6/22/12 Phish @ Riverbend Music Center - Cincinnati, OH

PHISH
6/22/12
Riverbend Music Center
Cincinnati, OH

I: Wolfman's Brother, Peaches En Regalia, Shaggy Dog, Runaway Jim, Light Up or Leave Me Alone > Wilson > Alaska, Stash, Llama, Buffalo Bill, Saw It Again > David Bowie

II: Down with Disease > Guelah Papyrus, Kill Devil Falls > Twist > Halley's Comet > Sand > Roggae, Carini > Chalkdust Torture, Golgi Apparatus

E: Fluffhead



walk-in P.A. music was The Talking Heads "Speaking in Tongues"
postshow P.A. music was Johnny Cash "We'll Meet Again"


____________________________________________________________



I made my way to Cincy on that Friday with relative ease on I-74 for the majority of the way from the Quad Cities. I stopped for White Castle near Indy. I had been to Riverbend for WSP 7/26/05 and Phish 6/5/11. After checking in at the Days Inn I made my way to the parking lot near River Downs which is the adjacent horse racing track. I saw a race happen after I parked my vehicle next to the railing. It was quite warm outside for the show but it's summer tour in the midwest, what do you expect? There was a traditional shakedown street assembled across the road from the venue. This year Riverbend installed an astroturf lawn. Call me a concert puritan but I prefer a natural grass lawn. Someone stubbed me into the pavilion and I saw some friends near the soundboard. The Talking Heads were on the PA before the show.

Right out of the chute Phish killed it with perhaps the best Wolfman's I've seen. Mike was in command with the ginger beard man adding tasteful patience guitar work. This was one of the best shows of the tour because they really used the first set to their advantage. It had improv, energy, rarities, and humor. Shaggy Dog was my first time hearing that. First time since 1995. Jim made it a canine combo. They aborted Poor Heart and Moma Dance in favor of Llama. Saw It Again > Bowie was good playing to end the set.

DWD got the crowd's attention from the get go. Trey may have been a little antsy when he started up Guelah Papyrus but it worked. KDF almost had a little jam and the end of the song had an ambient outro that became the highlight of the show, Twist. This dark exploratory jamming is what Phish is all about. They finally landed with Halley's Comet which had a nice spiral effect on the overhead circles by Kuroda. They abrubtly started up an energized version of Sand that had a slick transition into Roggae. Trey was pouring his heart out during this version on his guitar. Carini was fairly abbreviated when Trey started up Chalkdust and Golgi which ended the set. Fluffhead was an above average version and that is a unique setlist spot in the encore. This was one of the best 3.0 Phish era shows I've seen.

5/25-27 Summer Camp 2012 @ Three Sisters Park - Chillicothe, IL

Umphrey's McGee 5/25/12 AUD

I drove down to Three Sisters Park on Friday morning arriving shortly before midday.  The parking lot was more full than I'd ever seen it before.  I would guess the crowd was between 15,000-20,000.  It was perhaps slightly bigger than the year before but it was difficult to gauge with them having moved the Sunshine Stage further west this year.  For the second year in a row I chose to commute each day.  It takes about an hour and 15 minutes to get to Chillicothe from Geneseo.  I enjoy the rural scenary on my two lane highway journey that begins on Rt. 6 then on 40 south to 17 which finally runs into Rt. 29 along the Illinois River.  I saw law enforcement pulling people over in Chillicothe all weekend long. 

moe. was the first music I saw and their set was predictably tame.  It was broad daylight and was apparent from the get go that dust was going to be an issue especially at the main stage.  They played a decent segue between Wormwood > Downward Facing Dog.  Leftover Salmon played in the hottest part of the day.  I found some shade alongside the wheatfield.  That was my first time seeing them.  Mercifully, some clouds rolled in for the Weir, Robinson, Green acoustic trio.  This set was primarily Grateful Dead material played at an awkward, slow pace.  We went back to Camp Decatur and enjoy burgers on the grill.  Thanks to Doc for the burgers and Red Bull. 

Umphrey's McGee stepped up to the plate on Friday and hit the ball out of the park.  Their set was filled with heavy hitters and plentiful amounts of improvisation.  It really was a mature showing for the band coupled with the professional lighting provided by Jefferson Waful.  I caught my first live versions of Miami Virtue and Loose Ends.  MV had an N2F feel in the intro.  Glory was special with the sun setting off to side of the stage.  Ringo had two successful jams and was clearly the highlight of the first set.  This second set was serious business.  The entire OB sandwich was oozing with energy.  Bright Lights provided the highlight of the show for me.  I liked the Tool cover.  However, Day Nurse > Snucka pt. III was misplaced.  They should have ended the set with 46 & 2 and then done an encore.  The end of this show felt a little odd and that was my only complaint. 

Primus proved to be too strange for me.  I was impressed with their video stage setup.  Lotus used the Umphrey's McGee lights and they provided a nice late night set.  I wasn't thrilled with their setlist which didn't feature many of the songs I wanted.  Toward the end of their set I hit the road for home.  Umphrey's McGee had clearly been the winner of day one.

Umphrey's McGee 5/26/12 AUD

The first day had been marred by extremely hot weather.  Fortunately, on Saturday I was able to recover most of the day before leaving at 5 pm which got me there in time for Gov't Mule.  I was impressed with how tight they sounded.  They were straight out of the studio and it showed.  Kind of Bird approached 20 minutes followed by Temporary Saint.  Their cover of Led Zeppelin's Trampled Under Foot was great.  After Fallen Down I made my way over to Umphrey's McGee which was my priority all weekend whenever there was an overlap.  My friend from Ames, Curt, was taping at both stages all weekend.  I usually hung with him for the Umphrey's sets. 

I really enjoy the new instrumental opening tracks they used for their sets on Friday and Saturday.  Through the Cracks is a decent new song.  I like the vocal harmonies.  Utopian Fir was the obvious highlight of the set.  This was followed by a strong version of August.  The Bridgeless earlier in this set was also noteworthy.  During the setbreak I caught most of the moe. first set.  I was impressed with the segue between CalifornIA > Moth. 

The second set was magical with the debuting Depth Charge which led into their old jam horse Hurt Bird Bath.  I was thrilled to hear the second ever version of Comma Later.  I love the dance party Steely Dan vibe.  N2F had the place rocking.  Tom Sawyer was a little corny with Brendan doing a Bono style arm wave.  They did a pretty decent job with the song itself.  The Triple Wide was another highlight.  Hangover is a little played out for me.  The lyrics seem a little juvenile.  I loved the return to 1348 which completed the version started in the first set.  I moved to the back of the field and enjoyed the All in Time encored.  This capped off my favorite performance of the festival and my 140th Umphrey's McGee show. 

The final set of the night for me was moe. on the mainstage.  The lasers were the same as last year.  I questioned the choice of Shoot First in that placement, however, it led to a fruitful segue that reminded me of Psycho Killer before morphing into meat.  This was a strong version was 20+ minutes that veered off its normal path.  meat. was my favorite moe.ment of Summer Camp this year.  I was disappointed for the most part with their setlists and general lack of effort over the weekend.  Plane Crash in the encore was predictable and I was on my way home. 

Umphrey's McGee 5/27/12 AUD


It was a quick turnaround as the Umphrey's McGee afternoon set started at 1 pm.  It was extremely hot, the hottest day so far in 2012.  Temperatures were in the mid 90s.  I missed the first few songs and arrived as Great American was starting.  By Sunday the band was showing signs of being a bit tired.  However, they played very well considering the conditions.  In the daylight it was more apparent how annoying the sticks the kids are holding up these days.  This trend needs to stop.  Phil's Farm was sandwiched during the set.  Deeper and Booth Love were two tracks from their latest album that were played.  The untitled new song has potential.  The obvious highlight to this afternoon sweltering set of music was Resolution.  This was a repeated "Jimmy Stewart" from earlier in the year.  Jajunk was a nice way to wrap up the Umphrey's McGee Summer Camp 2012 sets. 

I decided I was going to leave after moe.'s acoustic set due to the extreme heat.  We were able to hear the music from Camp Decatur which provided some much needed shade.  moe. played a fairly tame acoustic set.  That was my first time hearing Backwoods.  32 Things was when I went up near the front of the stage and said my goodbyes to moe.  This will likely be my final Summer Camp.  After nine years in a row it just feels like I'm over the event.  The extreme weather, dust, and crowded conditions are the contributing factors to my decision.  It's been a good run.  I watched the end of the festival at home on iclips.
 

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.