Trey Anastasio Kicks Off Beacon Jams with Nods to 2020 Streams, New Arrangements of Phish Classics

Photo by Jesse Faatz via Trey Anastasio’s Facebook page

Trey Anastasio kick off the second installment of his long-anticipated Beacon Jams at New York’s Beacon Theatre last night. A benefit for his Vermont-based Divided Sky recovery center, the three-night stand is a sequel to the 2020 concerts of the same name, which were streamed for free without an audience on Twitch to help raise money for Divided Sky and build unity during the global pandemic. Similarly, this year’s Beacon Jams will be streamed for free and donations to Divided Sky are strongly encouraged.

Like the 2020 Beacon Jams, yesterday’s show showcased the Phish guitarist in a number of different configurations–in an acoustic format with piano player/arranger Jeff Tanski, in collaboration with the Rescue Squad Strings and alongside the current incarnation of his veritable Trey Anastasio Band. The concert opened with TAB’s first public performance of John Murphy’s “In the House – In a Heartbeat,” the track from the 2003 film 28 Days Later. It was a notable nod to the original Beacon Jams–during an Oct. 30, 2020 Halloween-themed show, Anastasio and his bandmates played the song at the culmination of a skit that found him finally descending from the rafters of Madison Square Garden following the botched 2019-2020 New Year’s Eve Phish gag, realizing New York City was shuttered due to the pandemic and making it to the Beacon.

While TAB served as Anastasio’s primary vehicle throughout the night, Anastasio invited out the Rescue Squad Strings and Tanski for “Stash” next and later had the string section out for “Monsters,” which appears on 2024’s Phish album Evolve. He also offered the Phish classic “Divided Sky” as a solo acoustic piece augmented by the Rescue Squad and Tanski deeper in the first set.

The guitarist opened his second set with a solo-acoustic take on “Lost in the Pack” from his COVID-era project Lonely Trip and brought out the Rescue Squad Strings and Tanski once again a few tunes after for the Phish staple “Harry Hood.” After “Gotta Jibboo,” the TAB original Phish recorded for 2000’s Farmhouse, the guest musicians returned to help TAB through their first arrangement of the Rift favorite “My Friend, My Friend.” The members of TAB then slipped off stage as Anastasio, Tanski and the string players offered an orchestral arrangement of the meditative Siket Disc centerpiece “What’s The Use?” Flipping formats one last time, the full TAB lineup returned soon after to help Anastasio and the Rescue Squad Strings close the set with another Phish-adopted TAB tune, “First Tube.” Finally, for his encore, Anastasio brought back TAB and the string section for a three-song sequence that spanned his career, “A Life Beyond the Dream” “The Lizards” and “Carini.”

The Beacon Jams will continue this evening. For more on the series, be sure to read our recent interview with Anastasio.

Here’s a look at last night’s setlist via Phish.net

Friday, November 28, Beacon Theatre, New York, NY

SET 1: In the House – In a Heartbeat [1], Stash [2], What’s Going Through Your Mind, Mozambique, Alive Again, The Moma Dance, Monsters  [3], Divided Sky [4], Everything’s Right

SET 2: Lost in the Pack [5], Blaze On, Spin, Real You, Harry Hood   [6], Gotta Jibboo, My Friend, My Friend [7], What’s the Use? [8], First Tube [3]

ENCORE: A Life Beyond The Dream [3], The Lizards [3], Carini [3]

[1] First public TAB performance. With the Rescue Squad Strings and Jeff Tanski on piano.

[2] With the Rescue Squad Strings and Jeff Tanski on piano.

[3] With the Rescue Squad Strings.

[4] Just Trey on acoustic guitar, the Rescue Squad Strings, and Jeff Tanski on piano.

[5] Trey solo acoustic.

[6] Trey on acoustic and electric guitar, the Rescue Squad Strings, and Jeff Tanski on piano.

[7] TAB debut. With the Rescue Squad Strings and Jeff Tanski on piano.

[8] Just Trey, the Rescue Squad Strings, and Jeff Tanski on piano.

This show was billed as The Beacon Jams (celebrating the 5th anniversary of 2020’s Beacon Jams residency) and was a benefit for Divided Sky Foundation.The Rescue Squad Strings (Rachel Golub, Katie Kresek, Maxim Moston, and Anja Wood) performed Rescue Squad alone before Trey and TAB joined for the first public TAB performance of In the House – In a Heartbeat (it had been played previously during the Beacon Jams on October 30, 2020). In the House – In a Heartbeat, Stash, Monsters, Divided Sky, Harry Hood, and My Friend, My Friend through Carini featured the Rescue Squad Strings with Jeff Tanski joining on piano for In the House – In a Heartbeat, Stash, Divided Sky, Harry Hood, My Friend, My Friend, and What’s the Use?. Divided Sky featured just Trey on acoustic guitar, the Rescue Squad Strings, and Jeff Tanski on piano. Lost in the Pack was performed by Trey solo acoustic. Harry Hood featured Trey on acoustic and electric guitar. My Friend, My Friend was a TAB debut. What’s the Use? featured just Trey, the Rescue Squad Strings, and Jeff Tanski on piano.