Home Music Trey Anastasio Debuts New Songs At Solo Acoustic Tour Finale

Trey Anastasio Debuts New Songs At Solo Acoustic Tour Finale

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On Saturday, Trey Anastasio brought his solo acoustic tour to an end by wrapping up a two-night stand at the Macky Auditorium Concert Hall in Boulder. The Phish guitarist used the finale to debut a pair of brand new songs dubbed “Sigma Oasis” and “Sunset Days” along with giving some insight into the origin of Kasvot Växt.

The New Jersey-native opened things up with the first-ever performance of “Sigma Oasis.” The new song includes that chorus “Sigma Oasis, you’re finally weightless, so take to the air/Sigma Oasis you’re already there.” After delivering the tune Anastasio shared “I’m not sure if that’s a philosophy or a song, but that’s the first time I’ve sung it. I like it as a philosophy we’re already here, there’s no place to get.” Takes on “20 Years Later” and “Winterqueen” followed with Trey sharing his first story of the night next. The guitarist paused to talk about his love for being in Colorado calling it God’s country. He then mentioned seeing the Rocky Mountains for the first time when Phish drove cross-country proclaiming “I’m glad I wasn’t in a covered wagon. I was in a seven-plus plush conversion love van with Page driving and the air conditioner on. Better then pulling the wagon over the Rocky Mountains.”

What followed was the second debut of the night as Trey delivered a tender folk-inflected love song that for the time being has been dubbed “Sunset Days.” The tune about growing older with your soulmate includes the lines “You are my sun/You are my soul/You are my truth you keep me whole/There is nothing that I’d rather do then spend my sunset days with you.” After a take on “Driver,” Anastasio gave an addendum to a story he had shared on a previous tour about catching Phish bassist Mike Gordon writing in his journal while driving. Trey brought up the story because Mike had finally retired that car, a green Volvo with 350,000-plus miles on and bought a Telsa. He joked that Gordon could now journal freely in a car that drives itself.

A seamless jam-filled run followed as Trey worked his way through “Everything’s Right,” “46 Days” and “Light.” After delivering the Kasvot Växt track “We Are Come to Outlive Our Brains” the guitarist shared some of the backstory of the fictional band that they covered on Halloween. Trey talked about being in Nashville recording the debut album for his new band Ghosts Of The Forest when the seeds of Kasvot Växt came to him. Anastasio detailed how he was fascinated by how certain grooves got people dancing in the honky tonks in downtown Nashville. Declaring “if it wasn’t for drunken bridesmaids, there would be no Kasvot Växt.”

Trey would focus his efforts on songs over stories for the rest of the night delivering takes on the likes of “The Wedge,” “Twist,” “Lifeboy,” “Tube” and the pairing of “Carini” and “Mercury.” Anastasio brought his solo tour to a close with a three-song encore offering up the instrumental “Inlaw Josie Wales” along with “Summer Of ’89” and “More.” Listen to an audio recording of “Sigma Oasis” and fan-shot video of “Everything’s Right” below:

Everything’s Right Captured by Gregory Marcus

Setlist

Set: Sigma Oasis, Talk, 20 Years Later, Winterqueen, Sunset Days, Driver, Everything’s Right > 46 Days > Light, Guelah Papyrus, Stealing Time from the Faulty Plan, All Of These Dreams, We Are Come to Outlive Our Brains, Joy, The Wedge, Twist, Prince Caspian, Lifeboy, Tube, Gumbo, Maze, Carini > Mercury, Wilson

Encore: Inlaw Josie Wales, Summer of ’89, More