Phish guitarist Trey Anastasio pulled a 7-year-old fan out of the audience to help sing “Bug” on Monday night at his solo acoustic concert in Grand Rapids, Michigan. The sweet collaboration took place at the start of the encore of the show held at The Frederik Meijer Gardens Amphitheater.
Anastasio responded to a sign held by a young fan asking to sing “Bug.” After briefly checking with her mother to make sure the request was legitimate, Trey took the youngster up on her offer, allowing her to fulfill her wish and sing the Farmhouse favorite.
“I wasn’t nervous but I had to take a big breath just to keep the tears away,” Jovi Crusen told JamBase about her experience singing with Trey. “I like ‘Bug’ because I get to raise my voice and sometimes yell ‘bug!’ It’s fun to sing.”
Jovi, who has been getting into Phish lately, particularly their album Farmhouse, added that she thought the chance of singing with Trey was “impossible” but getting pulled up on stage was “great” and a “terrific” experience.
“That’s Jovi!,” Anastasio said after “Bug” ended. “That was incredible, Jovi. You’re so good. So good. You’re amazing. She’s amazing. So good. Wow! I don’t know what to do after that. Wow. Thank you.”
Anastasio followed the joyous collaboration and continued the encore with “A Life Beyond The Dream,” which led to a trip to Gamehendge via “Wilson.” A brief “Rise/Come Together” came next and a return to Gamehendge for the classic “The Lizards” brought the evening in Grand Rapids to a close.
Prior to the touching encore, Trey kicked off his single-set acoustic performance with “Blaze On.” The guitarist then commented on the beauty of the venue and played a slow-tempo version of “Water In The Sky,” which led to some banter about Phish’s Big Cypress New Year’s 1999 festival in the Florida Everglades. The set progressed with “Prince Caspian” and the Farmhouse instrumental “The Inlaw Josie Wales.”
Trey again commented on the scenic spot and relayed a story about having lived in Vermont for 25 years before moving to New York City with his family. He talked about being confined to an apartment during the COVID-19 lockdown and playing guitar on his couch while dreaming of moments like the one he was having at the outdoor venue. Next came the reflective “Brian And Robert” and “Theme From the Bottom,” the latter getting help from the audience and appreciation from Anastasio for the added group vocals.
Anastasio hopped “Back on the Train,” and followed the Farmhouse tune with “Everything’s Right” which saw the guitarist improvising for several minutes over looping guitar lines. The set continued with “Waste” and Trey dedicating “Snowflakes in the Sand” to a sleeping youngster he could see in the audience.
Trey then put together a sequence starting with “Limb By Limb” going into a “Ghost” featuring more looping improvisation and ending with “Heavy Things.” The audience was then called upon for more participation and added backing vocals to “Bouncing Around The Room.” Tender tunes kept coming with “Mountains In The Mist” and “If I Could.” More rocking numbers filled in the rest of the set which consisted of crowd-supported takes on “Possum” and a loopy “Twist,” as well as “Chalk Dust Torture” and “Say It To Me S.A.N.T.O.S.”
Trey Anastasio performs another solo acoustic concert tonight at Kresge Auditorium in Interlochen, Michigan.
Setlist (via Phish.net)
Set One: Blaze On[1], Water in the Sky[1], Prince Caspian[1], The Inlaw Josie Wales[1], Brian and Robert[1], Theme From the Bottom[1], Back on the Train[1], Everything’s Right[1], Waste[1], Snowflakes in the Sand[1], Limb By Limb[1] > Ghost[1] > Heavy Things[1], Bouncing Around the Room[1], Mountains in the Mist[1], If I Could[1], Possum[1], Twist[1], Chalk Dust Torture[1], Say It To Me S.A.N.T.O.S.[1]
Encore: Bug[2], A Life Beyond The Dream[1] > Wilson[1], Rise/Come Together[1] > The Lizards[1]
NoteS:
- [1] Trey solo acoustic.
- [2] Trey on acoustic guitar; with Jovie on vocals.
- This entire show was performed by Trey solo acoustic with the exception of Bug (Trey brought Jovie, a girl who had been holding up a “Can I sing Bug with u” sign, from the audience on stage to sing the song).
