According to a new post from Trey Anastasio, Ray Paczkowski will return to the stage for a one-off show in Charlottesville, VA on July 5th to perform a set of “Classic TAB” at the Sprint Pavilion. While the post doesn’t mention the two following Trey Anastasio dates, July 6th at Central Park’s SummerStage in NYC and July 7th at Levitate Music Festival, we’re keeping our fingers crossed for a full return from “The Milkman” soon.
Back in March, Paczkowski underwent surgery after doctors discovered that he was suffering from a brain tumor. The keyboardist, who also comprises one half of Soul Monde (with TAB drummer Russ Lawton), understandably took the last several months off from touring to recover, forcing the Trey Anastasio Band format to shrink into a trio. Paczkowski’s diagnosis and surgery came in the midst of an ongoing Soul Monde tour, which was scheduled to bring him and Lawton around much of the Northeast. See the video from Trey below, which welcomes brother Ray back to the stage.
A message in the video reads: “We are incredibly happy to announce that our brother, Ray “The Milkman” Paczowski, will return to the stage in Charlottesville, VA on July 5th to perform with his longtime friend and bandmates: Trey, Tony and Russ.”
Paczkowski—affectionately known as “The Milkman” on account of the 10+ years he spent working on a dairy farm—began touring with Trey Anastasio Band in 2001. Since then, he’s contributed his keys to a variety of Anastasio projects like The Octet, The Dectet, and Dave Matthews & Friends. 