Trey Anastasio open to Grateful Dead return

Trey Anastasio
Trey Anastasio (Image credit: Getty)

Phish frontman Trey Anastasio says he’s open to playing more gigs with the Grateful Dead.

Anastasio guested on guitar with surviving Dead members Mickey Hart, Bill Kreutzmann, Phil Lesh and Bob Weir on a run of dates in 2015, under the banner of the Fare Thee Well tour.

The shows were said to be the last time Hart, Lesh, Weir and Kreutzmann would appear on stage together, but former basketball player and long-time Dead fan Ball Walton hinted in April that the group could perform again this summer.

Now Anastasio has added fuel to the fire. Asked whether he’d return if invited, he tells Rolling Stone: “I’m open all the time. I had such a good time playing with Bob and hanging out with Bob. I spent a week out at his beach house before the Fare Thee Well tour. The two of us just played.

“We sat on two little stools in his living room and just played and talked and it was fantastic. He’s such a good guy, and really fun. And I got to go to Phil’s and spend time with him and his family before the shows. Billy came to New York and played drums with me.

“So, I mean, I love those guys, and I’m always open. I’m grateful for the opportunity.”

The Fare Thee Well shows are available to buy in a variety of formats.

Anastasio has also given an update on the status of the follow-up to 2014 Phish album Fuego.

He says: “It sounds really great to me. We’re really happy. The band’s firing on all cylinders right now, so this is the perfect time to go into the studio.”

Phish launch a US summer tour next month.

Phish tour dates 2016

Jun 22: St Paul Xcel Energy Center, MN
Jun 24: Chicago Wrigley Field, IL
Jun 25: Chicago Wrigley Field, IL
Jun 26: Noblesville Klipsch Music Center, IN
Jun 28: Philadelphia The Mann, PA
Jun 29: Philadelphia The Mann, PA
Jul 01: Saratoga Springs Performing Arts Center, NY
Jul 02: Saratoga Springs Performing Arts Center, NY
Jul 03: Saratoga Springs Performing Arts Center, NY
Jul 06: Portland Cross Insurance Arena, ME
Jul 08: Mansfield Xfinity Center, MA
Jul 09: New York Rocks Off Express Party Bus, NY
Jul 10: Syracuse Lakeview Amphitheater, NY
Jul 14: George Amphitheatre, WA
Jul 15: George Amphitheatre, WA
Jul 16: George Amphitheatre, WA
Jul 18: San Francisco Bill Graham Civic Auditorium, CA
Jul 19: San Francisco Bill Graham Civic Auditorium, CA
Jul 20: San Francisco Bill Graham Civic Auditorium, CA
Jul 22: Inglewood The Forum, CA
Jul 23: Chula Vista Sleep Train Amphitheatre, CA
Aug 25: Arrington Oak Ridge Farm, VA
Sep 02: Commerce City Dick’s Sporting Gods Park, CO
Sep 03: Commerce City Dick’s Sporting Gods Park, CO
Sep 04: Commerce City Dick’s Sporting Gods Park, CO

Grateful Dead: The Best Of: Fare Thee Well

Stef wrote close to 5,000 stories during his time as assistant online news editor and later as online news editor between 2014-2016. An accomplished reporter and journalist, Stef has written extensively for a number of UK newspapers and also played bass with UK rock favourites Logan. His favourite bands are Pixies and Clap Your Hands Say Yeah. Stef left the world of rock'n'roll news behind when he moved to his beloved Canada in 2016, but he started on his next 5000 stories in 2022.