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.
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