1/4/20 The Disco Biscuits @ Riviera Theatre - Chicago, IL

I like to see one show over the holidays every year.  The Disco Biscuits have been playing well as of late.  Their NYE run started in New York and featured a 2020 January run at Chicago's Riviera Theatre.  There was a dusting of winter snow on the trees as I made the commute into the city.  I parked near my sister's apartment and visited with my nephew for a while.  Then I walked to Steve's place to watch the Buffalo Bills vs. Houston Texans wildcard game before taking the train to Uptown.  I saw some familiar faces from the Umphrey's crowd at this show. 


The 7-11 triple sandwich was the highlight of the first set.  Little Betty Boop is a tune from the album I had in college that was my first exposure to The Disco Biscuits.  Vasillios to open set 2 was another track from that album that I knew.  The Tractorbeam jam in set 2 was the highlight of the show for me.  Magner was on point with his keyboard work.  The energy was there all night long.  I'm glad I made the trek into Chicago for this performance.  After the show I stopped at White Castle in Bowlingbrook. 

12/4/19 Phish @ Petersen Events Center - Pittsburgh, PA

My roadtrip to see Phish in Pittsburgh was the final concert I'll see in this decade.  2019 was a good year for me.  In May I quit smoking cigarettes.  Later in August I got my career going and became a substitute teacher.  I cleared my schedule out for a couple days to head east for Phish.  I'm grateful that we still have Phish.  Pittsburgh is not an easy city to navigate in the best of weather.  Our family has history in that city and it was good to finally see a show in the city limits.  I woke before dawn and drove by myself to Pennsylvania.  For lunch I had Sbarro Pizza.  It started to snow as I reached eastern Ohio but fortunately didn't really accumulate.  I parked in the garage and the employee at the gate was impressed that I'd driven by myself from Illinois.  I saw some familiar folks in the parking lot.  It was cold and dark.  You could smell the fajitas and grilled cheese being prepared in the lot as the snow lightly fell.  You had to walk down steps to get to the arena from that side.  The aspect of the Petersen Events Center that I liked is that it doesn't have a hockey rink.  This makes the arena more compact.  I met some good people in my row of the upper deck.  At some point they played the Whitney album "Forever Turned Around" that I'd heard before the Eau Claire Trey solo acoustic show.  I bought the Pollack Pittsburgh shirt. 


It sounded like Trey was playing with an extra bit of energy on this occasion.  He shredded out about every song in the first set.  This was some quality arena rock.  It had been ages since I'd heard Cars, Trucks, Buses which is perfect for any roadtrip.  Water in the Sky was a nod to the snow falling.  Everything from Funky Bitch onward crushed in the first set.  Wolfman's was another strong version.  Halley's actually included a Sand/Tube-like jam.  Circus Comes to Town is a cover that really worked in that slot.  Victim from Gordo's OGOGO album was totally unexpected but was a welcome addition to the Phish repertoire.  Antelope rounded out a fun, high energy set of Phish arena rock. 


Cavern to open set two was out of the ordinary.  Research shows that's only the third time they've done that.  Runaway Jim was the highlight of the show for me.  The "cruise across the country in my old sedan" part got to me.  The improvisation was a superb example of full band interplay.  Slowly this morphed into Ghosts of the Forest.  That segueway is the type of Phish I love.  ASIHTOS led into a Prince Caspian that was played at too fast of a tempo.  That was about my only complaint of the night.  Fuego got things going again.  YEM was well received by the crowd.  This was an above average rendition.  CK5 was showing what he can do during the vocal jam.  Mesmerizing stuff.  It appeared that would end the set when Trey unexpectedly picked up his guitar and ripped into Led Zeppelin's "Good Times Bad Times".  The crowd reaction was amazing. 


Humor has long been a part of the Phish equation.  It was good for the soul to see the greasy little troll do his thing during the encore.  Terrapin reminds me of the Moby Dick show at Deer Creek so many moons ago.  Fishman jumped on top of the piano during his antics.  Julius sent us off into the cold winter night.  I thought of the steps outside the arena during the lyrics.  This shredding arena rock was a fitting end to a fun evening on the Pitt campus.  After the show I drove a little ways out of the city to Beaver Falls, PA and stayed at the Super 8.  The next day I drove home in time to watch the Bears game.  This was my 163rd Phish show. 

10/21/19 Trey Anastasio @ Pablo Center at the Confluence - Eau Claire, WI

Back in October my mom and I drove to the Madison, WI area on a Monday morning.  I'd cleared my schedule for a few days.  It had been a few years since mom and I had gone on a roadtrip.  We stayed with our friends, The Behrs, in Middleton.  It was great to see Margaret and Fritz again.  Whitney joined us for lunch.   It was good to eat a nice meal before I made my way north to Eau Claire.   The portion from Middletown to the Wisconsin Dells was scenic.  The leaves were turning and the corn that remained unpicked was golden brown.  In November of 2000 I'd driven from Madison to St. Paul to see Widespread Panic.  This drive brought back memories of that day.  Wisconsin is one of my favorite states.  The agrarian/owl theme of the poster made me buy it despite having no more room for wall art.  It's the same artist who did the UIC 2011 poster.  I was able to find free parking.  It was rainy and dreary by the time I got to this new futuristic opera house, The Pablo Center at the Confluence.  They let us go back to our vehicles after buying the poster and tshirt.  The venue served coffee which I appreciated.  I dug the chill music before the show.  My seat was in the 5th row for this intimate acoustic evening with Trey Anastasio. 

This show was almost like going to a church service.  At this point these songs have become our hymnals.  I envision these acoustic shows being Trey's end game once Phish is done.  I really liked the song selection.  All of these Dreams and Sweet Dreams Melinda followed a story that Trey told about going to a Tool concert.  Twenty Years Later works for me with my first Phish show having been in 1999.  Wolfman's was extended a little.  Inlaw Josey Wales is Trey's best acoustic tune.  That was the only time during the tour that he played Fluffhead.  That was probably my highlight.  Ruby Waves drew a reaction from the crowd.  Presumably many in attendance were also at Alpine Valley this past summer.  Winterqueen, Till We Meet Again, Ghosts of the Forest, If I Could was a great stretch of tunes.  Sand was also jammed a little with the help of some loops.  Life Beyond the Dream was cool to hear stripped down.  Billy Breathes was great to hear though I'm greedy and would have liked Bliss >.  Strange Design included a story about having children.  Towers was a well executed Bon Iver cover.  Earlier in the night Trey had mentioned how Eau Claire reminded him of Burlington, VT.  I've been to both places and I'd have to agree they both have good vibes. Limb by Limb has always been a song I've liked from The Story of the Ghost album.  The final three songs got the crowd excited.  Wingsuit, The Lizards, More was a solid encore.  After the show I drove back to Middleton.  Seeing Trey acoustic is a different experience.  By the end of it I was ready to think about Phish in Pittsburgh. 

10/18/19 Spafford @ Thalia Hall - Chicago, IL

This was my only journey into the city of Chicago in 2019.  The shows I'm seeing this fall are all in venues that I've never visited before.  I had never been to Thalia Hall.  This newly renovated venue in the Pilsen neighborhood is located a bit south of the UIC Pavilion.  The southside of Chicago is the baddest part of town according to Jim Croce so I was a bit nervous but it turned out to be fine.  I found street parking about a block away.  I saw some familiar faces before the show. 


Spafford took the stage to Tom Sawyer by Rush on the PA system.  In the heart of America...   That was a song I was hoping for.  About 7 or 8 minutes into the jam they took it to a different turbo level.  This went on for about another 10 minutes.  The new instrumental Funkenseven followed that up.  Those Shoes was a cover that I wanted to hear.  They do a great job with that Eagles cover. They added improvisation to this as well. Eventually there was a segue into Electric Taco Stand.  It had been over an hour but they tacked on Be Strange to wrap up the set with its reggae/Jerry wah.  America and Those Shoes were huge. 


They allowed the crowd to go in/out during the setbreak.  The weather was still fairly warm for that time of the year.  Slip and Squander is probably their most accessible song.  They brought out a guest Jason Singer on saxophone for a cover they've played frequently this fall Gold Glittered Hat.  Next was an unexpected highlight.  They debuted this fall a new pairing Doghouse > Pt. II.  I was a tad disappointed with the choice of Whipping Post given they played that in Milwaukee back in May.  Dirtbath is a pretty badass tune.  That was my first time seeing it live.  Settled In and the Phishy The Reprise sent us off into the night.  They're still playing "You Can Call Me Al" on the PA after every show. 


After the show I hit horrible traffic on I-55.  There was an accident plus reduced lanes because of night time construction.  It took much longer than usual to get home.  I stopped at White Castle in Bowlingbrook.  This was my 6th time seeing Spafford.  This was a fun experience.  I'm glad I went. 

8/30-9/1 Phish @ Dick's Sporting Goods Park - Commerce City, CO

This recent roadtrip to Colorado was emotion filled for me being my first time back to the state after my 4 and half month tenure there.  In the end I realized that I missed my family and I was not ready to stop following Phish.  There's a reason John Madden was based out of Illinois when he was driving all over the nation to cover the NFL.  I started being a substitute teacher's aide the week before Labor Day.  These were my first 3 days of being an educator.  Keep in mind I worked in a factory all summer.  Then I felt that calling again.  It was time to get back on the road again.  It had been about 45 days since Alpine Valley. 


The drive out was exhausting.  I didn't even try to find anyone to ride with.  You can't pluralize The Lone Ranger.  I stopped in Julesburg, CO just over the border.  This is where the real life Fort Sedgewick actually was.  It took me over 14 hours.  I went back to Longmont which was nostalgic for me.  I spent Thursday night at my buddy Todd's house in Westminster.  His son, Toby, chose Steely Dan "The Royal Scam" as the album to listen to.  I was very impressed with his musical taste.


I woke up Friday morning and drove to Boulder.  Its nice to be a little more familiar with this scenic college town.  I went to Chautauqua Park and enjoyed the views of Boulder and the Flat Irons.  The weather was gorgeous.  At this point I made my way to the luxurious Rodeway Inn near Dick's Sporting Goods Park in Commerce City.  I spent the afternoon taking a nap and watching Roadhouse.  I've been at this Labor Day weekend run 9 years in a row.  This was my 160th Phish show.  Before the show I heard Jam > Plasma as the soundcheck. 


The setlist was fairly pedestrian on night 1 but I felt they were still playing well despite some rust from the layoff.   I vaguely remembered Can't Always Listen.  Unusual choice for the opener.  During Everything's Right it sounded like Fishman wanted to go into Wider but was denied.  This version of Mercury was stronger than the one at Alpine Valley.  I didn't mind the placement of Shade.  Light didn't bear its usual fruit before Party Time.  Sand picked things back up.  What's the Use featured some delicate playing.  That wasn't my favorite Hood but I appreciate the sentiment.  I heard that encore at Alpine Valley.  Pure Prairie League "Amie" was a nod to the prairie dogs and their plague ridden fleas that caused them to cancel the onsite camping this year.  After the show I watched Lethal Weapon.  Am I too old for this shit?


On Saturday I slept in until after noon and then made my way to Eric's house that he shares with Karla and her son.  I've known Eric since 3rd grade.  He also lives in Westminster.  We watched Iowa State defeat UNI in 2OT.  Then we viewed a DVD of Axiom: History of the Geneseo Green Machine.  It gave Karla a pretty good look into the little town where we grew up for better or worse.  Later in the day I saw one of the UPS drivers I had worked with in Longmont.  What are the odds of that in that in the Denver metro area?  I appreciated the brats for dinner before making my way to the parking lot.  I drove myself to the lot each night despite warnings that taking a shuttle bus might be necessary.  There was plenty of parking left.  Without the campgrounds and the normal Shakedown Street (referred to as Shakedown Alley by the Commerce City authorities) it was a different scene this year but no less festive.  During the show I thought about how we had watched that movie about my hometown.  We laughed as people seemingly clung to the past but isn't that what we are doing on Phish tour?     


The Saturday show had some highlights.  Ghost, Tube, Mist was enough to make the first set a success.  Setbreak music was Prince.  Set two started with a standard Mike's > Hydro > Weekapaug.  This went into a rocking 46 Days.  The rock star Trey would continue with DWD.  This was an extended version that lead into a strange second set NICU.  I like Bug.  It's kind of a polarizing tune within the community.  The sentiment of taking the highway was appropriate with The Wedge but that wouldn't have been my call at that juncture.  Slave continued the driving theme to wrap up the set.  Maybe if this was a rando 98 show Brian and Robert, Character Zero would have been okay for an encore but it seemed kind of phoned in on Saturday night at Dick's.  I went back to my dump of a hotel and watched Die Hard.  That kind of sums of my status as a Phish fan at this point.  I enjoyed doing a run of shows alone to be honest.  I was able to watch all three shows from very close in Section 104 on the Mike Gordon side.  The sound was excellent.  There was very little anxiety or stress that can come from trying to roll with a crew of people.  I saw Bobbyluv, Joel, Nickmo, and Sunny in the lot each night.  I just can't handle 4 hours of standing on that field.  It's nice to have a place to sit. These shows were somewhat standard for this era.  I'm still grateful that we have Phish so I can enjoy myself at a "standard" show.  Aww what the hell?  It was fun anyways. 


Sunday was the best show of the run.  Stray Dog was a nice reference to the nearby plague in the prairie dogs.  I'm over Stealing Time but I get the message of it that's for sure.  This set was highlight by a strong version of Wolfman's Brother.  Fishman took the jam to a different level.  It was nice to hear Birds of a Feather and Taste.  Sparkle worked in that slot before their second Crazy Sometimes at Dick's and a decent version of Bathtub Gin to round things out.  Al Green was on the PA system at setbreak. 


Trey had opened the final set of TAB in Vail with Sightless Escape so it wasn't out of left field that he would bring it over to Phish.  Despite its overtly religious lyrical message this song has potential.   This was a better than average version of Fuego.  Trey has really got his tone under control at this point.  Last summer that wasn't always the case.  It seemed like they tried to play Piper the "right way".  This led into a slow funky Tweezer that eventually made its way to the space of 2001.  "Can't I live while I'm young?" has a different meaning from guys in their 50s.  Waste was sloppy.  Lyrics seemed like they got mixed around.  Cavern was a good call.  Hearing Waste and First Tube toward the end of the Sunday show at Dick's made me think of the Sunday 2017 show.  They played Horse > SITM and Tweezer Reprise in the encore "just last year".  Get it?  Life Beyond the Dream may have been a message about the recent passing of Neal Casal.  Don't give up hope. 

7/12-14 Phish @ Alpine Valley Music Theatre - East Troy, WI

Last weekend was a classic Phish experience.  It was just shy of  20 years later from my first show which was also at Alpine Valley in East Troy, WI.  The weather was in the 80s for most of the weekend.  It was a bit warm but it could have been much worse.  My nephew Tommy came out to visit so I spent Friday morning with him.  I left for America's Dairyland a little before 3 pm.  Parking in the yellow lot brought back memories of the first time I visited this venue for Phish in 1999.  Moving forward while respecting the past.  Isn't that what life is? 


I saw some familiar faces in the lot before heading into the venue.  On Friday I was close on the middle of the lawn on the Page side of the soundboard.  It was great to watch this show with my friend Ryan and his girlfriend Abby.  I hadn't seen Phish with Ryan in over 19 years.  We were joined at setbreak by my buddy Soren from Madison and his friends.  The vibe was good and Phish was playing well.  Sand, Tweezer was them getting down to business from the start.  Free kept the momentum going.  That was my second Turtle in the Clouds of the tour.  I appreciated Page giving us a shoutout on the lawn with Lawn Boy.  Theme was played better here than a month earlier in STL.  Rift and Camel Walk were relatively straightforward with the set closing Wolfman's stepping slightly out of the box.  I liked the energy of this first set.  During the setbreak they played a new album by a group called the Black Pumas. 


I'm starting to get a little weary of No Men in No Man's Land having seen it quite a few times recently.  This explored some real estate but didn't get anywhere before landing in Prince Caspian.  Everything's Right was clearly the most successful jam of the night.  Roses Are Free like in Rosemont got a big reception from the crowd.  This second set was a bit song based for my liking though I dig 2001 and the Wedge.  I'll never complain about hearing Squirming Coil.  It's one of my favorite Phish songs.  I didn't mind hearing A Life Beyond the Dream from the Ghosts of the Forest album though it did seem to lose some of the crowd before bringing everyone back into it for Tube and the acapella Grind.  This was a fun, energetic show with good interplay from all four band members.  The sound was good in our area of the lawn and it was fun to be back at Alpine Valley.


I stayed at Soren's house in Madison.  He had to work early so I was on the move to Waukesha.  I spent the day watching TV and escaping the heat at Craig Sand and his girlfriend Laura's house.  This was my first time to his place.  I was impressed by his garden out back.  His brother Curt drove up from the Chicago suburbs.  We ate lunch at a neighborhood bar.  I had a Cuban sandwich and cheese curds.  From there it was onto Alpine Valley.  We met up with Ryan and Abbey in the blue lot.  I watched the show with them again this time on the Mike Gordon side of the soundboard on the front of the lawn.  Before the show I was introduced to a new album called Eraserland by Strand of Oaks on the PA system.  This first set was a little bit too much of a jukebox.  I liked the AC/DC Bag, NICU opener but Shade was not placed properly.  These songs all worked but as a whole the set lacked cohesion.  I was glad to see Frost stay in the Phish rotation.  It seems like Character Zero is one of Trey's favorites to play at Alpine Valley over the years. 


I was disappointed that they didn't jam out Halley's Comet.  This seemed like the time to do it.  The rest of the set had concise jamming.  Not too much exploration.  It was the biggest crowd of the weekend and they made the music as accessible as possible.  Ghost had some interesting ideas from Anastasio.  Back on the Train featured Trey using the "donkey" lick to his and Fishman's amusement.  Harry Hood showed on this occasion why its been a consistent war horse for Phish over the years.  Of the songs from last Halloween I dig Say It To Me S.A.N.T.O.S probably the most.  This is what space smells like. 


I didn't have that much in the way of expectations for the Sunday show.  My friends weren't attending this night.  I was Han Solo as I so often am.  I was free to explore this classic Midwest venue.  I want to thank Craig again for letting me stay.  I was able to catch up on my sleep which was important. I paid the $20 for early entrance.  I was the 11th car in.  The weather was very hot.  I walked all the way around past the green lot and the golf course and down to the lodge.  I saw the band pull into the back of the venue in their bus.  On my way back while walking in the woods from the green lot to the blue lot I could clearly hear the My Soul soundcheck.  It was awesome to be alone in nature and yet hear Phish playing live.  One of the people parked nearby was grilling and helped with me with bratwurst.  I went into the venue when the doors opened and enjoyed the Khruangbin album on the PA system.  Fortunately I made friends with a crew from Kentucky and they proved to be good company for the show on the front of the lawn toward the Gordo side of the soundboard.  Shows like this happen only once in a while.  They dug deep into their catalog.  That was my 2nd time hearing Landlady which is obviously the basis for Punch You in the Eye.  I would have preferred Shafty but I'll take the rare Olivia's Pool.  TMWSIY > Avenu > TMWSIY reminded me of my first show 7/24/99 which was at this same venue.  Meatstick made me realize how similar this song is to Fire on the Mountain.  Vultures is always good to hear.  I'm pretty sure that was my first Spock's Brain.  Pebbles and Marbles was a great call.  Glide again reminded me of 7/24/99.  About to Run was a raging juxtaposition to the older composed material.  Strange Design hadn't been played in a while.  I Didn't Know featured Fishman on the vacuum.  Good Times Bad Times is a tune I hadn't heard since 2016 at Wrigley Field.  Trey shredded the Zeppelin. 


