On Sunday I drove Han Solo from Geneseo to Chicago for Live in Lincoln Park. I parked near my sister's place in Wicker Park and took the CTA to the venue. The weather was unseasonably cool with nothing but clear skies. The opening act was the remnants of The "original" Wailers. I didn't mind the familiar reggae songs while I mingled about the festival grounds. A corner of the expansive park had been fenced off for the weekend event. They had the sound turned up very loud. When Mike Gordon's band hit the stage you could feel his bass. It was awesome to hear my favorite musician from such a close range in a comfortable setting.
For a Chicago event this was laid back with plenty of room. I talked to NickMo and his expecting wife. (also their dog). It was a pet friendly event. An unexpected part of the night was seeing Katie and Tom who I knew from Iowa City back in college. It had been at least 10 years since I'd seen them. I liked seeing the show with them and Lindsay Bybee. Familiar faces from older times. Also, I hadn't hung out with Steve for a few years and it was good to catch up with him. I was saddened to learn of the passing of his dog, Hugo. I stayed at his apartment after a lot of shows and he was always well behaved and friendly. That's the worst part of owning a dog. It's hard to say goodbye. Steve's a good guy and I'm glad we were able to watch this one together.
I liked how the set was a Victim sandwich. There were several repeats from his show last October at The Metro but I couldn't help but notice how he didn't pander to the crowd with any Phish associated tunes. He relied on the tightness of his band, the strength of his new OGOGO material, and his own outstanding bass playing to make this a winning set. It frankly made me excited for Phish tour the way he was playing up there. He played a Tower of Power cover at one point. The Murawski sung Sleep to Dream segued into Marissa but the rest of the songs were standalone. The sun was just going down at 8:50 when the set wrapped up. I made it home at a reasonable hour. Bring on Phish Tour.
