click to enlarge - Courtesy of Dan Shinneman
- Phish
Burlington-bred jam band Phish announced earlier this week that they will perform three shows at the MVP Arena in Albany, N.Y., from Friday, October 25, to Sunday, October 27. Net proceeds will benefit the Divided Sky Residential Recovery Program in Ludlow, an addiction recovery center founded by Phish front man Trey Anastasio.
The 46-bed residential treatment center uses the 12-step program from Alcoholics Anonymous and emphasizes a holistic approach, incorporating daily nature walks and yoga into its treatment.
Anastasio was motivated to open the facility after his own struggle with opioid addiction. A 2006 arrest in Whitehall, N.Y., led him to enter a court-mandated, 14-month addiction treatment program. His journey to recovery inspired him to open his own residential treatment facility — with his former case manager, Melanie Gulde, serving as Divided Sky’s program director.
“I’ve seen people in dire situations come back from this. It’s never too late to have hope,” Anastasio told People magazine in July. “Families can be saved.”
In 2020, Anastasio purchased the 18-acre property in Ludlow for $1.7 million, largely funded by donations from Anastasio’s live-streamed concerts during the pandemic.
Yet the construction faced backlash from Ludlow residents, who raised concerns that the facility would bring increased drug use and crime to the area. After the Town of Ludlow approved the construction, residents appealed the decision through Vermont's Act 250 land-use permit process. To circumvent the appeals process, Divided Sky opened in November 2023 as a nonmedical facility that relies on out-of-pocket payments and scholarships, rather than billing insurers.
Proceeds from the upcoming shows will go toward those scholarships, enabling “Divided Sky to continue to make its immersive Residential Recovery Program affordable to all,” according to a press release. Without financial aid, the 30-day program costs $7,500.
Ticket sales for the benefit concert go live on Friday, September 20, at 10 a.m. A limited number of complimentary tickets will be available to those who work in recovery or a related mental health field.