The Flaming Lips along with The Claypool Lennon Delirium upset The Capitol Theatre in Port Chester, NY with an absolute party of stage props, light shows and massive balloons towering the crowd. Riding a unicorn in through the crowd, Wayne Coyne set the bar high for an amazing set to come. The fact that it was a hometown show for Sean Lennon made it an even more special event.
Claypool Setlist: There’s No Underwear in Space (Intro Tape), Astronomy Domine (Pink Floyd), South of Reality, Blood and Rockets: Movement 1 > Saga of Jack Parsons -Movement II Too the Moon, Little Fishes, The Court of the Crimson King (King Crimson), Breath of a Salesman, Boriska, Easily Charmed by Fools, Like Fleas, Tomorrow Never Knows (The Beatles). Cricket and the Genie (Movement II, Oratorio Di Cricket), Cricket and the Genie (Movement I, The Delirium).
Check out the live stream of the show here!
The Flaming Lips Setlist: Also sprach Zarathustra, OP. 30 (Richard Strauss), Race for the Prize, Yoshimi Battles the Pink Robots (Pt. 1), There Should Be Unicorns, She Don’t Use Jelly, True Love Will Find You in the End (Daniel Johnston), Feedaloodum Beedle Dot, The Star-Spangled Banner (John Stafford Smith & Francis Scott Key) [Two Takes], The Yeah Yeah Yeah Song (With All Your Power), Are You a Hypnotist??, All We Have Is Now.
The heat this summer came to a peak over the weekend of July 18-20 at Montage Mountain with Camp Bisco, the annual electronic and jam festival which held its 17th installment featuring hosts The Disco Biscuits, Tipper, Bassnectar, Odesza, Rusko, Umphrey’s McGee, Twiddle, Tauk, Spafford and Sunsquabi, among many more.
Hosts The Disco Biscuits played six hot sets over the weekend, including a set with original drummer Sammy Altman and current drummer Allen Aucoin, which was highlighted by “M.E.M.P.H.I.S.” -> “Rapture,” the latter an instrumental version of the 1980 Blondie hit. Later that night, they would pay tribute to the 50th anniversary of the moon landing with a series of songs, as well as pre and post-set music, that referenced the moon and space. Even with the intense weather conditions, Camp Bisco was a successful weekend of electronic and dance music, warming the mountain up for Peach Fest the following weekend.
90’s nostalgia was in the air when Our Lady Peace, Live and Bush made their stop on the Altimate Tour at CMAC in June. This tour brings some of the best bands from the ’90s together and truly made it one of the ultimate tours to see this summer.
Kicking off the night was Our Lady Peace as they warmed the audience up with their intense yet centered energy. OLP is one of those bands that brings the audience’s energy up and got the nostalgia ball rolling for the evening. Their setlist was packed with so many hits from the ’90s/early 2000s such as “Superman’s Dead” and “Starseed.”
Next up was co-headliners LIVE. Lead vocalist Ed Kowalczyk started singing from the middle of the amphitheater and slowly descended through the audience until he reached his bandmates on stage. It threw the crowd for an exciting loop as everyone turned their heads to locate Kowalczyk. LIVE really cherry picked their setlist, giving the crowd a fabulous mixture of their hits and throwing in some musical nostalgia of their own with their covers of REM’s “Losing My Religion” and The Rolling Stone’s “Paint it Black.”
All three bands rocked CMAC, but there is no denying the energy Bush bought to the stage when they closed the night. Bush played a great set with a mixture of their hit songs, including their new single “Bullet Holes.” Lead vocalist Gavin Rossdale bounced around the stage just like he did in 1997. He and guitarist Chris Traynor have an undeniable vibe when they play their guitar chords together. Rossdale jumped off stage during “Everything Zen” and went through the audience, giving the fans in the back some love and appreciation.
The Altimate Tour is not one to miss. It is a 90’s cocktail of amazing musicians that sparked the youth back then and they continue to feed that fire to their fans 20 years later. Not many bands can bring a tour like this to life, but Bush, LIVE and Our Lady Peace can and did.
