “Pebbles and Marbles.” This gorgeous rendition of the classic Phish song showcased the incredible level of detail that string arranger, Don Hart, has shown over this entire concert series.
As the Rescue Squad left the stage, Trey wished Jimi Hendrix a happy birthday and shared that Tony Markellis had seen the guitar legend not once, but twice. This sort of banter has been just as exciting as the music that has been shared these last two months and will surely be missed by everyone who has tuned in. Trey led the band into classic versions of “Drifting” and “Night Speaks to a Woman” before going back into the fan comments and retelling a tale of a TAB performance in Utica at the Stanley Theatre where they had rocked so hard that part of the balcony fell, ending the show early. That infamous show was Cyro’s first performance with the band and certainly speaks to the intensity of this lineup that we’ve grown to know and love.
photo by Jake Silco
Trey interrupted “Liquid Time” less than a minute in to share that he wrote this particular song while under house arrest following his 2006 incarceration, reiterating to anyone that needs help to ask for assistance and thanking everyone again for donations for his treatment center before restarting the song. This was followed up by “Fast Enough for You,” which was amplified by the backup singers that we’ve all been enjoying these last few weeks. By the time this song had completed, the nights donations had passed $300K, and after a couple more fan comments, the band jumped into “Shine,” after which Trey came clean that it shared the ending to a Badfinger song. There’s truly nothing better than Trey coming clean.
“Show of Life,” another great example of a Phish song that’s intensified by the horn players on stage, was dedicated to their drummer, Russ Lawton. This fantastic version segued beautifully into “Ether Sunday” and then a shred-full version of “Simple Twist Up Dave”. Seemingly out of breath, Trey took to his acoustic guitar once more in order to dive into a phenomenal “Slave to the Traffic Light” with the Rescue Squad Strings before soaring into the ending of that masterpiece on his electric guitar.
photo by Jake Silco
Before closing the night, Anastasio belatedly thanked the entirety of the lineup over the last eight weeks as well as the countless people who helped make this entire aural experience possible. The Beacon Jams were capped off in the best way possible, with “First Tube.” The entire band and the Rescue Squad Strings were bathed in the mirror-ball light as Trey gleefully danced around, never missing a beat. Finishing the song with his guitar over his head, Trey ended the night with elbow-bumps to his band before walking out into the Beacon Theater seats to congratulate the staff with facemasks that said “LOVE.”
But the percussion didn’t end as the camera followed him into the Beacon Theatre lobby where over a dozen dancers grooved to the beat as Trey walked out the doors onto the New York City streets where the venue’s marquee showed the immortal words: “Thank You Heather McDougal and to our Frontline Heroes for Everything You Do!”
Set 1: Just A Touch [1], Carini [2], Mozambique, Burn That Bridge, Cayman Review, Speak to Me, Love Is What We Are, Pebbles and Marbles [3], Drifting > Night Speaks to a Woman, Liquid Time [4], Fast Enough for You[2], Shine, Show of Life > Ether Sunday > Simple Twist Up Dave, Slave to the Traffic Light [5], First Tube [6], Jam [7]
[1] Debut; began with Trey on acoustic guitar accompanied by James, Jennifer, and Natalie on vocals in a stairwell in the Beacon and finished with them on stage. [2] Full TAB debut. [3] Began with just Trey on acoustic guitar with The Rescue Squad Strings and the TAB horns before switching to electric guitar and the rest of the band joining in. [4] Stopped for Trey to talk and restarted. [5] Full TAB debut; began with just Trey on acoustic guitar with The Rescue Squad Strings and the TAB horns before switching to electric guitar and the rest of the band joining in. [6] With The Rescue Squad Strings. [7] Percussion jam with Trey exiting the Beacon.
The penultimate Beacon Jams found the core band for the past six weeks accompanied by a couple of new faces, as well as the Rescue Squad Strings, for one of the most memorable nights of the entire run. Trey Anastasio appeared more loose this week and at the same time excited to be performing with the lineup for Trey Anastasio Band, which found Natalie Cressman (trombone) and James Casey (saxophone) joining Jennifer Hartswick (trumpet), who had been singing the past two weeks, and quarantining for a total of five to prepare for the shows.
photo via The Beacon Theatre Facebook page
Friday night’s performance served as the first complete Trey Anastasio Band performance since February 1, 2020 at The Civic Theater in New Orleans, LA, and first performance in New York since January 11 at The Capitol Theatre in Port Chester.
photo by Jake Silco
Reunited with friends and a full stage at times, the flood gates of material were opened to allow for Trey band classics and surprising arrangements of Phish songs peppering the night. A pre-show tribute paid respects to the recently passed Carl Monzo, head of Phish security for many years.
