Tag: syracuse

Just Say YES: Everyone Orchestra Gathers in Syracuse

On Thursday night at the Westcott Theater, Matt Butler and Everyone Orchestra concocted a musical potion that had us all under a spell.   Butler played the role of lead hypnotist as he memorized not only the crowd, but also the band that he so craftily pulled together for this outstanding evening of sonic surprises.

Binghamton-based three-piece, Several Sons, opened the blissful trifecta of acts with their mellow harmonies and soulful unplugged sound. Their performance featured Bradford Allen on cajón drum for the entirety of the performance, which created a backyard fire-pit vibe. Kevin Ludwig took over the lead vocals and rhythm guitar, paving the way for Jack Bucher to display his bluesy chops on lead guitar. The mostly instrumental set list was capped off by a folk rock original, “Moonshine,” paying tribute to the act of getting drunk with friends. What a way to send us off into a set break.

Located just a couple of cities to the left of Syracuse is the blue-collar, “Bills Mafia” community of Buffalo, NY. Football probably holds the title for most discussed topic of conversation on a Saturday night, but I can guarantee that the local groove-rock quartet, Aqueous, is definitely on the minds of many Western New Yorkers. Their appropriately named, “2016 Random Company Tour,” fits the bill perfectly as the entire room anxiously awaits their arrival to the stage.    As they entered to DMX’s “Party Up (Up In Here)” blaring on the speakers, we hoped they were about to make us lose our minds (sorry, I went there) and lose our minds we did.

“Strange Times” was first up and allowed Mike Gantzer and Dave Loss to share the spotlight on vocals and guitar solos. The two methodically went line-for-line on this lyrically appealing tune before dropping into a sludgy, greasy transition. Evan McPhaden pounded away on bass to symbolically clean up the jam goo.   Solid improvising segued into “The Median” off the 2014 album, Cycles. Rob Houk’s drumming showcased their genre blending skills by combining elements of progressive rock and reggae with a hint of electronica. There was one point towards the end of “Median” where it almost sounded like a completely different piece, but long time fan, Mitch (the guy on the rail whose head seemed to explode note to note), explained that this phenomenon is common during one of their juiciest originals.   Loss then seamlessly goes back and forth from guitar to keys while Gatzner pans for gold on lead guitar during the third and final song of the set, “Don’t Do It.” The crowd was definitely thirsty for more after the brief second act, but with Everyone Orchestra being served as an entrée, just about the entire room decided to take a break outside to work up an even stronger appetite.

Butler appeared on stage with his 7-piece mixture of talent to specify the guidelines of the show. He would be writing notes to the band and the crowd on his simple yet effective white board while signaling to all of us via hand gestures, screams resembling words and Hulk Hogan-like crowd controls. Realistically, Butler runs the show like a drag race in the movie Grease, “Rules are, there ain’t no rules.” The ceremony began with Butler warming up the fingers of the esteemed group of musicians as they delivered a tight and funky beat that got the room dancing immediately. Eric Yates deserves the first MVP award of the night due to his funky banjo plucking while Ryan Montbleau deserves a shout out for creating the lyrics, “What do I see in my sight? Westcott Theater on a Thursday night.” Rob Derhak’s bass was bumping along with Emanuel Washington’s drumbeat when Butler asked the crowd to throw an idea at Montbleau for additional lyrics. The best we could up with was “sexy night” which morphed into an entire band-crowd, call-response of “Ugly, sexy night, yeah!”

After a brief stretch of weirdness, the conductor brought us all back down to planet Earth and asked Yates to pick away on the banjo during a fast-paced, unusual and unplanned cover of Bob Dylan’s “Buckets of Rain.” The Westcott was transformed into an old-timey honky-tonk as the band turned the Dylan cover into something reminiscent of Johnny Cash in his prime. Montbleau and Yates had a dueling guitar-banjo section before turning the spotlight to moe.’s Al Schnier for a signature guitar solo. Syracuse’s own Adam Gold from Sophistafunk kicked off the next piece with a heavy yet buttery organ solo. Butler did an amazing job of hazing the Everyone Orchestra freshmen as each member of Sophistafunk joined the group for the first time on Thursday. The conductor wrote, “This is Part A” on the iPad while scribbling up directions on his whiteboard for only the band’s eyes to see. Tommy Weeks took over to deliver a spectacular sax solo before returning to Gold for a spacey synth solo. The baton was passed back to Montbleau for an Everyone Orchestra modification of his original “Dead Set” which features the lyrics “Observe your mind, and stop your thinking” which is good advice for a band expected to go with their gut on these improvised reconstructions.

