Out of the darkness of the COVID-19 pandemic, there were a few points of light. Among them was the Beacon Jams, a fan-less, eight-week livestream concert series helmed by Trey Anastasio at New York’s Beacon Theatre, featuring a rotating backing band and a live chat feed with the Phish guitarist.
The Beacon Jams weren’t just a temporary escape from our lives of quarantine; they were a two-month fundraiser for Trey’s new Divided Sky Residential Recovery Program center in Vermont. While COVID brought feelings of fear, isolation, and stress to everyone worldwide, the pandemic hit those struggling with substance abuse especially hard. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reported 91,799 drug overdose deaths in 2020 in the U.S., a 30% increase from 2019.
Over the eight weeks of the Beacon Jams in fall 2020, fans contributed over $1.2 million to The Divided Sky Foundation, which opened its residential recovery center in November 2023 in Ludlow, VT. The 46-bed center is now treating patients with a program rooted in the 12 steps, with additional nature and music therapies, all at a fraction of the cost of the country’s average treatment center ($7,500 all-in, according to Anastasio on The Small Bow Podcast).
And it all started with the Beacon Jams.
Fast forward to 2025, and Trey Anastasio was back at the Beacon for another round of Beacon Jams. Some things looked the same, like the Rescue Squad string section and pianist collaborator Jeff Tanski. Some looked different, as the Trey Anastasio Band now includes bassist Dezron Douglas and saxophonist Kenneth Whalum, who respectively replaced the late Tony Markellis and James Casey. Probably the biggest difference, though, was the sold-out crowd of nearly 3,000 fans who were no longer tuning in from behind a computer screen. What feels like a lifetime later, fans were finally able to jam at the Beacon.
The evening began with an opening overture from the Rescue Squad Strings—Rachel Golub (viola), Katie Kresek (violin), Maxim Moston (violin), and Anja Wood (cello)—performing “Rescue Squad”, the impromptu song Anastasio made up while periously suspended mid-air at Madison Square Garden in one of the first moments of 2020. Maybe that should’ve given us a clue about what was in store for that year…
But in 2025 at the Beacon, Trey Anastasio Band joined the strings for the first public performance of “In the House – In a Heartbeat”, a brooding instrumental played only once before, at the original 2020 Beacon Jams. The show would see a TAB debut in the second set, as the Rescue Squad Strings and Jeff Tanski made for an especially foreboding “My Friend, My Friend”.
Trey Anastasio Band w/ The Rescue Squad Strings – “Divided Sky” [Pro-Shot] – 11/28/25
Elsewhere in the first set, Tanski and the Rescue Squad Strings added ornate new dimensions to setlist regulars “Stash”, “Monsters”, and a fitting “Divided Sky” for the foundation at the nexus of the run. In set two, Anastasio took the stage solo for an acoustic “Lost in the Pack” before turning the proverbial table with a nearly 15-minute “Blaze On” alongside the TAB core of Whalum, Douglas, Russ Lawton (drums), Ray Paczkowski (keys), Cyro Baptista (percussion), Natalie Cressman (trombone, vocals), and Jennifer Hartswick (trumpet, vocals).
The second set’s “Harry Hood” exemplified the best of what the Beacon Jams have to offer, as Anastasio started the song on solo acoustic. With the Rescue Squad Strings and Tanski accompanying Trey, “Harry Hood” floated along with a buoyancy seldom seen in electric versions, before Anastasio switched back to his Languedoc following “Thank you, Mr. Miner” for the best of both worlds. Electric, acoustic, an orchestral symphony, a rock n’ roll band: the Beacon Jams has it all.
There was still more innovation to come, as the Floydian post-rock instrumental “What’s the Use?” was stripped back to its bare essence and translated to the string section. A fittingly climactic “First Tube” closed the second set, followed by the emotionally weighted “A Life Beyond The Dream” to kick off a triple encore, going back to Gamehendge for “The Lizards” and finishing it off with a brazen “Carini” closer.
Check out a full-show stream from night one of the 2025 Beacon Jams on YouTube. Trey Anastasio will stream all three nights of the series for free on YouTube, encouraging fans to donate to The Divided Sky Foundation. nugs All Access subscribers can also watch the 2025 Beacon Jams livestreams on mobile, Roku, and Apple TV. [Not a nugs All Access subscriber yet? Get started here to access nightly livestreams from a long list of artists.]
Trey Anastasio Band — Beacon Theatre — New York, NY — 11/28/25 — Full Video
Setlist: Trey Anastasio Band | Beacon Theatre | New York, NY | 11/28/25
Set One: In the House – In a Heartbeat [1], Stash [2], What’s Going Through Your Mind, Mozambique, Alive Again, The Moma Dance, Monsters [3], Divided Sky [4], Everything’s Right
Set Two: Lost in the Pack [5], Blaze On, Spin, Real You, Harry Hood [6], Gotta Jibboo, My Friend, My Friend [7], What’s the Use? [8], First Tube[3]
Encore: A Life Beyond The Dream[3], The Lizards[3], Carini[3]
[1] First public TAB performance. With the Rescue Squad Strings and Jeff Tanski on piano.
[2] With the Rescue Squad Strings and Jeff Tanski on piano.
[3] With the Rescue Squad Strings.
[4] Just Trey on acoustic guitar, the Rescue Squad Strings, and Jeff Tanski on piano.
[5] Trey solo acoustic.
[6] Trey on acoustic and electric guitar, the Rescue Squad Strings, and Jeff Tanski on piano.
[7] TAB debut. With the Rescue Squad Strings and Jeff Tanski on piano.
[8] Just Trey, the Rescue Squad Strings, and Jeff Tanski on piano.
This show was billed as The Beacon Jams (celebrating the 5th anniversary of 2020’s Beacon Jams residency) and was a benefit for Divided Sky Foundation.The Rescue Squad Strings (Rachel Golub, Katie Kresek, Maxim Moston, and Anja Wood) performed Rescue Squad alone before Trey and TAB joined for the first public TAB performance of In the House – In a Heartbeat (it had been played previously during the Beacon Jams on October 30, 2020). In the House – In a Heartbeat, Stash, Monsters, Divided Sky, Harry Hood, and My Friend, My Friend through Carini featured the Rescue Squad Strings with Jeff Tanski joining on piano for In the House – In a Heartbeat, Stash, Divided Sky, Harry Hood, My Friend, My Friend, and What’s the Use?. Divided Sky featured just Trey on acoustic guitar, the Rescue Squad Strings, and Jeff Tanski on piano. Lost in the Pack was performed by Trey solo acoustic. Harry Hood featured Trey on acoustic and electric guitar. My Friend, My Friend was a TAB debut. What’s the Use? featured just Trey, the Rescue Squad Strings, and Jeff Tanski on piano.