Trey Anastasio knows how to give the people what they want in concert.
The Phish frontman has been playing gigs with the hugely successful jam band for over 40 years where they famously brag to have never played the same set twice.
To keep their streak going they only performed a handful of nights at the Sphere last April because the visuals couldn't change enough to make more than four shows unique.
What's interesting about this Solo Acoustic Tour is on opening night on Saturday (3/8), the 60-year-old didn't stray too far from the Phish songbook.
Just three of the 25 tunes were from solo projects, while the others, except for one cover, were Phish faves.
That one special cover was the theme song of Sonny & Cher: "I Got You Babe."
Last week Trey was at Love Rocks, a star-studded benefit in NYC, and got to meet the 78-year-old new member of the Rock Hall of Fame. And apparently she blew him away in such a dramatic way that he sang her song just five tracks into the set.
Being a talented improvisor, Anastasio slightly altered the lyrics to “I’ve got you for long romantic walks / I’ve got you at Love Rocks,” which the crowd loved.
Then he made a joke about the cover being put on the Internet and added the last time he played Symphony Hall in Massachusetts, there was no Internet.
"We played with Fishbone, fIREHOSE with Mike Watt, Beastie Boys and Phish in a parking lot, and there were 30 people there," Trey told the crowd.
"Swear to God. It was so fun. Angelo from Fishbone was climbing into the rafters. Mike Watt was being cool as he always is."
Trey says it was a great memory, but left out that Mighty Mighty Bosstones and Rippopotamus were also on the bill.
The guitarist wasn't all alone at the Symphony Hall, nor will he be on the tour, the longest of his solo stints.
Keyboardist Jeff Tanski who has accompanied Trey through the years is joining him to fill out the sound.
In an interview with Pollstar a few years ago, Trey explained that when the pandemic disrupted his orchestral shows, he enlisted Tanski, a Broadway musical director, to play orchestral arrangements on a smaller scale using just four strings. Tanski adapted the music, even adding piano elements to add heft to the sound, and to Trey's surprise, the smaller arrangement had a surprisingly significant impact.
In this more intimate engagement, Tankski's job is similar but in a more subtle way.
Trey and Jeff have one more date in NY before they head to the midwest and then the south. Sorry West Coast and Canada, no shows for you.
Many of these shows are sold out, so go to Trey's website and see if you can catch a miracle.
Trey Solo Acoustic 2025
March 12 - Rochester, NY
March 14 – Columbus, OH
March 15 – Milwaukee, WI
March 16 – Nashville, IN
March 18 – Chicago, IL
March 19 – Kansas City, MO
March 21 – New Orleans, LA
March 22 – Birmingham, AL
March 23 – Nashville, TN
March 26 – Orlando, FL
March 28 – Clearwater, FL
March 29 – Savannah, GA
March 30 – Charleston, SC
April 1 – Knoxville, TN
April 2 – Greenville, SC
April 4 – Washington, DC
April 5 - Red Bank, NJ
