In our 2014 Best of Upstate series, we have so far looked at the Best Albums and Best Festivals of 2014. Today we look at the music venues throughout Upstate NY. The region is blessed with incredible clubs, theatres and arena throughout the state, all bringing in a wide range of musical acts for the population living in Upstate New York, and drawing in music fans from outside our region.
Best Club
Honorable Mentions
Best Theatre
Honorable Mentions
Best Arena/Amphitheater
Honorable Mentions
It’s interesting how perception can alter your own reality. For the longest time, I wanted nothing to do with Phish, jaded by some fans who surrounded me growing up. As I got older and ultimately left that circle, my musical journey continued. While that bad taste was always in the back of my head, I began liking bands of similar ilk and that perception towards Phish started to be internally questioned. One week ago today, I stepped through a door and saw my very first Phish show.
While it’s slightly embarrassing now, I realize what I’ve missed all of those years and now know why so many bands I enjoy today list them as a huge influence. Here are my takeaways from my first Phish show at CMAC on July 15, 2014.
While I don’t think I’ll ever be the guy who researches every version of every song, intently listening for subtleties and memorizing Phish’s musical footprint, I think the band, at least for now, has converted me from a cynic to an appreciator of all that they do. I know for sure that even though I can’t follow them around the country, I will definitely catch them the next time they’re in town.
Set List
Set 1: Buried Alive, Twist, Heavy Things, 555, Halley’s Comet, Bathtub Gin, Wingsuit, Divided Sky, Wombat, Bowie
Set 2: DWD > Back on the Train > NICU > Gotta Jibboo > Theme from the Bottom > Meatstick, Fuego, The Wedge, Antelope
Encore: Character Zero
The picturesque venue of Canandaigua Music and Arts Center, CMAC, located about 20 minutes outside of Rochester N.Y. was the setting for Don Felder, Styx and headliner Foreigner.
What stole the show was when Foreigner brought the Canandaigua Academy Jazz Choir on stage with them for a song. The Choir had been asked by Lou Gramm to sing with him at the Rochester Jazz Fest and later was asked by a representative from Foreigner to be the choir vocals in the hit 90’s ballad song “I Want to Know What Love Is”, which was gladly accepted by Amy Story, Academy Choral Director.
The stage is set under the shell with seating. Typically, no one is allowed to stand in the aisle that is in front the first row seating; an exception was made for this special occasion. Both supporters of the choir and fans of Foreigner crowded up to the front to get an up close, personal view and experience. The second to last song in Foreigner’s set, the choir came on the stage. The facial expressions and radiant glow from the smile of the choir member faces was contagious. The voices of the inspired younger generations seemed to exude the emotions of appreciation for the opportunity Foreigner had given them.
Sounds of voices quickly filled the air and were received with an energetic welcoming enthusiasm from Foreigner. The audience was feeding off the energy from everyone on the stage. By the looks from one gentleman in the front row, he had enough energy for the entire audience. He was proudly looking with a twinkle in his eyes at the stage as he stretched one arm out in front of him, singing with all his heart. This gentleman could only have been a proud Papa bear by the amount emotion that he was watching someone up on stage. The choir was professional the entire evening and did a tremendous job and were truly wonderful ambassadors for their school.
Although the choir stole the show, Foreigner was a class act and there is more to be said than just a great performance by these guys. They covered the stage like they were 16 years old still. Running from one side to the next, playing up to the audience. The interacted with the choir and made sure the focus was about them. Foreigner is a group of musicians that are quality people. They gave to a community; to a group of young adults by providing an incredible opportunity to perform with such a large act, instilling a memory that so many more than just the choir will never forget, impacted lives by just being able to experience and see that performance. If only more musicians and people could be like this the world would be a better place. Photo credit: Tony DeLeo
The 2014 summer tour from Phish continues to be an ever-unravelling adventure in setlist construction and jam sequences. The show at Canandaigua on Tuesday was no exception. Launching into the rarity “Buried Alive” right out of the gates, the foursome then segued into an oddly placed but adventurous first-set “Twist”, clocking in just over 8 minutes. From there, Phish went right into straight-forward versions of “Heavy Things”, “555” (the first of 4 tracks off the new album Fuego) and “Halley’s Comet” before really finding their stride for what was potentially the most focused closing 2nd half of a first-set the band has played this summer tour. Starting at 8:06 p.m., When they started Bathtub Gin and really not letting up until the closing notes of David Bowie at 9 p.m., the band painted a melodic canvas for 54 minutes straight swaying in an out of intensity and exploration until the set finished.
