NYS Music 20​18

Category: Show Reviews

  • JRAD at Brooklyn Bowl: Night 3

    Joe Russo’s Almost Dead (JRAD) brought their three-night run at Brooklyn Bowl to an end on March 10. JRAD filled the Williamsburg venue with deep jams and surprises from start to finish, from opening with a JRAD debut cover of The Rolling Stones’ “The Last Time,” to finishing the second set with a “Throwing Stones” that went into two other debut covers, Led Zepplin’s “Good Times Bad Times” and The Band’s “Chest Fever,” before coming to an end.

    They mixed in some fun teases of songs like Radiohead’s “Myxomatosis,” WOLF!’s “Fastso’s Last Stand” and there may have been a few “Terrapin Station” riffs tossed around at points as well. Topping the whole Brooklyn run off was a “One More Saturday Night” encore that left a capacity crowd calling for more. It’s official, Brooklyn Bowl no longer has a roof. Marco Benevento, Tom Hamilton, Scott Metzger, Dave Dreiwitz and Joe Russo have blown it clean off. Again.

    Set List
    Set 1: The Last Time> Shakedown Street> The Other One> Mission in the Rain> Crazy Fingers> Truckin’
    Set 2: Slipknot!> Foolish Heart> Help on the Way> Slipknot!> I Need A Miracle> Franklin’s Tower> Throwing Stones> Good Times, Bad Times> Throwing Stones> Chest Fever> Throwing Stones Reprise
    Encore: One More Saturday Night

  • The Disco Biscuits Brought the Heat in Chilly Portland, Maine

    The Disco Biscuits rolled through Portland, Maine on Friday for the first show of their two- night run at the State Theater, a hidden gem of a venue hiding in the streets of the Port City. Fans of the Biscuits toughed some wintery weather left over from Thursday night’s Nor’easter to get to the show, but the State’s cozy vibe quickly got everyone in the mood for some live music.

    New England-based band Strange Machines kicked off the night with one of their newer songs “Wook in a Onesie” and continued grooving out with some of their funkier songs during the set. They employed their patience while jamming and really built up the energy for an impressive opening set, which ended with the fan favorite “Klepto.”

    Disco Biscuits PortlandThe Disco Biscuits came out swinging, throwing down in Portland with a 65-minute M.E.M.P.H.I.S. > Voices Insane > Spaga > Pygmy Twylyte > Spaga, with M.E.M.P.H.I.S. and the first section of Spaga being the highlights of the opening segment. “M.E.M.P.H.I.S.” got the crowd warmed up quickly as the band blew through the chorus and got straight into some weird, deep space jamming that featured Magner heavily using some of the weirder sides of his many synthesizers. Barber made a switch from his Gibson ES-135 to his Parker Fly, and the band started picking up the pace of the jam, lifting it into a sort of mini-peak before they started building on a theme that Barber was creating. After a bit more spacious jamming, they brought the jam into “Voices Insane”,  while still maintaining the groove from the “M.E.M.P.H.I.S.” jam going rather than playing the normal tempo of the song.

    “Voices Insane” was a pretty standard version, and after a killer solo from Barber, the band transitioned into “Spaga,” starting off with a piano solo from Magner. “Spaga” transported the whole crowd into a medieval wonderland with its lyrics and jazzy instrumental sections, and the band quickly dove into a dark jam. Brownie and Allen kept the groove tight, and Barber created another motif that the band followed into the first big peak of the night, which transitioned back into the fantasy sound that “Spaga” introduced. After another verse, the band segued into their fan-favorite cover of Frank Zappa’s “Pygmy Twylyte” which was met by an eruption of cheers from everyone in the theater. The whole crowd sang along and grooved out until the jam started to get spacey. Magner took an extended synth solo and led everyone back into “Spaga” which peaked yet again after all the energy they built up in “Pygmy”. They ended the segment with one last high energy chorus of “Spaga” and then played “Wet” to close out the set, which featured a tight mini bass and drum jam from Brownie & Allen, and ended with another great solo from Barber.

    The second set featured two inverted songs, and was a nonstop 102-minute segment of “Story of the World > 42 (inverted) > Lunar Pursuit > Naeba (inverted) > Tricycle > Story of the World.” The upbeat “Story of the World” kicked the set off, with the jam starting off with one of the funkier sections of the night, initiated by Magner getting into some Clav playing. The jam was driven heavily by the duo of Brownie and Allen and was transformed into a dark trance jam once Allen started using his electronic drum pad to create the beat. You could tell that the band was feeling it, as they teased the audience with what seemed like it was the peak before dropping back into the jam, only to actually bring it to a peak minutes later. They used the high energy from the SOTW peak to transition into the end of “42”, signaling that the song was inverted, which was met with another eruption of cheers from the crowd. Brownstein took the lead on vocals for the first time of the night and worked through the many verses and choruses of the song before getting back into the jam that started the song off.

