Trey Anastasio Opens Acoustic Show In Vail With 1st ‘Walfredo’ Since 2017

In 1992, Phish drummer Jon Fishman infamously played vacuum and ruined Santana's set while snow fell at the Gerald R. Ford Amphitheater in Vail, Colorado. Trey Anastasio returned to the venue last night for an acoustic concert and used the opportunity to dust off “Walfredo,” a song with lyrics referencing the incident.

Trey’s acoustic run features longtime collaborator Jeff Tanski performing the bulk of each show with Anastasio. The Phish guitarist went solo to kick off the show in the Colorado mountain town with his first “Walfredo” in nearly a decade.

“Walfredo” was written by all four members of Phish and pulls together memories of actual people and events from the foursome’s history. The song takes its name from and is a tribute to longtime Santana percussionist Walfredo Reyes, Jr.

When Phish debuted “Walfredo” on February 13, 1997, the band swapped instruments for the song, with Fishman on bass, Anastasio on keyboards, Mike Gordon on guitar and Page McConnell behind the drum kit. The same configuration was used for additional Phish performances of “Walfredo” later that month and three subsequent versions in 2000, 2010 and 2014.

Trey Anastasio broke out “Walfredo” on March 8, 2017 during the opening show of his first-ever solo acoustic tour. The song had remained shelved ever since outside Anastasio discussing “Walfredo” and singing a few lyrics when TAB played the Gerald R. Ford Amphitheater on May 21, 2022.

Fans reacted with glee on Wednesday as Anastasio launched into “Walfredo.” Anastasio rolled through the song on guitar and received cheers when he sang the line about Vail.

“Some of you might be wondering [why are you guys getting so excited?],” Trey exclaimed after the song. “It happened in 1992, if you have to ask you don’t know. It’s like jazz, if you have to ask you don’t know!”

After stating “it happened right here” from the seated position, Anastasio stood up and strolled to the spot on stage where Fish played vacuum 34 years prior and again declared “it happened right here.” He then moved forward with a show devoted almost exclusively to beloved Phish classics from the ’80s and ’90s. An early start time enabled Trey to perform the majority of the concert in daylight.

Watch fan-shot clips of Trey Anastasio performing “Walfredo” in Vail below:

Setlist (via Phish.net)

Set: Walfredo, Harry Hood, Rift, Bouncing Around the Room, Wolfman’s Brother, Petrichor, Mountains in the Mist, Kill Devil Falls, Gumbo, NICU, Bathtub Gin, Possum, Split Open and Melt, Shade, Evolve, Stash, What’s the Use?, Esther, Everything’s Right, Fluffhead

Encore: The Squirming Coil, Wilson, You Enjoy Myself