Trey Anastasio finished his most extensive solo acoustic tour to date over the weekend with two shows at Hackensack Meridian Health Theatre at the Count Basie Center for the Arts in Red Bank, NJ.
The month-long outing, which kicked off on March 8th in Springfield, MA, saw the Phish guitarist engage with fans on an intimate level, telling stories and joking with the crowd each night in addition to sharing stripped-down acoustic versions of songs from Phish’s expansive catalog and other projects. From musing on his experience meeting Cher at Love Rocks NYC to recounting the time he walked in on Jon Fishman self-administering a wheatgrass enema, Anastasio didn’t hold back on stage.
On Saturday, he reflected fondly on his deep connection to New Jersey, recalling his first concert—a life-changing Bruce Springsteen show when he was 14. He shared a heartfelt story about how, years later, Bruce joined Trey Anastasio Band on stage for “Kitty’s Back” just minutes before playing his own headlining set at Sea.Hear.Now in Asbury Park, NJ, where The Boss got his start. Trey marveled at Bruce’s generosity and humility, thanking him for making his 14-year-old dreams come true.
Trey Anastasio Chats About Bruce Springsteen – 4/5/25
[Video: lauren’s videos]
Musically, the tour’s NJ finale, like other nights, featured a single-set format with setlists culled mostly from the Phish songbook. Live staples like “Ghost”, “Maze”, “Wolfman’s Brother”, and “Divided Sky” got the solo acoustic treatment, while songs originally recorded on acoustic, like “Lifeboy”, lent themselves more readily to the solo format.
Like at Phish shows, the audience was emboldened to participate, whether nailing the claps in “Stash” or loudly and menacingly taunting “Wilson”, but the smaller scale of the venue made the connection between artist and fans feel that much stronger.
Trey Anastasio – “Wilson” – 4/6/25
[Video: Brian Cilli]
In addition to drawing from Phish’s extensive repertoire, Anastasio included songs from his other groups like Trey Anastasio Band (“Snowflakes in the Sand” and “What’s Going Through Your Mind”) and Ghosts of the Forest (“Brief Time”). Other nights of the tour also featured songs from his solo releases, though none made the cut in Red Bank.
Another unique feature of this tour, each night saw pianist Jeff Tansky sit in for the end of the set and encore, adding more depth to the bare-bones instrumentation.
Trey started Sunday’s encore solo, winding down with “Brief Time” before inviting Tansky back out to help finish the run on a high note with the tale of “Fluffhead” and a rocking “Tweezer Reprise”.
Click below to check out fan-shot videos from Trey Anastasio at Hackensack Meridian Health Theatre.
Anastasio will return to the stage later this month for Phish’s spring tour, which kicks off with two nights in Seattle on April 18th and 19th. Find a full list of tour dates and tickets here.
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Trey Anastasio – “Cavern” – 4/5/25
[Video: remphish1]
Setlist: Trey Anastasio | Hackensack Meridian Health Theatre | Red Bank, NJ | 4/5/25
Set 1: Cavern (Phish), Ghost (Phish), Driver (Phish), NICU (Phish), Back on the Train (Phish), Sample in a Jar (Phish), When the Words Go Away, Maze (Phish), AC/DC Bag (Phish), Heavy Things (Phish), Lifeboy (Phish), Farmhouse (Phish), Evening Song (Phish), My Problem Right There, Gumbo (Phish), Everything’s Right (Phish), The Lizards (Phish), Petrichor (Phish), Frost, What’s the Use? (Phish), Reba (Phish), Sand (Phish), Billy Breathes (Phish), Split Open and Melt (Phish), Slave to the Traffic Light (Phish)
Note: Jeff Tanski on piano from Petrichor to the end of the show.
Setlist: Trey Anastasio | Hackensack Meridian Health Theatre | Red Bank, NJ | 4/6/25
Set: More (Phish), Wolfman’s Brother (Phish), Lost in the Pack, Theme From the Bottom (Phish), Evolve, Strange Design (Phish), Limb by Limb (Phish), Blaze On (Phish), Brian and Robert (Phish), Miss You (Phish), Mountains in the Mist (Phish), Snowflakes in the Sand (Trey Anastasio Band), Bathtub Gin (Phish), Twist (Phish), Backwards Down the Number Line (Phish), What’s Going Through Your Mind (Trey Anastasio Band), Monsters (Phish), Possum (Phish), Wilson (Phish), The Divided Sky (Phish), Bouncing Around the Room (Phish), Pebbles and Marbles (Phish), If I Could (Phish), Stash (Phish), The Squirming Coil (Phish), Harry Hood (Phish), You Enjoy Myself (Phish)
Encore: Brief Time (Ghosts of The Forest), Fluffhead (Phish), Tweezer Reprise (Phish)
Note: Jeff Tanski on piano from The Divided Sky through Tweezer Reprise, minus Brief Time.