In case you haven’t heard, Phish is playing at Sphere in Las Vegas. Though the four-night run set to last through Sunday, April 21st sold out immediately when tickets went on sale, Phish frontman Trey Anastasio is still out drumming up press for the shows. So far, Trey has sat for interviews with The Washington Post and the Associated Press, and on Saturday morning CBS will air a new interview with the singer-guitarist. Additionally, Anastasio chatted with SiriusXM Phish Radio host Ari Fink amid the media circus.
In a clip shared on Friday, CBS Saturday Morning‘s Kris Van Cleave got to the heart of the matter by asking what attracted Phish to Sphere. The band is only the second-ever act to play the $2 billion advancement in concert technology, following U2‘s 40-show residency from September 2023 through March 2024.
“Entirely new form of entertainment,” Anastasio explained, “The Wild West.”
Though Sphere’s technology is cutting edge, including the world’s largest LED screen, some elements were familiar to Trey. As he explained, he has experience with the venue’s advanced Sphere Immersive Sound design and, in fact, was the guinea pig for the “beamforming” audio setup which was introduced at New York’s Beacon Theatre during a pair of Trey’s solo acoustic shows in 2022.
“It’s so hyper-directional that you can stand on an X in front of it, and hear a song and the singer will be singing in French and you step to the right and the singer is singing in Spanish,” he said. “It’s like laser sound.”
Of course, Sphere’s reputation for audiovisual wizardry precedes itself. But the question that was on every Phish fan’s mind since the run was announced was how are these pre-programmed visuals going to align with the inherent and celebrated predictability of a Phish concert. Luckily, Van Cleave had the same query.
“You have now asked the biggest question. That has been the conversation since the beginning, and we’re very excited about the way we solved that problem,” Anastasio said before the teaser ended on a cliffhanger.
Over on SiriusXM, Trey was able to dive a little deeper with an interviewer who was more familiar with the subject matter. Speaking with Phish Radio host Ari Fink, Anastasio elaborated, “What we are trying to go for at the Sphere is, I’m gonna use the word ‘psychedelic’ because it was so psychedelic yesterday, is a slight step forward in the psychedelic live jam music experience. That’s what I heard yesterday.”
Check out the clips from both programs below, and tune in on Saturday, April 20th at 8 a.m. ET/5 a.m. PT to see Trey Anastasio on CBS Saturday Morning. Trey’s interview with Ari will air throughout the weekend on SiriusXM along with other artist appearances, complete concerts, live audience pre-show events, and exclusive specials. Phish Radio will broadcast each show the following day at 12 p.m. ET, except for Sunday, April 21st which will air live. Phish is offering pay-per-view livestreams for each night of the sold-out run via its LivePhish service. For more information or to subscribe to LivePhish+, head here.
[Editor’s Note: Live For Live Music is a LivePhish affiliate. Ordering your Phish Sphere webcast or LivePhish+ subscription via the links on this page helps support our coverage of Phish and the world of live music as a whole. Thank you for reading!]
TOMORROW: For the ultimate psychedelic experience, @SphereVegas is welcoming @Phish. The band already played the first of its four sold-out shows. Phish frontman @treyanastasio shares with @krisvancleave why the band wanted to play at Sphere.
Tune in to CBS Saturday Morning for… pic.twitter.com/xS50q8RWGh
— CBS Saturday Morning (@cbssaturday) April 19, 2024
For the ultimate psychedelic experience, @SphereVegas is welcoming @phish — which has already played the first of its four sold-out shows.
Phish frontman Trey Anastasio tells @krisvancleave about making the venue a fifth member of the band tomorrow on @CBSSaturday. pic.twitter.com/Y3KFeBT3Te
— CBS Mornings (@CBSMornings) April 19, 2024
The post Trey Anastasio Talks Delivering A “Psychedelic” Experience At Sphere With CBS, SiriusXM [Videos] appeared first on L4LM.