Aqueous guitarist Mike Gantzer returned to the stage and the applause grew when Butler informed us that it was his birthday. “Soft” was written on the whiteboard as Gantzer took over with a silky guitar riff. The crowd participation was at an all time high as we yelled “Birthday” to celebrate the joyous occasion. The band was fully in sync at this point in the performance and it was evident through the design of a new smash hit “Hotel Party” which Montbleau creatively developed before our eyes.   “There’s ice in the bathtub” and “Everyone’s invited” were only some of the outstanding sporadic lyrics sung by Montbleau which brought a collective smile to the room. Gantzer channeled the energy of Jerry Garcia, with a liquid fuzz distortion on his incredible solo before Gold killed the keys on Butler’s command. After the Holiday Inn jungle boogie, the show wrapped up in an epic formation of nine band members with the addition of David Loss from Aqueous and the return of Eric Yates on banjo. The conductor looked more like a mad scientist as he circled the stage giving each and every member one last time to shine. The evening was capped off with birthday boy Gantzer’s in-your-face knockout solo.

Butler thanked the crowd and noted that after 15 years of asking members of different bands to come together so that he can live his dream, they keep showing up and they keep showing up! There is no question that this traveling circus of insane talent brought the goods to Syracuse on Thursday. Some bands spend years touring and writing music together to find out what it is that makes them unique. Matt Butler pulls the rabbit out of his hat night after night by creating the magic rather than searching for it. He is a composer, a communicator, and a connector all in one while leaving his mark on music through his whiteboard, iPad and multitude of invisible air instruments.   When asked to join the Everyone Orchestra in the future, just say, “Yes” and strap in for a truly special ride.

Aqueous Setlist: Strange Times> The Median, Don’t Do It

Everyone Orchestra Setlist (To the best of my ability): Funky Intro, Jam (Ugly Sexy Night), Buckets of Rain*, Part A Jam> Dead Set**, Gatzner’s Birthday Jam, Hotel Party Jam, Set Closing Jam

*Bob Dylan Cover (Blood on the Tracks)

** Ryan Montbleau Cover (For Higher)

September 20, 2016
ZZ Top Closes Out Summer Series at Lakeview Amp

The newly erected Lakeview Amphitheater in Syracuse has had quite the summer for it’s first full season of live music. Covering a wide variety of genres from Snoop Dogg to Dave Matthews Band to Keith Urban to Phish. But, the season couldn’t end on September 4, without some good ‘ol fashioned southern rock Hall-of-Famers! Since the scheduled Gregg Allman canceled due to his health, ZZ Top and Charlie Daniels came to the rescue with some legendary entertainment.

Social Distortion‘s current guitarist Jonny “Two Bags” Wickersham, kicked off the evening with some of his own original songs and a brief Charlie Daniels band cover before giving time to the band themselves. Within a few moments, Charlie Daniels Band made way to the stage minus the jolly fiddler, himself. The group bursted into an energetic instrumental as Mr. Daniels himself, stepped out in front of a cheerful audience. Sporting a large cowboy hat, white button down shirt, blue jeans, a massive belt-buckle, and his trusty fiddle, Daniels ripped into each song of their hour-long set with passion and enthusiasm ending their performance with the ever popular “Devil Went Down to Georgia.”

Texas Legends, ZZ Top, collectively took to the stage without hesitation, starting off with “Got Me Under Pressure” and “Waiting for the Bus,” before breaking it down with the bluesy “Jesus Just Left Chicago.” Billy Gibbons and Dusty Hill seemed to keep the energy at low for the beginning of their show until picking things up with “Give Me All Your Lovin.” The southern trio joyously included “Foxy Lady” by Jimi Hendrix and “Two Trains Runnin” by Muddy Waters in their set amongst other popular tunes, before ending the night with a 3-song encore.

Set: Got Me Under Pressure, Waitin’ for the Bus, Jesus Just Left Chicago, Gimme All Your Lovin’, Pincushion, I’m Bad, I’m Nationwide, I Gotsta Get Paid, Rough Boy, Foxy Lady (Jimi Hendrix), Two Trains Runnin’ (Muddy Waters), Sixteen Tons, Cheap Sunglasses, Chartreuse, Sharp Dressed Man, Legs

Encore: La Grange, Tush, Jailhouse Rock

September 19, 2016
Blink-182 Brings Classic Pop-Punk to the Lakeview Amphitheater

Flinging toilet paper, throwing bras and shooting fireworks is just the beginning of the beautiful chaos presented by a Blink-182 show. On Aug. 23, All Time Low, A Day To Remember and Blink-182 presented the Lakeview Amphitheater in Syracuse, NY with nothing less than an outstanding rock show.

The show opened with Maryland natives All Time Low who gave a performance that left fans in awe. During their opening song, “Lost In Stereo,” guitarist Jack Barakat ran off stage and into the audience surprising hundreds of fans with pictures and high-fives.

Barakat went out of his way to hit every part of the venue from the floor seats, to out past the lawn, while continuing to perform “Lost In Stereo.” As exciting as it was to watch, Barakat should have expected the fans that ran after him in droves trying to get his attention.

“I grabbed some dude’s hand and he grabbed my ass,” said Barakat after he returned to the stage from being in the crowd. When returning, they played what was their best song of the night, “Weightless,” which showed off the most energy and excitement from the crowd.

As an opener, All Time Low expressed their incomparable joy for being asked to be a part of the tour with Blink-182. Frontman Alex Gaskarth opened up to the crowd about how they started playing music in high school, and found their influence from bands like Blink-182.

“We started this band when we were just in high school and we had just found out about bands like NOFX, Blink-182 and Green Day, and all of those bands are basically the reason we are a band,” said Gaskarth.

With some vocal issues to start off the night, Gaskarth stabilized his voice when singing the acoustic song, “Missing You,” which showed off his rich tonal quality, and less strain in his vocals.

As excited as fans were to see Barakat out-and-about in the venue, during All Time Low’s closing song, “Dear Maria, Count Me In,” Gaskarth followed the trend by running with his microphone up the halls of the amphitheater and ending against the barricade of the lawn.

Like every All Time Low performance, by the end of their set, the stage and their mic stands showed off a rainbow assortment of bras thrown on stage by young fans.

Opening with All Time Low’s pop-punk style, the crowd was ready to hear five-piece rock band, A Day To Remember, fill the Amphitheater with their heavier sound.

Starting their set with fan-favorite “The Downfall Of Us All,” dozens of beach balls were released into the audience, but this wasn’t the only thing shot out to the crowd during their set.

During their beloved song, “Right Back At It Again,” a man came out with a costume and a t-shirt cannon shooting shirts to fans the entire song. Besides the t-shirts, the band starting throwing out dozens of rolls of toilet paper during, “All Signs Point To Lauderdale,” which made the venue sparkle with the white rolls being thrown every direction.

With t-shirts and toilet paper shot across the venue from song-to-song, fans were screaming from excitement. With all of the energy and smiles from their set, “Right Back At It Again” and “All Signs Point To Lauderdale”, became the most memorable parts of their performance.

“How many people grew up listening to heavy music?” asked frontman Jeremy McKinnon before performing the popular, “2nd Sucks.” Although this was the heaviest song of their set, A Day To Remember also played their heavy, recent single, “Paranoia,” off of their upcoming release, Bad Vibrations out Sept. 2.

A Day To Remember used their stage presence, performing abilities and outstanding stage effects to stand out as putting on the best performance of the night.

As soon as punk legends Blink-182 took the stage, they immediately went into performing their ever popular, “Feeling This.” Blink-182, which now includes original members drummer Travis Barker and vocalist and bassist Mark Hoppus, were accompanied by their fill-in member, Matt Skiba.

Although there were attempts by Skiba to nail Delonge’s vocals in songs like “Stay Together For The Kids” and “Reckless Abandon,” these attempts backfired on Skiba. With vocal strains and pitch issues, Skiba struggled to stay true to the original vocal parts of songs. This being said, in songs like “Los Angeles” and “Cynical,” Skiba hit the nail on the head vocally.

Despite their new album, California being released a few months ago, Blink-182 presented a diverse selection of songs that stretched across their discography for their set list. With their mix of performing older songs like, “Dumpweed” and newer songs like, “San Diego,” Blink-182 built their set list to accommodate fans of all eras.

Possibly the highlight of Blink-182’s set was when Hoppus brought smiles to the faces of fans all across the venue as he decided to do a song entirely in the dark.

