Trey Anastasio announces virtual series, 'The Beacon Jams'

Oct. 1 (UPI) -- Phish guitarist Trey Anastasio said Thursday that he will appear in an upcoming eight-week virtual series, The Beacon Jams.

The guitarist announced the series of virtual concerts, live from New York City's historic Beacon Theatre, to be streamed for free exclusively on Twitch, starting on Oct. 9, every Friday at 8 p.m. ET through Nov. 27, in a Twitter post.

Anastasio referred to the series as a "virtual residency," and added on his website that along with his acoustic and electric performances, there will be opportunities for audience interactions and more.

The guitarist has partnered with MSG Entertainment to present the eight-week series of concerts.

"When we thought about playing the Beacon, I was reminded of the meaning of the word," Anastasio said in a statement. "A beacon is a beam of light, often from a lighthouse, which sends it out to sailors who are lost at sea and all alone. They look for the beacon and it guides them home."

Donations from the event will benefit Phish's long-running WaterWheel Foundation for Vermont-based nonprofits and its new Divided Sky Fund. The proceeds will help those affected by addiction and further plans to open a Vermont treatment center, according to the website.

"I've been sober for 13 years," Anastasio said. "It's a great blessing in my life. We started talking about the idea of a treatment center about a year ago. I was worried that the project would get derailed because of the pandemic but it didn't -- it actually picked up steam; things are really rolling along now. The Beacon Jams emerged as a way to raise money for it while also allowing me to play for the fans again."

MSG Entertainment Executive Vice President Darren Pfeffer lauded the partnership.

"We're thrilled to be able to partner with Trey on this very special and first-ever virtual residency at The Beacon Theatre to benefit two immensely important causes -- Divided Sky Fund and the WaterWheel Foundation," Pfeffer said. "As we navigate the live music scene through this socially distant world, we couldn't think of a more natural way to bring live music to so many fans for such a great cause."