The evening also served as a fundraiser for The Divided Sky fund, which focuses on delivering quality care and compassionate treatment for those battling from addiction, through Phish’s WaterWheel Foundation. By the end of the show on Friday, November 20, nearly $100,000 was raised that night alone, with more than half of a million dollars gathered over seven weeks, an impressive total in support of recovery from addiction.
Kicking off the night was Phish’s “Camel Walk” that had some extra flavor with horns and added percussion from Cyro Baptista, whose daughter was having a baby that evening, leading to banter between him and Trey, before moving into an apropos “Set Your Soul Free” and “Alive Again,” a staple of TAB since summer 2001.
Trey invited the Rescue Squad Strings and Jeff Tanski out to join the band for “Petrichor,” performed for the first time with Tanski since New Year’s Eve 2016.
Trey made a point to thank MSG once again for bringing the event together for free on Twitch, and gave an overdue shout out to the union workers who helped put the show together behind the scenes. He also thanked the many groups of fans who donated to The Divided Sky Fund, some donating thousands of dollars to support the cause.
photo by Jake Silco
The second ever performance of the groovy “All Pretending” had a catchy vibe ala Kenny Loggins’ “I’m Alright” and was followed by the Bossa Nova “Curlew’s Call,” but with Cyro not shying away from the percussion.
The Rescue Squad Strings returned for “Harry Hood,” with Trey switching to acoustic guitar, then back to electric for the third section of the song as the rest of the band joined in for the triumphant finale. After, Trey remarked to the strings about the sincere joy of playing “Hood” and writing it on an acoustic guitar on the beach in Greece when he was 19. Anastasio went back to the acoustic for “Lifeboy,” with heartstrings being plucked on couches across the country.
“Heather McDougal Song” took off from that donor’s name popping up on the screen, with some brief improv joined in by the Rescue Squad Strings. Within moments of ending, the full band debut of “Let Me Lie” (also with strings) followed, giving the laid back breather a fuller sound, and a rare “Chalkdust Torture Reprise” surfaced as the strings departed the stage, with the lyrics changed to “Heather McDougal Song.”
“Burlap Sack and Pumps,” another standard that found its legs in the Summer of 2001, went deep, thanks in great part to James Casey switching to baritone sax. The TAB debut of Kasvot Växt’s “Death Don’t Hurt Very Long,” had added character thanks to the slow deep funk groove via the horn section.
photo by Jake Silco
To wrap up the night, the strings returned for “Goodbye Head” and closed with Trey Anastasio Band on the fan favorite “Push on ‘Til the Day” closing the night. Donate to the Divided Sky Fund here and tune in on Friday, November 27 at 8pm for the finale of The Beacon Jams.
Set 1: Camel Walk, Set Your Soul Free, Alive Again [1], Petrichor [2], Money, Love and Change, Olivia, All Pretending > Curlew’s Call, Harry Hood [3], Lifeboy [4], Heather McDougal Song [5], Let Me Lie [6], Chalk Dust Torture Reprise [7], Burlap Sack and Pumps, Valentine, Death Don’t Hurt Very Long [8], Goodbye Head [9], Push On ‘Til the Day
[1] Lyrics changed to “Winter’s coming and I’d like a review.” [2] Just Trey, The Rescue Squad Strings, and the horns. [3] Full TAB debut; began with just Trey on acoustic guitar and The Rescue Squad Strings with the rest of the band joining later. [4] Just Trey on acoustic guitar with The Rescue Squad Strings and Jen Hartswick and Natalie Cressman on vocals. [5] Debut; with The Rescue Squad Strings. [6] Full TAB debut; with The Rescue Squad Strings. [7] Full TAB debut; sung as “Heather McDougal Song.” [8] Full TAB debut. [9] With The Rescue Squad Strings.
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.
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.
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
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
The anticipation leading up to the fourth week of Trey Anastasio’s Beacon Jams was at an all-time high as there was a palpable energy among fans online. Last week Trey Anastasio rearranged a beautiful rendition of “What’s The Use?” with the Rescue Squad string section and debuted “The Lizards” with TAB, proving that each installment of his virtual residency is not one to be missed.
photo by Jake Silco
Trey kept that momentum in full swing this week and treated fans to another surprise intro. Earlier this summer Page McConnell and Trey recorded a few songs at Trey’s infamous barn in Vermont. Last week the duo shared a recording of Sigma Oasis’ “Evening Song” as well as a personal message from Page congratulating Trey on the success of his residency thus far and especially the newly founded non-profit The Divided Sky Fund, which focuses on delivering quality care and compassionate treatment for those struggling from addiction. This week fans were treated to a recording of Trey and Page playing a tender stripped-down version of “Waste” at the barn before the broadcast.
