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
Steely Dan is known for high-quality composition, intellectual lyrics, and songs that contain multiple layers of meaning. Yet, while on SPAC’s stage on Sunday, Aug. 31 their performance was quite simple. No fancy props, no flashy clothes, no crazy antics. The complexity of their music compared to the simple performance on stage was ironic.
The irony of Steely Dan seems to be a common theme. Even their name is ironic. Those who don’t know the band might assume it is named for one person whom perhaps either has a “steely voice” or who makes the guitar screech like grinding steel. But Steely Dan is not named for one person – they are named for an adult toy that was the subject of the novel, The Naked Lunch and the band’s name definitely does not describe how they operate on stage.
Their performance does not focus on one person; in fact, it’s not even really focused on the two men (Donald Fagen and Walter Becker) who founded the band in the 1960s while attending Bard College. All 13 musicians on stage had an opportunity to show off their incredible talent. The keyboardist, guitarists, and backup singers were all given ample time to display their gifts. All four horn players had solos, and even had a chance to step to the front of the stage to highlight their life’s work. The drummer had multiple times to shine, and in fact, lights were arranged behind and underneath him to further emphasize his explosive talent.
Fagen and Becker, who are of course, the glue that holds Steely Dan together, were the guys who drew thousands of fans to Saratoga Springs. Both are brilliant musicians. Fagen was working with malfunctioning equipment; the G above middle C on his keyboard was not working, but, as he told the crowd, he worked around it. Becker’s stories, which started out in a conversational tone, but following tangent after tangent, ended up fitting into the music that the band was building up behind him.
Fans who came to hear their Steely Dan favorites were not disappointed. The 1970s hits, such as “Rikki Don’t Lose that Number,” “My Old School,” and “Reelin’ In the Years” were performed with absolute mastery.
Steely Dan’s Jamalot 2014 Tour will end with a three-day run Sept. 19-21 at The Capitol Theatre in Port Chester,N.Y. with several other scheduled performances in the Northeast.
Set List:
Cubano Chant (orchestra) , Black Cow, Aja, Hey Nineteen, Black Friday, Show Biz Kids, Time Out of Mind, Two Against Nature, Dirty Work, Bodhisattva, I Want To (Do Everything for You), Daddy Don’t Live in That New York City No More, Babylon Sisters, Reelin’ In The Years, Josie, Peg, My Old School, Rikki Don’t Lose That Number
Encore:
Kid Charlemagne, The Untouchables
While most people may know the Zac Brown Band as those country guys that sing about fried chicken and a cold beer on a Friday night, I can assure you there is a whole lot more on this band’s menu. Upstate New York fans in Darien Center and Saratoga Springs had the opportunity to hear country, rock, blues, bluegrass, metal, and island music in the same evening. Six different bands didn’t play, just one. Well, two if you count the spectacular opener, Sturgill Simpson, who is in a category all to himself.
Sturgill Simpson started the evening off with no introduction and no high-production stage setup. It was just Sturgill, his band, and their immense talent. That alone was enough to fill the stage. While he may have sung a cheating song in pure old country fashion to start the evening, die-hard country fans were met with great music and some non-traditional country topics as the set progressed. Simpson looked like he walked off the set of Welcome Back Kotter, wearing a non-country uniform consisting of a 3/4 sleeve baseball jersey, think 1970′s. In fact, everything about him screamed the ’70s – his attire, his musical style, and even his haircut. It was reminiscent of listening to AM radio in my mom’s kitchen – tapping my feet while eating my Farina Cream of Wheat and grabbing my bagged lunch before running off to school. However, with lyrics like “There’s a gateway in our mind that leads somewhere out there beyond this plane, Where reptile aliens made of light cut you open and pull out all your pain” and “Every morning when I rise I look in the mirror and despise, The sight of everything and all that I’ve become.” This is definitely not my mama’s country music. Perhaps more like listening to a modern-day metaphysical outlaw – a splendid mix of Kris or Willie’s ability to write and Merle or Waylon’s soulful badassery that spews out in the music. Sturgill didn’t speak a whole lot on stage, but when he did, he commented that “this (SPAC) is a really cool venue, man” and that Upstate “is a really beautiful place.” A nice realization to others that New York is much more than skyscrapers and taxi cabs.
