Hear The 1983 Talking Heads Show Trey Anastasio Attended Before Phish’s First Gig

By Scott Bernstein Oct 1, 2026 • 11:49 am PDT

Trey Anastasio was a freshman at the University of Vermont when Talking Heads brought their Speaking In Tongues Tour to campus on October 1, 1983. The future Phish guitarist watched from the 10th row at Burlington’s Patrick Gymnasium, just over two months before his own band played its first show. On the concert’s 43rd anniversary, revisit the night through remastered audio available on YouTube.

The anniversary coincides with today’s launch of SiriusXM’s Talking Heads Radio, which counts Anastasio among its announced guest DJs. The channel celebrates more than 50 years of Talking Heads with songs from across their catalog, stories from the band members and guest DJ sets.

Anastasio recalled attending the Burlington concert during an interview with Jesse Jarnow for the Osiris podcast Alive Again. A portion of their conversation later aired on the Good Ol’ Grateful Deadcast, where the guitarist discussed how bands that played the campus gym helped shape Phish’s early repertoire.

“I was there in the 10th row, watching Talking Heads,” Anastasio recalled, specifically noting bassist Tina Weymouth’s presence. “And we played a Talking Heads song.”

The guitarist placed learning covers in the context of finding his own musical voice. For young musicians, playing songs by the artists they saw was a natural starting point, he explained, before emphasizing the importance of developing original material.

“The Beatles played covers, Bob Marley played covers, everybody plays covers when they’re 18,” Anastasio explained. “And you can play covers throughout your career. But the work of starting to find your own voice as an original artist begins, then.”

Anastasio had first spotted Jon Fishman on his first day after orientation at UVM. The guitarist later heard drums coming from Fishman’s dorm room, grabbed his amplifier and joined him to jam. Fellow students Jeff Holdsworth and Mike Gordon rounded out the original Phish lineup.

Phish made their live debut on December 2, 1983 at UVM’s Harris/Millis Cafeteria. The semi-formal Christmas dance featured a setlist of covers and a hockey stick serving as a microphone stand, according to the band’s official show notes. Talking Heads material wasn’t part of that first performance, but “Cities” would enter the repertoire in 1984 and the connection would become a lasting one.

Thirteen years after that fateful night at Patrick Gym, Phish performed Talking Heads’ Remain In Light in full as their Halloween 1996 musical costume at The Omni in Atlanta. “Crosseyed And Painless” subsequently became a regular vehicle for Phish’s improvisation, including a 31-minute rendition during this summer’s 1996-themed show at Madison Square Garden.

Talking Heads Radio also features a conversation with all four members recorded before a live audience on September 28. HAIM’s Este Haim hosted the SiriusXM Front Row event with Weymouth, David Byrne, Chris Frantz and Jerry Harrison. The discussion premiered today at 12 p.m. ET and is available on demand through the SiriusXM app.

The band looked back on recording their first two albums, including Weymouth’s recollection of shedding clothes when noisy air conditioning had to be switched off in the studio. Byrne also reflected on the music’s longevity and its continued discovery by new listeners. Talking Heads Radio is available on channel 145 through October 22 and on the SiriusXM app through October 31.

The 1983 Burlington concert Anastasio attended opened with “Psycho Killer” and included future Phish covers “Cities” and “Crosseyed And Painless.” Talking Heads also performed “Burning Down The House,” “Life During Wartime,” “This Must Be The Place (Naive Melody)” and “Once In A Lifetime.” Listen to remastered audio of the show below: