Listen To Trey Anastasio’s Long-In-The-Making Tanglewood Debut With The Boston Pops

This coming November will mark five years since Phish guitarist Trey Anastasio announced he would make his Tanglewood debut with a symphonic concert where he would be backed by the Boston Pops. While the original concert scheduled for June 20, 2020 was scrapped due to the pandemic, Anastasio finally played the famed venue in Massachusetts’ Berkshire Hills with the Boston Pops this past Saturday, June 29. An audience recording of the show has surfaced and can be streamed below.

Trey Anastasio’s concert at Tanglewood came on the heels of his show four nights prior with the National Symphony Orchestra at Wolf Trap outside Washington D.C. The performances marked Trey’s first orchestral shows since September of 2017. Anastasio utlized the same setlist at Wolf Trap and Tanglewood featuring career-spanning Phish songs.

Edwin Outwater conducted the Boston Pops as he did the NSO on June 25. Anastasio and the Boston Pops opened with the instrumental “Water In The Sky.” Trey then exchanged his Languedoc for an acoustic as the ensemble ran through “Water In The Sky.” Up next was “Evolve,” the title track from Phish's soon-to-be-released studio album. A majestic “Divided Sky” followed along with the second orchestral take on Evolve cut “Mercy” and a set-closing “Stash.”

Trey Anastasio and the Boston Pops returned to the stage after an intermission for “Harry Hood,” another song recently orchestrated by longtime collaborator Don Hart. The guitarist and symphony then offered a sweeping “Petrichor” before Anastasio went back to acoustic on “More.” A gorgeous version of beloved instrumental “What’s The Use?” trailed behind along with the classic “You Enjoy Myself” to wrap the second set. Anastasio and the orchestra delivered an encore of “The Inlaw Josie Wales” and “The Lizards.”

Listen to an audience recording of Trey and the Boston Pops at Tanglewood captured by Cleantones below:

Watch a collection of fan-shot videos from the Saturday night concert:

Trey Anastasio and Phish open an extensive summer tour with a three-night stand at Xfinity Center in Mansfield, Massachusetts July 19 – 21. The trek includes the band’s first festival in nearly a decade.

Setlist (via Phish.net)

Set One: First Tube, Water in the Sky [1], Evolve, Divided Sky, Mercy, Stash

Set Two: Harry Hood, Petrichor, More[1], What’s the Use?, You Enjoy Myself

Encore: The Inlaw Josie Wales[1], The Lizards

[1] Trey on acoustic.

This show featured Trey performing with the Boston Pops, Edwin Outwater conducting, and with orchestration by Don Hart. Water in the Sky, More, and The Inlaw Josie Wales featured Trey on acoustic.