Trey Anastasio Remembers Grateful Dead 'Fare Thee Well' Shows, Talks Future of Phish

After dropping two hypnotizing singles, "The Song" and "Lever Boy," from his upcoming and eleventh solo album, Paper Wheels, Trey Anastasio sat down to discuss the future of Phish and reminisce about his time with the Grateful Dead during their summer stretch of 50th anniversary Fare Thee Well gigs in June and July.

In a new interview, the Phish front man offered interesting anecdotes concerning the Dead's American Beauty penultimate track, "Attics of My Life," which doubled as the five-show Fare Thee Well run's closing track. Anastasio found himself manning he guitar on stage for the Soldier Field and Levi's Stadium gigs alongside the Dead's core four--Bob Weir, Mickey Hart, Bill Kreutzmann and Phil Lesh as well as Bruce Hornsby and Dead & Company member Jeff Chimenti.

"Here's one that even Bobby [Weir] and Phil [Lesh] don't know." Anastasio told Guitar World magazine interviewer Alan Paul, according to JamBase. "The three of us sat down to discuss what to play and Phil said, 'All I know is, I want to end with 'Attics of My Life.' I'm like, 'Great, I'm crying already, but when are we gonna learn the harmonies?'

Due to the track's tricky three-part a capella harmony, Anastasio wanted to craft a chart for assistance but the Dead members found it to be "kind of geeky." Without the chart, the late Jerry Garcia's melody became lost in the performance.

"Soundchecks came and went, and we still didn't know it. So I called [Trey collaborator] Jeff [Tanski] and said, 'I need an exact transcription of the album version.' I didn't even tell the guys. I just handed a copy to Bruce [Hornsby]: 'This is your part and this is my part. I'll hit the highs and the other guys will fill in the notes.' I was reading off the chart because I wanted someone to sing the melody!" the 51-year-old guitarist and vocalist continued.

Trailing the Fare Thee Well gigs, Anastasio reconvened with Phish for a captivating summer tour before regrouping with the Trey Anastasio Band in October, Billboard notes. On Dec. 30, Phish will unveil their New Year's Eve, four-night Madison Square Garden jaunt on the same day John Mayer's latest group, Dead & Company, launch their two-night New Year's Eve stint in Los Angeles.

Tags

Trey Anastasio, Phish, Grateful Dead