8/16/14 Los Lonely Boys @ River Roots Live in LeClaire Park - Davenport, IA

I went to River Roots Live with Craig on Saturday night.  We parked in the garage next to the Redstone Room.  I previously attended the festival in 05, 06, 08, and 12.  Admission was only ten dollars which seemed reasonable.  I had a pulled pork sandwich from the Carolina BBQ stand from Spartanburg, SC.  The weather was gorgeous with temperatures in the mid 70s on the shores of the mighty Mississippi River.  They have modernized the old bandshell.  This was the same setup that was being used in 2012 when we saw Blues Traveler.  The ferris wheel looked colorful in the background with the former John O'Donnell Stadium beyond. 


Los Lonely Boys, a trio of brothers, played a good set of music.  The beginning of the set focused heavily on their new studio release, Revelation.  Dream Away, So Sensual, and Give A Little More were tracks from that album that were played.  Mamacita was next.  There were several songs that I was not familiar with.  I was expecting a more poppy sound but rather we were treated to heavy blues.  A percussionist augmented the three brothers.  Predictably the show ended with their hit song, Heaven.  This was an enjoyable experience.  I had never seen Los Lonely Boys in the live setting before.  As a result I returned with more respect for them as a band and purchased the aforementioned Revelation album. 

7/18-20 Phish @ FirstMerit Bank Pavilion at Northerly Island - Chicago, IL

On Friday I worked in the morning and got on the road.  Traffic was as bad as I've ever encountered driving into Chicago.  The Stephenson was ridiculous.  I didn't get to Chicago until almost 5:30.  I parked at my friend Steve's place in Wicker Park.  Then we drove to the Soldier Field garage where we ate our carry out from a restaurant called Jerry's.  At this point I went off on my own because I was on the lawn.  Raising the stage greatly improved the experience out on the lawn. 


This first set left a lot to be desired.  I spent much of it looking for a friend of mine whom I was selling my extra Sunday ticket to.  However, I did meet up with a familiar face, Stickman.  The way I figure I wouldn't have run into him had I not been searching for the other friend.  Reba had a nice sunset jam but that was really the only highlight in the first set.  Stash and Coil they began to turn it on but this was a mere tease.  I was disappointed by repeats from Detroit.   


Golden Age was taken out for a ride on this occasion.  This wasn't on par with the outstanding Hartford rendition but I enjoyed this set opening jam.  Kuroda was on point with the lighting.  I loved the choice of Mango as the landing point.  The truncated Sand left people scratching their heads.  Piper bordered on WOO! territory however it did yield a natural segue into Halley's sans the vocal intro.  This was the best ever Wombat, confirmed.  That piece of improvisation may very well have been the highlight of the show.  Chalkdust was used as a rocker instead of a jam vehicle like it has been several times this summer. Slave was appropriate with the traffic I'd encountered.  Julius has been used several times as an encore this summer.  After the show I walked along the lakefront and around the south loop and enjoyed the city and the mild weather.   This is the only time I'll be visiting Chicago this year.  All and all it wasn't a bad first offering to the run.  The improvisation was better than the Michigan show I'd seen on Wednesday. 




































We spent the day relaxing enjoying the incredible weather.  It was like a gift compared to the horrendous situation we had gone through the previous year.  We had lunch from Big Al's  Before the show we took some Jimmy John's to eat outside the venue along the lake.  On this occasion we again parked in the Soldier Field garage but instead we took the water taxi across Burnham Harbor.  We saw Mike Gordon on a golf cart driving through the people relaxing on the museum campus preshow.  We spent the first set in the same area toward the front of the lawn but encountered some drama so we moved to the back of the lawn where the sound and view were both better. 


The first set was better than the previous night's first set but that's not saying much.  Again I didn't care for the repeats from Detroit.  Brian and Robert was a good call at that point.  Next was my first Wingsuit.  Tube and Free both really emphasized Gordo's punchy sound this tour.  Trey was really emoting well during Roggae.  Heavy Things was a nice interlude before the predictable and fairly short set closing Antelope.


Carini unfortunately didn't yield the gold like it has in recent excursions.  The lack of improve in Waves had me disappointed.  Fuego lacked any jam but it did have a nice transition into Twist.  Light was by far the best jam of the nice.  It was a percussive piece of music that allowed Kuroda to showcase his lighting equipment.  20 Years Later also had a brief bit of dark jamming before dropping into another excellent Summer 2014 Harry Hood.  I'm glad Steve and I watched this show together.  He's like an older brother to me and I appreciate him letting me stay at his apartment for this important Phish Chicago run.  Grind, Bug, Suzy isn't a bad encore.  I'm a big fan of Bug.  It always includes some great playing from Trey.  The sounds of Lionel Richie "All Night Long" sent us off into the night. 






















The Sunday show as my favorite experience of the three night run in Chicago this year.   I slept in and was able rejuvenate myself.  Before the show we got carryout from Lou Malnati's.  What a great decision that was.  We parked in the Soldier Field garage and took the water taxi.  Steve went off with some friends and I spent some reflection time by the lake.  This band and this city have been a huge part of my life.  So has the football team that plays in the stadium that was visible nearby with its iconic Roman columns. 


I had a floor ticket for Sunday and I took my spot on the floor Page side.  Antelope Greg and his cronnies were in their usual location.  Maybe it was just being closer to the stage but the first set had a little extra pop to it.  Gumbo as an opener is unusual.  Followed by a high energy Jim and the rare Tela and we were off to an old school start.  I'd heard The Line on WXRT previously in the weekend.   Scent of a Mule featured a full band drum session.  Next was a Gin that flowed like a geyster.  That was the highlight of the first like it typically is.  SITM was appropriate with July 20 being a day of mourning for the Iowa City crew and their fallen comrade.  Maze had some strong interplay between Anastasio and McConnell.  This was a better than usual Ocelot.  WOTC was a great choice to solidify a good first set. 


The last set solidified the run.  This stanza had the best flow to it of the weekend and provided a turning point in the overall arc of the tour.  DWD wasn't the greatest version but it was a classically contoured piece of improve that settled nicely into Winterqueen despite some feedback from Trey's
equipment.  Theme from the Bottom wasn't necessarily what I wanted but I feel it worked.  Mike's Song led into the most atypical version of The Wedge to date.  This is a tour highlight for sure.  Ghost was like a Studio 54 dance party and dropped seamlessly into Weekapaug.  Trey was in full on rockstar mode for First Tube and Character Zero.  This was my 111th Phish show and was my favorite of the four midwest performances I saw.

7/16/14 Phish @ DTE Energy Music Theatre - Clarkston, MI

I left Geneseo at 9 am on Wednesday.  This was my first Phish show of 2014 and I was excited to say the least.  I strongly dislike driving through that stretch of I-80 south of Chicago.  The scenery is very much akin to New Jersey.  After a brief stretch of equally scenic Indiana I was up into Michigan.  I had attended the game changing 6/3/11 show at this same venue.  That was a show that changed the course of the contemporary era of Phish.  Taking a different route this year I went through Kalamazoo and further north through Lansing and near Flint.  This helped me to avoid metro Detroit and its traffic.  Pine Knob is one of my favorite sheds.  The trees by the shakedown area create a nice vibe.  It was quite cold for summer tour with temps in the 50s by showtime.  I saw Mike on a golf cart with his daughter before the show in the parking lot.  They played The Cars on the PA system as a nod to the area's automotive history.  More importantly I was on the road for summer tour and letting the good times roll. 


The first set got off to a nice start with a decent Wolfman's.  Devotion to a Dream might be my favorite on the new album.  I really like its ethos.  I had predicted Wilson as the opener with it not being played yet on the tour.  This was a speedy version of Poor Heart to say the least.  Moma and Stealing Time were pretty typical first set fare.  I believe this was the tour's first Lawn Boy.  I'm glad to see Yarmouth still in the rotation even with it was held back for Mike's solo album.  Rift was another example of the speedjazz of the early 90s juxtaposed with the cheesepop of the current era of The Line.  It's Ice perhaps was reference to the cold weather and it did include a jam that put me in the mind of what they'd done in the previous rendition of Wombat.  46 Days was a high energy rocker but this set was largely uneventful. 


Set two got off to a promising start.  I thought that perhaps Mike's would produce the elusive 2nd jam we've been waiting for since Big Cypress.  Alas it wasn't to be as they quickly moved into Ghost.  This jam was primed to take off and explore the outer realms of the universe but it wasn't to be.  Very disappointing with Fishman seeming ready to go.  An unfinished Caspian and #Line was an unneeded break in the set.  Just when Weekapaug was taking on form Fish dropped into Cavern which was puzzling.  A rocking Piper did feature the first ever segue into Waiting All Night.  Just when Tweezer was taking off they went into Fuego.  Freezer > Fire.  It was quite cold by this point.  It was frustrating to see the Tweezer given the ripcord treatment.  Fuego had no jam whatsoever and it went into the set closing Tweeprise.  The playing had a nice crunch to it but they (Trey) weren't patient enough to let any of the improvisation to develop and it turned into a jukebox affair which continued into the encore of 2001 and Possum.  The Motown choice of "Ain't No Mountain High Enough" sent the masses into the night.  I got back to Geneseo at 9 am on Thursday.

5/25/14 Summercamp @ Three Sisters Park - Chillicothe, IL

Craig and I left Geneseo around 10:30 on Sunday morning.  We took the backroad route to Chillicothe.  Upon arrival it was obvious this was the largest Summercamp in terms of attendance.  I'd estimate it was around 20,000.  After a bit of a wait to enter the grounds we arrived at the Sunshine stage during the first song of Umphrey's McGee's set.  The weather was around 80 degrees.  Dust was the only complaint but I'll take that compared to rain or extreme heat. 


The 2nd Self opener was an old school choice.  This was juxtaposed with a newer song Hourglass which I believe will be on their new album.  Visions of Parin had some improvisation and finally landed in Comma Later.  WMM was another older song selection.  Mad Love was another song from the forthcoming album.  Prowler was followed by Conduit which also had a jam.  The Allman Brothers Band's Jessica was a fun cover.  IC > Fussy Dutchman wrapped up a well played but relatively forgettable set of UM.  The wind was playing tricks with the sound from our vantage point. 


We made our way to the old Jaegermeister Stage for the moe. acoustic set.  Chromatic Nightmare opened the set but for whatever reason is not included in the recording offered by moe.  Nebraska came next and worked well in this acoustic setting.  The playful Time Again and its reference to al.'s balding was fun.  I enjoyed the debut of The Pines and the Apple Trees.  This was perfect for the acoustic format.   Smoke is one of my least favorites from the previous album but it sounds better with the acoustic guitars.  Lazarus > Time Ed was well executed.  Akimbo > Punchline included Allie Kral and a mandolin player.  I wasn't expecting much from this set but I really enjoyed this portion of the day.  After this I made my way over to Doc's camp and he cooked some burgers. 


At this point a group of us socialized on the hillside of the mainstage during the cover/guest set of Zac Brown Band.  I liked the choices of songs they made.  Jerry Douglass, Jake Cinninger, and members of moe. were amongst the guests that they brought out.  I noticed a row of golf carts with law enforcement and locals were eager to see Zac Brown Band.  Other than Willie Nelson the ZBB is the most country I think Summercamp has ever gone.  I chose not to stick around for the second set as I wanted to get my lawn chair set up in front of the soundboard for Trey Anastasio. 


Sometime After Sunset is a new one I heard in Milwaukee and was fitting for an opener as the sun was going down.  Caymen Review predictably came next.  I was happy to hear the new material Pulsing Days and Bounce since I hadn't gotten to see them live yet.  Gotta Jibboo got things moving. Dark and Down was sans lighting this year.  They wrapped up a fun set with Push On 'Til the Day. 


Night Speaks and Drifting were usual TAB fare.  That was my first time seeing Land of Nod.  Sand was probably one of the highlights I'd say.  Frost was a cooldown moment.  I'd like to see Phish keep using Frost as a ballad. Alaska actually worked in this setting with its references to bug spray and tents.  Mr. Completely included Trey remembering that they had to cancel the previous Summercamp during this song.  I was impressed with the various solos in this version.  Trey was in control of his band and they were sounding tight.  First Tube wrapped up a fun set.  I wish Trey would use some of his 99-00 effects again for that song.  Jen Hartswick really shined during Clint Eastwood and my third Black Dog encore of the year.  Though Trey's set was very predictable I was pleased with the musical quality. 


I was starting to get tired by this point.  After devouring a funnel cake I made my way to the mainstage field where so many memories have been made over the years at Summercamps.  I ended up setting up my chair by Gary the Mayor moe.down6 and Sconnie for Satan.  Four was an usual choice to start the set.  Paper Dragon was a rocking interlude before the debut of Caliphornya.  They brought out Zac Brown for The Weight.  meat. was interrupted by an appearance of Umphrey's McGee who played Puppet String.  That's one of the best songs from their forth coming album, Similar Skin.  Finally, they switched back into moe. and they finished meat and segued into Puebla.  Billy Goat was given extra attention it seemed.  Chuck was on fire wearing his Cincinnati Reds lid.  They were well past the 2 am curfew by the time they started up the one and done OKalright encore.  This was a marathon of over 13 straight hours at Three Sisters Park.  I'm satisfied just seeing Sunday at this point.  The weather was ideal and the bands I went to see stepped up to the plate. 

3/9/14 Mike Gordon @ Barrymore Theatre - Madison, WI

Mike Gordon
3/9/14
Barrymore Theatre
Madison, WI


I: Babylon Baby, Traveled Too Far > Drank Too Much Champagne > Traveled Too Far, Cruel World, Meat, Pretend, Spock's Brain, Andelman's Yard, Tiny Little World

II: Paint, Face, Peel, Another Door, Twists and Bends, Thin Black Line, Rhymes > Peel > Hap-Nappy

E: Cities





 Yesterday I drove up by myself for Mike Gordon at one of my favorite small venues the Barrymore Theatre in Madison, WI.  Since my childhood this has been my favorite of all the college towns.  The drive into the downtown area always gets me excited to see a show.  One thing I noticed though is that after seeing shows in Wisconsin for almost 15 years that I really didn't see many people I knew.  It's a rotating cast.  Show of life I guess.  I was able to find a parking spot near the venue with relative ease.  It wasn't a huge crowd on hand.  I liked the jazz before the show on the P.A.  Gordo had a type writer at the merch stand.  I left him a message.  I hadn't used a type writer since being at Grannie and Grandad's house in Lombard back in the 1980s.  The drive up was made more visible by the Day Light Savings.  I had to DVR the final True Detective.

Babylon Baby started things off around 7:45.  I've seen Phish do that one at UIC in 2011.  I believe that was the only track off Moss that we heard.  Traveled Too Far had a song with Mike/Scott singing in the middle before they reprised the song.  I've heard them play Cruel World before and it drags a bit.  It was fun to hear a different take on the Phish song Meat.  "I am a prince, I have it all".  Mike's family is very wealthy.  Something to think about with that lyric.  Pretend is a song off Green Sparrow that I like.  I went up to the balcony for a few songs.  I've never heard Phish play Spock's Brain so that was interesting to hear the MGB version.  Admittedly I was wearing my Andelman's Yard t-shirt so I appreciate that one.  Tiny Little Word is quickly becoming my favorite from the new album.  I liked the first set though none of the attempts at improvisation really paid off in any way shape or form.  Mike was too soft in the mix.  I was a bit disappointed he didn't use his envelope filter liquid bass tone more often.

I was digging the beginning of the second set.  The first three songs are all tracks I enjoy off Overstep.  Peel seemed to include the best jam of the evening.  Another Door was the 4th Green Sparrow song of the show.  I liked hear Long Black Line which was shown the CBS Morning Show.  I respect Mike giving his band members a few songs but the show seriously dragged during Twists and Bends and Rhymes.  They went back into the Peel jam before ending the set with the GRAB song Hap-Nappy.  The encore was Cities which was played more true to the Talking Heads original version.  I've seen MGB three times and I continue to be unfilled to the point where I'm likely done with them.  It's great that Mike has a project where he's the leader but I'd rather save my schillings for Phish.  I crushed some Taco Bell in Beloit on the way home.

2/5/14 Trey Anastasio @ Pabst Theatre - Milwaukee, WI

Trey Anastasio
2/5/14
Pabst Theatre
Milwaukee, WI


I: Traveler, Valentine, Alive Again, Drifting, Magilla, Ooh Child, Cayman Review, Burlap Sack and Pumps, Dark and Down, Small Axe, 1977, Money Love and Change, First Tube

II: Corona, Night Speaks to a Woman, Alaska, Pigtail, Sometime After Sunset, Last Tube, Architect, Gotta Jibboo, Scabbard, Clint Eastwood, Push On 'Til the Day

E: Sand, Black Dog









A week ago I had a horrible fever and we'd received yet another dumping of snow.  I slept most of the day sweating off as much as I could.  I used the snowblower to clear the driveway.  I left about 4 pm so as to minimalize the amount of waiting pre-show.  It started snowing when I was on I-39.  There was some SRV on the radio near East Troy which was appropriate.  I parked in my usual garage next to the Marriot.  I'm a creature of habit.  This was my first visit to the Pabst Theatre.  I liked the venue but felt the sound guy, Garry Brown, had Trey specifically turned up too loud.  I felt better after taking some cold medicine and by the time the show started I glad I'd made the journey.

It was good to be a Traveler on the road again.  I like the Tom Marshall lyric about "even if you're standing still you're still traveling too".  The first five songs were all repeats from St. Louis.  The choice of Ooh Child made the first set for me.  I always associate that song with Boyz in the Hood.  Cayman Review and Burlap Sack and Pumps really got the crowd moving.  Dark and Down once again showcased the blues rock that Trey plays so well at this point of his career.  The instrumental version of Bob Marley's Small Axe was a good call.  Natalie shined again on the 1977 cover.  MLC and First Tube rounded out a generous first set of music.

I'm glad Trey ditched the Fender for his new song, Corona.  Night Speaks to a Woman was particularly strong on this occasion.  I was not pleased with the choice of Alaska.  Pigtail got the energy going again.  It was nice to see some new material.  Trey's solo at the end of Sometime After Sunset was particularly inspired.  Last Tube was another song I hadn't heard in STL so that was fun.  The rest of the set was more or less about the same as what I'd seen previously including Push On 'Til the Day.  On this evening they played Sand in the encore paired with Black Dog to close out the show.  If you thought contemporary Phish was fairly predictable this TAB Tour was downright formulaic.  I liked the increased rock emphasis but its a pop vehicle compared to the 01-03 Afro-Cuban groove machine that was TAB.  I made it home around 3:45 after crushing some Taco Bell at the Pilot in Beloit, WI. 

2/1/14 Trey Anastasio @ Pageant Theatre - St. Louis, MO

Trey Anastasio
2/1/14
Pageant Theatre
St. Louis, MO

I: Drifting, Caymen Review, Magilla, Money Love and Change, Valentine, Frost, Burlap Sack and Pumps, Dark and Down, Simple Twist Up Dave, 1977, Devil Went Down to Georgia, First Tube

II: Alive Again, Gotta Jibboo, Pigtail, Night Speaks to a Woman, Architect, Sand, Clint Eastwood, Traveler, Push On 'Til the Day

E: Tuesday, Black Dog




___________________________



Last Saturday I started my live music calendar year of 2014 with my friend Doc.  I drove to Decatur after snowblowing the driveway.  We'd received several inches of snow overnight.  By 10 am the crews had the roads in decent condition.  Around B-N the snow turned to rain and my concern became ice.  I stopped for lunch at Steak 'N Shake and made it to Doc's house without incident.  The weather was miserable and rainy for the entire drive to STL.  We ate dinner at Pappy's which I really enjoyed.  The Halo Bar was at capacity so we chose to wait down the street at the bowling alley instead of standing in the cold rain.  We met up with Eric Leander and Jason Osborn and still watched the show from our traditional spot on the right of the floor.  

 The show began with Drifting.  I hadn't seen a show since November so it was good to be back on the road.  Ray shined on keys during the funky Caymen Review.  I'm not a huge fan of the reworking of Magilla for TAB.  MLC isn't the huge jam piece it once was.  Valentine showcased the female vocals.  I was frustrated by fans talking during the slower ballad Frost.  Burlap Sack and Pumps and Simple Twist Up Dave continue to be TAB warhorses. These songs sandwiched the bluesy Dark and Down.  I was delighted to hear Natalie do the Spanish rapping in 1977.  This song was featured in Breaking Bad.  I'd heard the Charlie Daniels cover recently on the radio at my new job so that one was appropriate.  On this tour it seems Trey is enjoying using First Tube as a first set closer.  I miss some of the textures he used on that song back in 99/00.

He had a strict curfew and perhaps that played a role in this being a fairly concise second set.  Alive Again worked well as an opener.  Jibboo was a nice choice in the showcase slot.  I don't mind Pigtail.  It seemed it got a little extra treatment this time around.  Night Speaks to a Woman was another highlight of the set.  Architect is a little cheesy with its overt religious lyrics.  Sand got the crowd moving again before Hartswick's rapping during The Gorillaz cover.  Traveler isn't a bad song.  At very least I like its sentiment.   Push On 'Til the Day is being used as the second set closer on this tour.  Tuesday is a fairly pedestrian rocker.  Jen Hartswick did a great job with Black Dog.  Trey loves Led Zeppelin and it showed in his aggressive playing during the finale.  This was a fun experience to kick off my year despite the dreadful weather.