The Zac Brown Band could possibly be country music’s best live band. Their music pulls you in, though after hearing it, you might choose to jump right in on your own. It was no surprise that the eight-piece band brought a huge sound, featuring three guitars (Zac plays along while singing with his rich, melodic tones), fiddle, bass, keys, drums and additional percussion. The multi-part harmonies supplied by the rest of the band gave emphasis to choruses, as if the 17,000 in attendance singing along to every song weren’t enough.
Upbeat fiddlin’, sweet guitar pickin’, twangy singin’ all went together to make some soulful, redneck rock. From that to Mediterranean feel, island music, the band seemed to do it all. It didn’t matter what type of tune ZBB played, the crowd stayed on their feet and danced the summer night away. The first set included a brief intermission while the stage crew switched over to the acoustic set. During that time, the entire band didn’t leave the stage. Instead, they shot, flung, slingshot and tossed about a hundred t-shirts into the eager crowd.
The acoustic portion included six of the band members playing various stringed instruments, including Clay Cook on mandolin and John Driskell Hopkins on the uke. The harmonies were out of this world and throughout SPAC, couples embraced and swayed side to side as the lyrics plead “don’t give up on me”. The acoustic set also included James Taylor’s “Fire and Rain” and Billy Joel’s “Piano Man”, but someone forgot to include the piano. Before the set ended, he brought a young boy to the stage, and after a brief introduction, nonchalantly added, “Derek, let me introduce you to your new friend” and handed him a signed guitar.
The second set started with a storm, hail and lightning on a shim covering the entire front of the stage. As the music started up, lights began to shine on the musicians behind the shim. “Let it rain, let it pour” being sung as the shim rose, yet the storm continued behind the band. During the brief ten-minute set break, Zac found the time to change into a top hat and dressed all in black. Shortly into the set, an unexpected cover of Metallica’s “Enter Sandman” had Hopkins wailing out the lead vocals. The country crowd let their hair down and put their horns up high as they sang as loud and proud as they did for Zac’s owns songs. Toward the end of the second set, Zac Brown Band busted out Marshall Tucker’s iconic “Can’t You See”.
During “Colder Weather”, Zac spent the whole song shaking hands and offering up fist bumps to the front couple rows in the pit. A sincere smile came across his face as he gazed up over the appreciating audience. You could see the reciprocated appreciation in his eyes.
The first song of the encore, “Day of the Dead”, had the entire band in glow-in-the-dark skeleton outfits. The four-song encore also included Charlie Daniel’s “Devil Went Down to Georgia”, and it took until the last song of the show for fans to hear “Chicken Fried”. It may have been the most popular dish on the menu, but the variation throughout the evening couldn’t help but make you feel both full and satisfied.
How do you become a rock ‘n’ roll legend? You keep ‘pushing on.’ At least, that’s what REO Speedwagon’s lead singer, Kevin Cronin, told upwards of 11,000 fans at Saratoga Performing Arts Center on Aug. 19, 2014. “You’ll have people tell you that your dream can never come true. They will ask why you don’t you just give up. They will tell you to quit. But if you want to make your dream come true, you just gotta keep pushing on.” That, of course, led into REO’s 1976 song, “Keep Pushin’ ”.
The REO Speedwagon and Chicago collaboration has not happened before this year, but it does make a lot of sense since both legendary groups have been ‘pushin’ since 1967. Both experienced their peaks in the 1970s and ’80s, drawing fans in the 40+ age group to the Saratoga show. Many of the ‘older’ fans brought their kids, or grandkids to this show, in part thanks to the GE Kids in Free program, but also because they recognized how important it is for youth to experience the quality music that has influenced current pop stars. Not to mention that it doesn’t hurt for kids to hear the message that you need to ‘work hard to make your dreams come true.’ The night’s highlight, of course, was the last half hour of the show featuring the joint performance of six hit songs – three of REO’s and three of Chicago’s. One might expect a stage crowded with fourteen incredibly talented guys to be too much. But they pulled it off. Every person on that stage contributed his own unique style to the songs they performed together.
