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. 

12/28/18 String Cheese Incident @ 1st Bank Center - Broomfield, CO

1STBANK Center - Broomfield, CO - 12/28/18

S1: Can't Wait Another Day, White Freightliner Blues*, Eat My Dust*, High on a Mountain Top*, Boo Boo’s Pik-a-Nic* > Take the Money And Run*  > Salt Creek* > Take the Money And Run* > Big Mon* > Take the Money And Run* > Boo Boo’s Pik-a-Nic* > Vamp In The Middle*, Signed, Sealed, Delivered*, Sand Dollar*, Revival* , Colorado Bluebird Sky*

S2: Close Your Eyes > Black Clouds > Jellyfish > Round the Wheel > Texas > Land's End > Texas > 'Round the Wheel > Jellyfish > Black Clouds > Close Your Eyes

E: Rivertrance*, Reach*

* w/ Sam Bush and Darol Anger


Last Friday I made the short half hour drive down 287 to Broomfield for The String Cheese Incident.  I stopped in Westminster before the show to see my friends Eric and Karla.  It was easy to find free parking in the nearby garage.  Before the show it was very cold.  Winter tour for sure.  The arena concourse was decked out in SCI 25th anniversary decor.  They had a room with a bunch of SCI artwork on display.  Preshow PA music was older reggae.  The arena was maybe 3/4 full.

The previous time I'd seen SCI was in Lyons, CO and they also opened that show with Can't Wait Another Day.  The rest of the set was with Sam Bush and Darol Anger playing a variety of bluegrass/newgrass originals and covers from their careers.  The Stevie Wonder cover was fun.  Colorado Bluebird Sky in Broomfield was definitely an anthem.  The clearcut highlight of the set was Sand Dollar.

The setlist of the second set was a palindrome.  I noticed during Land's End that all the songs had been left unfinished.  It made the show unique.  During setbreak I went outside and a light snow was falling.  This was appropriate during the Round the Wheel which I felt produced the best jam of the set.  I sat on the Billy/Kyle side and watching them made the show for me.  Rivertrance in the encore was gravy.  I peaced out during the final song and beat the traffic.  My mom bought my ticket for this show for Christmas.  It was a fun experience and I'm glad I went. 

12/8/18 Aqueous @ Fox Theater - Boulder, CO

Aqueous
December 8, 2018 // Fox Theatre

Set 1: Strange Times, Underlyer > Warren in the Window, Skyway > Pseudo Suicide

Set 2: Origami, Mosquito Valley, Pt. 1 > Kitty Chaser (Explosions), I Can’t Go For That > Split the Difference > Don’t Do It

E: How High You Fly


Last night after the MLS Cup Final match won by Atlanta United I made the short half hour journey down the Diagonal Highway to Boulder.  This was my first time to the Fox Theater.  I found a parking spot down 13th street across from a CU frat house.  I've seen Mungion four times now.  This was my third time seeing Aqueous.  Before the show I grabbed a slice at Boss Lady Pizza.

I didn't stay for the entire show but the venue was pretty much full.  They took the stage to the Gremlins theme song.  Strange Times seems like one of their more established tunes.  Underlyer and Warren in the Window were also songs that I recognized.  The highlight of the show for me was the cover of Oysterhead's Pseudo Suicide.  The guitar/keyboard player did a great job with the Les Claypool vocals.   They did a good job with the Hall & Oates cover.  Split the Difference is a dance number from the new album.  This led into one of their better songs Don't Do It.  The slide guitar part puts me in the mind of Buffalo's other jamband moe.'s Awesome Gary.  How High You Fly is a song off their new album Color Wheel that I enjoy.  It was a good end to the Colorado run. 

12/5/18 Aqueous @ Hodi's - Ft. Collins, CO

Aqueous
December 5th, 2018
Hodi's, Fort Collins, CO

Set 1: Gordon’s Mule, The Median, Realize Your Light > Dave’s Song > Mandela Effect > No Quarter

Set 2: Weight of the Word > Good Enough, Aldehyde > Cheap Sunglasses > Aldehyde

Encore: Say It Again


On Wednesday I made the short drive up I-25 to Fort Collins to Hodi's for Aqueous.  Chicago act Mungion was the opening act.  This was my first time to Hodi's which is located in the Old Town part of Fort Collins.  This venue is smaller than the Aggie Theatre.  I met a few nice people.  It was good to get out of Longmont for the night to see some live music.  It was good for the soul.  They took the stage to the Home Alone theme song which was the movie I had watched earlier in the day.  Gordon's Mule, The Median, and Dave's Song are all tunes I knew.  The highlight for me was Realize Your Light from the new Color Wheel album. I can't say enough how much I've enjoyed their latest studio album.  It's a very mature offering from a band of their stature.  Oddly enough this was the second show in a row I've seen a band cover No Quarter.  When I left the venue there was snow falling and it looked scenic with the Christmas lights. 

10/26-28 Phish @ Allstate Arena - Rosemont, IL

Last Thursday I made the difficult solo drive back from Colorado to Illinois.  The weather was overcast and I listened to the Nebraska movie soundtrack while driving through the Cornhusker State.  I made it home around midnight.  My parents were both waiting up for me.  It was good to see them and my cat, Mattie.

I took I-88 into Chicagoland which is a change of pace.  It reminds me of when we first moved from Glen Ellyn to Geneseo in 1990.  That's the highway we took that day.  This was a return to my original home area with Phish playing in suburban Rosemont.  This was my 5th and 6th time seeing the band in the area formerly known as the Rosemont Horizon.  I stayed at the Hyatt Place with friends from Decatur.  It was nice to be so close to the lot/arena.  We had a good view of the O'hare runways.  Driving through Aurora and being at the end of the runway reminded me of Wayne's World.

Before the Friday show I met a nice guy named Mike from Massachusetts who I was able to talk Phish shop with. It wasn't difficult to call the Punch You in the Eye opener.  It's cool during Martian Monster how they move the lights up and down.  Axilla kept the energy going.  The opening notes of Reba were received by a huge cheer from the 85% full arena.  These were the only midwest Phish shows of the year and I felt the crowd was energetic all weekend.  Reba reached an amazing peak.  The set would continue with a speedy MSO followed by the best Mercury they had played to that point which would transition into the David Bowie cover Moonage Daydream.  Great work from Trey and the entire band.  Walls of the Cave wrapped up a fantastic first set.

When they open the second set with Tweezer you know they're feeling it.  This was a top shelf version that would include a jam based around the second track they played during set II of Halloween the following Wednesday.  This segued into Golden Age which kept the improvisation going before slowing down with the Trey Anastasio/Tom Marshall ballad Frost.  Limb by Limb was a really classy choice after the cooldown.  It built the energy back up slowly and prepared us for the Sand and fun Possum that would finish the set.  Wilson, Tweezer Reprise was a high energy encore.  This was one of the best shows I saw from Phish in 2018.

We spent Saturday relaxing and watching college football.  I checked out the PhanArt show going on in the lobby of our hotel on my way to the nearby Starbucks.  Iowa State defeated Texas Tech and Iowa lost to Penn State so it was a good day.  Before the show I talked with Steve Vollen and caught up with how he had been lately.  It was good to see him.  During the first set I had an unfortunate encounter with a chomper and had to relocate.  This show had a better first set than second set.  Stash had a jam.  Dogs was the second song of the weekend from the 2014 Halloween show I attended.  Blaze On was a better than normal version as Trey hit some powerful peaks.  Vultures was a real treat on this occasion.  I find myself moving through time.  Roses Are Free was a geyser of energy as they crushed the Ween cover.  46 Days kept the rock going.  The tour's only David Bowie was exactly what I was looking for in that slot.

Moma Dance unless it has a jam needs to be confined to the first set.  This was a well explored 25 minute version of NMINML.  Steam is getting played out.  Chalkdust didn't stray far.  I don't mind Joy.  They want us to be happy.  Suzy wasn't really what I was looking for in that spot.  I feel like I had seen that show before with the Rock and Roll encore on a Saturday night.  It was the 5 year anniv of Lou Reed's passing so that was a nice tip of the hat.  This second set left me disappointed.

Sunday was spent watching the Jets v Bears and the Packers v Rams.  Once again the teams I rooted for won.  This first set was rather lackluster.  I don't mean to be harsh but c'mon.  Tube was a better than average version.  That's about all their was to report on.

Carini was the second set opener I wanted but there wasn't much of a jam as they went quickly into No Quarter.  It became apparent the set would be song oriented.  Cities was appropriate with me having recently moved to Longmont, CO.  Find yourself a city to live in.  Jibboo was a good call but less than 10 minutes could have been much more explored.  Twist > What's the Use > Twist wasn't what I was looking for.  It was good to see the end of the show with Sand and Frank.  Shade is one of my favorite Trey ballads.  I did really enjoy the Plasma they played.  Character Zero was a rocker to end the set.  This show needed a Fluffhead encore.  I drove back to my parents house after.  It reminded me of how many times I'd made the drive from the city.  I'm starting to get over Phish.  This was a tough year for the band.  The music had its ups and downs.  Curveball was a great loss.  I'll reassess next year what my involvement with the band will be.