Watch Trey Anastasio Shine On ‘Scarlet Begonias’ & ‘Fire On The Mountain’ At Grateful Dead ‘Fare Thee Well’ Chicago Opener

Guitarist Trey Anastasio devoted the first half of 2015 to preparation for five of the jam scene’s biggest concerts of all-time: Fare Thee Well: Celebrating 50 Years Of Grateful Dead. Anastasio was asked to play lead guitar in a band with Grateful Dead members Phil Lesh, Bob Weir, Mickey Hart and Bill Kreutzmann as well as Jeff Chimenti and Bruce Hornsby at two massive football stadiums during the summer of 2015.

Today marks the anniversary of the first of three concerts that served as the main event of Fare Thee Well at Chicago’s Soldier Field. Trey’s time at “Dead Camp,” learning the songs both musically and spiritually, came through in a big way during the “Scarlet Begonias” into “Fire On The Mountain” sequence at the Chicago Fare Thee Well opener on July 3, 2015.

While Bob Weir fairly derided the Fare Thee Well band’s lack of preparation in a June 2017 interview with the Chicago Tribune, Trey cleared his schedule to make sure he had his parts down. He rehearsed by himself, with “Broadway wunderkind” Jeff Tanski as well as with Joe Russo, Dave Dreiwitz and Scott Metzger in addition to sessions with Weir and Lesh. The guitarist was a smidge tentative at two Santa Clara warmup shows and wasn’t given many opportunities to sing. Chicago was a different story and “Scarlet” > “Fire” was more of Trey at his best.

Trey handled vocals on “Scarlet” and weaved together familiar Jerry licks with riffs he’s trotted out for decades on Phish tour (“Dave’s Energy Guide,” anyone?). Hornsby sang “Fire” and despite coming in a little early, the jam did have special moments. It’s 18 and a half minutes that should hit the mark with both Phish and Dead fans.

Videographer LazyLightning55 shared a bevy of “Trey Cam” footage focusing on Anastasio. Check out “Scarlet” > “Fire” which has racked up hundreds of thousands of views:

Additional Trey Cam Footage From July 3, 2015 (via LazyLightning55)

Setlist

Set One: Box Of Rain, Jack Straw, Bertha > Passenger, The Wheel > Crazy Fingers > The Music Never Stopped

Set Two: Mason’s Children > Scarlet Begonias > Fire On The Mountain > Drums > Space > New Potato Caboose > Playing In The Band > Let It Grow > Help On The Way > Slipknot! > Franklin’s Tower

Encore: Ripple

[Originally Published: July 3, 2019 / Updated: July 3, 2025]