I called the Mercury from the tuning.  This version didn't have much in the way of a jam like many recent versions have had.  If there hadn't been much jamming this weekend it all changed with the 38 minute Ruby Waves.  This was an unbelievable odyssey of music that saw the band working together to became far greater than the sum of their parts.  Moments like that are why I've dedicated 20 years to doing this.  That was my first time hearing the classic Billy Breathes pairing of Swept Away > Steep.  Steep was appropriate with the lawn.  I've only been lucky enough to see one other version of Icculus.  Read the book.  Buffalo Bill continued the rare setlist.  YEM contained Catapult and a Contact which was dedicated to a couple that Trey met.  The crowd was in total unison doing the arm thing during Contact.  The vocal jam of YEM wrapped up an epic set.  More was a predictable encore.  I made my way to the top of this gargantuan venue as Tweezer Reprise sent us off into the Wisconsin evening.  This was the first 3 night for Phish at Alpine Valley and they closed it off with a huge bang.  I'm thankful for weekends like this.  I got to see some old friends and hear some great music from my favorite band. 

6/11-12 Phish @ Chaifetz Arena - St. Louis, MO

Since moving back to Illinois I worked briefly at Casey's and XPAC.  These experiences were disappointing in their own unique ways.  During the spring I listened a lot to the Ghosts of the Forest album.  You could tell that material would make the transition to Phish.  I wasn't originally planning on going to these STL tour opening shows but ultimately I couldn't stay away.  I worked from 5 am until noon and then left for St. Louis.  This proved to make for too long a day although my intentions were good.  I'm not a kid anymore.  I've been seeing shows for 20 years.  This wasn't my first rodeo in St. Louis.  The four hour drive went smoothly.  I heard some Nelly on the radio as I got to the area.  I stayed at the Red Roof Inn Plus which worked well.  After checking in I went straight to the SLU garage by the arena.  It was $15 to park both nights.  The Shakedown Street was in the same spot as 2012 a few blocks from the arena.



My spot for the first night was behind the stage.  They are using a new lighting rig where the lights have more mobility than ever before.  From my vantage spot I felt like I was inside the lights.  It was fascinating to watch Fishman from that angle.  He has so many drums and cymbals at his disposal.  Literally from the beginning they made it clear the Kasvot Vaxt material was here to stay.  The first set was highlighted by an extended take on Stash.  Theme from the Bottom seemed a bit rough as perhaps some opening night rust was on display.  They more than made up for it with a Fishman driven Tube and the debut of Drift While You're Sleeping from the aforementioned Ghosts of the Forest album.  The second set had a great setlist of tunes but I felt like they fell back on energy based playing rather than improvisation.  Piper had its moments.  It's always rewarding to see Slave to the Traffic Light.  More Kasvot Vaxt and Character Zero sent us rocking into the night.  I was happy with the offering for a tour opening.  The behind the stage vantage point was unique.  After the show I waited for some drive thru Wendy's and hit the sack.  It had been a long day. 


