Trey Anastasio Performs 2 Acoustic Debuts In Minneapolis

Phish guitarist Trey Anastasio‘s acoustic fall tour continued on Saturday night at the State Theatre in Minneapolis. Anastasio fit in acoustic debuts of “Death Don’t Hurt Very Long” and “My Problem Right There” as part of the 32-song setlist played on Saturday.

Trey expressed his excitement to return to Minneapolis after the opening run of “Sample In A Jar” and “Theme From The Bottom.” Anastasio noted his best friend is a huge Vikings fan and gave what he described as a “mini, pathetic” attempt at the local football team’s “Skol Chant.” The guitarist continued on with solo acoustic performances of more Phish classics. He followed “The Line” by telling the tale of Phish singing the national anthem at a Timberwolves game in 1996 and then attending a party at Prince’s Paisley Park facility. Anastasio talked about getting to see Prince and his band play in a tiny space and recalled Prince didn’t serve alcohol but did give attendees boxes of Cap’n Crunch cereal.

Anastasio presented the first ever acoustic rendition of “Death Don’t Hurt Very Long” from Phish’s Kasvot Växt suite towards the middle of Saturday’s concert. “I just derailed completely … death … the death of that song,” the guitarist quipped after the 70-second romp through the tune that came to an abrupt end. Next up was “Gumbo” and “Heavy Things” along with tour debuts of “Kill Devil Falls,” “Wingsuit,” “46 Days” and “Wading In The Velvet Sea.” Then, Trey brought the set to a close with a run that included “Snowflakes In The Sand,” “Lifeboy,” “Waste,” “Chalk Dust Torture,” “The Wedge,” “Carini,” “Bathtub Gin” and “Say It To Me S.A.N.T.O.S.”

The New Jersey native began the six-song encore with the Rift song suite “The Horse” into “Silent In The Morning.” Anastasio then took a moment to discuss Phish’s multiple visits to the Minneapolis area during the 1990s as he reeled off a list of local venues the band played. “Hopefully you guys will invite me back,” Trey laughed and launched into “Sleep” ahead of “Sunset Days,” a song that appears in the recently released Anastasio documentary Between Me & My Mind. The guitarist played “Sunset Days” in honor of his wife Sue and the 30th anniversary of the pair’s first date before revealing Phish has been joking of naming their next studio album, On Deck To Die, while dressing as a string quartet that performed while the Titanic went down. “That’s the kind of thing that’s funny to us,” Anastasio explained of what would be the sequel to Big Boat.

“For the record, when I do die, you’re allowed to make as many jokes as you want,” Trey responded to the lukewarm reaction from the audience and then told the crowd about some “band rules” Phish has or had over the course of the career. He said one such rule is that the four-piece must play one good jam when they’re in their 90s. Anastasio then took a tangent and discussed the version of “Slave To The Traffic Light” that appears on Phish’s 1995 live album, A Live One. He noted how much he liked that version before starting the acoustic debut of “My Problem Right There.” Trey warned the crowd he didn’t rehearse the solo acoustic take on a song he wrote with Amanda Green for the Hands On A Hard Body musical. “My Problem Right Here” led into “More” to end the concert.

Watch fan-shot video captured by Will Lundberg of Trey telling the story of meeting Prince below:

Setlist (via Phish.net)

Set: Sample in a Jar [1], Theme From the Bottom[1], Water in the Sky[1], Driver[1], AC/DC Bag[1], Maze[1], The Line[1], Back on the Train[1], Twist[1], Strange Design[1], The Inlaw Josie Wales[1], Death Don’t Hurt Very Long [2], Gumbo[1], Heavy Things[1], Kill Devil Falls[1], Wingsuit[1], 46 Days[1], Wading in the Velvet Sea[1], Snowflakes in the Sand[1], Lifeboy[1], Waste[1], Chalk Dust Torture[1], The Wedge[1], Carini[1], Bathtub Gin[1], Say It To Me S.A.N.T.O.S.[1]

Encore: The Horse[1] > Silent in the Morning[1], Sleep[1], Sunset Days[1], My Problem Right There[2], More[1]

• [1] Trey solo acoustic.
• [2] Trey solo acoustic; first acoustic performance by Trey.