Neither REO nor Chicago are resting on their 20th century laurels; both are still writing and performing new music. REO’s “Whipping Boy” and Chicago’s “Now” were almost as well received by fans as their hits were. Cronin’s stories were entertaining — in particular, his recap of an afternoon hike in Saratoga had the full attention of all fans. While in the woods he acquired a deer tick, which launched him into a captivating story about how he got the “creeps” and relied on a hand-held mirror to make sure he was entirely tick free. The mirror revealed parts of his anatomy he hadn’t seen before, and as he discovered himself he developed a new appreciation for certain body parts. Eventually though, he realized that it was all an illusion. The mirror was concave, making everything appear much bigger than it actually was.
Chicago’s band members didn’t tell funny stories, however, the passionate performance of trombonist James Pankow was just as fascinating.
What appeared to be a competition between drummer, Tris Imboden, and percussionist, Walfredo Reyes, was also a lot of fun to watch.
The perfect August night that aptly opened with local, one-man band, Rich Ortiz’s “Summer Song” ended with “Roll with the Changes” and the message that change is inevitable, and often good. SPAC fans were incredibly fortunate to be able to see these two legendary bands perform together; after all, it may never happen again. Right now, tour dates are scheduled through the end of this month.
Hot August Sundays at SPAC has meant country music and last Sunday was no exception. A sold out crowd at Saratoga Performing Arts Center welcomed the nation’s hottest star, Luke Bryan, along with Lee Brice and Cole Swindell. Twenty-six thousand fans filled the pavilion and the lawn enjoying the perfect weather and high-energy performances.
First up was Cole Swindell. Cole had a short set but the crowd had an extended time getting in and the amphitheater and lawn were pretty much full by the 7PM start time. While folks knew his biggest hit “Chillin’ It” that hit number one on the country charts in 2013 and his newest single “Hope You Get Lonely Tonight” – Cole’s biggest hits of the night were sung by Luke Bryan. Swindell is a very accomplished songwriter and his friend Luke Bryan has benefited with numerous hits: “Just a Sip”, “Beer in the Headlights”, “Roller Coaster” and many more.
Lee Brice served as direct support for the tour and sang his heart out to the capacity crowd. From songs about being crazy to being in love with beer. The redneck factor was sky-high and the good times were definitely rolling. Even a toast with the famous red solo cup was enough to have SPAC erupt with whoops and hollers. Brice’s “A Woman Like You” may have been his only number one but it was the rendition of “Love Like Crazy” that stole the show. The big man, who went to Clemson on a football scholarship, held the note on Craaaaaaaaaaaaaaa-zy for what seemed an eternity. The screams from the women in attendance, the vast majority, were only matched later in the evening when the headliner shook what his mama gave him.
And shake, he did. Luke Bryan may have a great voice and great songs, but his good looks and on-stage presence wins the reward for making grown women swoon. Upbeat songs and a lot of dancing carried over from the stage through the seats, all the way back to the far reaches of the lawn. The winner of numerous Country Music Awards, including the Top New Artist in 2010 and Artist of the Year in 2012, along with Billboard’s Top Country Artist in 2013. Bryan sang all his number one hits, such as: “Rain Is a Good Thing“, “Someone Else Calling You Baby“, “I Don’t Want This Night to End“, “Drunk on You“, “Crash My Party“, “That’s My Kind of Night“, “Drink a Beer” and his most recent number one, “Play It Again“” In total Luke Bryan has 11 number ones and his last two albums also topped the charts, going double platinum.
Bryan’s stage performance included the expected shaking and gyrating, but also included him bringing out a cooler full of beer and tossing cans into the audience. The beer-loving crowd that was chugging down over $10 cans all night long did not miss a beat. While the artist attempted to toss most of the beers to the attractive women near the stage, the men were less than gentlemanly snatching them out of the air. Those antics didn’t ruin the mood and seemed more par for the course. In fact, a sentimental toast recalling old friends that the crowd has shared a beer with that are no longer with us on this earth was cause for 26,000 to raise their cans of beer, or bottles of water in the air. It was the perfect way to wind down the evening only to have the party crashed and a duo encore that seemingly everyone stayed for to hear. “Play It Again” and “Country Girl (Shake It for Me)” finished the show. The country girls did shake it for Luke and he gladly returned the favor.
