Photo by Rick Levinson via Mike Gordon’s Facebook page

On Monday, Mike Gordon brought his first tour with his current five-piece combo to a close at South Burlington, VT’s Higher Ground. The second of two shows at the hometown venue, the Phish bassist invited a few familiar faces to the stage during the night’s encore. First, Gordon’s teenage daughter Tessa and area musician Kat Wright, a close collaborator of the band’s new guitarist Bob Wagner, emerged to sing with the group on the latter musician’s “Reminder.” Then, the singers remained for the Gordon band’s debut take on The Wood Brothers’ “One More Day.” Tessa frequently plays with his father around the Burlington area, and the Gordons supported The Wood Brothers last summer.

The sit ins were the bookend to a weekend of collaboration. On Friday, the quintet appeared at Boston’s famed Paradise Rock Club. Near the end of their first set, Max Creek guitarist Scott Murawski, who was a founding member of Gordon’s solo outfit and the bassist’s closest songwriting partner, emerged to sing and play guitar on Max Creek’s “Jones” and the Gordon/Murawski original “Peel.” He then remained on stage to play guitar on Wagner’s “Good Night and Good Luck,” which Gordon’s band has performed throughout their recent run.

Finally, during the night’s encore, after Gordon debuted his take on “Smokestack Lightning,” Wright and Murawski took the stage with the musicians for “Reminder” and JJ Cale’s “Call Me the Breeze,” another tour staple. Murawski has not performed with Gordon since a June 2024 opening spot for Vampire Weekend in Seattle. After Murawski stepped away from the project, Gordon debuted a new band during Jazz Fest last year.