In light of The National’s Matt Berninger discussing his Grateful Dead and Phish fandom (or, initially, lack thereof), what better time to revisit Berninger jamming with Trey Anastasio at the Beacon Theatre during The National’s stop there in 2011. Anastasio sat in for a whopping five songs on the band’s second of two nights at the New York City theatre. The guitarist joined in for “Bloodbuzz Ohio,” “Squalor Victoria,” “Murder Me Rachael,” “Terrible Love” and the finale of “Vanderlyle Crybaby Geeks.”

On Berninger’s Phish show experience, he describes a less than pleasurable situation. “I just couldn’t stand all the strange hippie posturing from a bunch of smelly white rich kids,” he says. “I had a chip on my shoulder against all that pseudo-60s stuff, so I remember I went and waited in the car. It was like a six-hour show, and I sat in the car.” Although he did admit that working with Anastasio on his Traveler record brought him around to Phish’s music. 

Watch Anastasio and The National play “Terrible Love” and “Bloodbuzz Ohio” at the Beacon in 2011. 

“Terrible Love”

“Bloodbuzz Ohio”