Halfway through the second set of his November 26 performance at The Egg, Mike Gordon paused to remark, “I think this is the best sounding venue on the Eastern seaboard,” which led to thunderous applause from the sold out crowd. Gordon spoke of his affinity for The Egg in a recent interview with NYS Music, something residents of the Capital Region have known for many years.
The two-set show opened with “Waking up Dead,” followed by “Jumping,” which featured strong interplay between Gordon’s bass, John Kimock’s drums and Craig Myers’ percussion, which broke down into a bluesy duel with Mike and guitarist Scott Murawski working up and down their instruments. A stand out jam was built by Kimock’s drums during the set closing “Traveled Too Far.”
A six-song second set featured “Just a Rose” by Max Creek, a high energy number that added a spark to the crowd. A dark “Yarmouth Road” segued smoothly into “Let’s Go,” which brought out the interactive instrument REEL into the crowd, which fans touched to add to the jam (Mike got in a few touches too). Robert Walter’s nasty keyboard work was on full display during “Take it as it Comes,” while “Tiny Little World” closed the set with “My Sharona” teases mixed in.
An encore of “Sugar Shack” had Mike invite fans to dance on the front of the stage, perhaps to the dismay of security but with absolute joy from the looks of fans dancing and smiling to close out the night.
Set 1: Waking Up Dead, Jumping, Morphing Again, Don’t Chin The Dog > Let Her Go > Traveled Too Far
Set 2: Here Today, Just a Rose, Yarmouth Road > Let’s Go, Take It As It Comes, Tiny Little World
Encore: Sugar Shack
The tour kicks off on Nov. 18 at the Delmar Hall in St. Louis, MO, and completes with a three-night run at The Sinclair, in Cambridge, MA.