“We invite you to take part in rock and roll history, as you take out your cellular phones, turn on the flashlight feature, and watch in utter f-cking awe and amazement, as we perform this song entirely in the dark,” said Hoppus.

Against what the crowd anticipated, the song that they went into performing was the minute long, infamous, humorous song, “Happy Holidays, You Bastard,” which after finishing the song, Hoppus said “You’re welcome” to the audience.

Along with Blink-182’s traditional humor, before performing their hit, “Stay Together For The Kids,” Hoppus gave the audience a briefing of the upsetting nature of the song.

“It’s so sad, you want to put on eyeliner, be alone in your room and listen to Taking Back Sunday and tell your parents to f-ck off,” said Hoppus.

With fans of all ages attending and singing along to Blink-182, it is easy to see how influential of a band they are. Some fans, like 26-year-old Tatianna Davis, were seeing Blink-182 as a celebration. Celebrating her two-year anniversary with her boyfriend, Davis and her boyfriend attended the show together. “These are bands I grew up listening to that I absolutely adore,” said Davis.

Blink-182 closed their set with, “Dammit,” but surprised the crowd by bringing out Landon Barker to close the set. By following the footsteps of his father on the drums, young Barker was the perfect close to the evening.

The smiles on the faces of fans covered in confetti, toilet paper and dirt was priceless, which should be more than enough motivation to see a Blink-182 tour in a town near you.

All Time Low Setlist: Lost In Stereo, Love Like War, Dancing With A Wolf, Six Feet Under The Stars, Backseat Serenade, Something’s Gotta Give, Missing You, Weightless, Dear Maria, Count Me In

A Day To Remember Setlist: Downfall of us All, I’m Made of Wax Larry, What Are You Made of?, It’s Complicated, 2nd Sucks, Right Back At It Again, Have Faith in Me, All Signs Point To Lauderdale, Paranoia, All I Want, If It Means A Lot To You, The Plot to Bomb the Panhandle

Blink-182 Setlist: Feeling This, What’s My Age Again?, Family Reunion, Rock Show, Cynical, First Date, Down, I Miss You, Bored To Death, Built This Pool, Dumpweed, Stay Together For The Kids, Reckless Abandon, San Diego, Not Now, Violence, Kings of the Weekend, Dysentery Gary, Happy Holidays, You Bastard, Los Angeles, Carousel, All The Small Things, Brohemian Rhapsody, Dammit

August 24, 2016
Zac Brown Band Sling-Shots Their Way Into Syracuse’s Lakeview Amphitheater

Zac Brown Band brought a diverse mix of traditional mainstream country, bluegrass, gospel and even rock ‘n’ roll to create an unpredictable evening of music for an enthusiastic crowd at the Lakeview Amphitheater on Thursday July 21. The eight-piece group transitioned seamlessly from one music style to another while incorporating a unique array of sounds including a three man horn line, pizzicato violin interludes, Latin percussion and powerful backup vocalists.

The group kicked off their set with “Homegrown” followed by “Knee Deep” and “Whiskey’s Gone” before getting the crowed all revved up with the well-known “S.O.B.” (Nathaniel Rateliff & the Night Sweats cover). Brown was engaging and endearing throughout. He paused before playing “Tomorrow Never Comes” to invite the fans to “Forget whatever bull**** happened to you this week, this month or this year or whatever and just get lost in the music.” He took a moment to promote his new line of red wine and to let folks know it was being sold at the venue. The band also appeared to have a blast catapulting merchandise into the crowd using a hand-held cannon and giant slingshots.

The band took a short break midway through their set before coming back to delight fans with their notable covers of the Who’s “Baba O’Riley” and John Mellencamp’s “Jack and Diane.” Both were interesting choices for a country band but they performed them well and the crowd responded by dancing and singing along. They ended their set with fan favorite hit “Chicken Fried” before coming back onstage to perform a two song encore that included “Let’s Go Crazy” (Prince Cover) and “Beautiful Drug.”

Zac Brown Band proved that they are much more than a mainstream country act. The show was well worth long waits in traffic both getting to and leaving the venue. Hopefully, the venue’s powers that be will continue to work to improve the traffic situation before next season.