One of Trey’s many talents outside of playing music is his robust sense of humor and keen sense of the evolving culture among Phish fans. Before the music started, a video showed Trey alone inside an abandoned Madison Square Garden stuck on the same platform suspended in air from the 2019 New Year’s Eve stunt.
Trey played his best Tom Hanks in Cast Away and as he lowered himself to the floor of the arena and started walking around. Trey found himself outside of section 119’s famous spicy chicken sandwiches and holding a plastic bag over his arm recreating a viral candid shot took by a fan of him inside a juice bar (Trey also recreated this exact scene on Halloween 2017 in Las Vegas with TAB). A barefoot Anastasio with long hair and a long beard, wearing his green jumpsuit from NYE, proceeded to walk from MSG to the Beacon where he sat in the audience as the camera panned to live time and the band was on stage.
The band opened up with an instrumental jam based on John Murphy’s “In The House – In A Heartbeat” from the horror film 28 Days Later before moving into “Say It To Me S.A.N.T.O.S.” There were several highlights from this week of the Beacon Jams including a stellar version of “Gumbo,” the first “Quantegy” since May of 2005, and a rousing two-song punch of “My Friend, My Friend” > “Guyute” with the Rescue Squad strings and pianist Jeff Tanski. At the end of “Guyute,” Trey also recited Vincent Price’s narration from Michal Jackson’s “Thriller” since this was the eve before Halloween.
The conclusion of the fourth week of Trey’s virtual residency marks half way through the run and an astonishing 75 total songs played thus far without a single repeat. The energy, thoughtfulness, precision on stage, playful chemistry, and choice song selection makes this run eerily similar to Phish’s iconic Baker’s Dozen residency at Madison Square Garden in 2017. Fans are encouraged to donate to The Divided Sky Fund if they can. Trey and company will continue the Beacon Jams next Friday on his personal Twitch channel.
In the House – In a Heartbeat [1] -> Say It To Me S.A.N.T.O.S., Quantegy, Snowflakes in the Sand [2], Mountains in the Mist[2], Heavy Things > Breath and Burning [3], Gumbo [4] > Lonely Trip [5], Pigtail, My Problem Right There, Till We Meet Again [6], My Friend, My Friend [7], Guyute [8], More[6], Frost [9], Alaska, Bounce > Bug > Architect
[1] TAB debut. [2] Trey solo acoustic. [3] Full TAB debut. Lyrics changed to “rage on the Beacon stage.” [4] Full TAB debut. [5] Debut. [6] Just Trey on acoustic guitar and the Rescue Squad Strings. [7] Just Trey on acoustic guitar and the Rescue Squad Strings and Jeff Tanski on piano. No “MYFE” ending. [8] Just Trey on acoustic guitar and the Rescue Squad Strings and Jeff Tanski on piano. Trey quoted some of Vincent Price’s lines from Thriller. [9] With The Rescue Squad Strings.
This performance was part of The Beacon Jams series and began with a video of Trey finally escaping from his riser from Phish’s December 31, 2019 concert at Madison Square Garden and making it to the Beacon Theater to watch the himself and his band playing the TAB debut of In the House – In a Heartbeat before they segued into Say It To Me SA.N.T.O.S. This show marked the full TAB debuts of Breath and Burning and Gumbo and the debut of Lonely Trip. Ray teased Happy Birthday after wishing his mother a happy birthday. Quantegy was performed for the first time since May 3, 2005. Trey performed Snowflakes in the Sand and Mountains in the Mist solo acoustic. The lyrics of Breath and Burning were changed to “rage on the Beacon stage.” Trey quoted If I Had A Hammer (The Hammer Song) after Pigtail. Til We Meet Again through Frost were performed with The Rescue Squad Strings (Katie Kresek and Maxim Moston on violin, Rachel Golub on viola, and Anja Wood on cello) and with Til We Meet Again and More featuring just Trey on acoustic guitar and My Friend My Friend and Guyute just Trey on acoustic guitar and Jeff Tanski on piano. My Friend My Friend did not contain the “MYFE” ending. Guyute included Trey quoting some of Vincent Price’s lines from Thriller.
