2/19/12 Umphrey's McGee @ The Canopy Club - Urbana, IL

Umphrey's McGee
2/19/12
The Canopy Club
Urbana, IL

I: Jazz Odyssey > 40's Theme, Room to Breathe, Ringo, Pay the Snucka > The Crooked One > When the World is Running Down > Pay the Snucka pt. III

II: Divisions > Day Nurse, I Want You (She's So Heavy), Hurt Bird Bath, FF > Go to Hell, Much Obliged > Divisions

E: Domino Theory




postshow P.A. music was "Mama I'm Coming Home" by Ozzy Osborne


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I spent the day recovering from the journey to Chicago for moe. The Blackhawks defeated the St. Louis Blues in a nationally televised game. I picked up the other resident Umphreak from town and his girlfriend we were on the road by five. There was a large line assembled waiting for the doors to open prior to 8 pm when we arrived. It was good to see a lot of familiar faces and our group took position on the Jake side.

I was impressed with the energy of the first set. The whigs on Pony, BB, and Kris were comical. Pony would look cool if he actually had hair like that. The opening J.O. is apparently known as Gurgle. 40's Theme got people dancing. Room to Breathe was appropriate with everyone crushed like sardines. Ringo was probably the best jam of the night. The Snucka sammy with The Crooked One and The Police cover was a nice way to end the set. Jake's guitar was growling during pt. III.

Divisions is one of their most classic songs. I was happy to hear them start up the new dance number Day Nurse. I definitely could have done without The Beatles cover but I understand they are always trying to attract new fans and this was a show on a college campus. HBB was big as usual on this occasion. I've never been a big fan of FF but it spawned an intersting jam which eventually segued into Go to Hell. This heavy piece is quickly becoming one of my favorites. MO featured a fairly standard jam that predicably found its way into the end of Divisions. The second set did not have the raw energy of the first set but the entire show was engaging from start to finish. Domino Theory is a song off the new album that I initially hated but I've grown to enjoy the improvisation that it has yielded in the live setting.  After the show I drove us back home. We stopped for Wendy's in B-N.

2/18/12 moe. w/ Family Groove Company @ Riviera Theatre - Chicago, IL

moe.
2/18/12
Riviera Theatre
Chicago, IL

I: Smoke > Stranger Than Fiction, Bring It Back Home > Blue Jeans Pizza, Suck A Lemon, George, Lazarus > Ricky Marten > Lazarus

II: Paper Dragon, Head > Interstellar Overdrive > Head, Captain America > Recreational Chemistry, Queen of Everything, Can't You Hear Me Knocking > Buster

E: Downward Facing Dog



[Family Groove Company opened]


AUD

It was a nice afternoon that felt more like spring than winter as my friend Craig and I drove into Chicago. We hung out at my buddy Steve's place before the show and watched the Bulls lose to the Nets nearby at the United Center. My sister and her boyfriend Ian stopped by and we enjoyed Lou Malnati's delivery. The crowd was larger than when moe. played two nights at the Riv in 2010. FGC was turned up way too loud. I do like Janis on bass though. They did a good job with a cover of American Girl by Tom Petty.

The first set seemed disjointed with them opening with Smoke and then doing a no huddle segue into STF. BIBH > BJP was by far the highlight of the first stanza. George always bring a good amount of energy to the table. I was disappointed when they didn't segue into Lazarus. Like I'd heard in Lawrence this was the album version of The Bones of Lazarus and the song seems to lose a lot of its buildup. They should go back to playing Laz and Ricky Marten seperately.

The second set was much better starting with a fiery version of Paper Dragon. Head > Interstellar Overdrive > Head was fantastic. This was my favorite part of the show. Captain America was a great version with a smooth segue ala their live album L into Rec Chem which was also another highlight of the second set. I thought perhaps they would end the set with QofE but they added on the Stones cover into Buster to wrap up an extended stanza of moe. I preferred this second set much more than then one I saw in Lawrence. Downward Facing Dog ended the first leg of the Winter Tour. The Riv seemed like a bigger dump than usual on this occasion with the toilets in the basement flooding out the men's room.