The Altimate Tour just kicked off their last leg of the tour and New Yorkers still have time to catch this amazing tour with stops scheduled for August 29 in Wantagh, NY and on August 30 in Bethel, NY.
Our Lady Peace Setlist: Drop Me in the Water, Innocent, Superman’s Dead, Somewhere Out There, Clumsy, Stop Making Stupid People Famous, Starseed
Live Setlist: Dam at Otter Creek, All Over You, Selling the Drama, Losing My Religion, Shit Towne, Iris, The Dolphin’s Cry, Paint it Black, Lakini’s Juice, I Alone, White Discussion, Heaven, Turn My Head, Lighting Crashes
Bush Setlist: Machinehead, Chemicals, This is War, Sound of Winter, Swallowed, Everything Zen, Disease, Bullet Holes, Little Things, Glycerine, Comedown
There was nothing but a good time at Orange County Chopper Cafe in Newburgh, NY on Saturday, July 13. The crowd was on their feet dancing and singing along as if it was 1990. Before Shot of Poison took the stage, The Beacon River Dogs warmed up the crowd with a mix of originals and covers.
The Beacon River Dogs have been howling their songs for the last five years in the Hudson Valley area of New York. The band consists of Robert Stell on vocals and lead rhythm guitar, Fred Czaszar on bass, and Vinnie Quattrocchi on drums. Rob plays many original songs. He is strongly influenced by KISS, but he remembers having a passion about music since he was a young child, stating he used to listen to AM radio and loved hearing Stevie Ray Vaughn, Aerosmith, Jimi Hendrix, Jimmy Paige, and Randy Rhodes. He started his first band when he was only 14 years old, playing the guitar his grandmother had given him.
Robert Stell – vocals and rhythm guitar
Grandma must have seen something in that kid. He has since opened for many artists, including Lou Reed, John Corobi, Government Mule with Warren Haynes, Rick Derringer, and tribute bands such as SATO Ozzy Band, the Alice Copper tribute band School’s Out, Rolling Stones tribute band Satisfaction, and on this night, for Shot of Poison, a Poison tribute band.
The setlist for The Beacon River Dogs was quite extensive as they were asked to play a little longer by the promoter, Rockin Rob Jagusch. Songs included were “Riding Home,” “Angel Christine,” “Give Me Back My Gun,” “Billy the Kid,” “Little Cryer”, and “Let it Bleed.” Check out their Facebook page for upcoming shows.
Bassist Fred “Z” also mentioned “Rock Out the Dope” The Opioid Prevention and Awareness Music Festival will be held on August 9-11 at the Blackthorne Resort located in East Durham, NY. This family friendly event will feature over 100 acts at 13 stages during the three-day event. Find out more here
The Beacon River Dogs
Fred Czaszar
Fred Czaszar
Rob Stell
Fred Czaszar
Rob Stell
Vinnie Quattrocchi
Vinnie Quattrocchi
Rob Stell
Rob Stell
Shot of Poison then came on stage to a roaring crowd and thrilled them with “Cry Tough”. It was a non-stop party after that. The band consists of Ken Gillman on drums, Adam Boc on Bass, Bruce Bennett on guitar, and vocals by Frank Pupillo.
I asked Ken Gilman, the drummer for the band that originally started ten years ago, “”How did this all start?” Although it was successful, it was short lived, only lasting about a year. But he didn’t give up. He envisioned something bigger, and better. It finally happened in November of 2017, with new band members and more lively artists. When you see how busy they are with the tour, you know how successful it is.
Bruce Bennet, Frank Pupillo and Adam Boc of Shot of Poison
When asked, “Why Poison?” each band member had their own input: KEN’s answer: To me, Poison is the epitome of ’80s glam metal and Bret Michaels is to glam metal what Elvis Presley was to adult rock in the ’60s and ’70s. ADAM’s answer: I learned a lot from starting another tribute band five years earlier. I studied statistics and the market landscape, and saw a market gap for a top-quality Poison tribute. Bruce similarly learned a lot from starting a tribute earlier. He always loved Poison, and he also saw the potential. Frank enjoys the glam style, in general, and saw an opportunity to express his love for entertaining people. And boy, did he entertain.
At first, you close your eyes and you hear Bret Michaels, but unlike some tribute bands, you open your eyes, and you also see “Bret Michaels.” Frank does an amazing job portraying the fun-loving Michaels, and he got the crowd involved throughout the night. From having the crowd sing along, to Bruce and Frank getting into the crowd and performing their rose ceremony, if you were there, you were a part of the show. They interacted with any willing fan. At one point, upon seeing the camera, they stopped what they were doing and posed. What a fun bunch.
The set-list was non-stop as well and featured songs like “Cry Tough,” “I Want Action,” “I Won’t Forget You,” “Talk Dirty to Me,” “Love on the Rocks,” “Nothin’ But a Good Time,” “Back to the Rocking Horse,” “Tearin’ Down the Walls,” “Look But You Can’t Touch,” “Fallen Angel,” “Every Rose Has Its Thorn,” “Unskinny Bop,” “Life Goes On,” “Ride the Wind,” “Something to Believe In,” “What I Like About You,” “Rock and Roll All Nite” and “We’re an American Band.”
Check out the list of upcoming locations and make a plan to experience Shot of Poison first hand, you will be amazed.
Upcoming dates/locations Fri, AUG 9 – Finnegan’s Irish Rock Club – Scranton, PA Sat, AUG 10 – Woodlawn Beach & Tiki Bar – Buffalo, NY Thu, AUG 15 – Maple Tree Place Summer Concert Series – Williston, VT Fri, AUG 16 – Sharkey’s Summer Stage – Liverpool, NY Sat, AUG 17 – New London Veterans Motorcycle Run – New London, OH Fri, AUG 23 – Mc Sober’s Saloon – Coldwater, OH Sat, AUG 24 – Goodstock Music Festival – Goodland, IN Sat, SEP 7 – Sterling Fair – Sterling, MA Fri, SEP 13 – Gusto’s – Barre, VT Sat, SEP 14 – Mixers Nightclub & Lounge – Sabattus, ME Sat, SEP 28 – Hairfest 2019 at Indian Ranch Amphitheater – Webster, MA Sat, OCT 12 – The Phoenix – Stonington, CT Thu, NOV 21 – Granite State Music Hall (with Mr. Speed) – Laconia, NH Fri, NOV 22 – Blue Ocean Music Hall (with Mr. Speed KISS tribute) – Salisbury, MA
Bowlive VIII’s final night brought a full house of great musicians alongside Soulive for “Family Night.” The special guests included Dan Mayer (guitar), Sam Kininger (saxophone), James Casey (saxophone) and Brian Thomas (trombone). Soulive’s lineup includes Eric Krasno (guitar), Alan Evans (drums) and Neal Evans (organ, bass keys, clavinet).
Eric Krasno
The evening began with the core trio from Soulive who delivered a sweet instrumental version of The Beatle’s “Revolution.” “Bubble” was up next, from 2007’s No Place Like Soul, followed by “Spark.” The vibe then quickly charged as saxophonist and frequent collaborator Sam Kinninger joined the band on stage. He sat in for “Hurry Up… and Wait” (Doin’ Somethin), “Rudy’s Way” (Get Down!) and “Liquid” (Next). The horn section increased by two at the end of the set as James Casey and Brian Thomas joined the party for a deliciously funky “Tuesday Night Squad.”
