Trey Anastasio Discusses Fare Thee Well, Phish Summer Tour & More

Trey Anastasio is featured on the cover of the next issue of Relix Magazine which includes a chat between the Phish frontman and famed journalist David Fricke. Billboard shares highlights from the Relix interview as Anastasio talked Fare Thee Well, Phish Summer Tour and his advice for John Mayer.

Trey had many takeaways from his Fare Thee Well experience playing with the Grateful Dead’s “Core Four.” He notes that the Rhythm Devils, drummers Bill Kreutzmann and Mickey Hart, “together are one heart” and that “there has never been a great rock band that hasn’t been built around an irreplaceable drummer.” Trey said he felt the pair were “driving the ship” right from the start of the five- show Fare Thee Well run. The guitarist also said he learned patience from Bob Weir, “He is patient, comfortable — no rush. Sometimes I’d be like, ‘You really want to play this song that slow?'”

Anastasio also said the members of the Dead were more willing to extend jams than he was, “I love to jam long. But even for me, the time would come when I’d think, ‘This is too noodle-y. Let’s play the next song.’ I would do something, a lick, that gently alluded to it. Then Phil would look over at me and put his hand up, like, ‘What’s your rush, dude?'” All in all, Trey had a great time, “I just loved it, absolutely loved it. It was the Grateful Dead. It was amazing. I was freaking out. I loved it.” So what advice did Anastasio give to Dead & Company guitarist John Mayer who is about to go through a similar experience to the one he had? When the pair met, Trey told John “You and I, this is not our band,” as he advised the younger guitarist to let the members of the Dead shine.

The guitarist also weighed in on Phish Summer Tour. Popular opinion among fans is that the quartet’s August 12th show in Philadelphia was their best performance of the tour. Trey agrees noting each of the five songs played during an improv-heavy second set “became a springboard for an elaborate jam.” Anastasio also discussed losing a “conscious connection” to the music sprouting from the stage, “I don’t understand what everybody’s playing. You’re in these jams, and they’re just going — waves of something — and everybody’s a part of it. Mike, Jon, Page, the audience, that guy we know in the front row. We’re all here, and the music is churning.”

The October/November issue of Relix is due October 22. Head here to pre-order and read Billboard’s piece for more from Fricke’s chat with Anastasio.