On Wednesday evening, Trey Anastasio Band hit the legendary Red Rocks Amphitheatre in Morrison, Colorado, supported by up-and-coming funk gurus Vulfpeck. Notably, Vulfpeck’s energized performance saw Trey Anastasio himself sit in with the group during “Rango,” which eventually led into a joint cover of Michael Jackson’s “Will You Be There,” as a teaser for what was to come during Trey Anastasio Band’s two sets later in the evening.

When it was their time to hit the stage, Trey’s eight-piece band—also consisting of Russ Lawton (drums), Tony Markellis (bass), Cyro Baptista (percussion), Ray Paczkowski (keys), Jennifer Hartswick (trumpet, vocals), Natalie Cressman (trombone, vocals), and James Casey (saxophones, vocals)—was primed and ready, with their performance falling at the tail end of their Paper Wheels tour this spring, which comes to a close this weekend with performances in Salt Lake City, Utah, on Friday and Missoula, Montana, on Saturday. Trey Anastasio Band’s Red Rocks performance last night also marked the sixth time the group has played the iconic outdoor venue, with the last time being in August of 2005.

Watch Trey Anastasio Jam “Rango” And Michael Jackson Cover With Vulfpeck

Trey Anastasio Band pulled together a setlist that featured a number of TAB originals in addition to some choice covers that have made their way into rotation frequently throughout this tour. To open the performance, Trey Anastasio Band opened with “Pigtail” and “Mozambique.” From there, the group moved into gritty TAB/Phish crossover “Sand,” ahead of two more originals, “Curlew’s Call” and “Cayman Review.”

Pigtail (starts around 3:50)

 

Sand

[Video courtesy of Eric Vanim-Botting]

The group then pulled out jazzy Phish instrumental “Magilla” before slowing things down with the mournful “Dark and Down.” Trey Anastasio Band then brought energy levels back up with a smashing rendition of “Money Love and Change.” Next up was a cover of Portugal the Man’s “Feel It Still” with Natalie Cressman leading the vocals, a song contemporary cover they debuted earlier in the tour. After “Feel It Still,” the group then moved straight into a soulful rendition of The Band’s “It Makes No Difference.” To close out the first set, the band hit “Burlap Sack and Pumps” before finishing things out with the upbeat Phish-staple number “Gotta Jiboo.”

After set break, Trey Anastasio Band returned for second set, which was decidedly more focused on originals from Trey’s own catalog. After opening things up with “Everything’s Right,” the group played through a string of other originals—”Night Speaks to a Woman,” “Tuesday,” and “In Rounds”—before Leon Russell’s feelgood “Delta Lady.” Keeping with the trend of interspersing covers among the band’s originals, TAB moved through their own “Valentine,” “Drifting,” “Architect,” “Plasma,” and “Shine” before their patented version of Gorillaz’s “Clint Eastwood” from Traveler (2016), which saw Jen Hartswick‘s outstanding vocals foreshadow the her powerful performance in the ensuing encore.

Everything’s Right

 

Clint Eastwood

[Video courtesy of Nugget Nation]

Trey Anastasio Band accelerated to toward the end of the performance with the more rock-centric “My Completely” following the soulful hip-hop vibes of the Gorillaz tune. To close out the second set, the group covered the traditional Irish song “The Parting Glass.” For the encore, the group first opened with live TAB/Phish staple “First Tube,” with the grinding number setting the stage for the final song and a major highlight of the evening: Led Zeppelin’s “Dazed and Confused.” Hartswick once again stole the spotlight with the searing vocals she lent to the song, eventually engaging in a guitar/vocal battle with Trey a la Robert Plant and Jimmy Page with Zeppelin in the 70’s. The two showed off their musical chops while highlighting their immense individual abilities and virtually palpable musical chemistry.

First Tube

[Video courtesy of starman2112 rush

Setlist: Trey Anastasio Band | Red Rocks Amphitheatre | Morrison, CO | 6/1/2017

Set One: Pigtail, Mozambique, Sand, Curlew’s Call, Cayman Review, Magilla (Phish cover), Dark and Down, Money Love and Change, Feel It Still (Portugal. The Man cover), It Makes No Difference (The Band cover), Burlap Sack and Pumps, Gotta Jibboo

Set Two: Everything’s Right, Night Speaks to a Woman, Tuesday, In Rounds, Delta Lady (Leon Russell cover), Valentine, Drifting, Architect, Plasma, Shine, Clint Eastwood (Gorillaz cover), Mr. Completely, The Parting Glass

Encore: First Tube, Dazed and Confused (Led Zeppelin cover)

See below for the full photo gallery by Gary Sheer.