Neal Evans, James Casey, Sam Kinninger and Brian Thomas
Set two raised the bar as guitarist Dan Mayer, from Star Kitchen, added another strong guitar presence on stage. Krasno announced that Dan Mayer “is one of my favorite guitarists.” The quartet opened with “Curse Lifter,” followed by a stellar instrumental version of Jimi Hendrix’ “Manic Depression,” showcasing the talents of both guitarists. The horn trio then joined the squad once again and delivered a funky “Backwards Jack.” Mayer left the stage and the sextet rolled on with “Up Right,” “Hat Trick,” and “PJ’s”. The set closed out with “Canonball,” another Doin’ Something track. Mayer joined the stage once again for the encore of “Flurries” which included audience confetti. All seven musicians took a bow, and wrapped up another successful Soulive residency at the Brooklyn Bowl.
Dan Mayer and Eric Krasno
Setlist
Set One: Revolution, Bubble, Spark, Hurry Up… and Wait^, Rudy’s Way^, Liquid^, Tuesday Night Squad^%
Set Two: Curse Lifter*, Manic Depression*, Backwards Jack*^%, Up Right^%, Hat Trick^%, PJ’s^%, Cannonball^%
Enc: Flurries*^%
Notes:
^with Sam Kinninger (sax)
*with Danny Mayer (guitar)
%with James Casey (sax) and Brian Thomas (trombone)
Bowlive VIII rolled on at the rustic Brooklyn Bowl with Soulive and legendary Meters funk bassist George Porter Jr. sitting in. The setlist had no shortage of covers, including songs from The Beatles, The Meters and The Grateful Dead. Soulive’s current line up includes Eric Krasno (guitar), Alan Evans (drums) and Neal Evans (organ, bass keys, clavinet).
Eric Krasno
Soulive began the first set as a trio, delivering the band’s signature jazz-funk. Originals “So Live” and “Steppin’” got the crowd ready to party with Krasno’s delicious guitar work. A rocking instrumental version of The Beatle’s “Eleanor Rigby” was up next, followed by a new Soulive original, “Waves”.
George Porter Jr.
Alan Evans addressed the crowd with ,”Is it time?” The crowd responded with a resounding approval and the King of Bowlive, George Porter Jr., joined the funky party. Drawing from his time with The Meters, Porter led covers of “Pungee” and “Africa” and took the lead on vocals. The set wrapped up with the tasty New Orleans classic “Iko Iko,” by The Dixie Cups.
Set two continued with more of The Meter’s catalog, starting with “Look-Ka Py Py” from the album of the same name. The funk classic “Keep On Marching” from the Fire on the Bayou album was up next. The funk single “I Need More Time” had the crowd dancing like no one was watching. Rejuvenation‘s “What’cha Say” then proceeded and “He Bite Me”, also from Fire on the Bayou, closed out this delightfully funky sequence.
This talented group of musicians then switched gears and doubled down on one of Porter’s favorite songs to cover, The Grateful Dead’s “Sugaree.” Porter’s soulful voice and eclectic bass skills brought new life to this beloved classic. The frequent Dead cover and Bobby Bland original “Turn On Your Love Light” lit up the room and was the jam of the night. The set wrapped up with another Meter’s classic, “It Ain’t No Use.” This electrifying group then closed out one hot night with another Rejuvination tune for an encore with “Just Kissed My Baby.”
Setlist
Set One: So Live, Steppin’, Eleanor Rigby, Waves, Pungee*, Africa*, Iko Iko*
Set Two: Look-Ka Py Py*, Keep On Marching*, I Need More Time*, What’cha Say*, He Bite Me (The Dragon)*, Sugaree*, Turn On Your Love Light, It Ain’t No Use*
Thursday night kicked off the second round of shows celebrating the ten-year anniversary of Bowlive, the unique relationship that brought together Brooklyn Bowl and Soulive has produced some of the most interesting and classic musical collaborations in the New York music scene.
For show number four of the anniversary run, Soulive welcomed the extremely talented Marcus King, the southern rock prodigy who has quickly rose in popularity for his immense musical talent and charm treated a sold out crowd to an amazing night of music with takes on a few Allman Brothers classics and the Soulive catalog.
Bowlive is all about collaboration, not only chemistry on stage but a connection between musicians. It’s amazing to see the friendship blossoming between Erick Krasno and Marcus King as it shines through the music and joy shared on stage.