    Disco Biscuits PortlandAfter grooving along for a bit, Magner played a siren sound that brought the segment into “Lunar Pursuit” which brought with it the first instances of Allen triggering laser beam noises from his drum pad. After a quick peak and a spacey reggae section, they moved into an inverted version of “Naeba” > “Tricycle.” “Naeba” was a nice laid back break from the intensity of “42 ” > “Lunar Pursuit,” and after they’d played through to the beginning of “Naeba”, which was an almost heavenly arpeggiated guitar progression from Barber, they transitioned into the dance party that is “Tricycle.” They kept “Tricycle” nice and spacey while Allen kept the electronic dance beat going. The band built the energy up for one last big peak before segueing back into the set opener “Story of the World” for another verse and chorus to close the set out.

    They encored with “On Time,” which sounded like it could be the theme to an 80’s action film. The whole band was having fun being the head of the dance party, especially Magner, who was going off with a vocoder effect from one of his synths. They did one more little spacey jam before Brownie brought the whole band into the last chorus and ended the song.

    As a first Disco Biscuits experience, this show was incredible. The audience was feeling it, and you could tell that the band was locked in with each other during some of the bigger jams like “Spaga” and “Story of the World.”

    The Disco Biscuits, State Theatre, Portland, Maine – March 9, 2018

    Set 1: M.E.M.P.H.I.S. > Voices Insane > Spaga > Pygmy Twylyte > Spaga, Wet
    Set 2: Story of the World > 42 (inverted) > Lunar Pursuit > Naeba (inverted) > Tricycle > Story of the World
    Encore: On Time

  • JRAD at Brooklyn Bowl: Night 2

    Joe Russo’s Almost Dead hit Brooklyn Bowl March 9 for the second of a three-night run. The sold-out crowd was treated to three JRAD debuts: The Grateful Dead’s “Peggy-O,” Junior Parker’s “The Next Time You See Me,” and The Rolling Stone’s “It’s All Over Now.” The show was full of teases as well. JRAD found ways to slip in “What’s Going On” by Marvin Gaye, “Sledgehammer” by Peter Gabriel, “Borderline” by Madonna, and  “Becky” by The Benevento Russo Duo just to name a few. The band has one more night in Brooklyn before heading upstate to play two more sold-out shows in Syracuse and Albany.

    Setlist

    Set 1: Eyes of the World, Dancin’ in the Streets, The Music Never Stopped, Tennessee Jed, Next Time You See Me

    Set 2: Iko Iko, Black-Throated Wind, Bertha, Feel Like a Stranger, Peggy-O, Playing in the Band

    Encore: It’s All Over Now

  • Joe Russo’s Almost Dead at Brooklyn Bowl: Night 1

    On March 8 Brooklyn Bowl’s begotten sons returned to the venue of their conception for the first night of three. Joe Russo’s Almost Dead had fans lined up around the block and packed in on the floor. The couches on the bowling allies were pushed back to make room for the freaks in the vip section. With the room ready to burst at the seems, Marco Benevento, Dave Dreiwitz, Tom Hamilton, Scott Metzger, and Joe Russo took to the stage. With them, Joe Russo’s Almost Dead brought their approach to the music of the Grateful Dead.

    Setlist:

    Set 1: Alligator, St. Stephen, Dupree’s Dimond, King Solomon’s Marbles, Touch of Grey

    Set 2: The Golden Road (To Unlimited Devotion), Jack Straw, Hell In A Bucket, Scarlet Begonias, I know you Rider, Stella Blue

    Encore: Man Smart Woman Smarter, Not Fade Away

  • Andrew Bird Monday Performance Soars Above The Egg

    With ten years in the rear view mirror since his last visit, Andrew Bird finally returned to The Egg Performing Arts Center in Albany for a nearly sold out, intimate performance for an all-ages crowd. Making a comeback to the acoustically enchanting venue, the violin-wielder set up a cozy shop on stage for an uninterrupted show, complete with ample finger plucking and whimsical whistling for an evening of nature-inspired bliss.

