NYS Music 20​17

Tag: Trombone Shorty and Orleans Avenue

  • Phish Puts the Power in Powder

    On Wednesday July 26 at Madison Square Garden, Phish devised a plan to make hump day a great day.  Keeping in form with the powdered donut theme, the foursome launched into an acappella version of Fleet Foxes’ “White Winter Hymnal” to get the party started.  The “white snow red as strawberries” lyric reprised the Saturday night donut theme to the delight of MSG regulars and set the tone for a cover-filled evening on Night 6 of their Baker’s Dozen.

    Fans entering the Garden after work could relate to the traffic -jammed “Cars Trucks Buses” that took the second spot in the rotation and saw Page McConnell work his magic on the boards.  The always welcomed “My Soul” kept the energy building before a “Roses Are Free” completed the back-to-back cover annihilation.  The Chilling Thrilling Sounds “Very Long Fuse” received some extended love as the powder keg audience realized they wouldn’t be getting another five song first set.

    Rarities like “Pebbles and Marbles” have been filling the donut holes in a magical way throughout this run and it has become so common to hear bust-outs that the audience didn’t even detect how special it was. While speaking about special moments, the almost 15-minute “Tube” was explored by the band as if it was in a 1990’s Discovery Zone.  The bouncy punch initiated by Mike Gordon was only outshined by Page’s dirty synth orgy. Trey found his groove and dissected the jam into what will be known as the “Baker’s Tube” for years to come.

    phish powder

    When second sets begin with hard-rocking machines like “Carini,” Phish followers know they are in for a sweet treat.  The 16-minute lumpiness dug its feet into the ground and setup another rarity in “Mr. Completely.”  The TAB classic has only been played a handful of times by the quartet, yet it made its second appearance this tour to the delight of die-hards.  Trey’s ditty may or may not become a staple in the band’s repertoire, but for now there is still much work to be done with the jam.

    “The World’s Most Famous Arena” experienced a flashback to 1998 as the Vermonters destroyed Price’s “1999.” The second set was familiarly baked with incredible choices but the highlight may have been the jam that ensued.  “Steam” rose out of the stage as a seamless and perfectly placed transition before Led Zepplin’s “No Quarter” shocked and awed an already speechless crowd.  Page’s well-executed vocal takedown mixed with the ferocious Jimmy Page-like guitar antics by Big Red solidified this version as possibly the best one ever played.  An overly ambitious “Character Zero” closed the set and proved that surprises come in all forms during this epic 13-show run.

    Where is the powder?  There’s the powder.  Phish never lets us down in terms of donut symbolism.  The encore debut of Neil Young’s “Powderfinger” closed the night and permanently gave us a new motto to live by: “Never miss a Wednesday show.”

    Setlist via Phish.net

    Set 1: White Winter Hymnal[1], Cars Trucks Buses, My Soul, Roses Are Free > The Very Long Fuse, Gumbo, Yarmouth Road, Pebbles and Marbles, Farmhouse, Tube
    Set 2: Carini -> Mr. Completely > 1999 > Steam > No Quarter, Character Zero
    Encore: Powderfinger[2]

    [1] Phish debut; a cappella
    [2] Phish debut

  • Trombone Shorty brings N’Awlins to The Egg

    Trombone Shorty and Orleans Avenue brought the N’awlins flavor to The Egg in Albany on Wednesday, June 14 to the delight of a sold out audience. Troy Andrews AKA Trombone Shorty and friends made jaws drop by their range in abilities and genres in which they proved to be fluent.

    The once brass prodigy now household name, arrived on stage to a surprisingly hard rock sound with blinding lights and funky riffs from band mate Pete Murano. It was certainly not the typical “N’Awlins” intro one might expect, but added a certain level of intrigue that would continue throughout the nearly 90-minute set.

    From funk to blues to R&B and soul, each song brought a new variation but with the consistent Louisiana street party the crowd came to see. Andrew’s ability to seamlessly move between trumpet, tambourine, vocals, drums and of course, trombone, highlighted the musical Renaissance Man’s many talents.

    The largely middle-aged crowd was shy at first, sitting politely while bopping along to the rhythm, but it took almost no time to move them to their feet. Andrews engaged the fans with call and response vocals, and naturally handed out beads to the excited ladies in the front row.

    Each of the six members of the band had many opportunities to showcase their talents. BK Jackson on tenor sax along with his brass partner Dan Oestreicher on baritone sax worked their magic as both musicians and dancers, gliding across the stage with ease while muscling through some impressive solos. Michael Baily practically did an army crawl across the stage while thudding the bass, his CamelBack strapped on only adding to his masculine charisma.

    Song selections sprawled across the board including old favorites like “Where Y’At” and new songs like “Where it At” from their latest album “Parking Lot Symphony.”  Andrews “took it to the bridge” with James Brown samples as he moonwalked across the stage, sending the crowd into a loud roar.

    Their rainbow lights that splashed across the interior walls of The Egg served as street lamps as they paraded into the crowd to Louis Armstrong’s “When the Saints go Marching In,” a true staple of The Big Easy.

    “We’re going to have to come back to Albany more often,” said Andrews to end the incredible evening.

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