2/12/12 moe. @ Liberty Hall - Lawrence, KS

moe.
2/12/12
Liberty Hall
Lawrence, KS

I: St. Augustine > lylelovit., One Life, Moth > Shoot First > Moth, Bring It Back Home > Happy Hour Hero

II: McBain, Lazarus > Ricky Marten > Lazarus, Haze > Buster > Haze, Not Coming Down > Wormwood > Okaylalright

E: Don't Fuck With Flo, Suck A Lemon, Cornflake Girl



AUD



I made the six hour drive out to Kansas City last Sunday by myself.  My friend Ryan was already down in the area staying at his sister Sally's house.  The three of us made the short journey from suburban Lenexa, KS to Lawrence.  We ate dinner at Quinton's where I had a BLT and we watched the Grammy Awards.  It was sad to see the turnout before the show started but when moe. started the venue filled up for the most part though far from sold out. 

St. Auggie was a fairly standard start but things improved when they dropped the rare lylelovit. I really like One Life and this was the best version I've ever heard.  They should have used that song for the new album.  Moth > Shoot First > Moth was a unique sandwich.  The segue from Shoot First back into Moth was impressive.  Chuck clearly teased Timmy Tucker at one point during the jam.  BIBH > HHH was a well executed segue. 

McBain always brings energy but there was little to write home about this rendition.  I am not a fan of the newly reworked The Bones of Lazarus.  Haze > Buster > Haze was clearly the highlight of the set, perhaps the show.  NCD > Wormwood > OK was a standard way to end the set.  Flo, Suck A Lemon, Cornflake Girl was an above average encore. 

After the show I decided to drive home to avoid the snow storm that hit the KC area on Monday morning.  On the way home I hit some bad weather around Des Moines.  This was an enjoyable experience but it seemed perhaps they were tired from the weekend in Colorado. 

12/29/11 Phish @ Madison Square Garden - New York, NY

PHISH
12/29/11
Madison Square Garden
New York, NY

I: Sloth, You Enjoy Myself, Back on the Train, Moma Dance, Maze, Roses Are Free, Funky Bitch, Halley's Comet > Run Like an Antelope

II: Crosseyed and Painless > Simple > Lifeboy, Guyute, Mike's Song > Chalkdust Torture > I Am Hydrogen > Weekapaug Groove, Show of Life, Character Zero

E: Loving Cup



postshow P.A. music was Henry Mancini "Baby Elephant Walk"








Last Wednesday after work I drove to Chicago's Wicker Park neighborhood.  I parked my vehicle in a familiar area where I knew it would be okay for several days.  Then I walked to my friend Steve's apartment.  That evening we watched the first night of Phish's 4-night run at Madison Square Garden.  This turned out to be a fairly decent show.  We watched the Chicago Blackhawks lose to the LA Kings during the webcast. 

I was on my way to the Blue Line stop at Damen by 5:15 AM.  It felt good to not have any luggage.  I took the Blue Line to the end of the line beneath O'hare.  With relative ease I was able to obtain my boarding pass and was through security.  This was my first time flying since before 9/11.  I flew Delta Shuttle from O'hare to LaGuardia.  My terminal was full of Iowa State fans heading to New York for the Pinstripes Bowl at Yankee Stadium (which they ultimately lost to Rutgers).  I was able to settle down but flying made me nervous.  The combination of not being in control and my fear of heights makes air travel less than enjoyable for me.  Also, the claustrophobic environment of the plane and having so many strange people in close proximity wasn't all that much fun.  Before long we arrived at the Marine Terminal of LaGuardia which was quite removed from the main complex.  The facility reminded me of Midway Airport. 