    A dapper Bird took the stage solo to unleash an eclectic mix of live music and cinematic visuals to “River” and “Canyon” from his 2015 and 2017 albums, Echolocations. Combining the delicate sounds of nature, alluring violin compositions and “visuals generated from USGS Topographic Imagery of Los Angeles River and Coyote Gulch, Utah,” the ethereal musician was able to bring the great outdoors to a chillingly quiet audience, ready to absorb the emotion ahead. With previously captured video of Bird strumming along to the rhythmic flowing of canyon water while barefoot, the audience felt like they too were ankle-deep in the same stream Bird splashed around in.

    Showcasing his talent and vulnerability as a solo artist, the Chicago native proved that one instrument and a few foot pedals can provide endless looping and musical possibilities. With a main backdrop and two smaller screens off to the side of stage left and right, visuals of vast canyons of wonder and trickling rivers worked in tandem with Bird’s musically replicated sounds of nature, creating a sensory highway for the masses. The film footage, captured by Tyler Manson, allowed Bird to duet with himself for a harmonious delivery and even seemed stunted to the larger scope of the musician playing on screen behind him.

    As the visuals subsided, the tranquil music was paused for three bandmates, a drummer, bassist/guitarist and pianist/guitarist/bassist to hop on stage. While the fans remained glued to their chairs with wide eyes, Bird didn’t refrain from rocking out in front of an illuminated, color-changing backdrop. The whistling wizard and his band began with a mini throwback off the 2005 album Andrew Bird & the Mysterious Production of Eggs (fitting for the venue), “A Nervous Tic Motion Of the Head to the Left,” which brought exuberant energy to the spherical theater. While maintaining the up-beat tempo the band supplemented on stage, Bird partook in some witty banter with the crowd admitting he was “… shredding so hard” as he ripped loose hairs off his shedding bow.

    After “working out some frustrations” to the song “Are You Serious,” he and the band scaled back to play acoustic tunes with all four musicians circled around one booming mic. The 44-year-old musician collected a group of fantastic artists to play alongside him, as they were able to swap instruments to perfectly compliment each song’s energy. Among xylophone solos and a spinning double horn speaker, a fan-favorite treat of the night came in a flawless cover of Neil Young’s “Harvest” during a three-song encore.

    With acoustics bouncing off the wall and striking internal emotional chords, Monday night’s story was illustrated through a perfect amount of sensory creativity and topographical genius for the audience to talk about for the foreseeable future.

    Andrew Bird was set to wrap the tour on March 7 at Kingston NY’s Ulster Performing Arts Center, but due to an impending storm, it’s been rescheduled for Friday, June 22.

    Setlist: Intro, Down Under the Hyperion Bridge, Gypsy Moth, Sweep the Field, Nervous Tick Motion of the Head to the, Left, Capsized, Bloodless, Why?, Truth Lies Low, Are You Serious, Roma Fade, My Sisters Tiny hands (Handsome Family Cover), Orpheo Looks Back, Give it Away, By any Means, Three White Horses, Archipelago, Pulaski at Night, Danse Caribe

    Encore: Harvest (Neil Young cover), Sisyphus, Weather Systems

  • That 1 Guy Makes Buffalo Weird Again

    With thousands of artists releasing new music daily thanks to technological advances which allow musicians to record a song and share it with the world in the matter of minutes, performers must be more creative than ever to break through the clutter and establish a name for themselves. Some tour relentlessly to get their name out, a few incorporate jokes or magic into their act to entertain audiences on multiple levels, and others go out and slap a “Magic Pipe” until their fingers bleed. Mike Silverman, or That 1 Guy, happens to do all three, as well as much more. On Thursday, February 28, the one-man traveling circus graced the stage in Buffalo at Mohawk Place for an unforgettable night of music, laughs and wizardry.

    that 1 guyLike most nights with live music at Mohawk Place, the crowd was split between people who had marked their calendars the day the performance was announced and causal music lovers seeking their Thursday night fix. Things were a bit different that night, however, as those who arrived with the intention of winding down after a long day of work to some relaxing tunes were exposed to far more than they bargained for. The imminent weirdness presented itself as soon you made your way to the stage and observed the large, Festivus-esqe, pole standing atop a raised grate in front of three jumbo screens. The large pole Silverman dubs the “Magic Pipe,” is a homemade, electronically rigged pair of machined aluminum pipes connected by adjustable phosphorus bronze joints, with each pipe hosting an orchestral bass string.

