After kindling a truly adorable friendship last month at the star-studded Love Rocks NYC benefit, Trey Anastasio and Cher will launch an acoustic duo project, Cher-ing in the Groove. The Phish guitarist and pop icon revealed plans to perform a series of shows blending songs from their respective catalogs and hinted at the possibility of a studio release.
While details of the project remain scant, Anastasio indicated the pair will visit intimate theaters and concert halls around the country, similar to his ongoing solo acoustic tour but on a bigger scale.
The collaboration comes as the latest development in Trey and Cher’s budding friendship. Trey described the duo’s first meeting at a recent solo show, telling fans, “She caught my eye from across the room, walked towards me. I said, ‘Hi, Cher. I’m Trey.’ She’s like, ‘I know.’”
They later shared a moment on stage at the Beacon Theatre during the grand finale—an all-hands-on-deck performance of Stevie Wonder’s “Higher Ground”. Even with everyone from Grace Bowers to Beck sharing the stage, the chemistry between Trey and Cher stole the show. It seemed like Anastasio could hardly contain himself as they shared a microphone and Cher put an arm warmly around his shoulder.
Shortly thereafter, Trey started making references to his interaction with the Goddess of Pop during his solo shows. First he covered “I Got You Babe” at the tour opener in Springfield, MA and altered the lyrics to say, “I’ve got you at Love Rocks.” Then he recounted their meeting during his show in Kansas City, MO, where he called Dolly Parton “[the] second coolest and hottest celebrity… after Cher.”
Now, Anastasio and Cher intend to take their newfound friendship to the next level with their new acoustic duo project.
“When I tested ‘I Got You Babe’ out live, it was so fun and the response was so positive, I immediately started thinking about songs the two of us could have fun with—I mean ‘I Got You Trey’ really presents itself, but there’s ‘If I Could Turn Backwards Down the Number Line,’ ‘Do you believe in life after fluff?’ I reached out to Cher and was like, ‘Hey, it’s Trey,’ and she was like, ‘I know.’ Classic Cher! She’s the one who suggested we name the project ‘Cher-ing in the Groove’ which I thought was so great.”
Cher expressed excitement about the partnership, adding that she has received “an overwhelming amount of love from Phish fans” since Love Rocks. “I haven’t talked to this many hippies since I was married to Gregg Allman,” she said.
Trey and Cher will hit the road later this year for the Trés Cher Tour.
April fools!