Trey Anastasio celebrated Halloween early on Friday, Oct. 30, offering fans an introductory, 28 Weeks Later-inspired, mini disaster movie dubbed “43 Weeks Later,” which explored what would have happened if Anastasio remained stuck in the rafters of Madison Square Garden after his “Rescue Squad” technical flub during their New Year’s Eve show. (“All four of us are going to watch you guys leave, and then we’re just going to stay here up in the air until next year,” Anastasio, ironically, said at the time.)

The intro also nodded to Anastasio’s “contemplative Trey holding oranges” meme, which swept the Internet in the fall of 2017.

According to some keen-eared fans, the backing music for the clip – performed by Anastasio and company live – was John Murphy’s “In the House – In a Heartbeat” which came directly from the score of 28 Days Later. This marked the first cover of the entire Beacon Jams run so far.

Then, once alternate-timeline Rescue Squad Trey was settled in his chair at the Beacon Theatre, 2020’s Trey Anastasio kept the surprises coming, performing his first “Quantegy,” since 5/3/05 after “Say It To Me S.A.N.T.O.S.”

Other surprises included solo acoustic “Snowflakes in the Sand” and “Mountains in the Mist,” as well as full TAB debuts of “Breath and Burning” and “Gumbo,” the former even included a lyric change from “rage with Page” to “rage on the Beacon stage.”

Later, the Rescue Squad string section amplified their first version of “My Friend, My Friend” with such accompaniment. The following “Guyute” was also extra spooky with added spoken-word lyrics that many recognized from Vincent Price in “Thriller.” (“The foulest stench is in the air/ The funk of forty thousand years/ And grizzly ghouls from every tomb/ Are closing in to seal your doom/ And though you fight to stay alive/ Your body starts to shiver/ For no mere mortal can resist/ The evil of… Guyute!”)

Anastasio closed the show in style with a three-part full-band closer of “Bounce”> “Bug”> “Architect.”

Anastasio’s The Beacon Jams returns next Friday, Nov. 6.

Check out the full “43 Weeks Later” video and setlist below via Phish.net:

Trey Anastasio
Oct. 30, 2020
The Beacon Jams, Beacon Theatre, NYC

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.