For those that are not fans of country music but do enjoy a good Skynyrd or Marshall Tucker tune should give the newer country artists a chance. While cliché country topics of pick-up trucks, drinking beer and swimming holes still resonant through the genre, the pace is a little faster and the guitar solos are a little longer. And if those reasons don’t sell you on trying country music again, well, perhaps a plethora of ‘Daisy Dukes’ might change your mind.
Where better to watch a half century’s worth of one band’s music than Saratoga Springs, where history ranks with horses and health? Formed in the mid 1960s, the Moody Blues are sometimes classified in the ‘psychedelic rock’ genre, holding space in the same category as Pink Floyd, but many of the elements one would expect at a psychedelic rock show were not present at SPAC on August 4. Most of the fans were over 60 — the musicians themselves are hovering around 70 — and there was a distinct absence of the substances that occupy the air and space during rock shows attended by younger crowds.
What was present though was a very sincere love, appreciation, and enthusiasm for the music. Performers and fans alike were very much ‘into it.’ The band members played like they were in their 30s, with expressions of ecstasy held during intense guitar riffs and the occasional wink at the ladies in the front row. Fans were singing along, trying hard to capture the magic on their handheld cameras, and even dancing in the aisles — which was definitely a pleasure to see. After all, those of us in the X and younger generations learned how to celebrate music from the very people who were at the Moody Blues show.
The subject of aging was merrily acknowledged. John Lodge (bassist) congratulated his fans, saying “All you old hippies, you made it after all!” Graeme Edge (drummer) stepped down from his elevated set on the stage to address the crowd at the front mic, and quipped, “Back then I had brown hair, white teeth, and this [forming a V with his index and middle fingers] meant ‘peace.’ Now, I have white hair, brown teeth, and this [the V] means Viagra.”
But of all the ways in which the aging process was celebrated by the Moody Blues and their fans, the most significant was the music. The evolution of the band’s 50 year history was traced with songs like “Tuesday Afternoon,” “Nights in White Satin,” and “In Your Wildest Dreams.” One of the fans shared that the music of the Moody Blues is ‘poetry set to music.’ And it is. It’s also worth noting that the band (Lodge, Edge and vocalist/guitarist Justin Hayward) share the stage with some pretty talented people: Norda Mullen (flute & vocals), Gordon Marshall (drums), Julie Ragins (sax, keyboard, and vocals), and Alan Hewitt (keyboard & vocals).
The Moody Blues, promoting their 2013 compilation album, Timeless Flight, are on tour through this summer.
Heavy music fans of all ages descended upon Saratoga Performing Arts Center (SPAC), starting at 1PM on July 23. The first sounds of pounding drums signaled the opening of the Saratoga gates, ominous clouds added to the palpable intensity of the Rockstar Energy Drink Mayhem Festival. Three stages adorned the lawn of SPAC, rows of tents flanked the main concourse. From the time the doors opened, until about 6:30PM, all three stages were in a constant rotation of hard-hitting, face-melting heavy rock and metal of all kinds.
The show kicked off with black metal newcomers, Erimha, a budding band from Montreal, playing on the Victory Records Stage. On paper they might seem out of place with the rest of the acts on the day long bill, but they were a good welcoming committee, setting the tone for the rest of the day. The tents were hot spots for patrons to meet and greet their favorite bands, before and after they played, and to pick up band merchandise as well as festival merchandise like T-Shirts, bandanas, and sunglasses. By 2:30, the crowd had already settled in for the day, flocking to each stage as new acts started their sets. Texas Hippie Coalition ignited the ColdCock Whiskey Stage with their southern heavy rock. At one point, lead singer Big Dad Rich claimed the lawn for his own, saying that anyone on it better raise their fist in acceptance. The crowd happily obeyed, and looks of joy and entertainment washed over the few hundred strong in attendance. Veil of Maya took the Sumerian Records Stage soon after and drew an even bigger crowd with their gigantic wall of sound.
