It’s hard to believe that Trey Anastasio Band hadn’t been back to Albany for more than 13 years, but he’s been a bit busy over that span of time. When you factor in Phish’s touring schedule, baker’s dozens of shows at Madison Square Garden, Trey performing with orchestras around the country, plus solo gigs here and there, Trey’s been a bit busy! Thus, Albany was blessed with Big Red and his side project on Thursday, November 12, selling out the historic Palace Theatre on a night when there was plenty to see in the Capital District.
And while I wouldn’t normally lead with the show’s poster, this one stopped more than a few in their tracks as they ponied up for the print by Max Wesoloski, who factored in a great deal of Albany iconography in the piece. At top is the Palace Theatre marquee, the horns descending from the ceiling representing the chandelier in the Palace lobby (as well as the trio of horns in the band); in the middle, a guitar growing as a tree with white ghostly figures, nodding to Daniel Danger’s Ghosts of the Forest artwork, and in the bottom third, the Million Dollar Staircase from the State Capitol and the date of the show carved into the stone. Altogether, a perfect show poster capturing the venue and city history all at once. Posters are still available too!
Having seen TAB in various incarnations for 25 years, there is a standard that band leader Trey brings to a TAB show that isn’t found at Phish. There’s a little more polish and conducting by the Skinny Guinea, but still with ample room for each member of the band to stretch and improvise alongside the master himself. The band we saw in 2013 was a little different this time around, with Cyro Baptista sitting out this tour, and Kenneth Whalum (sax) and Dezron Douglas (bass) filling in for the late James Casey and Tony Markellis, respectively.
Starting off the eighth TAB show at the Palace (not including Ghosts of the Forest, which had a different lineup) with an early-ish start of 7:20pm, the night began with one of the many Phish songs that has made its way into the band’s repertoire, “Everything’s Right,” now with horns and back up vocals. The 2001 originals “Cayman Review” and “Alive Again” which were a staple of the first full incarnation of TAB would follow, with a rare-for-Phish-these-days “Magilla” sandwiched in between.
On the walls at stage right during “Burlap Sack and Pumps,” the shadows of TAB mainstays Russ Lawton and Ray Paczkowski could be seen as they played, a unique bit of lighting that made the two larger than life throughout the evening. And with a pause in the music for Anastasio to praise the horns and tell everyone he was glad to be back, intros of the band led to the biggest applause for the Milkman himself.
“Spin” was an unexpected vehicle for a melodic groove that dipped into an unexpected jam, the horn section adding in hand percussion. “Evolve” was as bouncy as it always is with Phish and took a spin of its own with an excellent jam, the pairing of songs here a step in a different direction than the first half of the set. The trend continued with a mildly dark “Steam”, an upbeat and funky arrangement of “Camel Walk” and finally, “Stash” with Jeff Tanski joining behind Ray on keys.
The second set opened as the first ended, with TAB taking on Phish classics, starting with “Blaze On” and “Oblivion,” which got dark, but Trey band dark, before an uplifting ending over the course of 15 minutes. The darkness continued with “Plasma,” a TAB original that found its way into the Phish rotation, just as “Gotta Jibboo” became a Phish staple, having found early legs in 1999 with the earliest incarnations of Trey Band, Dezron adding a touch of flavor to the otherwise staid bassline. The full bodied jam of “Jibboo” gave way to the relatively new and peppy “Real You,” with “Sand” closing the second set out.
An encore of “Push on Til the Day,” the most TAB song in their repertoire, capped the evening nicely, full bodied and energy, Anastasio beaming from center stage as he sang, marveling at the packed Palace Theatre crowd that sang along with the uplifting original and is pure TAB through and through.
With upcoming shows at The Capitol Theatre and two nights in Worcester with Billy Strings to benefit Divided Sky Foundation, there is plenty more Trey Anastasio Band to come in the Northeast.
Setlist via Phish.net
Trey Anastasio Band – Palace Theatre, Albany, NY – Thursday, November 12, 2026
Set 1: Everything’s Right, Cayman Review, Magilla, Alive Again, Burlap Sack and Pumps, Spin, Evolve, Steam, Camel Walk, Stash [1]
Set 2: Blaze On, Oblivion -> Plasma, Gotta Jibboo, Dark And Down, Real You, Sand
Encore: Push On ‘Til the Day
[1] Jeff Tanski on keys.
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