Billy Strings had himself an eventful few days off tour, sitting in with Phish two nights in a row on his home turf at Van Andel Arena in Grand Rapids, MI. The historic sit-in set the jam world abuzz, and once the dust had settled on Thursday morning Billy weighed in with some thoughts of his own.
“Sitting in with Phish for the last two nights was nothing short of a surreal experience, like something out of one of my wildest dreams,” Strings wrote on Instagram. “A couple days ago I remembered they were playing van andel and I hit up Trey for tickets.. he replied and said we should blow it up and I just about shit my pants.. I was just trying to come see the show and I had no idea I’d be in it for the next two nights.”
Eagle-eyed fans of both artists long ago noticed Strings’ gap in touring when Phish would be in the bluegrass guitarist’s neck of the woods. While theories spread online like wildfire, Strings posted a red herring of an Instagram story leading fans to believe he was driving around Nashville on Tuesday hours before Phish was due to perform at Van Andel. Midway through the second set, however, guitarist Trey Anastasio introduced “a little local musician,” with Strings waltzing onstage with an electric guitar. This was no quick one-song sit-in either, as Billy hung around for the latter half of set two through the end of the show.
“I’m thinking “okay maybe I’ll have to learn a song or something” and I ended up playing a bunch of the second set and encore both nights which means I had ample time to go swimming with the band. It was just magic,” Strings continued. “As a phan, to be on that stage with those fellers and just hear it.. to feel it all so close.. and then to be able to interact with it. To poke it a little bit and tickle it and pet it .. and then to have it react!! I know it’s sacred.. and that band is AIRTIGHT after playing together for all these years .. I didn’t want to get in the way too much, I was already feeling like I shouldn’t be up there fucking up their show .. they’re so good. They don’t need me up there wanking all over the joint.. but they asked me to so of course I’m gonna go try!!”
Wednesday’s show brought more of the same, as Billy’s presence inspired more acoustic interludes with Trey on remnants of Phish’s bluegrass phase on “Ginseng Sullivan” and “The Old Home Place”. However, this was a rock show after all, and Billy plugged in his PRS as well for electrified takes on “Wolfman’s Brother”, “Death Don’t Hurt Bery Long”, “Evolve”, “Blaze On”, and the show-closing “Frankenstein”.
“The crowds energy was one pulsating organism, speaking us into existence. Defining and deciding the notes we all play as one collective heartbeat. The camaraderie and seamless interplay between the band and crowd was never so evident. To see it from that perspective, it was just so concentrated.
“I can’t speak enough about the kindness of the band as well,” Strings concluded. “I only really knew Trey and I didn’t know if the other guys wanted me there too or what.. but when I got there for soundcheck, it was like walking on stage to jam with old friends. They were all so welcoming and nice. The nerves instantly melted and we just let the music carry us off into the evening. It all settled into place and we had an absolute blast. Thank you Trey, Page, Mike and Jon for inviting me into your space .. it is something I will never forget as long as I live 
//”
Up next for Phish is a three-night stint at Bethel Woods Center for the Arts in Bethel, NY this Friday, Saturday, and Sunday ahead of the band’s Mondegreen festival in Delaware on August 15th, 16th, 17th, and 18th. For a full list of upcoming Phish tour dates, head here. Billy Strings will head out west for a one-off appearance at Willie Nelson‘s traveling Outlaw Music Festival at The Gorge Amphitheatre on Saturday, followed by two-night runs in Los Angeles and Berkeley, CA. Find tickets on Strings’ website.
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