Written by: Geoff Tischman

Trey Anastasio kicked off his solo acoustic tour last night (Feb. 8) in Morristown, New Jersey and it was a performance that was breezy, engaging, hilarious and nothing short of riveting.

Anastasio played the MAYO Performing Arts Center and the intimacy of the sold-out venue was the perfect place for the Phish frontman to regale the audience with his whimsical stories, comedic anecdotes and entertaining tales.

Numbers like “Blaze On” and “Brian And Robert” (the latter of which Anastasio identified as one of his favorite songs) were especially winning, “Miss You” was decidedly moving and Phish’s “Strange Design” was just perfect.

Other highlights included an instrumental number dedicated to Anastasio’s recently deceased pal Chris Cottrell; the solo acoustic debut of “Everything’s Right,” which was sublime, and a great rendition of “Wolfman’s Brother.”

Anastasio’s storytelling falls somewhere between Spalding Gray and David Sedaris and he’s truly one of the most gifted musicians on the planet.

That combination made it one of the best shows I’ve seen in recent memory.

SET 1:

Blaze On, Backwards Down the Number Line, Brian and Robert, Heavy Things, Miss You, Strange Design, Twenty Years Later, Wolfman’s Brother, Everything’s Right[1], The Inlaw Josie Wales, Sleeping Monkey, Limb By Limb, Waste, Unknown instrumental, Bathtub Gin> Chalk Dust Torture> Back on the Train

ENCORE: Bouncing Around the Room, Push On ‘Til the Day

Upcoming Trey Anastasio Solo Acoustic Tour Dates

Feb. 9 – Ithaca, NY – State Theatre
Feb. 10 – Cambridge, MA – Sanders Theatre
Feb. 12 – Pittsburgh, PA – Byham
Feb. 13 – Wilmington, DE – Grand Opera House
Feb. 14 – Washington, DC – Sixth and I
Feb. 16 – Durham, NC – Carolina Theatre
Feb. 17 – Charlotte, NC – Knight Theatre
Feb. 18 – Athens, GA – Classic Center