From my Delta Terminal I bought an mta pass at the newspaper stand and was on my way to Manhattan via the M60 bus.  In Harlem I transfered to the subway near the Apollo Theatre.  The subway (much filthier than Chicago's L trains) took me to Penn Station where I exited to the street above at Madison Square Garden.  It was fun spending the afternoon walking up 7th Ave. to Times Square.   Fueled by several cups of Starbucks I walked around the surrounding area.  For my preshow meal I had two slices of thin crust pepperoni pizza from a small restaurant.  While walking around the Times Square area I talked to several football players from my alma mater Iowa State University.  It was nice to chat with the people in the ticket release line.  These were fans who were willing to stand out in the cold just to have a chance at getting inside.  It was obvious that MSG was in the process of being renovated with scaffolding surrounding the arena facility.  The 7th Ave. entrance basically looked the same as it had previously.  My spot was about halfway up at about where center ice would be on the Page side.  We had a good group of fans in our section.

Sloth opener is usually a good omen.  Then when they dropped YEM so early in the first set the crowd erupted.  They hadn't played YEM in Denver so I was happy to hear this quintessential Phish song especially in MSG.  I liked the groove that Gordo had going but I don't think this version was as good as the one they played in Chicago back in August.  Back on the Train and Moma Dance kept the energy going.  Both were appropriate in NYC with the subways and the Museum of Modern Art.  Funky Bitch was when it became apparent that Page was having a good night.  Maze was a continuation of that with Page taking command during his solo.  Roses Are Free was seasonally fitting with the references to tinsel on the tree.  Trey burst a huge balloon during Halley's Comet with his guitar.  As soon as they reached a natural jumping off point they immediately started up Antelope.  This was a high energy set closer but it remained inside the box.  That can be said of the entire show.  It was clear they didn't do a lot of practice prior to the run so they were winging it.  The results were them falling back on energy based performances that lacked risk taking improvisation.

Crosseyed and Painless stayed true to the main bassline until they broke into some brief noise that became Simple.  I liked hearing this tune in Manhattan surrounded by skyscrapers.  This also had only a brief bit of jamming at the end before dissipating into Lifeboy.  I loved hearing that tune in the ballad slot of the second set.  Unfortunately, the crowd talked through much of this poignant song.  I wasn't wild about the selection of Guyute in that position.  Mike's Song seemed to have a little extra energy on this occasion and was followed unexpectedly by Chalkdust Torture.  The transition into I Am Hydrogen was awkward with Trey playing it at a faster pace while the rest of the band still played Chalkdust Torture.  Weekapaug Groove featured some plinko action and was probably the highlight of the entire show.  Show of Life worked as another ballad cooldown.  Character Zero rocked the house to end the set.  I predicted the Loving Cup encore as it worked with the general theme of the evening.  This was a straight forward arena rock show in the world's most famous arena.  I had a fun experience. 

After the show I took the subway back to Harlem and the M60 bus back to LaGuardia.  Early the next morning I flew back to O'hare.  Then I took the Blue Line back to my vehicle at which point I drove home.  Everything on this adventure went according to plan and I enjoyed myself.

12/9/11 The String Cheese Incident @ Aragon Ballroom - Chicago, IL

The String Cheese Incident
12/9/11
Aragon Ballroom
Chicago, IL

I: Best Feeling > Eat My Dust, Doin' My Time, So Far From Home, MLT, Born on the Wrong Planet, Way Back Home, Bumpin' Reel

II: Rosie > Bonafied Lovin' > Rosie, Las Vegas, These Waves > Drifting Away, It Is What It Is, This Must Be The Place (Naive Melody), Colorado Bluebird Sky

E: Kashmir > Whiskey Before Breakfast




I didn't have to work on Friday so I purchased my ticket the night before when an allotment was re-released to this previously sold out performance.  I hadn't seen SCI since 6/22/02 at the first Bonnaroo.  Many older fans wondered what SCI could produce if they actually toured and this fall that's what happened.  I purchased 5 shows on iclips.net for $21.99 which I felt was very reasonable.  From what I saw and heard I was impressed enough to go see them again for my 21st Incident at the Aragon Ballroom in Chicago.  My friend Steve and I went to Costello's in Roscoe Village before the show where I had a toasted Italian sub.  We were able to find a spot on the floor close near Kyle/Billy. 

Best Feeling was a sing-a-long to get things started.  I was unfamiliar with the next two bluesgrass numbers.  So Far from Home has been a new song on this tour which I wasn't wild about.  It wasn't until MLT that I really got into the show.  I liked the screens and felt they did a good job of augmenting the lights.  For some reason I didn't care for this take on MLT.  I was happy to hear them play Born on the Wrong Planet but was not thrilled to see Billy up there playing electric guitar.  That was a complaint I had was that he played electric too much of the show.  Jason Hann seems like a hood ornament.  This was my first time seeing a 6 piece SCI.  I was unfamiliar with the vocal intro to Way Back Home.  Bumpin' Reel is one of the newer songs that I enjoy.  I does a good job of fusing bluesgrass/irish jig/dance music.  Kang sounded great on his fiddle.  I met some Cheese fans from Oklahoma who knew the material and I was able to relate to. 

Rosie is a new Kyle song that I like.  During the jam portion I noticed Keith wake up out of his slumber and start playing a bassline that I recognized as Chromeo's Bonafide Lovin'.  Kyle did a great job on the vocals in a version that I felt was better than the one I've seen Umphrey's McGee do.  After finishing up Rosie it was Billy who took over the show with a wild version of Las Vegas.  This rarely played tune was amazing with the backing video of sin city.  It felt like we were flying down the Vegas strip.  These Waves > Drifting Away was an appropriate cooldown.  Unfortunately, the talkative Chicago crowd was not appreciative.  Drifting Away is a song that brought back a lot of memories of when I saw the band back during the Outside Inside album era.  It Is What It Is was a Kang showcase.  They do a great job with that Talking Heads cover which I always associate with the ending of the film Wall Street.  Colorado Bluebird Sky has turned into a legimate jam vehicle on this fall tour.

Ironically,they played Kashmir at the last time I had seen the band.  Whiskey Before Breakfast would wrap up the evening as I made my way toward the door.  It was a fun experience.  I didn't go in with a lot of expectations and simply had fun.  This Roots Run Deep tour has seen The String Cheese Incident return to what made them successful.  Many older fans like myself gave the band another shot on this tour and they stepped up to the plate when I saw them during the second show of their three night run in Chicago.   

11/19/11 Furthur @ Alliant Energy Center Coliseum - Madison, WI

Furthur
11/19/11
Alliant Energy Center-Coliseum
Madison, WI

I: Golden Road (To Unlimited Devotion), I Need A Miracle > Wang Dang Doodle > I Need A Miracle, Althea, Just Like Tom Thumb's Blues, Money for Gasoline, It Must Have Been the Roses, Throwing Stones, One More Saturday Night

II: China Cat Sunflower > I Know You Rider, Jack Straw, Unbroken Chain, Viola Lee Blues, King Soloman's Marbles, Death Don't Have No Mercy, Bertha, Good Lovin'

E: Black Muddy River


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I made the drive up to Madison on Saturday by myself and chose to take two lane highways on the way there.  It was enjoyable with the rolling country and the autumnal scenery.  I passed the state semi-final football game in Morrison which they won.  When I was younger I spent a lot of time in New Glarus, WI so it was nice to drive through that area.  Before the show I had some pizza at my friends Sam and Jesse's place.  After a brief walk through the Shakedown area I made it inside the venue just in time for the opening song which I recognized from the compilation album, Skeletons in the Closet. 

Golden Road (To Unlimited Devotion) got things started nicely.  First I noticed was that they had changed up their stage format since last fall when I saw them in Ames.  Phil was now on the far right with Bobby next to him.  The arena was full on the floor and the first level but the top level was empty.  I had visited that venue ten years prior for Widespread Panic.  The Miracle/Wang Dang combo put me in the mind of something I saw from The Dead in Rosemont in 09.  Althea was nicely done by Fake Jerry (John Kadlecek).   I wasn't happy with his tone though.  I would prefer he have used more Jerry wah wah.  Dylan covers usually meander too much for my liking and this Tom Thumb's was an example of this.  I liked Money for Gasoline.  The backup singers helped out nicely on that one.  Kadlecek was good on It Must Have Been the Roses.  The end of the set with Throwing Stones and One More Saturday Night had me thinking perhaps it was a Bobby setlist.  I was happy with the first set though nothing really blew me away. 