    Waiting for the absolute last possible second to go on before the crowd exploded in anticipation, Silverman hopped on stage, pulled out a double-bass bow, and began playing a hauntingly beautiful melody on the smaller pipe. The instrument’s unique tone sounded like a combination of Vivaldi and Pink Floyd, as the screens behind displayed psychedelic images that morphed in unison with each note played. As he hit lower notes, the room trembled with the heavy bass, and audience members could feel spiritually cleansing vibrations run through their chests. The orchestral vibes would not last long, however, as Silverman’s bolstering creativity wouldn’t allow him to stick with one genre at any point in the night. The world-class street performer quickly shifted gears to an African tribal rhythm as he played around with his numerous foot pedals, combining the infectious rhythm with a top layer of EDM beats and deep, bluesy vocals.

    Two songs and the audience had already time traveled around the world and back. The performance oozed with surrealism as Silverman continued his set featuring a duck sock-puppet on one song, a cowboy boot rigged to play like Congo drums on the next, and a whimsical song about a great whale race that took place just before our very eyes to complete the trio.  In between each song the incredibly talented entertainer told jokes, performed magic tricks, and spoke to the crowd as if they were friends in his living room.

    Those who had seen That 1 Guy before added another dimension to the performance as they called for specific songs and yelled out phrases that were obvious inside jokes between Silverman and his audience. Aside from his own kooky songs and singing quotes from passive-aggressive Airbnb reviews he received, the renaissance man performer mixed in popular songs from Rush’s “Tom Sawyer” to jazz standards, and kept the crowd on their toes with whatever classic rock riffs came to his mind.  That1Guy is the kind of virtuoso musician you’d imagine would be playing the Lincoln Center today if the hippies won (or even fought) the war.

    To cap off a wildly entertaining performance, Silverman finished the night with some jazz. He told the audience he saved the jazz songs for the end as an attempt to influence a younger generation to listen to the genre. Once he had everyone buttered up with EDM and rock and roll, he played jazz standards to subconsciously influence a generation of music listeners to seek out a genre that has mostly disappeared from popular music today. When it was all said and done, the set was nearly two hours long, despite it only feeling like a few minutes. From stunning visuals to bizarre compositions you cannot hear anywhere else on the planet, That1Guy is a show all music lovers should seek out immediately. Thankfully, that should not be too difficult as the one-man circus averages an astonishing 150-200 performances a year around North America in an effort to spread joy and weirdness around the continent.

  • Funktional Flow and After Funk rock Buffalo Iron Works

    Funktional Flow has been a staple in the Western New York area for years. The band has gone through many changes, and because of this they are always evolving and growing as a group. Known for being able to make any show a dance party, they have solidified their place in the scene. The band consists of Jeff Kuebler (guitar & vocals). Ben Whelan (bass), Joey Lewis (guitar & vocals), Ryan James Acanfora (drums), and Matthew Lester (keys, sax, and vocals), all of which contribute to the show and the sound in their own, critical way. After Funk (out of Toronto) started the night off strong, loosening up the audience for the spectacle to follow.

    funktional flow after funkFunktional Flow decided to try out a new formula for the show, and it was a success. They have a collection of songs usually reserved for opening sets, as they consider them not to be their “heavy hitters,” but that night they changed it up. This mix-up breathed new energy into their usual first-set staples such as “Baby Song,” Black T,” “Gone,” and “Seems to Feel.”

    The highlight of the night was when After Funk’s Yanick Allwood joined Funktional Flow for “What a Fool Believes” and “Eminence Front.” Their synergy was palpable.

    Funktional Flow will be returning to Buffalo Iron Works on March 24, bring your dancing shoes.

    Setlist: Mulligans > Baby Song, Black T, TomTom Part 1 > China Town > TomTom Part 2 , What a Fool Believes*, Gone, Seems to Feel, Trouble, Eminence Front*
    *with Yanick Allwood on After Funk

  • “Weird Al” Yankovic opens his weirdest tour to date in Poughkeepsie

    “Weird Al” Yankovic opened “The Ridiculously Self-Indulgent, Ill-Advised Vanity Tour” in Poughkeepsie, NY on Tuesday, February 27. While past tours have featured giant video screens, costumes changes and parody-heavy setlists, Al included a disclaimer on his website stating that this tour is “a scaled-down tour in smaller, more intimate theaters, with limited production (no costumes, props, or video screens) and Al’s set list will be comprised almost entirely of his original (non-parody) songs.” The sold-out crowd of 950 was treated to the comic stylings of Emo Philips, featured in the movie UHF as Joe Earley. Al hand-picked him to open for the entire tour and his absurd 30 minute set had the audience roaring with laughter.


