Watch James Casey, Trey Anastasio, Jennifer Hartswick & Natalie Cressman Go ‘Over The Rainbow’ In Asbury Park

The Trey Anastasio Band continued their first run of 2023 on Friday night in Asbury Park on the Jersey Shore. For the second night in a row, saxophonist James Casey didn’t play the two sets but emerged for the encore. Casey, the Phish guitarist and his TAB “Sibs” trumpeter Jennifer Hartswick and trombonist Natalie Cressman delivered an a capella “Over The Rainbow” to start an encore at The Stone Pony Summer Stage that ended with a full-band “First Tube.”

James Casey has gone on a roller coaster ride as he battles colon cancer. The acclaimed saxophonist was diagnosed in 2021 and needed to miss the Trey Anastasio Band’s fall tour that year as well as the occasional gig since to receive treatment, rest and recover. Casey documented his cancer journey in the short film Music As Medicine. While the release of his forthcoming solo album, The Kaua’i Project, has been delayed, Casey has shared the singles “New Bloom,” “E.J.B.M” and “Outside” to preview the long-awaited LP.

Anastasio and his bandmates kicked off their weekend on Thursday in Baltimore. The concert in Asbury Park on Friday was followed by an appearance at the Levitate Music & Arts Festival in Marshfield, Massachusetts on Saturday. Casey sat out all but the encores in Baltimore and Asbury Park while he gains strength.

“Over The Rainbow” is among a handful of covers played by the Trey Anastasio Band over the course of the weekend. TAB had focused solely on originals from the end of their 2020 Winter Tour until Thursday’s show at Pier Six Pavilion in Baltimore. In Asbury Park, Cressman fronted the first “1977” (Ana Tijoux) since January 28, 2020 just before the ensemble took on “Acting The Devil” (Chris Ardoin & Double Clutchin’) which was last performed on January 26, 2020.

Casey, Anastasio, Hartswick and Cressman first performed the Harold Arlen/Edgar Yispel “Yip” Harburg-penned “Over The Rainbow” on October 27, 2017 at Brooklyn Bowl Las Vegas to honor the victims of a mass shooting at the Route 91 Harvest music festival on the Las Vegas Strip earlier in the month. “Over The Rainbow” was revived for seven additional performances, each a capella, on TAB’s Winter Tour 2020. After “Over The Rainbow” in Asbury Park, James Casey broke out his saxophone as the rest of the band returned for Friday’s “First Tube” finale.

Watch “Over The Rainbow” in Asbury Park via fan-shot video below:

TAB — consisting of Anastasio, Cressman, Hartswick, percussionist Cyro Baptista, bassist Dezron Douglas, drummer Russ Lawton and keyboardist Ray Paczkowski — opened Friday’s show with “Set Your Soul Free.” Next up was “Simple Twist Up Dave,” one of many staples played in Asbury Park along with “Rise/Come Together,” “Heavy Things,” “Cayman Review,” “Night Speaks To A Woman,” “Drifting” and “Everything’s Right.” The Trey Anastasio Band also dug into the Phish repertoire for “Steam,” “The Moma Dance” and “No Men In No Man’s Land.”

Friday’s show at The Stone Pony Summer Stage did include a TAB debut. The ensemble fit a 12-minute, nicely jammed version of “Oblivion” within the second set. “Oblivion” was one of six songs premiered by the Trey Anastasio Trio at Denver's Mission Ballroom on June 9. While the three-piece featuring Anastasio, Douglas and drummer Jon Fishman debuted material at each of their three nights at Mission Ballroom last month, “Oblivion” was the only tune to cross over to TAB this past weekend.

Check out footage of the Asbury Park “Oblivion” jam below:

Trey Anastasio now hits the road with Phish for a summer tour that starts on Tuesday in Huntsville, Alabama. Watch livestreams of all 23 shows via LivePhish.com.

Setlist (via Phish.net)

Set One: Set Your Soul Free, Simple Twist Up Dave, Evolve, Rise/Come Together, Steam, Heavy Things > Cayman Review, Night Speaks to a Woman, The Moma Dance, Curlew’s Call

Set Two: I Never Needed You Like This Before, 1977, Acting the Devil, No Men In No Man’s Land, Oblivion, Love Is What We Are, Drifting, Alaska > Everything’s Right

Encore: Over the Rainbow [1], First Tube [2]

• [1] a cappella; with James Casey joining on vocals.
• [2] with James Casey joining on saxophone.

James Casey joined for the encore (he not appear elsewhere during the show) to sing on Over the Rainbow, which was performed a cappella, and play saxophone on First Tube.