Trey Anastasio has announced The Beacon Jams, an eight-week virtual residency to be streamed for free exclusively on Twitch, live from New York City’s historic Beacon Theatre every Friday at 8:00 p.m. ET from October 9th through November 27th. The Beacon Jams will welcome no live audiences and will feature both acoustic and electric performances as well as home audience interaction and an array of surprises. Tune in to The Beacon Jams with Trey Anastasio via Twitch here. The first show on Friday, October 9th will also air on SiriusXM Phish Radio.
Tune in right here to Phish Radio this Friday, October 9 as we broadcast the first show of @treyanastasio‘s The Beacon Jams live from @BeaconTheatre at 8PM ET or watch it exclusively on @Twitch at https://t.co/w7gmp00pW9#TheBeaconJams pic.twitter.com/sWVHak24sP
— PhishRadio (@PhishRadioSXM) October 5, 2020
The Phish guitarist’s The Beacon Jams will also collect donations to benefit Phish non-profit The WaterWheel Foundation and its new Divided Sky Fund (DSF). The proceeds generated will be used to deliver help to those affected by addiction and help further plans to open a treatment center in Vermont.
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“When we thought about playing the Beacon, I was reminded of the meaning of the word,” Anastasio explains along with the announcement. “A beacon is a beam of light, often from a lighthouse, which sends it out to sailors who are lost at sea and all alone. They look for the beacon and it guides them home.”
“I’ve been sober for 13 years,” Anastasio says, “It’s a great blessing in my life. We started talking about the idea of a treatment center about a year ago. I was worried that the project would get derailed because of the pandemic but it didn’t – it actually picked up steam; things are really rolling along now. The Beacon Jams emerged as a way to raise money for it while also allowing me to play for the fans again.”
“Sometimes gifts come wrapped in strange packages,” Trey adds. “A lot of this is thanks to Twitch and our friends and family at MSG Entertainment. When the idea to do these benefits was born, everybody at MSG Entertainment jumped in and partnered with us and the Divided Sky Fund, which is very kind of them. This is an opportunity for forward motion.”
Trey Anastasio – The Beacon Jams – Teaser Video
[Video: Trey Anastasio]
The Beacon Jams, presented by MSG Entertainment, marks the first-ever virtual residency by the firm, which own Madison Square Garden and the Beacon Theatre, among other venues which Anastasio has frequented with his various touring acts over the years.
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“We’re thrilled to be able to partner with Trey on this very special and first-ever virtual residency at the Beacon Theatre to benefit two immensely important causes – the Divided Sky Fund and the WaterWheel Foundation,” said Darren Pfeffer, executive vice president, MSG Entertainment. “As we navigate the live music scene through this socially distant world, we couldn’t think of a more natural way to bring live music to so many fans for such a great cause. Trey’s connection not only with the Beacon Theatre, but with all our venues over the years, including Madison Square Garden, The Chicago Theatre, and Radio City Music Hall, have made this unique concept a perfect partnership.”
“We could not be more excited to be part of this amazing partnership with Trey Anastasio and MSG Entertainment to help raise donations for such worthy causes,” said Will Farrell-Green, Head of Music Content at Twitch. “Twitch offers the same intimate experience that artists and their audiences have come to expect from live shows. Over the course of this virtual residency, fans of Trey and Phish will be able to attend performances from anywhere in the world, while feeling like they are right in the front row of the Beacon.”
While his 2020 tours were axed along with the rest of the industry, Trey Anastasio has been keeping plenty busy amid the ongoing pandemic. In addition Phish’s new album, Sigma Oasis, Trey also released a quarantine solo LP, Lonely Trip, and served as the first musical guest to perform in-studio on a late-night talk show post-Covid when he performed with The Roots on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon. He also performed a short acoustic set in Central Park as part of the CityParks virtual SummerStage Jubilee last month and released a new Trey Anastasio Band live album, Burn It Down.