LEWISTON – Phish fans, rejoice.
Trey Anastasio, the frontman and co-founder of the former rock group, plans to perform Nov. 12 at Bates College.
The 41-year-old guitarist and songwriter is releasing a major-label solo album titled “Shine” on Nov. 1. The next day he begins his first solo tour in Minneapolis.
It will be a change for the rocker. The band often filled stadiums, and its tours grossed tens of millions of dollars.
The last time Anastasio performed in Maine, Phish drew about 75,000 people to Aroostook County, to the former Loring Air Force Base in Limestone. The band’s Grateful Dead-like following jammed parts of the Maine Turnpike.
For the show here in Lewiston, organizers at the college plan to sell about 2,000 tickets, about 300 more than there are students at the liberal arts school.
“We heard he wanted to play some colleges so we put an offer out,” said Keith Tannenbaum, Bates’ assistant dean of students. Anastasio accepted.
“He’s a great musician,” said Tannenbaum. “The people who know him are excited.”
In recent weeks, Anastasio has been busy performing at music festivals and has opened for the Rolling Stones.
The Anastasio concert will be held at Gray Gymnasium on the Bates campus.
At least once a year, the school tries to book a big-name act. In recent years, reggae rapper Wyclef Jean and rockers Counting Crows have both performed at the school.
Throughout the 1990s, Phish built a reputation as a superior live band with its jazz-influenced jams and without the aid of radio-friendly songs. Their fans, known as Phishheads, resembled the previous generations’ Grateful Dead fan base.
Phish disbanded in early 2004.
Who: Trey Anastasio
When: 7:30 p.m., Saturday, Nov. 12
Where: Gray Gymnasium, Bates College, Lewiston
Tickets: $20 for Bates students, $33 for the general public; available at Bull Moose Music stores or at www.batestickets.com for $2 more per ticket
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