For lunch on Wednesday I drove over to Pappy's BBQ Restaurant over by SLU.  I had been there before.  It was an enjoyable experience and even early in the day you could feel the energy in the city with the St. Louis Blues going for their first Stanley Cup Championship in their history that night with Game 7 against Boston.   I spent the rest of the after hanging in the parking lot with the folks in the picture above.  We were the first ones in the lot.  It rained for several hours.  Finally towards the end of the afternoon the skies cleared.  I got in line for the floor entrance after enjoying a free sample of Ben and Jerry's Ice Cream. 


I liked hearing Waves early in the first set after a rocking CDT, Moma start.  I liked the song choices for the rest of the first set.  I thought they would end it with Set Your Soul Free but they tacked on Antelope.  It was at this point the Blues took control of their game and the energy became palpable within the arena.  They won the Stanley Cup during the setbreak. 


I loved the comical take on Laura Brannigan's "Gloria".  To my knowledge that the only extended Loving Cup they played.  Twist was probably the highlight with them working well as a unit and Trey leading them home.  About to Run was raunchy and reminded me of the licks you'd hear during Dark and Down.  That was my first time hearing Mr. C with Phish.  That was a highlight for me.  Light also had another noteworthy jam.  Waste was a night cooldown before Suzy brought things to a close.  Farmhouse and First Tube was a decent encore with Trey becoming quite animated.  After he threw an inflatable Stanley Cup back into the crowd.  It was pretty funny.  They really got into the Blues winning the cup.  On my way home a local radio station was playing "Gloria" on repeat.  These opening shows had good energy and I met some nice people.  It made me remember why I started seeing Phish in the first place.

5/25/19 Spafford @ Turner Hall - Milwaukee, WI

I was originally supposed to see this show back in January shortly after I moved back from Colorado.  My time out west was enjoyable but I could tell it was not a sustainable situation.  I saw the Chicago Bulls vs. Denver Nuggets a few days before I left.  I'll miss spending time with Eric, Karla, and Tyler.  Seeing Eric with his family made me miss the people who are most important to me who all live back in Illinois.  Being away made me appreciate what is most important.  I've made some changes to my lifestyle that have improved my mental and physical health. 




About a month ago I drove up to Milwaukee on a Saturday afternoon to see Spafford at Turner Hall.  There was a lot of energy in the city.  Across  the street from the venue was a viewing party outside the Bucks' arena.  Unfortunately the Bucks lost.  I timed my arrival perfectly as the lights went down as soon as I'd found my spot.  Double Time is a newer song that I've enjoyed recently.  They extended this version a bit.  The highlight of the show for me was the Red's Jam.  This eventually segued into Hollywood.  I've been watching more movies in the last year or so.  During that song I got to thinking about that.  Whipping Post was a well done ABB cover.  Red paying homage to Gregg.  To be honest Home isn't my favorite tune in the Spafford rotation.  The set clocked in just shy of an hour.  I liked the poster and bought one of the last prints they had.  At setbreak I took it back to my car. 


The scene outside was rowdy with the basketball game having just ended.  I made it back for Simon and Lily.  The biggest jam of the night was In the Eyes of Thieves.  Original drummer Nick really found a groove during that segment.  A well played Todd's Tots was next.  JJ Grey's On Fire finished out a strong second set.  The venue wasn't too crowded.  A lot of the younger element undoubtedly was at Summercamp.  For the first time in 16 years I decided not to go this year.  The lineup was rather underwhelming.  The encore was generous and they played until midnight.  Beautiful Day was an appropriate choice.  It had been gorgeous weather.  This was my first live music of 2019 after a lengthy hiatus during the miserable winter.  After moving back I have gotten Settled In which was the next song.  I like the heavier ending to this song.  Sometimes in life the Plans change and you just have to roll with it.  Plans wrapped up a strong show from Spafford.  This was my 5th time seeing them.  I stopped at Taco Bell in Beloit on my way home.  It was good for the soul to get back on the road again.