Set list: Homegrown, Knee Deep, Whiskey’s Gone, S.O.B. (Nathaniel Rateliff & the Night Sweats), Goodbye in Her Eyes, As She’s Walking Away, Tomorrow Never Comes, Colder Weather, Sweet Annie, It’s Not Ok, I’ll Be Your Man (Song For A Daughter), Baba O’Riley (The Who), Toes, Loving You Easy, Jack & Diane (John Mellencamp), Keep Me in Mind, Castaway, Chicken Fried

Encore: Let’s Go Crazy (Prince), Beautiful Drug

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July 30, 2016
2016 Vans Warped Tour NYS Fairgrounds Syracuse

The 2016 Vans Warped Tour made its first appearance in Syracuse at the New York State Fairgrounds on Thursday July 7. Despite the extreme heat, the punk rock music festival drew a large crowd. The fairgrounds was an ideal setting for the expansive set up that included seven stages, vendors, local food trucks, an adult size slip and slide and the air conditioned “chill out” truck that offered fans free energy drinks and some relief from the burning heat of the sun.

Warped Tour is celebrating its 22nd birthday this year and the impressive lineup included Warped Tour veterans Less Than Jake, Yellowcard, New Found Glory and Sum 41. The lineup also included popular metal acts Motionless in White, White Chapel and Every Time I Die. There were also a few Upstate New York bands, including Syracuse’s own One Last Shot and State Champs from Albany.

The Vans Warped Tour offered a perfect blend of veteran acts, rising stars, local favorites, punk rock and metal. The mix of offerings attracted a broad spectrum of fans of all ages and music preferences making for a one of a kind experience.

Check out the photo gallery for captured moments and memories from the day.

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July 27, 2016
Trombone Shorty Holds Dance Off on Day 2 of Syracuse Jazz Fest

Day 2 of this years’ 34th Annual M&T Syracuse Jazz Festival held at Onondaga Community College Campus in Syracuse, was the night that over 5,000 plus fans were waiting for. With a large roster of highly awarded artists and performers sharing 1 stage throughout 2 days and nights turned out to be an incredible event. As New Orleans’ own Troy “Trombone Shorty” Andrews and the Orleans Avenue braced the lineup, other national and local bands brought their “A game” to get the crowds energized for the headlining act.

Returning to this years fest, the City of Syracuse Parks & Rec All-Stars kicked off the day with their fluid compositions, directed by the highly regarded Joe Carello. The all-stars swung through a 45 minute set, all taking turns at solos and giving the crowd a piece of their heart and souls.

Second Line Syracuse Brass Band was second in command of day 2 of the fest. Led by the Juilliard School of music master jazz trombonist Melissa Gardiner, the core group features one other trombone, two trumpets, a saxophone, sousaphone, and drums. The eight-piece ensemble performed a various array of original scores and a few covers.

Paulie Cerra and Andrew Lippman led Groove Legacy through a fantastic set of jazzy tunes, sprinkled with bluesy twists and soulful harmonies. Increasing with energy as the evening sun settled, the steadily growing audience was getting loose on their feet and enjoyed a new song recently recorded with Utica’s own Joe Bonamassa.

Originally scheduled was Larry Coryell and the Eleventh House. Tho, Larry is currently in post-surgery and was unable to perform, son and master jazz guitarist Julian Coryell led the group with determination to show Syracuse how to have a good time. Performing a variety of covers and originals, the group shined through the evening with many tasteful guitar licks and drum fills. Just as the group was ending, Executive Director Frank Malfitano rushed the stage accompanied with a beautiful plaque to present to the band, giving thanks for continuing to show up and perform considering the circumstances of Larry condition.

Malfitano briefly returned to the stage to give warm welcome to Trombone Shorty & Orleans Avenue. The band bounced onto the stage one by one as drummer Joey Peebles kicked up a funky groove. Troy “Trombone Shorty” Andrews dramatically appeared lastly with shades on, Trumpet in one hand and Trombone in the other. As the band got underway, they immediately cranked up the energy and didn’t let up until the their set was done. Aside from his skillful brass chops, Andrews danced his way across the entire stage, covering almost every inch replication the styles of James brown and Michael Jackson. At points, even gathering other members to march around in a huddle, while others shared solos and some spotlight. A memorable highlight of the nearly 2-hour performance was an intimate rendition of Marvin Gaye’s “Let’s Get it On,” along with accompanied with a crowd sing-a-long. Before closing out the weekend, Andrews eagerly invited Frank Malfitano up on stage to dance along to their mashup of “Mardi Gras Medly” and “When the Saints Go Marching In,” representing their hometown of New Orleans.

