Trey Anastasio Trio Premieres 6 New Songs & Plays 2 Bust Outs At Debut Performance In Denver: Watch/Listen (2024)

Check out Ryan Storm’s review of Trey Anastasio, Dezron Douglas and Jon Fishman’s first of three shows at Mission Ballroom.

By Ryan Storm Jun 10, 2023 • 1:14 pm PDT

The new Trey Anastasio Trio lineup — Phish guitarist Trey Anastasio, Phish drummer Jon Fishman and TAB bassist Dezron Douglas — made their debut with the first of three nights at Denver’s Mission Ballroom last night. While the three musicians had all played together during the COVID-ridden TAB tour in fall 2021, this was the first time they performed as a trio.

Opening the show with the first “Air Said to Me” since December 31, 2006, Dezron Douglas asserted himself early as the absolute WOW factor of Friday’s concert, anchoring the music perfectly with his thick tone. “…And Flew Away,” from pandemic album Lonely Trip, was up next. While it definitely missed the vocal contributions from the members of TAB’s horn section, Douglas did an excellent job singing backup — a role he had not yet filled previously.

The first debut of the night came with Anastasio/Tom Marshall collaboration “Where They’ll Find Us.” With a distinct “Makisupa Policeman” feel, Anastasio offered a light solo to go along with the breather tune. Well-placed after the frenetic ending jam of “…And Flew Away,” the trio moved into Phish staple “Steam” next.

Douglas’ bass tone is perfectly suited to this dark-tinged song and a huge grin was evident on drummer Jon Fishman’s face with every deep and rhythmic lick. While a mere eight minutes long, last night’s “Steam” gets DARK and DIRTY — Anastasio’s tone sounded absolutely phenomenal in the room as he and Fishman locked in on some “Birds of a Feather”-like riffing. Also of note in the guitar sound world — Anastasio made liberal use of his Leslie rotating speaker last night, blending the watery tones with his regular guitar sound much like he did in the mid-to-late ’90s.

The live debut of “The Greater Good” was up next, a song that had been played live only once before during 2020’s livestreamed Beacon Jams. Once again, a lighthearted tune was flipped on its head for the jam and got into some filthy zones thanks to Douglas.

Anastasio introduced the next song, “Perseid,” as one that had been cut from Lonely Trip but released online as a massive orchestral composition. Its original form would be revealed later as “Forward People” — but its live form came in a much more pared-down form with impressive musical twists and turns reminiscent of Phish classic “The Curtain.” Unfortunately, the song and set were cut short as Anastasio suffered some guitar troubles – shoutout to his tech Justin Stabler for getting it fixed quickly!

The trio returned for the second set and jumped right into “Sand.” The first song of the night debuted before 2005, the crowd settled in with a sense of familiarity as the jam unfolded. With incredible drum work from Fishman, Anastasio turned away from the audience to face his band members, increasing the level and intensity of their interplay throughout the jam.

Ghosts of the Forest cut “Halfway Home” was tapped next, making only its second appearance outside of the GOTF band. Dark and grimy guitar leads seared every corner of the Mission as Anastasio went full Hendrix mode. New debut “Monsters” came next, another slow and deeply guitar-centric song that would have been right at home on the aforementioned GOTF album.

The debuts continued with “Oblivion,” Douglas shining once again both on his own and during his interplay with Anastasio. Fishman laid down a bouncy beat as Anastasio sprinkled guitar textures and delay-filled runs overtop throughout one of the more adventurous jams of the night. The first “What’s Done” since 2010 led into a familiar tune in “Plasma.”

Fishman was the star of the “Plasma” jam, dancing across his kit with feather-light touches on both toms and cymbals. His interplay with both Douglas and Anastasio, mimicking licks and supporting their melodies was a true spectacle to watch and reminded those in attendance the absolute power that Jon Fishman wields behind a drum kit. A lack of a huge peak was more than made up for with the dark exploration, hinting at things to (hopefully) expand over the next two nights.

Debut “The Well” offered a “Franklin’s Tower”-like initial portion with a nice upbeat and bouncy groove. The jam, however, was a completely different story. Douglas turned on a fuzz effect and the trio dove headlong into the darkness with sporadic “Bottom of the well!” screams from Fishman. A definite must-hear moment from last night!

A succinct and fiery “Back on the Train” got the crowd choogling ahead of the final debut of the night – “Ether Edge.” A tender ballad that definitely warrants multiple listens, Fishman demonstrated his light touch underneath Anastasio’s floaty guitar.

Thanking the crowd and engaging in some excellent banter with Fishman about the Johnny B. Fishman Jazz Ensemble in Telluride in 1988 –- a show that the Phish drummer missed due to an acid-fueled hike –– Anastasio re-introduced “Perseid” and executed the composition well to close the second set.

An encore of “Ghost” saw the trio lock in even further — Douglas introduced an ascending chord progression as the jam began to peak that drove it to another level, AND they nailed the re-entry.

While the first night of Trey Anastasio Trio contained more new material than many were expecting, it put on display the incredible musicianship of those on stage. With two nights remaining and a more relaxed and settled-in band, we can only guess at the heights they will reach …

Listen to an audience recording of last night’s show below or stream/download the official recording via LivePhish.com:

Loading tour dates

Setlist (via Phish.net)

Set One: Air Said to Me, …And Flew Away, Where They’ll Find Us [1], Steam, The Greater Good [2], I Never Left Home, Perseid [3]

Set Two: Sand, Halfway Home [4], Monsters[1], Oblivion[1], What’s Done, Plasma, The Well[1], Back on the Train, Ether Edge[1], Perseid

Encore: Ghost [5]

• [1] Debut.
• [2] First public performance.
• [3] Debut; unfinished due to technical issues.
• [4] Trey Anastasio debut.
• [5] Lyrics changed to mention Fish and Telluride.

This show featured the debuts of Where They’ll Find Us, Perseid, Monsters, Oblivion, The Well, and Ether Edge, the first public performance of The Greater Good (which had previously been played on October 16, 2020 during the Beacon Jams), and the Trey Anastasio debut of Halfway Home (previously only performed by Ghosts of the Forest and Phish). The first Perseid was unfinished due to technical issues. Air Said To Me was performed for the first time since December 31, 2006. What’s Done was last played on February 28, 2010. Trey teased San-Ho-Zay in The Greater Good. Ghost’s lyrics were changed to “the story of Fish in Telluride.”