Trey Anastasioreturned to New York City’s Beacon Theatre on October 23 for Week 3 of his Beacon Jams residency. This show came hot on the heels of Phish’s Halloween Dinner And A Movie announcement and excited fans got another incredible show highlighted by a silly version of “Windora Bug” in addition to jaw-dropping versions of “What’s The Use” and “The Lizards” featuring the Rescue Squad Strings.
Over 30,000 viewers flocked to Twitch again for this free live-streamed performance, with donations encouraged to The Divided Sky Fund, which focuses on delivering quality care and compassionate treatment for those battling from addiction, through Phish’s WaterWheel Foundation.
photo by Jake Silco
Ten minutes before the start of the show, fans were treated to a special video message from Page McConnell, wishing he could be in NYC with Trey and congratulating him for his work so far on the Beacon Jams. Page stated that he and Trey got together a while back to play together and a minute later a video started with a masked Anastasio helping a masked Page carry his keyboard out onto the deck of the Barn, subtly recreating the album cover of their Colorado ’88 release. The duo shared a previously recorded version of “Evening Song” that was absolutely beautiful. Trey’s acoustic guitar and Page’s Wurlitzer meshed wonderfully as they both sang this duet. Before long, the video faded out to start Trey’s evening of live music.
photo by Jake Silco
The planned night of music started in usual form at 8:04pm EDT with members of the Trey Anastasio Band on the Beacon stage with our favorite Ginger, consisting of Ray Paczkowski on keys, Tony Markellis on bass, Russ Lawton on drums and Cyro Baptista on percussion. Cyro’s toying with “Zamfir and his Pandemic Flute” brought us into the stream as Trey started things off with “Stealing Time From The Faulty Plan” before diving into his usual crowd banter with a couple of birthday wishes to Tom and Uncle Kevin. He dedicated the next song, “Party Time,” to Kevin up in Burlington and it’s safe to say that Kevin got quite the birthday treat with this noodley, fun version of the tune.
photo by Jake Silco
Things got a bit funkier as Trey thanked the Poster Nutbags Art Group for their generous donation last week, dedicating “The Way I Feel” to them. The ensuing smooth, slow, funk jam from Trey’s 1998 One Man’s Trash had him smiling the whole time, grooving to the entire band. When asked online by DillyBean what his favorite snack was, he replied saying, “Anything you can spatchcock. You can spatchcock anything.” Trey continued diving into his solo work with “Sweet Dreams Melinda,” followed by his eighth quarantine song, “Shaking Someone’s Outstretched Hand.”
Official poster for The Beacon Jams, by Jim Pollock
Cyro, the man who “wears a skunk on his head,” helped a speechless Trey thank everyone for their donations so far and gave us another taste of Zamfir’s (clang!) Pandemic Flute before the band dove into “Andre the Giant” and a jammed-out “Spin.”
photo by Jake Silco
Trey took out his acoustic to play “Turtle In The Clouds” before picking up Old Reliable/Mar Mar again to join the Rescue Squad Strings and Jeff Tanski on piano for a breathtaking version of “What’s The Use.” Trey continued on with the Rescue Squad Strings to share beautiful versions of “Brian and Robert” and “If I Could,” commenting between them that he likens the Beacon Jams to an extended band practice, something he has always enjoyed, and stating, “When life hands you a pandemic, make pandemic-ade.”
The recent NYE song “Rescue Squad” was teased by Trey as the TAB members returned to join the string quartet for a gorgeous rendition of “Leaves” and a squirrelly, harmonic version of “The Lizards” that had Trey smiling the entire time and certainly putting a smile on the face of everyone watching. As the strings departed, the good times continued with a rousing “Mr. Completely” ending with Cyro playing a bug-sounding instrument. This led the band to dive into a rather goofy “Windora Bug,” featuring alternate lyrics about the “Corona Bug” and references to fans folding laundry while watching the show.
photo by Jake Silco
The show continued on with a bouncy, spatchcocked version of “Possum” followed by a soaring “A Case of Ice and Snow” into a killer “Last Tube.” Having raised over $92,000 tonight, Trey ended the night with a song he called “Folding The Laundry” and “When Your Dryers Broken,” but you might know it better as “Twist.”
Trey Anastasio returns to the Beacon Theater again next Friday for another round in which he has promised to “rock out!”
