B.B. King, fresh off his Grammy wins the previous night (Best Pop Instrumental Performance for
‘Auld Lang Syne’ from A Christmas Celebration of Hope and Best Traditional Blues Album for the same disc), performed three songs with Phish at the Continental Airlines Arena in East Rutherford, NJ. King, quite literally sat in with the band, as he positioned himself on a chair between Trey Anastasio and Mike Gordon for versions of ‘Everyday I Have the Blues,’ ‘The Thrill is Gone,’ and ‘Rock Me Baby’ that closed out the first set. The third of these tunes King had previously performed with Anastasio (and the Roots) when they initially met to participate in the IMAX concert Film All Access (an introduction facilitated by the film’s musical director, Wetlands owner Peter Shapiro).
Phish travels to Philadelphia for a gig at the First Union Spectrum this evening.