    Yankovic’s band took the stage at the Bardavon 1869 Opera House and laid down an instrumental version of “Dare to be Stupid” before the man himself arrived to a massive fanfare. His first song of the tour was the White Stripes pastiche, ‘CNR.’ Al took it down for a minute to warn the crowd that tonight was in fact, their “soundcheck” and that “if you came to see me screw up, you will not be disappointed!”. He did not disappoint as he dove into the Bob Dylan’esque ‘Bob’ and the 2003 favorite, ‘Why Does This Always Happen To Me?”

    After fooling the audience into thinking that this tour would not feature costumes, parodies or accordions, Al finally brought out his new MIDI-accordion as the band started into “Generic Blues.” This classic track from the UHF soundtrack was followed up by the Hawaiian Reggae tune, “Buy Me a Condo.” The 9-minute epic “Jackson Park Express” was played for the first time live as the weirdness continued. Next up was the 2011 hit “Stop Forwarding That Crap To Me” before Al channeled the Lizard King with his Doors homage, “Craigslist.”

    Al continued the set with one of his darker songs, “Good Old Days,” an example of what would happen if James Taylor collaborated with Charlie Manson. The band lightened the mood with the song “Happy Birthday” from his debut album before taking it down a notch with the anti-love ballad, “You Don’t Love Me Anymore.” “Party At The Leper Colony,” one of the bands “Top 3 Immature Songs” preceded the 2006 hit, “Don’t Download This Song” and the Don Henley inspired “When I Was Your Age.” Weird Al continued the 80’s hits with “Melanie” and “One More Minute” before changing the pace of the concert.

    https://www.instagram.com/p/BfwhNj3nagt/?hl=en&taken-by=nystatemusic

    Despite announcing a lack of parody songs prior to the tour, Al dove into a medley of his comedy hits as the band played differing music underneath. The band started playing a wonderful rendition of “Layla” as Al sang the lyrics to his hit “Eat It.” This led into “I Lost On Jeopardy” with a walking baseline before switching over to chimes and acoustic guitar for “Amish Paradise.” “Smells Like Nirvana,” “White and Nerdy” And “Rocky Road” had a mix of bouncy pop and doo wop behind it before a piano heavy rendition of “Like A Surgeon” ended the set.

    Weird Al and his bandmates came back out to “play a song they usually end each show with.” The audience was dumbstruck as the band started playing the guitar riff to Deep Purple’s, “Smoke On The Water.” This was no parody as Al wow’d the crowd with a spectacular, normal, regular version of this track. Not to disappoint, Al ended the show with fan-favorite, “The Saga Begins” before thanking the crowd for a wonderful show.

    Weird Al will continue his tour March 13th in Buffalo, March 14th in Ithaca, March 17th in Huntington and March 22nd and 23rd at the Apollo Theater in Harlem.

  • I Set My Friends On Fire Light Up the Night in Buffalo

    I Set My Friends on Fire played at Mohawk Place last weekend. The show on February 25 marked the third sold out show in a row on the 10 Years of Slaughter tour, celebrating the anniversary of their popular debut album You Can’t Spell Slaughter Without Laughter.

    Awaken I Am made the trip all the way from their hometown of Brisbane, Australia to tour the US with Kissing Candice and I Set My Friends On Fire. Although far from home, they received a warm welcome from the crowd. Their music was more in the vein of rock than the metal bands that make up the rest of the bill, but it resonated with the crowd. Awaken I Am played a selection of songs which included some off their latest album which they released last year on Victory Records, Blind Love. When I stopped by the merch table, I noticed that the t-shirts and album cover included the words ‘Blind Love’ spelled out in braille, which was a nice touch.

    Awaken I Am

    Long Island metal heavyweights Kissing Candice was a stark contrast to the previous act. The stage filled with the haze of smoke, as the five piece ensemble took the stage in horror-show costumes and masks. The music was as intense as the theatrics, an industrial metal rage that got the crowd moshing once they were over their initial awe. This band is not for the faint of heart. If you’re a fan of heavy hitters like Slipknot, you need to check them out. While tour with Awaken I Am and I Set My Friends On Fire ends on March 16 in Oklahoma, they are playing a show in Illinois on the 18th, followed by a hometown show when they get back to New York at Revolution in Amityville on the 21st.