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July 18, 2016
Avett Brothers Light Up ‘Salina’ Street in Syracuse

Majesty, introspect and foot-stomping good times. All were on display as the Avett Brothers performed before a Landmark Theatre packed to its gilded ceiling on July 7 in Syracuse.

For two solid hours, the brothers Avett from Mount Pleasant, NC, and their fellow bandmates, exhibited a true appreciation for their audience and exceptional musicianship. A special award should be given to the Avett Brothers‘ road crew for the sheer athleticism required in all the instrument changes throughout the show.

The Avetts’ Appalachian roots are always on display, as evidenced by Scott Avett’s ever-present banjo. However, the band’s sound has evolved since its early millennium beginnings to include elements of punk, rock, soul and pop. This is a band of extreme musical talent, able to jump among genres without losing its core appeal; this is a band finally getting deserved recognition.

The recently released True Sadness, the Avetts’ ninth studio album, topped the Billboard charts in four separate categories last week (Americana/Folk Albums, Top Rock Albums, Alternative Albums and Top Album Sales). The near sold-out crowd assembled at the Landmark that Thursday evening had obviously done its homework, singing along to the new songs as if they were old friends.

Throughout the night, fans sang and danced and remained respectfully quiet at the appropriate times — and the respect was mutual. Several times Scott Avett expressed his thanks for being allowed to perform.

The crowd rose to its feet early during a raucous version of the band’s latest single “Ain’t No Man” and stayed that way until the final note of the night. Seth Avett brought down the house with a stirring solo take on “Souls Like the Wheels.”

While the brothers stood front and center directing the ensemble, it was impossible to miss the whirling dervishes located stage left. Tania Elizabeth and Joe Kwon won the night, proving highly entertaining while shredding their bows on violin and cello respectively.

The Avett Brothers have traveled a long way from their debut as an unknown Appalachian folk band to one selling out theaters and sheds across the country. The growth within the band has coincided with the growth in its sound; yet it is a sound that is still unmistakably the Avetts.

The band has made its way west on this tour, but will return to New York on Aug. 13 for a date at the Amphitheater at Coney Island.

Setlist: The D Bag Rag, Down With The Shine, Talk On Indolence, Ain’t No Man, Through My Prayers, Distraction #74, Salina, Victims Of Life, Will You Return?, February Seven, Smithsonian, Swept Away, True Sadness, The Perfect Space, I Killed Sally’s Lover, Murder in the City, Souls Like The Wheels, Die Die Die, Shame, Live And Die, Laundry Room, Satan Pulls the Strings, No Hard Feelings

Encore: You Are Mine, Stay a Little Longer, Head Full Of Doubt / Road Full Of Promise

July 14, 2016
Hometown Hero Stocks Onondaga Lake With Rare Phish

The venues on a Phish summer tour have become somewhat predictable. They’ve nailed down their favorite outdoor spot in nearly every region of the country, but not in Central/Western New York. They’ve bounced between Darien Lake, CMAC and Watkins Glen, never visiting the same place in consecutive years. This year, the Lakeview Amphitheater in Syracuse opened up, and Phish decided to give the shed a whirl in it’s inaugural season. Will it become a regular or rare stop on Phish summer tours? Only time will tell, but they sure seemed to enjoy their first run of the place.

The venue sits on Onondaga Lake, once the most polluted lake in the country. After decades of remediation it is just now re-emerging as a viable natural resource for the city. The opening of the amphitheater is just one of the signs of the lake’s renaissance.

The band’s first set song selection was even more unpredictable than their New York venue choices. A rare take on their jazzy instrumental “Landlady” got things moving as the sun began it’s descent over Onondaga Lake in the background, but it would “Blaze On” for a little longer.

As if anyone in the audience weren’t already fully aware, guitarist Trey Anastasio introduced drummer Jon Fishman as a native of Syracuse, leading to a rare performance of his song “Ha Ha Ha.” That began 3-song run of Fishman-penned tunes, with his brand new rocker “Friends,” and the fan-favorite funk out “Tube” following.

The band continued to highlight its hometown hero throughout the show. Fishman was kicked out of band at Jamesville-DeWitt High School because he couldn’t keep the beat, so the story goes. One couldn’t help but wonder if he felt the need for a bit of retribution in his biggest show to date in his childhood home.

