Trey Anastasio Discusses Phish Halloween Plans

Tomorrow, Phish front man Trey Anastasio will premiere “Petrichor”, an ambitious new piece for guitar and orchestra, along with the Oregon Symphony Portland’s Arlene Schnitzer Concert Hall. The guitarist discussed his symphonic ambitions in a new interview published by Oregonlive, but it’s his thoughts on Phish’s upcoming Halloween show in Las Vegas which really caught our attention.

Phish has covered an album by another artist at each and every Halloween show they’ve played between 1994 and 2010. Last Halloween, the Vermonters debuted the original material they would release about eight months later on Fuego, but the song suite was then known as Wingsuit. Back in June, Anastasio told NPR’s Arun Rath the band’s days of covering albums by another artist may be finished, “I think everybody kind of got sick of it, to be perfectly honest. So the last couple of years it started to feel like a trap we had built.” Page went on to reveal, “I think doing our own album was a little bit of a liberating experience for me. I kind of wonder if maybe we’ll look to start a new tradition.”

When Phish announced a fall tour that includes Halloween in Vegas, there was no word about how the holiday would be celebrated. Trey continues to hedge on the possibility of a musical costume in Sin Ciy as he told Oregonlive.com, “I don’t know that we’re going to cover anything this year, to be perfectly honest. That’s the word I’m getting from the other guys. You never know. I’m guessing that we may have put that tradition to bed with the wink to Fuego.” As the guitarist says, you never know with Phish, they could be toying with fans and will cover an album after all or they might start a new tradition, as McConnell hinted.

Anastasio also discussed a change to his touring routine with Oregonlive.com, “I sort of moved onto my bus. I don’t get off my bus. You’d be amazed at how much time that little move has created in my life. I’m not moving into hotels and back out of hotels and into hotels — this is my house. Right now my whole family is on the bus with me, my kids, my wife. We’re taking about four, five days to spend some time together.” Considering some of the shows Phish played this summer, it appears the change to his touring routine is paying dividends on stage as well as off. 

For more from Anastasio on his soon-to-begin three-city orchestral tour, head to Oregonlive.