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.   

9/2-3 Phish @ Dick's Sporting Goods Park - Commerce City, CO

A week ago I left work at 2:30 and traveled west.  I started the journey with Bob Seger & The Silver Bullet Band "Greatest Hits".  The opening track, "Roll Me Away" was the opener at the show I'd seen the previous Saturday in Moline.  I stopped briefly in Tiffin, IA and as I got back on the interstate I saw a hawk flying which is referenced in that song.  The lyrics from that album seemed to fit with my roadtrip.  I even heard "Turn the Page" on the road east of Omaha on radio coming back.  I really enjoyed that Seger show and it was a consolation for having to miss the Friday Dick's Phish show this year.  Next year hopefully I won't have to miss the first night which unfortunately for me turned out to the be the strongest show by a wide margain.  That's the way it goes sometimes.  I had a lot of fun and enjoyed the two shows I saw.  It's inspirational how well Phish is playing right now.  I think it's the best they've played since I was in high school.


I drove from Davenport, IA to York, NE and stayed at the luxurious Motel 6 where Tom Bodette left the light on for me.  I dined on Taco Bell.  After a shower and a few episodes of Modern Family I got a good night's rest.  There was still at least 6 hours of driving left.  Listened to the Nebraska official movie soundtrack.  I can tolerate western Nebraska but eastern Colorado is horrible.  Staring off into nothing for 3 hours is brutal.  It was easy to get to Dick's Sporting Goods Park and the Quebec St. area from 76 using rt. 2.  I camped with Pat, Ryan, Heather, Jeff, and Katherine.  There was a good crew of other people camping nearby who made the weekend fun.  They played songs from The Traveling Wilburys Vol. 1 which made them good people in my book.  However, it was very hot.  90 degrees on Saturday and 96 degrees on Sunday. 


The first set on Saturday was very impressive.  Though nowhere near the Chicago Simple this was a good version for an opener.  Martian Monster seemed explored more than earlier this summer.  Reba was a major highlight of the weekend for me.  Then they kept the momentum up with Sand.  Crazy Sometimes from the Mike solo tour works well with Phish.  Limb by Limb contained a "Follow the Yellowbrick Road" tease by Trey.  Wolfman's Brother was extended beyond normal 3.0 boundaries.  Walls of the Cave was a high energy way to wrap up a set that could pass as a second set on some nights.  I was happy with the first set. 


Everything's Right had a jam that needed a bit more leadership.  It fizzles before heading into Fuego. 
Steam was followed by Chalkdust and by now it was starting to get a little too song oriented.  Too many songs.  The calling card of the Saturday Night Special.  The jamming happened the night before.  This wasn't my first rodeo.  I know how they operate during 3 night runs in this era.  Mike's was straight forward.  Winterqueen was a cool down moment but did yield some brief interesting playing at the end before surprising us with What's the Use? before Weekapaug.  I thought that would wrap it up.  They tacked on Slave to the Traffic Light.  Lizards, Antelope was a very old school generous encore.  The landing during Antelope left something to be desired.  It was a powerhouse setlist but this second set was played almost totally within the box which is disappointing coming on the heels of the Baker's Dozen.  Still we heard a lot of classic Phish songs.  After that Reba everyone was a winner. 


The first set on Sunday was rather pedestrian until a rocking 46 Days and an explored Bathtub Gin to wrap it up.  This was my 145th show.  Pat was with me at my first show 7/24/99 Alpine Valley.  I was glad he was with me for a fun second set and a powerful encore. I liked the dark space that was explored during DWD.  The sentiment of the lyrics of Rise/Come Together are Trey's statement about the nation.  Meatstick reminded me of 7/12/00 and 9/22/00 two other favorite versions .  It sank in how long I've been seeing Phish.  The band didn't necessarily play the songs I wanted to hear during this set but they are playing so well that it didn't really matter.  Waste, First Tube was a good way to end the summer.  The postshow music was Steely Dan "Any Major Dude Will Tell You" which was a nod to the fallen Walter Becker.  The next day I heard "FM" by Steely Dan and decided to listen to the radio the entire way back.  No static at all.  I heard everything from Danzig to Rockwell to Grand Funk Railroad as I was getting closer to my home.  In Nebraska for dinner it felt like an Arby's night.  I stopped briefly in Omaha and then made the final push for home.  Last weekend was a lot of driving but I'm glad I went.  I saw some old friends.  It was good for the soul.

8/26/17 Bob Seger & The Silver Bullet Band @ iWireless Center - Moline, IL

This morning I made the spur of the moment decision to buy a ticket to see Bob Seger and The Silver Bullet Band at The Mark of the Quad Cities.  That is the venue where I saw my very first concert which was Jethro Tull in 1996 with my parents.  On that occasion it was a half house setup.  This was a full arena setup with chairs on the floor. By showtime it appeared to be sold out or very close.  You can tell that concerts are a much needed shot of business to downtown Moline.  I thought about parking near Bad Boyz Pizza but the lot was full and it was getting close to showtime so I ended up parking near 16th St. and 6th Ave. in a public lot.  I felt like George Costanza driving around refusing to pay to park.  With time being of the essence I settled for a Slim 5 at Jimmy John's.  This was a new location for me located on the same block as Bent River Brewery. 


The opening act was forgettable.  Seger hit the stage about 9.  The older beer drinking crowd sat the whole show.  The Quad Cities is lucky to have such a wonderful arena.  I still remember when it was built in the mid 90s and the hey day of the Mallards shortly thereafter.  There are lots of great memories for me associated with that building.  Bob Seger is far from my favorite artist but his music has been with me a lot over the years.  His voice is like a familiar friend that has been with me on my journey.  It's a certain type of Midwestern soul that I can relate to.  He's just a special songwriter and singer.  For a guy his age he was dancing around like James Brown at times.  It was impressive.  The Silver Bullet Band is a nuanced and tight musical outfit.  At one point there was 15 people onstage.  The 5 piece Motown horns brought a full sound for the beginning half of the show.  Several songs he played piano.  For a couple he sat and played acoustic.  His drummer was a driving force in the band.  The young electric guitar player was highly skilled and knew his parts.  Fire Down Below was expected and appreciated with the Moline reference. Mainstreet is a favorite of mine.  Like a Rock was emotion filled even its been tained by the Chevrolet commercial usage.  He said he got the idea for We've Got Tonight from the movie The Sting.  The saxophone on Turn the Page was a major highlight.  Her Strut was probably about as rocking as the show got.  Ramblin Gamblin Man was a song that I appreciate more now.  Against the Wind and Hollywood Nights are amongst my favorite Bob Seger tracks.  I liked watching one of the security ladies put down her guard and dance during Night Moves.  Rock and Roll Never Forgets wrapped up a fun experience.   It was nice to be home 30 minutes after the show ended.  My drifter days are over now.  Deadlines and commitments.  What to leave in?  What to leave out?  I'm still running against the wind.