Hard to believe its been 50 years, huh? Nevertheless, today marks Trey Anastasio’s 50th birthday and to celebrate we’ve put together a few of our favorite moments from Trey’s axe-wielding past. Now, let’s not confuse this with a ‘best of’ Phish compilation. We’re strictly sticking to Big Red and his days from geeky guitar player at UVM crafting The Man Who Stepped Into Yesterday to full-on arena rockstar jamming with the likes of Bob Weir, BB King, Carlos Santana and more. Take a look and feel free to share your favorites throughout the day.

“The Man Who Stepped Into Yesterday”

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Trey’s most original composition and the setting for so many of Phish’s greatest songs.

Big Red Plays Byrne For a Night

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Phish covers one of their guitarist’s favorites on Halloween in Atlanta.

Phil and Phriends

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At the time, a legendary meeting of jam’s past, present and future.

Trey Visits Some Old Friends in New York City

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We all remember where we were when we saw this tweet from the Iridium Jazz Club. Certainly a wonderful surprise on a Thursday night in the city.

The Return

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Anastasio’s appearances on stage with DMB date back to 1993, but none were more significant than his last in 2007 when he emerged for a stunning version of “Lie in Our Graves” in Sarataoga Springs, NY.

Big Red Goes Furthur

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The inaugural Lockn’ Festival roped in some of the best in the world of jam as Anastasio once again shared the stage with the likes of Lesh and Weir for a take on “Fire on the Mountain,” among others.

Oysterhead

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Please come back, guys.

Weir, Anastasio and Payton Jam

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This was also the day that Trey told Bobby about the first time he saw the Grateful Dead.

“Wolfman’s Brother” Gets the Orchestral Treatment

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Trey’s orchestral work find him scratching a different creative itch while bringing out another side of some of Phish’s compositions.

An All-Star “Whipping Post”

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Anastasio came together with Warren Haynes, Bob Weir, Grace Potter and The Roots for a one-time-only show that featured this cover of “Whipping Post” that included an intriguing conversation between all four guitarists.

Trey Joins The Fab Faux at The Jammys

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As The Jammys honored Phish in 2008, Trey joined the premiere Beatles tribute band, The Fab Faux, for a few tunes including a standout version of “While My Guitar Gently Weeps.”

Blues, Rock and Hip Hop Legends Collide

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One of Trey’s unique talents as a guitarist still remains his ability to blend genres. There are few better examples here as he shares the stage with The Roots and blues legend B.B. King.

Kreutzmann, Burbridge and Muraski Surprise at Lupo’s

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A rare moment indeed as Bill Kreutzmann, Scott Muraski and Oteil Burbridge joined TAB for a performance of “First Tube.”

Trey and Carlos

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Santana brought on a young, up and coming band called Phish in the early 90s and put them in front of their biggest audiences at the time. The two have linked up several times since then, but here’s Santana on “The Way I Feel.”

The YEM Dance

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Because it’ll never get old.