Photo credit: Jake Silco

Trey Anastasio & Classic TAB continued their current tour motif of adding first-time plays in a live setting on Friday, May 17, in Lafayette, N.Y., at the Wonderland Forest venue in Central New York’s Apple Valley. During the weekend kick-off concert, Anastasio and his onstage collaborators treated their audience to a pair of debuts, acoustic and electric, and dusted off “Windora Bug,” last played on Oct. 23, 2020–the performances marked the first time since the 2021 passing of Tony Markellis. 

Anastasio and Classic TAB started off their stage time near the orchards with a basket full of Phish originals; “Sand,” “Back on the Train,” “Stealing Time From the Faulty Plan” and “Steam” before the bandleader dialed back his instrumental approach, opting for acoustic guitar on Farmhouse favorite, “Heavy Things.” For their ensuing run-through, Anastasio stuck with the aforementioned delivery method, only this time, he pulled out a debut, the first-ever live performance of “It’s Happening Again.”

The mid-section of set one continued to excel with the latest performance of “Windora Bug” since 2020 (during Anastasio’s The Beacon Jams series) and the first since the passing of Markellis. The TAB bassist was known for carrying the song’s main chant/ “Is it a wind?” lines. The remainder of the frame saw “Gotta Jibbo” sandwiched between “I Never Left Home” and “I Never Needed You Like This Before.”

Set two saw more Anastasio originals than Phish pulls; amongst the mix was the night’s second debut, “Liquidate the Moon,” placed between “Pillow Jets” and “Blaze On.” “46 Days” marked the final number of the latter frame, which gave way to the night’s encore, an acoustic “Water in the Sky” and “Prince Caspian” closer. 

To follow, on Saturday, May 18, Anastasio and his Classic TAB ensemble arrived in Toronto, another evening featuring material from the bandmaster’s original music and pulls from the Phish archive. Scroll down to view the setlist. The group will remain in Canada for one final night, Sunday, May 19, only this time appearing on the History stage in Montreal. Tickets remain on sale. 

Trey Anastasio Band 

Wonderland Forest – Lafayette, N.Y.

May 17, 2024 

Set I: Sand, Back on the Train, Stealing Time From the Faulty Plan, Steam, Heavy Things [1],  It’s Happening Again [2], Windora Bug, I Never Left Home > Gotta Jibboo > I Never Needed You Like This Before

Set II: Drifting > Oblivion > Ghost, Outside the Lines, Broken Into Pieces, Pillow Jets, Liquidate the Moon [3], Blaze On > A Wave of Hope > 46 Days

Enc.:  Water in the Sky [1], Prince Caspian

Notes:

[1] Trey on acoustic.

[2] Debut; Trey on acoustic.

[3] Debut.

Trey Anastasio Band 

History – Ontario 

May 18, 2024 

Set I: Cayman Review, Wolfman’s Brother, Water in the Sky [1], In Rounds, Twist, Where They’ll Find Us, Alaska, Sweet Dreams Melinda, mercy, Evolve, About to Run

Set II: No Men In No Man’s Land > The Moma Dance > Spin, Lonely Trip > Ocelot, hey stranger, The Way I Feel, Everything’s Right

Enc.: Long Long Time, Love Is What We Are, Carini

Notes: 

[1] Trey on acoustic.

Water in the Sky featured Trey on acoustic.

Setlists via phish.net.