The first ‘destination’ band of the day was definitely Mushroomhead out of Cleveland, Ohio. It seemed that everyone that was on the fringe of the stages or lost in the sea of tents during other acts all made the point to be in front of the ColdCock Whiskey Stage when the troupe of masked men started their performance. With multiple singers, crushing riffs, sound samples, and two powerhouse percussionists at the front of the stage, they ruled the crowd with ease. The second not-to-miss band of the day was undoubtedly Ice-T with Body Count. Strutting out on stage to the wail of guitars, Ice-T screamed, “Saratoga, we are moving right next door to ya!” and fired a (fake) gun into the air. Flanked on stage by his wife Coco and their two bulldogs, Ice-T whipped the crowd into a frenzied pit with classic Body Count songs, each getting a bigger response than the last. Rain started to fall finally during their set, and though it never became a torrential downpour, it helped to cool off the throngs of humans who had been dealing with the 80 degree heat and blacktop walkways all day long. Each of the three stages did a good job keeping the show running smoothly, with little to no down time between acts. By 6:00PM each stage’s headliners were finishing up their sets to satisfied crowds. The entire population turned its sights to the main stage, many taking their seats inside the amphitheater. Trivium and Asking Alexandria got great responses from their fanbases, a mostly younger audience, but the crowd grew bigger and bigger with all ages filling in the lawn. Parents taking their children to their first festival, or possibly first ever concert, and older couples reliving their youth with shirts they might have dug out of the back of their closets. All were enjoying the days festivities to their utmost potential.
By the time Korn took the stage, almost every seat inside was filled with people on their feet, the lawn was packed with fans, singing along with the opening song, “Falling Away From Me”. Playing hits from their extensive back catalogue, they stoked the fire that had been burning all day inside the rambunctious crowd. Favorites like “Freak on a Leash” and “Shoots and Ladders” complete with bagpipes, let the crowd join in the obvious fun the band was having on stage. With the return of Brian “Head” Welch last year, the band is back to its full original strength, and it shows. Lead singer Jonathan Davis crooned “You can’t bring me down” during one of their newest tunes, “Hater”, and he meant every word. They proved that they are still relevant in the ever changing world of heavy music, a landscape that they helped shape with set closer, “Blind” way back in 1993. Avenged Sevenfold are no strangers to holding the top spot, and they came out controlling the crowd from the start. They had a huge stage backdrop, reminiscent of a Dio fantasy, with large steps leading up to castle facades, and three arch ways with huge high definition screens. Showing animation and live feeds of the band members from the stage, the over the top scenery threatened to steal the show from the actual performers, but just barely. M. Shadows used his vocal prowess to capture the crowds attention, while guitarists Zacky Vengeance and Synyster Gates harmonic precision helped to keep hold. When the band finally touched on “Hail to the King”, the center screen opened up to reveal a towering animatronic Skeleton, complete with crown and sword upon a throne of skulls. A7X made sure that the culmination of a the day was brought on the wings of a nightmare, into the waiting ears of an eager audience.
Rockstar Energy Drink Mayhem Festival is now in its sixth year, and shows no signs of slowing down. Much like many of it’s predecessors, like Ozzfest and Family Values Tour, it is a haven for like-minded bands and fans to congregate and celebrate the heavy music and dark emotion filled culture they enjoy. If the thralls of happy faces throughout the day, or the inherent sense of camaraderie between musicians and fans is any evidence of success, then hopefully Mayhem will continue to return to Saratoga Springs, NY every year.
The SPAC lawn is almost famous on its own. How many musicians have shouted out from the stage to “the lawn people” to see how they out there are doing? Shout outs and reassurance that “they” are important, too. Sometimes over $40 a ticket, the lawn seats are no longer considered the cheap seats. For James Taylor, it seemed like everyone in Saratoga had their lawn chair out on the ultimate lawn enjoying the original ‘JT’ sing classics like “You’ve Got a Friend” or “Fair and Rain”. The lawn chairs were lined up on the hill and clear across the back lawn. Thousands and thousands of SPAC lawn chairs filled with four generations of James Taylor fans.
It was the second solo performance of the week at SPAC that seemed to attract a lot of couples. The night was the perfect July evening in Saratoga, the temperature was just right and not a drop of rain. The sound surrounding the crowd was spot on – perhaps the best sound mix of the season, thus far. Taylor and his All Star band played for nearly 3 hours covering his almost 50 year career. Even some new songs, such as “Today, Today, Today” were added to the night’s set list. The North Carolina native now lives just across the Massachusetts board from New York in Berkshire County, after an 11-year hiatus from playing Saratoga I think it is safe to welcome him back and hope for many encores in years to come.
