5/27/18 Summercamp @ Three Sisters Park - Chillicothe, IL

Phil & Friends 2018-05-27 AUD recording


About 3 weeks ago I went with a couple buddies down to Chillicothe, IL for the Sunday of the Summercamp Music Festival.  This was my 15th year in a row that I've attended in some capacity.  The weather was extremely hot with temperatures nearing 98 degrees.  We were able to find a parking spot, got our wristbands, and through the search in a fairly quick manner.  Everything went pretty smoothly all day. 


I started the day with a stop by the merch stand and caught the beginning of the Los Lobos set.  I felt like the crowd was a tad smaller than the year before.  I could be wrong though.  At this point I got my folding chair set up by the soundboard of the Sunshine Stage.  It was extremely hot.  Umphrey's McGee played a strong set given the conditions.  I liked the jams in Bridgeless and Tribute to the Spinal Shaft.  I believe that was the third year in a row they've played Crucial Taunt during the Sunday set at Summercamp.  Africa was a nice kickdown.  They do a great job with that cover. 


Vic Wooten and TAUK weren't bad.  They kept the day going.  Vic Wooten's group didn't stray far from the Flecktones sound.  TAUK's keyboard was turned up too loud in the mix.  That was my first time seeing them.  Greensky Bluegrass is a band that I'm really enjoying these days.  I went to college with someone who dates their mandolin player, Paul Hoffman.  I especially liked their cover of "Money for Nothing" by Dire Straits.  During that set I talked to a former co-worker from Moline who I hadn't seen in years.  After that I went for a walk through the RV section and talked to some more familiar faces.  The temperatures were very hot but the vibe was good.  I had a better time this year than I did the year before. 


The crowd was noticeably older when Phil and The Terrapin Family Band took the Sunshine Stage.  The guy next to me was taping.  I helped protect the microphone stand.  The first set was highlighted by an interesting take on Cassidy.  The female vocals added a lot.  This was clearly a different interpretation of The Grateful Dead compared to what I've seen from Dead & Company.  I wish the core four would still tour together but it is what it is.  Whether this was the final time I'll ever see Phil Lesh in the live setting remains to be seen but I've always viewed him as a grandfather type figure of this music scene.  During the setbreak I saw local act The Dawn perform a spirited take on Led Zeppelin's "Good Times Bad Times".  Terrapin Station was a highlight in the second set.  They ended set two with a fiery take on Neil Young's "Rockin in the Free World" which was an obvious reference to the school shooting that had occurred days before. 


We made our way to the area in front of the soundboard in the Moonshine Stage.  I was excited to see moe. again.  It had been a calendar year since I'd seen them live with them having taken time off because of Rob Derhak's cancer.  SOMP > SDB is old school moe.  The Zeppelin cover was fun.  Flo > Laz > Moth was really rocking.  I was having a great time.  moe. stepped up to the plate.  The lights and the video work were tasteful. 


The second set started with Drums and led into a setlong Brent Black sandwich. Bullet > Kyle's were played in their Wormwood order.  LL3 is a new song that references Rob's cancer battle. George always is a treat.  Four > BB was solid work.  NYC, Wind It Up sent us off into the Illinois night.  moe. won the day, but the schedule is set up to work out that way.   

4/20/18 Trey Anastasio @ Chicago Theatre - Chicago, IL

The weekend before last I went to Chicago on that Friday to see Trey Anastasio who was touring with a three piece band.  In honor of the 20th anniversary of the original show with the lineup of Trey, Russ, and Tony he decided to tour with that format because of the illness of his keyboard player Ray Paczkowski.  While on some songs I missed the full band sound it was unique to hear this Trio sound.  Traffic wasn't too bad for a Friday afternoon.  I parked in Wicker Park and took the Blue Line to the Thompson Center.  I've now seen Trey at the Chicago Theatre in 03, 12, and 18.  In my opinion its the nicest venue in the city.


I was surprised by Trey's choice of songs this tour. I'd prefer he would have dug deeper into his solo catalog or brought back the covers the trio played on Spring 1999.  Playing Phish songs with Tony and Russ was a little lame.  Trey's usage of effects, tone, and overall playing improved over the course of the tour.  In Chicago at times it was still a work in progress.  The setlists speak for themselves.  All songs stayed totally type I.  His solo during Dirt was particularly rough.  Ocelot might have had the best playing of the first set. 


In set two it was cool to hear Soul Planet for the first time.  This will be the go to jam vehicle for Phish this summer.  Aqui Como Alla is one of the songs from Spring 99 that they regularly played so it was nice to hear that cover.  Blaze On and Sand were the biggest songs of the second set.  The encore started with Los Lobos' "Circus Comes to Town".  The lyrics "the day I burn this whole place down" was cheered by many on this 4/20.  Tuesday was somewhat anticlimactic as a closer but you knew they were saving First Tube for the next night.  I was happy that I went.  It was good to have a show to look forward to.  This was the first show I saw with my new tour mobile.

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.