Harkening back to the aforementioned adventurous setlists, this writer can assuredly say pre summer-tour, he would not be clamoring to ooze compliments over a “Bathtub Gin”, “Wingsuit”, “Divided Sky”, “Wombat”, “David Bowie” First set closer. However, it as if Phish, whether it be intentionally or serendipitously, is beginning to find their footing for the new Fuego tracks. The Canandaigua setlist did not contain one cover and had a ton of new material, so it could be argued the band is carefully, and strategically trying to integrate the new material into their setlists, that in many ways in recent years, had become very predictable.
Of note from the end of this first set, was the 17 minute “Divided Sky”, which seemed to perfectly jive with the divided sky and piercing sunset over Canandaigua Lake at the same time. This version is definitely a top-3 version from the 3.0 era. Another impressive showing also came from “Wombat” (clocking in at over 7 minutes) which has quickly risen to be a ridiculously fun dance number with bassist Gordon and keyboardist McConnell having enjoyable interplay. This has got to be one of the silliest, yet funkiest phish songs to come out of the barn in the past decade with the chorus “Cuddly, but muscular.” The entire pavilion inside of CMAC was getting down with many observed to be thrusting their Wombat wings in almost mock Chicken-dance and shadowing the original Wombat strut from Abe Vigoda from last year’s Halloween set. The jam was shorter than many of us would have liked but was a tight little package of funk. Definitely: one of the “jammiest” highlights of the night.
The second set began with a monstrous “Down With Disease” that ebbed and flowed from a laid back sonic sound scape to an intense funky jam with Page McConnell crushing several sections of the arrangement with powerful keystrokes. All told, the DWD clocked in just over 20 minutes and was truly a playground of emotions. It perfectly summarized where this band is at on this summer tour installment. Seemingly firing on all cylinders, Phish has is leaving predictability aside and blazing new trails, especially in the song selection and placement in the second set, specifically the previously notable 2nd set, 2nd song which had previously been “thee slot” to expect an exploration. That continued Tuesday at CMAC when the band, coming off the heels of the raucous DWD, eased into a shortened “Back on the Train”.
The second set continued in this quick-hitting fashion but never officially stopping and starting an arrangement and seguing set start to finish. Albeit short affairs with a 6 minute “Back on the Train”, a 5 min “NICU” (first one of summer tour), an 8-min “Theme from the Bottom” and a 5 minute “Meatstick”, the set truly felt like one big melodic jam with a 9-minute “Gotta Jiboo” and a 10+ minute “Fuego” taking center stage before a longer than 2014 summer-tour standard “Run Like an Antelope” brought what was one, very cohesive set and show to a close. The encore was “Character Zero” and the band quickly exited the stage to hit the long overnight trip to Detroit for next show on the tour.
Just before Phish sinks their toes into the ground and sets a different course for the Midwestern leg of their 2014 Summer Tour, The Vermont quartet will leave the Big Apple for greener pastures for one more Upstate stop in the Finger Lakes. Their pit-stop into Canandaigua Performing Arts Center (CMAC) Tuesday, July 15th will mark the 5th time Phish has visited Canandaigua; albeit only the 1st time in the past four years.
Thus far on the 2014 Summer Tour, the band has charted new territory by perhaps placing their single-most ever determined focus on their new material, off their recently released album “Fuego.” Before the Phish faithful started hitting the message boards with “Mehs” and groans of disapproval, the first 6 shows of this tour beg phans to listen to the already interesting song combinations, cleverly slotted new album material, and in spots, those dirty, spacey jams all of us jaded vets drool over. In addition to the most recent shows at the Mann in Philadelphia and tour opener in Mansfield, Ma., Phish continued to recently please their “Upstate Base” with 3 consistent nights at SPAC in Saratoga Springs, NY over July fourth weekend, at what has evolved as the real summer home base for the band from Burlington.
In addition to staying true to his pre-tour omen of limited cover material this tour, Frontman Trey Anastasio and crew have mostly refrained from traditional second set opening favorites “Crosseyed and Painless” and “Golden Age”, despite the Mann 2nd night’s Crosseyed. The band really seems to be in their place, really focused on their core material, spanning the past 30 years and with their new material from “Fuego” – with the title song “Fuego” really showing some tentacles as the band’s next true jam vehicle.
Canandaigua is no stranger to the strange when it comes to Phish. Informally known as the “Fleezer” show (derived from combining Finger Lakes and Tweezer) from June 22, 1995, and this NYS Music Contributor’s first show, Phish dropped an almost entire Tweezer 2nd set. Surprises could still be in store for the CMAC as Phish has been known to drop serious sleeper setlists for shows that have yet to sell out.
Note to NYS Music readers: Tickets are still available for the Canandaigua show.