The 2019 Pleasantville Music Festival is now in the books. This was my first time at the festival, held 30+ miles north of NYC, which was celebrating its 15th year. Before heading to the festival I found out a few things about Pleasantville, N.Y. It is a village in a town, it’s first train station was built circa 1846, and has roughly 7,000 people living there, per the 2010 census. I started to think, village, 1846, music festival? I was, well, concerned.
But I was schooled- schooled quickly. With past headliners including Gin Blossoms, Blues Traveler, The Smithereens, and Ian Hunter; the quality of music spoke for itself. The organizers maximized the large enclosed multi-use sports field enabling three musical stages, an abundance of food and drink vendors, large kids play section, tented shade areas and enough space for all to enjoy the day without being on top of one another.
Recycle station volunteers
As part of the festival and “to keep the Earth happy” they instituted a zero waste program including manned recycling stations and volunteers who continually roamed the site, picking up any trash that may have made it to terra firma. I was taken by how well they kept the festival site clean. Water stations offering free fill ups were available for all, whether you bought something to drink or brought a refillable bottle with you.
Then there was music. Three stages offered different musical grooves from local to national acts. The Chill Tent, a very large covered area with a multitude of large fans circulating air throughout, offered acoustic styled acts including Dean Freidman and Chill headliner Matthew Sweet, who filled the tent to capacity. The Party stage, a decibel or two louder than the Chill Tent, true to its name was a party for all. Bands playing this stage were definitely adding heat to an already hot day. Two acts on this stage that caught my attention were Micky James and the band The New Respects, both had everyone on their feet and wanting more.
Matthew Sweet in the Chill Tent
The main stage was just that with BAILEN, Aimee Mann, Soul Asylum, and headliners Everclear playing to a field full of fans, singing and dancing to their hits. The bands were interacting with the crowd making the main stage feel like the most intimate of places.
The day’s musical extravaganza started with the three winners of the Lagond MusicBattle of the Bands competition. The winners, Mosa, SpitPhyre, and Lillimure, set the tone for each stage they performed on. It was great seeing support for new and developing musical talent. Eighteen acts played this hot, blue sky day. The coordination of the two smaller stages with the main stage allowed you to experience all the acts and not feel you missed out on something going from one stage to the other.
With my knowledge of Pleasantville, N.Y. social studies enhanced and having had consumed a plethora of great music, all I have to do now is wait for year 16 to get on the calendar.
Soul AsylumThe New RespectsDean FriedmanSwahoogieReady for some rock ‘n rollMatthew SweetMosaAlex Cano Aimee MannBruce T CarrollBAILENE’lissa JonesField entertainmentColor Tongue LillimureMicky JamesTough competitionMeltSpitPhyre
Susan Tedeschi and Derek Trucks are no strangers to the Rochester area. They’ve both been frequent visitors since their beginnings – forming a mutual love affair with the area’s music fans. Tedeschi Trucks Band have made it a point to stop here on every one of their tours, making Wheels of Soul their fifth area visit in just as many years.
Derek and Susan (and management) have proven themselves to be curators with exceptional taste and vision. Each of their Wheels of Soul tours have come with its own distinct flavor. The lineups have been soulful one year, rocking another, and folky another. Each year their own band fits in with their openers regardless, the ultimate chameleon that can match wits no matter the genre.
This year, rambunctious duo, Shovels and Rope, from Charleston, SC and Country-rock jammers, Blackberry Smoke, out of Atlanta, GA joined the Jacksonville, FL headliners for Southern-fried flavor on stage. The combo cooked-up a succulent, meaty and juicy flare, with a nice crispy exterior.
Playing for a fanbase that knows you inside-and-out leaves little room in the way of surprises. Surprise isn’t really TTB’s game though, and they wowed the judges with pure power and finesse. The band, still twelve-members strong, did bring some fresh meat since we last saw them. Gabe Dixon has taken over on keys and Brandon Boone is now on bass. They also come supporting a new album, Signs. They introduced the crowd to three of the new tracks, “I’m Gonna Be There,” “Hard Case” and “Signs, High Times.” “I’m Gonna Be There” was a clear highlight among those, with a slick and slow building solo that ended with Trucks’ guitar exhibiting its signature growl over the backup singers’ building vocals.
