Last Wednesday I worked in the morning on the farm and then drove down to Decatur to Doc's house. From there we were on to St. Louis to see Mike Gordon at the Pageant Theatre. For dinner we stopped at Pappy's BBQ near St. Louis University which brought back memories of the 2012 Chaifetz Arena show. It was a nice sunny day for our cruise through southern Illinois. We got a spot right in the center of the venue just above the floor area. The balcony was closed for this event and it was a somewhat sparce crowd. Mike was hanging out over by the merch area before the show taking in the scene.
I did not recognize the opening song of the show. I liked the understated stage backdrops which changed colors. Especially, I enjoyed the part of the show when they used the spooky trees. Mike deserves a keyboard player of Robert Walter's stature to play with. This added a lot to the performance compared to the three previous MGB shows I'd seen. Another part of this show I liked was the addition of John Kimock on drums. This kid could really play and was an improvement over the previous drummer. This was early in the tour but you could tell the band had done plenty of preparation. Cruel World is a song I've heard several times before and features Scott on vocals. I felt he had a good night on guitar and benefited from the lineup changes as well. 555 was welcomed by the Phish oriented crowd and this version was explored thoroughly. I did not know the next few tunes and the set lagged a bit at this point. Tiny Little World and Jumping are two tunes off Overstep which got the show heading in the right direction. I respect Mike for putting together a cohesive musical vehicle for his performance art. With that said I wish he'd be a bit more bombastic (pun intended) which the envelope filter.
Jones is another Scott tune and one of his better ones. This number segued into The Green Sparrow song, Dig Further Down. Next came the unexpected highlight of the show for me. This Robert Palmer cover, Looking For Clues, got the crowd moving. Gordo was really into this cover. The percussion player was adding some effective textures on his e-drums. This whole set was a cohesive, effective musical statement. I was pleased to hear the MGB take on Yarmouth Road. This was also given more improvisation than any Phish version to date. Suskind Hotel was from the forgettable GRAB tour. I'm glad Mike is continuing to use that song. In recent weeks I'd been enjoying the bonus EP The Last Step specifically Normal Phoebe so that was appreciated. Face was another Overstep track that worked well. I did not recognize the last song but it capped off the set effectively. The encore of Spock's Brain and Meat was a nice kickdown to the Phish fans in attendance. The latter was a bit awkward in its execution. The second set of this show gave this performance the win. I'm happy for Mike that he has an improved jam vehicle for his solo career. Doc and I had fun and I appreciate him driving and letting me stay at his place.
below pictures by Jamie Schroeder (Live Music Blog)
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