Set 1:
Something in the Way She Moves, “Today, Today, Today”, Lo and Behold, Copperline, Everyday (Buddy Holly cover), Country Road, Millworker, Carolina in My Mind, One More Go Round, Sweet Baby James, You’ve Got a Friend (Carole King cover)
Set 2:
Stretch of the Highway, You and I, Handy Man (Sparks of Rhythm cover), Hour That the Morning Comes, Steamroller Blues, Only One, Fire and Rain, Up on the Roof (The Drifters cover), Mexico, Your Smiling Face
Encore:
How Sweet It Is (To Be Loved by You) (Marvin Gaye cover), Shower the People
The experience that “is” Summer Phish is not easily comprehended by those who have not yet partaken. It is unlike any other show or concert, with a fan base that travels from all over the country, and sometimes world, to come together for a brilliant evening of lights, music and a crowd experience opposed by no other band. Walking through the parking lots surrounding the shows one will see so many unique individuals from all walks of life spanning ages young and old. For some, it may be their first experience, and for others it is just another notch in their belt touring with one of the greatest bands in the world. The three-day Phish run at Saratoga Performing Arts Center (SPAC) was capped off with another amazing performance by the four-piece rock phenomenon on July 5th.
The band took stage later than the prior nights leaving the crowd restless with anticipation. The moment the band members strutted onto the stage, the crowd erupted into a roar of celebration. They opened with a short but sweet “Crowd Control” setting the mood for a fantastic evening of music. From there they went from the dark “My Friend, My Friend,” into “Scent of a Mule” which erupted a full on hoe-down on the lawn while members of the crowd linked arms to the kitchy-spacey-bluegrass. From there they busted out two back to back songs from their 2004 album Undermind with a short “Undermind” and “A Song I Heard the Ocean Sing.” The set veered back into their wacky light-hearted typical “Phish-ness” with “I Didn’t Know,” fully equipped with a Fishman vacuum solo and “Foam > Wombat”, which kept the crowd cheering for more. The first few notes of “Divided Sky” reverberated through the crowd sending the lawn into a full-blown glow stick war, lighting the sky with a multi-colored war zone. From “Divided Sky” they ventured into the tear-jerker “Wading in the Velvet Sea” which took the crowd down a couple notches before the explosive set ending “David Bowie” that left the crowd excited and whirling with song predictions for set 2.
Like in Phish fashion, they came back for second set with a vengeance opening with a high energy “Carini.” Once you’ve heard thousands of people screaming in unison, “Carini had a lumpy head!” you will start to realize that Phish is not just your average concert experience. The “Carini” went from dark, evil jams, twisting with intensity into light, bouncy jams truly encapsulating all that is “Carini.” From “Carini” they segued into a personal favorite and absolutely beautiful and delicate song “Waves.” From “Waves” they went into “WingSuit”, which was perfectly executed for the set which had been intangible from beginning to end. A fantastic and energetic “Piper” kept the theme going straight into the crowd pleasing “Fluffhead.” After “Fluffhead” they took the set to a surprising place with a short and sweet “Heavy Things.”
From there they went into “Slave to the Traffic Light” with enough intensity to make you think the set was over, but sure enough those first sweet notes of “You Enjoy Myself” were ringing through SPAC as the crowd went wild and the glow sticks soared. At the past few three-night SPAC runs they had saved this treasure as their encore, but instead they utilized it for the set closer to end all set closers. They pulled out the trampolines for some super YEMmy, bouncy jams and Trey proved he still had the moves as he danced with full vigor through Mike’s solo. The band finished with the crowd still cheering for more, as only they could after a spectacle as amazing as “You Enjoy Myself” and the band took stage one last time for Summer 2014 with an encore of “Suzy Greenberg.”
From beginning to end Phish proved that they still had the energy and capability to take the crowd on a journey through their music, and not simply take stage and hammer out a bunch of crowd-pleasing songs. All three nights seemed to be slowly building the energy for one hell of a third night at the Saratoga Performing Arts Center.
