Watch Trey Anastasio Jam With Allman Brothers Band On Grateful Dead Classic At Wanee 2014

Trey Anastasio, Jennifer Hartswick and Kofi Burbridge joined The Allman Brothers Band at the Wanee Festival in Live Oak, Florida on this date in 2014. The set saw Kofi playing stage left keyboards for most of the show with Trey and Jen joining in for a Howlin’ Wolf number and the Phish guitarist sticking around for a Grateful Dead classic.

The set got underway with a pair of ABB classics, their staple cover of Blind Willie McTell’s “Statesboro Blues” and the Gregg Allman-penned “Midnight Rider.” The Dickey Betts latter day Allmans tune “No One To Run With” followed ahead of another vintage number in “Jessica.” Next, Anastasio and Hartswick emerged for a rendition of Howlin’ Wolf’s “Who’s Been Talking.”

The band eased into the tune over a Latin rhythm with guitarist Warren Haynes taking the first round of solos and singing a couple verses. The three percussionists — Butch Trucks, Jaimoe and Marc Quiñones — then switched up to a more bluesy, shuffling beat as guitarist Derek Trucks took over briefly before nodding to Trey. While he was a bit quiet in the mix at first they quickly got him turned up and Anastasio reeled of some searing riffs. Hartswick also began adding trumpet hits as the jam built and Trucks dropped into some slide stuff over Jen’s jazzy horn stylings. The band then brought things down for a spotlight trumpet solo from Hartswick before Haynes led the band back into the tune. The end of the jam also featured a bit of flute from Kofi before ABB and friends brought the song to a close.

Kofi would take a breather on the next tune, The Grateful Dead’s “Franklin’s Tower,” sung by his brother and ABB bassist Oteil Burbridge. The band also welcomed guest drummer Rachel “Stixx” Turner for the Dead classic. Trey would get the first round of solos underway and reeled off some tasty stuff, foreshadowing his work for Fare Thee Well that would take place the following year. Haynes also soloed a bit before Oteil continued with the verses. Then, Trucks delivered a masterful, jubilant slide solo that Trey seemed to enjoy profusely before the group returned to the song and its conclusion.

Watch both performances below:

Franklin’s Tower

Who’s Been Talking

The Allman Brothers Band played their final shows later that year at The Beacon Theatre, leaving Wanee as Trey’s last appearance with the legendary ensemble. Anastasio became emotional when he returned to Wanee in 2017 following the death of Butch Trucks.

Trey called the ABB a “group of musical assassins, all of whom I idolize.” The guitarist continued, “It’s a band that gets a lot of props for having the best guitar players who ever lived. Literally, the greatest singer who ever lived. But when you stand up here and you feel it, you know, like I felt it, there was a guy driving that truck, Butch Trucks. It felt like an eighteen-wheeler going down the street, and I could feel it and I could hear it.”

Watch Trey’s speech at Wanee 2017 and a cover of The Five Stairsteps’ “O-o-h Child” he dedicated to Butch Trucks and his family: