2/10/18 Lotus @ Turner Hall - Milwaukee, WI

Last Saturday I drove up to Milwaukee to see Lotus at the Turner Hall Ballroom which is across 4th Street from the arena where the Milwaukee Bucks play.  I parked in a garage a few blocks away.  It was chilly with temperatures in the teens.  This venue is the reverse of Cheers with the Seafood place below it.  That restaurant gives the venue a bit of an odor as you enter.  There is a net below the ceiling to protect people from the crumbling.  The crowd was smaller on this occasion than when I saw them in 2016 here.  Marvel Years was a DJ opener that I honestly didn't pay too much attention to.  My biggest gripe was the amount of talking during the music.  The jamtronica crowd is younger and generally lacks concert etiquette.


For the first set I posted up near the soundboard with Jamie and Josie.  I decided to not bring my setlist pad and pen.  After a few songs I started keeping one on my phone.  Old habits are hard to break.  I knew most of the material.  The first set was rather pedestrian.  Travel was the highlight for me.  Move Too Fast is a tune I dig on that last album.  The recent direction of the band is a bit of a turn off. Using the samples on the new songs really doesn't bring out the best in the group.  For set two I moved up and got closer to the stage.  I was impressed by the lighting rig. 


I was happy to hear a couple more rare tunes like Debris and Soma.  These are two I discovered at 11/27/15 which is a favorite of mine.  I enjoy the song Lead Pipe with its samples of  Beastie Boys.  This led into the best improvisation of the evening.  Sunrain > Comptroller > Sunrain had a successful jam before going into the dance number sandwiched in between. They debuted a new song Jiggle which has potential.  They pulled off a good segue with Soma > Greet the Mind.  That was my first time hearing Once in a Lifetime by Talking Heads.  Postshow they played Tears for Fears "Everybody Wants to Rule the World" as we filtered out into the cold Wisconsin evening.  On the way home somewhere near Alpine Valley the weather took a horrible turn for the worse.  By the time I reached Beloit the interstate was barely visible.  I took breaks at the Pilot in Beloit where I made a late night run for the border.  I'm glad they had the dining area still open.  The blizzard forced me to take another break at the PETRO in Rochelle.  The sun was up before I got home.  Luckily the roads from I-88 back to Geneseo had one lane plowed.  This is winter tour.  Weather like that is going to be part of it.  I'm starting to lose my interest a little with Lotus.  The newer material isn't all that great.  Their audience is younger and can be annoying.  Still I'm glad I went.  It turned into an adventure. 

1/12/18 Spafford @ Miramar Theatre - Milwaukee, WI

Over the years this has evolved from a place for me to post my show "reviews" into more of a journal.  As we move into 2018 I find typing out my experiences to still be enjoyable.  Otherwise I wouldn't do it.  That goes for seeing live music in general.  In 2017 I tried a different approach working full time and attempting to go without my anti-depressant medication.  My decision to walk away from an unfulfilling job and to return to the medication may have saved my life.  I am thankful that my parents have allowed me to take some time to feel better.  I worked on a seasonal basis this fall for UPS.  It was a mild December leading up to a white Christmas.  Since then we've gone into the deep freeze.  Last Friday I interviewed for a job and will start this week.  My parents will be going to Florida until March for their annual vacation.  I started my live music year with a trip to Milwaukee, WI for Spafford at the Miramar Theatre on Friday.

Going on these road trips for music isn't just a hobby, it's part of who I am. I spent the day doing preventative work on my car, getting prepared, and going to the interview.  I got on the road around 5.  It was chilly as the sun went down with temperatures in the single digits.  Driving by Alpine Valley always stirs up memories. My thoughts were with my friends in Asheville as Pat and Kasha were to be married the next day.  I was able to find the venue in the east part of Milwaukee near UW -M and parked on Oakland St. about a block from the venue.  Upon entry into the Miramar I said hello to Brian Moss as he made his way to the tour bus.  This was my first time at this funky little venue.  It holds around 400.  The crowd was annoying at times with a lot of talking.  There was an alley on the one side of the theatre where fans could smoke cigarettes.  The door was wide open all night though and I felt sorry for the merch girl in that corner who must have been freezing.  I met a guy who had been to the 4 recent NYC Phish shows.  We talked about those to pass the time.  The show didn't start until 10:15.  I was up close by Red's keyboard for the first set and then moved back to the warm back corner for set two.

I loved the tip of the hat to Tom Petty right off the bat.  "take me through the night".  He was one of my favorite musicians.  Interesting that they'd take one of his shortest singles "Breakdown" and jam it for 15 minutes.  This led into My Road (My Road) which was debuted at the Madison show in October.  I could tell this show had a lot more energy than the one I'd seen in Omaha last fall.  The show had sold out a week prior.  I'd guess next time they'll be at Turner Ballroom.  Shake You Loose was next followed by the clear highlight of set one which was the Electric Taco Stand > Dis Go In 5? > Electric Taco Stand sammy.  That was some impressive work.  I wasn't expecting "Catfish John" in that spot but I enjoyed the Jerry wah that Brian was using on this tune that JGB frequently covered. It was frigid and crowded in the alley at setbreak.  This was a very drunken crowd even by Milwaukee college standards.

This was a game changing experience in the second set.  I was already impressed with what I'd seen in the first.  They came out and featured the new material with Lovesick Melody > Soil.  It was a very effective combination with the catchy tune followed by the deep, dirty Soil funk.  Weasel > Palisades > Weasel made this a clear cut victory for the Arizona based quartet.  This was the perfect fusion of dance and rock music.  It was about 12:20 so "After Midnight" was an appropriate cover for this juncture of the night.  This led into a smooth transition into Minds Unchained which had a very atypical piece of improvisation.  A 20+ minute version of All In wrapped up a strong set of Spafford.  After a brief run through of Van Morrison's "Into the Mystic" they ended the show with Galisteo Way.  The crowd emptied into the cold dark Wisconsin evening to the sounds of The Traveling Wilburys "End of the Line" on the PA. I pulled into my driveway at 5 am. 

12/12/17 Aqueous @ Redstone Room - Davenport, IA

A few weeks ago I saw my final live music of 2017 at the Redstone Room in Davenport, IA.  The headliner was the up and coming band Aqueous from Buffalo, NY with local opening act Dr. Dometone.  It wasn't a huge crowd but not bad for a Tuesday night.  Maybe 25-50 people?  That venue is perfect for an intimate show of that size.  I was able to find free street parking nearby.  It was chilly.  Upon arrival I saw birthday boy Joe McKinney and Michelle.  The opening act wasn't bad.  I'd never seen them before.

Aqueous played one set with an encore that lasted two hours in duration.  I definitely felt like I got my $12.30 worth of entertainment.  They took the stage to the theme from Chariots of Fire.  I liked the guitar player on the right who occasionally played keyboards.  When the other guitar player played slide it definitely was remiscent of Al Schnier from moe.  I am not very familiar with their repertoire yet.  I know they played Origami toward the beginning of the set.  The highlight was the jam that emerged from their cover of Pink Floyd's "Fearless".  It was a fun show.  Their drummer gave me his setlist.  The crowd was sent out into the cold night to the sounds of Michael Jackson "Girl is Mine" on the PA system.  Not bad for a Tuesday night in Iowa.

11/24/17 Dead & Company @ Little Caesars Arena - Detroit, MI

On Friday I drove from Geneseo, IL to Detroit, MI for Dead & Company at the brand new Little Caesars Arena.  The drive was uneventful as the weather was unseasonably warm.  It was clear skies and open roads on I-80 and I-94.  I paid extra to park in the garage closest to I-75 which made for a quick getaway.  I brought a few leftover turkey and stuffing sandwiches that I ate when I got there being the day after Thanksgiving.  It was a scary lot scene a few blocks away in a vacant lot/alley.  There were a lot of desperate souls out there with area homeless mixing in with the Dead tour crowd making it resemble a skid row. 




This was juxtaposed against an $800 million dollar arena built for the Red Wings and to a lesser extent the Pistons.  There were multiple Little Caesars Pizza stands within the facility as you would expect.  Little Caesars Arena has an exterior of office buildings.  Inside of this is a wide concourse filled with high end sports bars, restaurants, and team shops.  As to be expected in these cutting edge facilities we went through TSA style metal detectors.  We were greeted by the sounds of jam friendly acts like the Allmans, Phish, and the Grateful Dead on the PA system in the hallway of the arena.  I purchased the event poster.  My actual seat was in the upper deck.  I took the escalator up there.  It was hard not to get vertigo.  They used the Bell Centre in Montreal as their model of what they wanted for the upper deck sightlines.  While it would be great for hockey, that's way too steep for dancing.  I found an empty seat in the lower level and it worked out fine for the evening.  The sound could have been a tad better but the biggest problem was people talking.  I met a good guy named Mike from Detroit.  He said he had done some of the electrical work on the venue.  The show started about 7:15.  Much of the crowd was late arriving.  I would estimate the crowd around 12-15K with the floor being separated into general admission in the front and reserved seating in the back.


John Mayer was the undisputed MVP of this show.  I recognized the Martha and the Vandellas Motown cover right away.  "Can't forget the Motor City!!!"  Next was Jack Straw with the "take the Detroit Lightning out of Santa Fe" lyrics.  Weir and Mayer trade off the vocals on that classic. A review of this show described the majority of the first set as being Americana.  That would describe the song selection accurately.  Jeff Chimenti stepped up on keys for Brown Eyed Women.  Ramble on Rose was next.  That was the Dead and Company debut of the traditional Deep Elem Blues.  I remember abbreviating on some of my first tapes BIODTL.  Sugaree was clearly the highlight of the first set.  Mayer shredded this nearly 15 version. 


New Speedway Boogie is a song I connect with the Festival Express DVD.  The more I studied the lyrics it becomes apparent that it's about Altamont.  This was a great song to start the second set.  This was followed by a slow Dark Star.  I'm not a huge fan of Bobby singing the Garcia tunes but I tried not to focus on that.  The classic Scarlet > Fire pairing made the show for me.  Oteil does a good job on the vocals for Fire on the Mountain.  I was a little bit letdown by the duration and intensity of this Drums.  It just never really got there.  They farted around too much and never got a good rhythm going.  The rest of the band returned for Space that eventually surprised us with Bob Dylan's A Hard Rain's A-Gonna Fall.  Weir did a solid job on the cover.  The Wheel featured the Jackson Browne "Stay" tease they did earlier in the tour.  Buddy Holly's NFA wrapped up the set in this massive arena setting with the crowd clapping along.  Casey Jones was the encore.  This was a fun show that had its moments.  The overall roadtrip was a good experience for me.  The new arena was interesting to explore.  Mayer, Oteil, and Jeff Chimenti drove the train.  The drummers played some of the tunes at too slow of a pace.  Bobby "Ace" Weir is one of my heroes.  I appreciate him keeping this thing going.

11/8/17 Spafford @ Waiting Room - Omaha, NE

Right now I'm in a transitional phase.  I made the correct decision to leave a job I was unhappy doing.  Last weekend I started working at Geneseo Brewing Co. in the kitchen.   I will be doing UPS driver helper in December.  It felt like with this roadtrip I got back to being me.  For the last 9 months I worked hard and tried my best at what ultimately was not a good fit for me.  Yesterday I drove by myself to Omaha for Spafford.  It was a crisp autumnal day with clear skies but temperatures in the 40s.  The corn and soybean harvest heads toward the home stretch.  I saw equipment in the fields until well after dark.  With daylight savings over the weekend I'm still getting used to it being darker earlier. I stopped in Avoca on my way there and ate at Taco John's which proved to be a rookie mistake.  With this being a 5 hour trip each way you have some time to reflect on things. 


I found a parking spot near the venue which was something at these smaller funky bars that I worry about.  Everything worked out well on this road trip.  It was good to see Low Soxx from The Bort.  There was maybe a 100 people or so.  It was a bar setting.  There was one taper.  I was right up front for the first set.  It was a loose crowd and you could move around easily.  Kenny showed up at setbreak and I'm glad he checked Spafford out. 


I liked watching the group interaction before they took the stage.  It reminded me of a basketball team.  They all slapped hands as they walked out of the dressing room.  Being up close I felt the drums were a bit loud in the mix.  Red wasn't turned up loud enough on the keys.  They replaced one of Brian Moss' guitar pedals on the go right as the show started.  I was impressed with the guitar tech's prowess under pressure.  Backdoor Funk was the song from this band that initially made me a fan from a show from Las Vegas 2015.  Remedy was a patient, extended version that had a segue into Walls.  Moss tipped his hand pretty early on the segue.  Remedy > Walls was a major highlight of the show.  Walls clocks in around 17 minutes.  Legend featured some slower blues work. Slip and Squander is probably Spafford's most accessible song and it worked well to close out the set.  Anchoring this version was solid bass work from Jordan Fairless.  Moss' solo at the end was huge per usual.  I was impressed with the first set. 


The second set started with a 20 minute version of Leave the Light On.  Both jams were successful, especially a powerful one after the second verse.  I dig Space Gagdet with its implied Inspector Gadget theme portion.  That was a cartoon I watched a lot back in the day. Todd's Tots is one of their better songs in my opinion.  Some of the parts remind me in a good way of Pat Metheny Group.  All My Friends was followed by Bee Jam which was more contained than the now famous version from Columbia, MO this fall.  I was delighted by the choice of Minds Unchained at that juncture.  Overall I was very happy about the playing and the song selection.  For the encore they did their reggae take on The Band's "I Shall Be Released".  The guitar tech gave me Brian Moss' stage setlist after the encore.  This was my 3rd time seeing Spafford.  It's fun to have a new thing to nerd out to, learn, and enjoy.   It was a lot of driving but I'm glad I went.  I had breakfast at McD in Newton by the Iowa Speedway.  Earlier in the day my sister had her baby.  Now I'm the uncle of Tommy Lake Dawson. 

10/6/17 Mike Gordon @ Metro - Chicago, IL

A few weeks ago I went to Chicago after work.  I listened to the Cubs-Nationals playoff game on the radio on my way into the city.  Upon arrival in Wrigleyville I watched the game for a while at the various bars.  I was walking by Murphy's when the Cubs got a key insurance run and the crowd went crazy with the bartender ringing the bell.  It was a fun energy to be part of.  The Metro is located down the left field line on Clark St. just past the ballpark.  I'd only been to one other show here which was The Omega Moos in what I believe was 2008.  The security provided a thorough frisk which was to be expected with the Las Vegas tragedy the weekend before.  That event really shook me to my core.  It made me question the direction of a lot things. 


I missed a lot of the first set watching the Cubs playoff win.  I caught the new song that closed it out Go Away.  I really like the new album OGOGO.  Stealing Jamaica was the theme of the poster so that made sense to open set II.  Cruel World is a song I've heard a lot with MGB.  Trapezoidal Sunshine was a really different tune that I was unfamiliar with.  The song titles Normal Phoebe and Crazy Sometimes provide a juxtaposition.  Whirlwind was a highlight for me.  Mike Gordon's version of Cities is with Scott on vocals and a much faster pace than Phish's cover.  It's more true to the original Talking Heads style.  Let's Go was the "single" from the album and I liked hearing Mike's band play it.  Last fall I'd heard Phish play this song during a soundcheck in Tennessee.  Steps was my favorite song off the album.  That was a good call to wrap up the night.  The crowd had to walk down steps on their way out of this venerable Chicago music club made popular by acts such as The Smashing Pumpkins.  The focus was on the new material this fall with Mike.  The general consensus was the new album was really solid.  The production was top notch combined with catchy songs.  They translated well to the living setting though not necessarily explored all that much. 


