Trey Anastasio dedicated a song to fathers, played the solo debut of the title track from his recent acoustic album Mercy, and teased a sped-up “fast ‘Lawn Boy'” at his solo acoustic show in Louisville, KY on Friday.
The Phish guitarist stepped out onto the stage at Louisville’s Iroquois Amphitheatre and opened the show with “Sample In A Jar” and “Water In the Sky” before engaging the crowd as he reminisced about Phish’s history in the city.
A fan yelled that Trey should “keep coming to Louisville,” to which he replied, “it’s too infrequent,” adding, “I did a little assessment when I was backstage. I assessed! And I realized that…the last time Phish played in Louisville was 1995.” The crowd cheered to which he replied, “Were you guys all there?”
After telling the audience that the last time Phish played in Louisville was when his daughter Eliza, now 26, was only two months old, Trey jokingly reflected on the intervening years. “So what else has happened since the last time we played in Louisville?” he began. “Let’s see, well, I survived a plague and a pandemic, the bubonic plague at Dick’s. Went to jail, got out of jail, all that happened. Incarcerated. Freed. And now we’re back, here we are…so much has happened, which really gets you thinking: what’s gonna happen between now and the next time? Hopefully it won’t be that long.”
Trey continued the set with “Theme From The Bottom” and “Limb By Limb” before dedicating “Snowflakes In The Sand” to Eliza. He regaled the audience with a story about accidentally flooding her apartment right before heading out on tour, calling himself the “worst dad ever” and saying he hopes he can make it up to her. Before Trey started the song, an audience member shouted something about Father’s Day, to which he replied, “Actually I’ll redo this dedication to all the fathers of young daughters. Hopefully you can relate to this one.”
After “Snowflakes In The Sand”, Trey played “Brain And Robert” and then an audience member requested a “slow ‘Sparkle'”, referring to Phish’s recent invention, the slow “Maze” that the band unveiled in Noblesville, IN. “Fast ‘Lawn Boy’”, Trey quipped back before offering a few sped up bars of the usually laid back lounge tune. After a brief tease, he said he’d have to save that one “for the boys.”
Trey finished his acoustic set with a mix of Phish songs and solo tunes, including “Blaze On”, “Shade”, “Ghost”, “The Inlaw Josie Wales”, “Mountains In The Mist”, and “Summer Of 89”. He also played the solo debut of “Mercy”, the title track from his 2022 solo acoustic album, and wrapped up the set with Phish classics “Chalk Dust Torture”, “Bathtub Gin”, “The Lizards”, “Twist”, and “Everything’s Right”.
After a brief break, Trey returned to the stage for a five-song encore that included “Back On The Train”, “A Life Beyond The Dream”, “Backwards Down The Number Line”, and “Carini”, during which he encouraged the crowd to participate, admitting afterwards that he likes it when audiences “woo” during the song. He then offered heartfelt thanks to the crowd before closing the show with “More”.
Watch a clip of Trey’s fast “Lawn Boy” and other fan-shot videos from his solo acoustic show at Louisville’s Iroquois Amphitheater below.
Trey’s solo acoustic run continue tonight, Sunday, June 19th at Andrew J Brady Music Center in Cincinnati, OH. To view a complete list of upcoming shows and purchase tickets, visit his website.
Trey Anastasio – Fast “Lawn Boy”, “Brian and Robert”
[Video: tasteforphree]
Trey Anastasio – “Snowflakes In The Sand”
Trey Anastasio – “Twist”, “Everything’s Right”
Trey Anastasio – “Back On The Train”, “A Life Beyond the Dream”, “Backwards Down the Number Line”, “Carini”, “More”
[Video: darkstarflashes]
Setlist: Trey Anastasio | Iroquois Amphitheater | Louisville, KY | 6/17/22
Set: Sample in a Jar, Water in the Sky, Theme From the Bottom, Limb by Limb, Snowflakes in the Sand, Brian and Robert [1], Blaze On, The Inlaw Josie Wales, Shade, Ghost, Mountains in the Mist, Summer of ’89, Mercy, Chalk Dust Torture, Bathtub Gin, The Lizards, Twist, Everything’s Right
Encore: Back on the Train, A Life Beyond the Dream, Backwards Down the Number Line, Carini, More
[1] Fast “Lawn Boy” tease prior.