With enough imagination, every song seemed to have a connection to his Syracuse roots: past, present and future. Lyrics like “A statement from his former life,” “I’m going to be a genius anyway,” “He buried all his memories of home” and “Gonna give you one last chance to see, gonna shrug demands off of me” spoke directly to his mentality. Other songs like the beautifully rendered “Winterqueen,” just referenced the city known for it’s brutal winters. The bust-out of “Destiny Unbound,” played on this night with a punchy exuberance, could be in reference to Destiny USA, the mall that sat just a couple of miles down the lake shore. Or maybe, and perhaps more likely, there was no rhyme or reason to the song selection at all. We should just ask the Axis, he knows everything.

After a set stocked full with rare songs, including the second-ever “Timber,” off of their Halloween performance of Chilling, Thrilling Sounds of the Haunted House (wrapped cleverly around their long-time cover “Timber (Jerry)”) and Lynyrd Skynyrd’s “The Ballad of Curtis Loew,” the band wanted to give Fishman one more chance to shine before the break. They were set to close with Edgar Winter’s drum-heavy prog-rock anthem “Frankenstein,” though keyboardist Page McConnell had some issues with his keytar, so they instead pulled one more rare treat out of the bag, closing with Jimi Hendrix’s “Bold As Love.”

The second set featured songs about water and waste and worms and monsters, perfect for a venue sitting on a quasi-toxic lakefront. But more importantly, it featured a non-stop, near-70 minute ride through their repertoire, The set-opening take on the Who’s “Drowned” plumbed multiple themes in a short period of time, dredging up anthemic rock, spaced-out funk and melodic noodling. With that exploration complete, they parsed their discoveries song by song. The normally adventurous “Twist” was contained as a straight ahead rocker, the oft-amorphous “Piper” was kept tight and punchy, and “Simple” swam around beautifully before slowly dissolving.

Diving back into their Chilling Thrilling material, a late-set “Martian Monster” featured some instrument-swapping by the band. Anastasio played on Fishman’s Marimba Lumina, bassist Mike Gordon picked up the guitar and McConnell grabbed the bass, in what became a rhythmic and jaunty jam. The members have pulled this stunt a few times over the summer tour already, making it perhaps the least surprising element of this full-of-surprises show, though still quintessentially quirky and exciting. Determined to get Fishman his big drum solo moment, the band did push through “Frankenstein” to close the second set, even without the signature keytar lead, with more excited exhortations from Anastasio about the drummer’s high school and hometown.

The blistering rocker “Character Zero” encore, in keeping with the thematic choice of songs, even if completely imagined, was clearly a tribute to long-time Syracuse news anchor Matt Mulcahy.

“Hometown hero stocks Onondaga Lake with rare Phish. News at 11.”

Setlist by Phish.net:

Soundcheck: Funky Bitch

Set 1: The Landlady, Blaze On, Ha Ha Ha, Friends, Tube, Destiny Unbound > My Friend, My Friend^[1]> The Mango Song, Timber -> Timber (Jerry) > Timber, The Ballad of Curtis Loew, Stealing Time From the Faulty Plan > Mound, Winterqueen, Bold As Love

Set 2: Drowned > Twist > Waste > Piper > Simple > Breath and Burning, Rocky Top > Martian Monster^[2] > Golgi Apparatus > Frankenstein

Encore: Character Zero

[1] No “Myfe” ending.
[2] Trey on Marimba Lumina; Mike on guitar; Page on bass.

Notes: My Friend did not contain the “Myfe” ending. Simple contained a Magilla tease from Page. Martian Monster featured Trey on Marimba Lumina, Mike on guitar, and Page on bass.

July 12, 2016
Summer Nights: Rascal Flatts, Kelsea Ballerini and Chris Lane Heat Up Syracuse

The music of Rascal Flatts brings memories of summer cookouts, hanging by a bonfire with beers and friends and cruising down a lake in a pontoon boat, while the sounds of country music, the water lapping the hull of the boat and the motor fill the air. And the Lakeview Amphitheater in Syracuse, NY, was the perfect venue for the June 24 Rascal Flatts’ concert. The venue sits with its back to Onondaga Lake and the concert’s starting time of 7:30 p.m. made it coincide perfectly with the sunset, which gave the horizon an almost picturesque rose-colored tint.

