Trey Anastasio and the National Symphony Orchestra Play Wolf Trap – excerpts

Recorded live at Wolf Trap National Park for the Performing Arts on Tuesday, June 25, 2024

To all you die-hard PHISH fans: Enjoy!

Set I: First Tube, Water in the Sky, Evolve, Divided Sky, Mercy, Stash
Set II: Harry Hood, Petrichor, More, What’s the Use?, You Enjoy Myself
Enc.: The Inlaw Josie Wales, The Lizards

On Tuesday evening, June 25, Trey Anastasio delivered his first orchestra concert since 2017 after his 2020 dates were ultimately canceled due to the global pandemic. As a result, the highly-anticipated return to format, which occurred at Wolf Trap venue in Vienna, Va., allowed the musician to work through a career map, touching on various avenues of Phish’s archive during the lauded show. Notably, the concert boasted three songs performed as orchestral pieces for the first time.

The display presented two main frames of music, each consisting of six numbers, ultimately timing out after approximately one hour. Assisting with the choice format, Anastasio received assistance from conductor Edwin Outwater and the namesake’s longtime collaborator, Don Hart, who applied his time to developing the show’s arrangements. Serving as the night’s first song, the veteran players went with the late 1990s Phish originator “First Tube.”

Swapping instruments prior to the onset of their follow-up, Anastasio picked up the acoustic guitar for the night’s rendition of “Water in the Sky.” Next, the group delivered the first-ever orchestral take on “Evolve,” the title track off Phish’s forthcoming LP, and later, gave the same treatment to the namesake off Anastasio’s 2022 solo release, on “Mercy.”

The aforementioned motif continued as the Phish guitarist and added instrumental help returned to the stage for the concert’s second half, which picked back up on “Harry Hood,” the night’s final orchestral debut. Notably, during the encore, Anastasio dusted off “The Inlaw Josie Wales” for the first time since his show on August 20, 2022, at the Beacon Theatre. (text: Relix.com)