Set 1: Crowd Control > My Friend, My Friend, Scent of a Mule#, Undermind, A Song I Heard the Ocean Sing, I Didn’t Know*, Foam%, Wombat, Divided Sky, Wading in the Velvet Sea, David Bowie
Set 2: Carini > Waves, Wingsuit > Piper > Fluffhead, Heavy Things > Slave to the Traffic Light, You Enjoy Myself
Encore: Suzy Greenberg
Phish, an American summer tradition for more than 30 years, celebrated the 4th of July with arguably the high-watermark for Summer 2014, and the tour is only four shows old. The second night of the nearly-annual three night run at SPAC was arguably the strongest of the shows and featured new material from Fuego and not a single cover song – a stretch dating back to December 28th, 2013.
Naturally, the show opened with “The Star Spangled Banner”, on the 200th anniversary of the song’s birth during the War of 1812. “555”, the 2nd in 3 shows, filled in at the typical “Let’s play ‘Moma Dance’ and get the party started” slot, followed by “Kill Devil Falls” and then the first liftoff of the night with “Moma Dance”, later than usual but no complaints could be heard.
Then “Reba” appeared mid-first set, a seemingly rarer placement, but so perfect, as it kept things interesting and gave a chance for earlier than second set ethereal bliss. Speaking of bliss, “Waiting all Night” was a good pair to Reba, but also a good break time for anyone who hadn’t yet taken a minute to collect themselves amid an inspired and active first set. “Runaway Jim > 46 days, Rift” followed for a happy sing along dance time on the lawn.
“Split Open and Melt” – the potential set closer – continued the off and on dance frenzy of the show, flip-flopping back and forth between staples and jam vehicles. Melt’s ending jam was on par with versions from its last era of strong set closers, 2000. But this was not the end – “The Squirming Coil” emerged as the PERFECT first set closer, just as the sun was going down and the last bit of light left the Saratoga skies. Fishman hit the high note during “It got away…” and Trey lost it briefly before recovering. Page’s beautiful outro could have brought a tear to your eye.
When it comes to a seven-song second set, it means you have no complaints. Even with “Backwards Down the Number Line” showing up both expected and unexpected, we had one helluva time in those first five songs. “Fuego” is straight fire. Start to finish, a growing jam with a vibe in the same class as the 12/31/10 “Holy Ghost”, began with Mike’s bass groove and slowly pushed the jam, keeping Trey in check and progressing towards the beautiful jam that developed from the patience. The first must hear jam of the SPAC run, and the first Type II “Fuego” means we have a long and awesome summer ahead of us if this show is any indication.
“Down with Disease” and “Twist” were a nice 1-2 follow-up to “Fuego”, keeping the energy consistent and exhibiting great patience, a trait that Phish Trey does not always put forth. The result was Mike taking the lead on “Disease” with a recurring bass groove that flowed nicely while Page was nowhere to be found for a spell, although the mouth-popping noises were interesting as things eventually descended into “Twist”, full of ‘Woos’ and whatnot, but nothing too spectacular in this version.
“Light” quickly emerged for a solid and progressing jam that built around Trey’s guitar riff, leading to a psychedelic jam straight from the late ’60s and Bob Ezrin’s tutelage on Fuego. Trey’s ‘Close Encounters of the 3rd Kind’-esque repetition comfortably landed “Light” right next to “Theme from the Bottom”, as pleasant and well placed as you could ask for after four powerful jam vehicles. There was hope that this would be a “Theme” ala Atlantic City 2013, but that may have just been a one-off treat.
“Backwards Down the Number Line” served as a breather song for both band and fans, and although we still danced, this song could be in the first set of any given show and receive far less audible groans than it did tonight. But when you follow “BDTNL” with “First Tube”, all is forgiven as we couldn’t have asked for a better closer to this show. And having Jedi Trey slowly rising his guitar into the air to cap it off – Priceless. A “Character Zero” capped the night and did nothing more than increase anticipation towards the final night of the run at SPAC.
Setlist:
Set 1: The Star Spangled Banner, 555, Kill Devil Falls, The Moma Dance > Reba, Waiting All Night, Runaway Jim > 46 Days, Rift, Split Open and Melt, The Squirming Coil
Set 2: Fuego > Down with Disease > Twist > Light > Theme From the Bottom, Backwards Down the Number Line, First Tube
Encore: Character Zero