Set 1: Stealing Time From the Faulty Plan, Party Time, The Way I Feel, Sweet Dreams Melinda > Shaking Someone’s Outstretched Hand [1], Andre the Giant, Spin, Turtle in the Clouds [2], What’s the Use? [3], Brian and Robert [4], If I Could[4], Rescue Squad [5], Leaves [6], The Lizards [7], Mr. Completely > Windora Bug [8], Possum, A Case of Ice and Snow > Last Tube, Twist
[1] Debut. [2] Trey solo acoustic. [3] Just Trey with The Rescue Squad Strings and Jeff Tanski on piano. [4] Just Trey on acoustic guitar and The Rescue Squad Strings. [5] Trey solo acoustic; first acoustic performance by Trey. [6] TAB debut; Trey on acoustic guitar and The Rescue Squad Strings. [7] Full TAB debut; with The Rescue Squad Strings. [8] With Corona references.
The second week of Trey Anastasio’s The Beacon Jams served to be even more jam packed with surprises than the first week, including a string quartet joining in, and one of the most beautiful versions of “Divided Sky” you’ll ever hear.
Trey Anastasio at the Beacon Theatre, Week 2. Photo by Jake Silco
Once again, the live streamed performance from New York City’s Beacon Theatre we available free via Twitch, with donations encouraged to The Divided Sky Fund, which focuses on delivering quality care and compassionate treatment for those battling addiction, through Phish’s WaterWheel Foundation. On this night, the goal of $100,000 was surpassed roughly 100 minutes into the performance (9:41PM ET), with Anastasio sharing his experience on the road to sobriety, and the plans to open an addiction treatment center in Vermont.
Photo by Jake Silco
The night began as it did last week with familiar faces from Trey Anastasio Band – Tony Markellis on bass, Russ Lawton on drums, Ray Paczkowski on keys and Cyro Baptista on percussion. Cyro dove into his cache of percussion to create bird call noises preceding the show opening “Gotta Jibboo.”
Official poster for The Beacon Jams by Jim Pollock
After “Undermind,” which Trey said held the secret of the universe, was the world premiere (and a college try) of “Evolve,” one of Trey’s quarantunes, which quickly showed huge potential for both Trey Anastasio Band and Phish versions in the future. Trey was then joined only by Jeff Tanski for “Divided Sky,” which stands as one of the all-time great versions. The pair together performed the entire composition flawlessly, with Tanski getting a round of applause from the band after, and likely from many at home.
The first ever live performance of “Sigma Oasis” sincethe release of Sigma Oasis followed, a rousing number despite containing the now errant ‘take off your mask’ lyric. “Back on the Train” was nicely accented by Cyro’s train crossing sounds and shakers, and led into an enthusiastic “Ocelot.”
Photo by Jake Silco
Prompted by a fan comment in the stream, Trey took a few moments to opine on what we are experiencing during this time, remarking that this was “Just another chapter, a big wave crashing in the ocean … and we’re gonna surf with it a little bit.” While he was talking, a string quartet took the stage, later dubbed “The Rescue Squad Strings,” Trey clearly having memories of being stuck 40 feet above the stage this past New Years Eve. String members tonight included Anja Wood on cello, Maxim Moston and Katie Kresek on violin, and Rachel Golub on viola.
Photo by Jake Silco
Over the second hour of this week’s Beacon Jams, the quartet added depth and beauty to “Strange Design,” “Water in the Sky,” the quarantine track “Greater Good,” “Greyhound Rising,” and the first ever “Wolfman’s Brother” with string accompaniment plus Lawton and Baptista adding in subtle percussion, and Trey introducing the four classical musicians over the ending of “Wolfman’s.”
“No Man in No Man’s Land” was arranged well for this TAB configuration, and had Trey remarking afterwards that Tony was an absolute beast on the Phish jam-vehicle, but jam of the night honors go to excellent “Plasma.” To close the set, Cyro added in some creepy ‘Poltergiest’ sounds at Trey’s request, which fit perfectly as they segued into “Ghost.”
https://www.instagram.com/p/CGbBXvljwFb/
Next week Anastasio returns to The Beacon Theatre with more surprises surely in store.
[1] Debut. [2] Only Trey with Jeff Tanski on piano. [3] Only Trey acoustic with The Rescue Squad Strings. [4] Debut; only Trey on vocals (no guitar) with The Rescue Squad Strings. [5] With The Rescue Squad Strings. [6] Trey acoustic with The Rescue Squad Strings. [7] TAB debut. [8] With Trey quoting a line from Poltergeist in the intro.