I met some nice people at the show.  We split an Uber back to where I was parked and got back in a timely manner.  Also at this show someone recognized me from college.  Sadly that's going back a ways at this point.  This show was an example of how my job was not allowing me to be the person I want to be.  I had to show up late and was exhausted the whole time.  I've since decided to move on from that company.  I'll sacrifice income to have more time and energy to do what I love.   Now that I have money saved I can rest and find work in a situation that is a better fit

9/23/17 Umphrey's McGee @ Huntington Bank Pavilion at Northerly Island - Chicago, IL

After work last Friday I drove to Madison, WI where I stayed with longtime friend Soren and his girlfriend Melissa.  It was gracious of them to let me stay.  We ate dinner, played some pool, and watched a movie called "Waking Life".  The next morning I got up and made my way to Milwaukee for the Cubs vs Brewers.  I stopped at my buddy Craig's place in New Berlin on the way.  This was my first time to Miller Park.  It was very hot with temps in the 90s.  It was a noon start but they still continued with the Disco Night theme which I enjoyed.  The crowd was over 44,000 and was sold out.  Hendricks pitched well.  As did Wilson from the bullpen.  Surprisingly it was Wade Davis who blew two leads in the 9th and 10th innings who let us down on this occasion.  The Brewers apparently play Bob Seger "Old Time Rock and Roll" after their wins.  It was a little stressful with the detours and traffic after the game but I made my way to the Lake Forest Oasis where my dinner was Sbarro and Dunkin Donuts.  It made me think of when we had stopped there in previous years going north to Milwaukee.  This time I was rolling south and onto a stretch of interstate 94 that I'm not sure I'd ever traveled right before it connects with 90.  Finally I got off at Lake Shore Drive and parked in the Soldier Field garage.  As I walked into the venue I could hear Umphrey's McGee starting up Nemo. 


I met some good people during the setbreaks.  Before the show I saw my friend Fabian and his brother Francis.  I said hello to Adam Budney as I entered the crowd.  The first set had Jake and Brendan on acoustic guitars.  The rest of the band appeared to be using normal gear.  It was still daylight for the first set which lasted about 45 minutes in duration.  The show started on time at 6:30.  For the record I did not attend the previous attempt when it was rained out.  The acoustic set and rescheduled show was a way of the band making it right.  After a day of watching baseball in the hot sun and battling gridlock on the highway a three set concert may have been a bit ambitious.  I drank a 5 hour energy and continued onward.  There were a few songs in that first set I was not familiar with and had to look up on their Twitter page.  Mike Racky sat in on pedal steel for four songs.  I remembered him from several of the Jake and Brendan Christmas shows.  In the Kitchen with Pony Stasik supplying a strong groove was the clear highlight of this acoustic first set.  I moved closer to the stage for set II. 


Wappy Sprayberry was followed by Crucial Taunt.  This was a hard rocking segment juxtaposed against the more gentle sounds of Passing.  The rest of the set was a Jajunk sandwich with Higgins, Make It Right, and Remind Me.  This portion of the show was a major highlight with the band at the top of the collective game.


The final set and encore was sandwiched with the appropriate Divisions.  On the way home I listened to The Score 670 and listened to the divided opinions on the NFL situation.  There was a smooth segue into The Floor.  Ringo was a solid version followed by the always welcome The Triple Wide.  The dance beat dissipated into the 80's cover of Thompson Twins "Hold Me Now".  At work I listen to 104.9 KIIK.  I recognized what they were doing pretty early.  They finished the Mantis they had started at the previous show in July.  Wizard Burial Ground was a major highlight.  Stasik took a bass solo in the middle.   I thought Joel played well on keyboards.  He's a good guy.  Day Nurse was the first song of the encore and led into the end of Divisions which was end the show.  It was over by the 11 pm curfew. 


I hit major traffic near Bowlingbrook which was the result of a weekend late night construction project.  It turned the drive home into much longer than it needed to be.  After bumper to bumper traffic for several hours I finally stopped at White Castle.  The food was good but I was approached by a person asking for money in the parking lot at 2 am.  I helped the guy but honestly for one of the first times in 18 years of traveling for music I felt in danger.  Also going to White Castle made me miss Nick and Elizabeth who no longer see shows anymore.  That was a postshow ritual for us.  Near Minooka you could see a fire at the top of the nearby oil refinery.  It lit up the night sky for miles.  I stopped for a while at that rest area but with temperatures in the 80s it was hard to sleep.  Finally after getting fuel and coffee at the Pilot McDiesel in Utica I was able to make the final leg of my journey.  In retrospect I have a hard time conjuring the energy for a ballgame and a show in the same day.  To do that in two different states with the concert having an extra set taboot was asking a lot out of my body.