The day before Christmas, Trey Anastasio and Phish Page McConnell presented fans with their surprise performance on “December”, which the guitarist and keyboardist recently recorded live at the band’s Barn studio in Vermont.
The six-song, 45-minute show featured six Phish tracks: acoustic interpretations of “If I Could”, “Mountains in the Mist”, “Wingsuit” and “Joy”, a simplified electric version Big Boat“Miss You” and – to conclude the surprise performance – a 15-minute version of the fan favorite “The Squirming Coil”. In addition to streaming services, “December” is available for purchase on the band’s Live Phish website.
Due to the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic, 2020 will mark the first year since 2008 that Phish did not participate in his annual series of New Year’s Eve concerts. However, the band announced some New Year’s plans on Saturday in the form of a live broadcast of their show on December 31, 1995, as well as a much-anticipated rematch of the band’s chess game. Phans, as the band explained on twitter:
Phish remained active, however, with a new surprise album released in April (Sigma Oasis), a surprise album by Trey Anastasio recorded in quarantine (Lonely travel), the guitarist’s virtual residency at Beacon Jams and the weekly live broadcasts of the band “Dinner and a Movie”.