Dressed in a tight, white T-shirt and wearing rounded vintage sunglasses, Chris Lane opened the show and brought many ladies to their feet with his laid-back weekend party jam, “Saturday Night.” Keeping the crowd pumped up by asking “Syracuse, are y’all ready to celebrate the weekend or what?! Let’s do it!,” he continued his set with his pop-driven love ballads, “Her Own Kind of Beautiful”and “Who’s it Gonna Be.” Lane showed his musical range and that he knew how to play to his target audience, by including covers of classic boyband anthems such as the Backstreet Boys’ “I Want It That Way” and ‘N Sync’s “Bye Bye Bye.” Lane finished his set with his latest single, from the album of the same title, “Fix.”

After a short break, new-comer Kelsea Ballerini continued the show. Ballerini released her first album in 2014 and has been touted by many industry experts as the next Taylor Swift. The fact that Ballerini is a tall, beautiful blonde with a smile bright enough to almost make this photographer have to lower the brightness settings on his camera, certainly helps her comparison to Country superstars Swift and Carrie Underwood. Ballerini is also one of only five women to score number-one hits on the Billboard Country Airplay Charts with their first two charted singles. Ballerini’s talent was further recognized when in 2016, she won the Academy of Country Music award for “Female Vocalist Of The Year.” Watching her vocal range, great energy and enthusiasm as she belted out “Yeah Boy,” “Dibs” and “Looking at Stars,” one could see that the hype surrounding her career was definitely warranted. Ballerini kept the crowd engaged between songs by encouraging us to sing-along with her, telling us about her first heartbreak, holding hands and even taking selfies with the crowd. Unsurprisingly, the crowd seemed to especially respond to Ballerini’s two hits, the upbeat “Love Me Like You Mean It” and “Peter Pan.” Great things are to be expected from Ms. Ballerini in the coming years.

Following a short period, which allowed the stage crew set up for the next act behind a large black curtain, Rascal Flatts took the stage to the cheers of the crowd. They kicked off their set with the same song that had been in my head since I arrived at the Lakeview Amphitheater earlier that day, “Summer Nights.” Lead singer Gary LeVox’s ability to hit the highest notes did not fail to impress. The concert was filled with shout outs to Syracuse, high fives/hand holding with the members of the audience, and on several occasions, Levox would take one of the many phones being held up by the fans in the front rows, turn around and take a selfie with the crowd in the background, before handing the phone back to the lucky fan. The group even ventured into new musical territory and in honor of the late, great Prince, played “Purple Rain.” The group wound down their set with the hit designed to honor their hordes of fans over the years, “Here’s To You,” before leaving the stage for a short time and returning for an encore with one of their biggest hits, “Me and My Gang.” Chris Lane and Kelsea Ballerini joined them on stage at this point creating a memorable grand finale.

Rascal Flatts Setlist: Summer Nights, I Like the Sound of That, Banjo, Come Wake Me Up/I Melt/I Won’t Let Go, Life Is a Highway, Why Wait, Stand, Bless the Broken Road/Open Arms (Journey cover), Rewind, Fast Cars and Freedom, Purple Rain (Prince cover), Love You Out Loud, My Wish, Take Me There, What Hurts the Most, Here’s To You

Encore : Me and My Gang

July 11, 2016
Disturbed and Breaking Benjamin to Play Lakeview Amphitheater

Disturbed and Breaking Benjamin will kick off their co-headlining summer tour at the Lakeview Amphitheater in Syracuse, NY, on July 9. The tour will include stops in more than 20 cities across North America. Alter Bridge and Saint Asonia will join as special guests.

Disturbed, who recently kicked off their first tour following a four-year hiatus, is enjoying a resurgence in popularity thanks to their cover of the Simon and Garfunkel song “The Sound of Silence” off their 2015 album Immortalized. “The Sound of Silence” is the band’s second single to go platinum. “Down with the Sickness” was the band’s first from their four-time platinum debut album The Sickness.

Co-headliner Breaking Benjamin also released a new album in 2015, Dark Before Dawn. The album reached number one on both the Billboard 200 and the alternative and rock charts. The album proves that the newly formed Breaking Benjamin lineup is still strong and can produce hit singles with “Failure” and “Angels Fall.”

Fans in New York City were treated to a preview of the tour at a Breaking Benjamin acoustic performance in February where Disturbed frontman David Draiman jumped onstage to perform the Queen and David Bowie cover of “Under Pressure.” If this is any indication of what to expect on this tour, you won’t want to miss it.

July 8, 2016