For the second set I moved down on the floor and found some good people to surround myself with.  China > Rider was well executed.  Jack Straw is a song from the Europe '72 recordings that I have been enjoying lately so that was particularly sweet.  Unbroken Chain made the night for me.  Searching for the sound.  That's what it's all about.  I was impressed with the way they performed the complex King Soloman's Marbles.  Viola Lee Blues had a lot of energy.  However, things dragged to a crawl during the blues number Death Don't Have No Mercy.  Bertha was unusually placed so late in a show.  Good Lovin' wrapped up the set.  Black Muddy River is a rare encore for Furthur so that was special.  I had a good time celebrating the music of The Grateful Dead on Saturday in Madison. 



10/31/11 Widespread Panic @ Aragon Ballroom - Chicago, IL

Widespread Panic
10/31/11
Aragon Ballroom
Chicago, IL

I: Pigeons, Radio Child, Wishbone, True To My Nature, Time Zones, Love Tractor, Degenerate, Blight, Tail Dragger, Climb To Safety

II: Godzilla > Iron Man > Godzilla, Imitation Leather Shoes > Jack, Surprise Valley > Drums > Surprise Valley > Blue Indian, I'm Losing You, Chilly Water > Bust It Big > Chilly Water

E: Outta Mind (Outta Sight), Postcard, Porch Song, Werewolves Of London



postshow P.A. music was AC/DC 'Highway to Hell'





It appeared to be a buyers market with extra tickets appearing to be plentiful on a cold Monday night. On our way into the venue I saw pigeons underneath the L train. This turned out to be an omen for the show opener. The Aragon is one of my least favorite venues. It's impossible to get comfortable with people constantly distrupting your groove. For the first set we were on the Schools side of the soundboard. Eventually we moved up by Z-man who was FOB in the center. Before the show they were playing Halloween music on the P.A. that included the Addams Family theme and the Ghostbusters theme. Big is a movie I've always liked so I appreciated Todd's costume.

With the less than ideal conditions in the venue a rock show was what the situation required and that's what Panic brought on Halloween for the most part. They hit the stage before 8 pm with WXRT doing a short awkward intro onstage. The broadcast made them get onstage earlier than normal and made for a shorter setbreak both of which I was fine with. This was 10 years after the UIC show I'd seen which was the last time Panic had brought their Halloween party to this city. I felt like Panic played a lot of their staples to mix in with their covers and this worked well. Pigeons to open followed by Radio Child was a high energy start. Admittedly I was unfamiliar with most of the covers played. JB especially did a great job with the blues numbers. The Willis Alan Ramsey cover Wishbone was well done. It seemed like most of the crowd didn't recognize a lot of the covers. I question the choices of True to My Nature and Time Zones. They seemed like standard selections. Love Tractor got the crowd going again. The Vic cover Degenerate followed by Blight was pairing that was a tribute to their fallen friend. Blight has a dark vibe that works well on Halloween. JB and Jojo especially did a good job with the Howlin' Wolf cover Tail Dragger. CTS was a strong closer to round out the set. This performance had very little in the way of jamming but rather was a straight forward rock show.

Fortunately I had not heard about the soundcheck so Godzilla > Iron Man > Godzilla was a surprise. The second set of this show was solid work all the way through. It was a bit disappointing to hear them repeat ILS from Thursday in Ames. I liked the juxtaposition of ILS/Jack. Surprise Valley > Drums > Surprise Valley was high energy. Without stopping they segued smoothly into Blue Indian. John Lennon's I'm Losing You was appropriate with much of the crowd not recognizing a lot of the covers. Chilly Water > Bust It Big > Chilly Water finished out the set with authority. The second set was impressive.

The encore seemed a bit rushed. Wilco in Chicago was a nice tip of the hat. Postcard was expected after three shows in the city. After a quick run through of Porch Song they brought out the crew for Werewolves of London. After the show as the crowd waiting to get out of the bottleneck at the back of the room they blasted AC/DC Highway to Hell on the P.A.