    Kissing Candice

    Then came the act that fans had been waiting all night to see: I Set My Friends On Fire. A decade ago, two teenagers with a laptop posted a punk cover of “Crank That (Soulja Boy)” on MySpace. It’s been an incredible journey for the band since then. Worldwide tours, lineup changes, and two full length albums later, the band is still challenging the status quo. Clever insightful lyrics are paired with experimental sounds that incorporate a myriad of genres including hardcore and funk.

    I Set My Friends On Fire

    The band is currently comprised of founding member Matt Mehana on vocals, Nathan Blasdell on clean vocals and guitar, Connor Mitchener on bass, Chris Thompson on drums and Hector Bagnod on guitar. Out of the gate, the guys brought an energetic vibe that was contagious. Blasdell was encouraging crowd participation between and during songs, but honestly the crowd didn’t need much encouragement to get moving. A mosh pit opened up on the first song, and it didn’t let up.

    The setlist was comprised of all the songs from You Can’t Spell Slaughter Without Laughter. I was expecting them to play all the songs in order, like other bands that I’ve gone to when they had 10th anniversary tours, but they mixed it up a bit, which was a pleasant surprise. The music was intense and raw, but with an overarching sense of fun. The band members just seemed so happy to be up on stage, and grateful to be celebrating the birthday of this iconic album.

    I Set My Friends on Fire

    There will always be a place for music that captures adolescent antics and questioning of authority and societal standards. Fans of I Set My Fire who turned out at the show included everyone from teenagers who were too young to see the band on previous tours to middle-aged folks who were seeing them for the fourth or fifth time. But the majority of the people in attendance were those who were coming of age when the album came out ten years ago, those who connect on a personal level with the disillusionment and angst of a generation that had their American dream ripped away by the great recession. For them, this concert seemed like both a validation of their experience and a communal catharsis. They purged their emotions in the mosh pit.

    I Set My Friends On Fire

    The 10 Years of Slaughter Tour continues through March 16. Follow I Set My Friends On Fire on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter, or visit their My Space page. To learn more about the band, read the recent NYS Music interview.

  • Flashback: Phish’s Legendary 2003 Nassau Coliseum Show

    On February 28, 2003, Phish performed the penultimate show of their Winter Tour at Nassau Coliseum in Uniondale, Long Island, their first since returning from a two year hiatus. The result was one of the best Phish performances of the ‘2.0’ era that spanned from December 31, 2002 through August 15, 2004.

    phish nassau 2003
    poster by Louis Arzonico

    The first set of the show kicks off with “Birds of a Feather” and while this is a solid starter to a 2003 Phish show, the “Destiny Unbound” that followed is the song that fans skip to, for this was the first version of the song since 1991, and one that fans had been clamoring for since the mid-90s. At first, few in the crowd knew what it was, but as the lyrics started, you can hear the crowd erupt, and even more so when the refrain “We gotta get on the road, Destiny Unbound” is sung.

    phish nassau 2003
    poster design by Troy Alexander

    Shock and awe swept through the crowd and continued into “Horn,” for the biggest bust out of them all was finally here. A 20+ minute “Bathtub Gin” is full of peaks and jam sections, never letting up and only resting when followed by “Sleep.” An extended “Back on the Train” and “Walls of the Cave” sandwich “Bouncing Around the Room” to wrap up the firepowered first set, and set two would prove to be equally incredible.

    One of the best versions of “Tweezer” this century kicked off a five-song second set, stretching more than 27 minutes and finding ebbs and flows throughout, never noodling or fading out, just pure improvisation start to finish. The segue into a then-rare cover of Bob Marley’s “Soul Shakedown Party” lit up the room once again, as did a dark 19 minute “David Bowie.”

    The only time to catch a breath this set was “Round Room,” but being the title track off the band’s recently released album, fans were rapt with attention to the new tune. Closing the set was a slow building “Harry Hood” that capped the show with a bang.

    phish nassau 2003
    shirt design by chris mcmurray

    A three song encore starting with “Contact,” “Mexican Cousin” gave the fans a couple of sing-alongs before the energetic close of “Tweezer Reprise.” You would be hard pressed to find a Phish show in 2003 or 2004 that had as much firepower as February 28, 2003 did.

    Phish, Nassau Coliseum, Uniondale, Long Island, NY February 28, 2003

    Setlist via Phish.net

    Set 1: Birds of a Feather, Destiny Unbound, Horn > Bathtub Gin, Sleep, Back on the Train, Bouncing Around the Room, Walls of the Cave

    Set 2: Tweezer > Soul Shakedown Party -> David Bowie, Round Room > Harry Hood

    Encore: Contact, Mexican Cousin > Tweezer Reprise

    Listen on LivePhish.com