One of the elements of the Wheels of Soul tours that after five years fails to surprise, but nevertheless always wow’s, is when Tedeschi Trucks Band brings out their openers for a guest spot or two. This year Charlie Starr from Blackberry Smoke, plus Michael Trent and Cary Ann Hearst from Shovels and Rope emerged for a cover of Leon Russell’s “Stranger in a Strange Land.” Despite the clear talent both openers exhibited in their sets, this performance didn’t rise to the high expectations of past guest spots.
One of the reasons for Derek and Susan’s strong connection with Rochester is the champion they’ve found in local radio personality Brother Wease. As a thank you for his consistent support, Tedeschi lead a stripped down quartet on an emotional interpretation of John Prine’s “Angels of Montgomery” that she segued into Jerry Garcia’s “Sugaree” as the backing vocalists joined in. A stunning moment to be sure.
Not to be outdone, her husband closed the set in a ball of flames, turning “The Storm” into a full-on “Whipping Post” jam, pushing the set right up to the 11pm curfew. They couldn’t possibly leave this crowd hanging so they risked “getting in big trouble” by coming back out for a quick encore.
Michael Trent and Cary Ann Hearst
Shovels and Rope drew a great crowd for their early opening set that focused mainly on material from their 2019 release, By Blood. Each played a bevy of instruments, drums, guitars, keys, harmonica, on songs ranging from emotive ballads to fuzzed out rockers. The variety was all held together by their wonderful two-part harmonies and incredible songwriting.
Blackberry Smoke came out guns blazing, whooping up the crowd with their Allmans-esque Southern rock jams and fist pumping country rock numbers. It was a big and dense sound that kept it fun for even the least familiar listener, with a slew of heavy teases and jams that included “Third Stone from the Sun,” “Amazing Grace,” “When the Levee Breaks” and a foreshadowing “Mountain Jam.”
Blackberry Smoke
Setlists:
Tedeschi Trucks Band: I Want More, Don’t Know What It Means, The Letter, I’m Gonna Be There, Hard Case, Border Song, Down in the Flood, Swamp Raga > Midnight in Harlem, Part of Me, Angel From Montgomery > Sugaree, I Pity the Fool, Stranger in a Strange Land (with Charlie Starr, Michael Trent and Cary Ann Hearst), The Storm > Whipping Post.
Encore: Signs, High Times.
Blackberry Smoke: Fire in the Hole, Let It Burn, Believe You Me, Mother Mountain, One Horse Town, Ain’t Much Left of Me.
Shovels and Rope: I’m Coming Out, Hammer, The Devil is All Around, C’mon Utah, Birmingham, Forsaken Blues, Carry Me Home, Mississippi Nuthin’, I Know, The Wire, Hail Hail.
Shovels & RopeMichael Trent and Cary Ann HearstBlackberry SmokeCharlie StarrPaul JacksonRichard TurnerBrit TurnerBrandon StillTedeschi Trucks BandDerek TrucksSusan TedeschiKebbi WilliamsEphraim Owens
On Friday, July 12, Upstate NY celebrated a final farewell performance from one of the area’s most beloved jam acts,Formula 5. The groove-rock foursome, for their final show, were headlining the third annual Rock The Dock Music Festival in Lake George, NY. Formula 5 had announced their intention to go on an indefinite hiatus earlier this year with plans to to finish out a select handful of live performances, the last of which was their main stage set at Rock The Dock, the one-day music event which they have hosted for the past two years.
On this third time around, Rock The Dock saw a beautiful day of weather and an impressive turnout of festival patrons who flocked to a corner of Lake George to see an intimate list of popular music acts. Other acts on the festival main stage for the day were the funk dance band West End Blend, singer-songwriter Mike Powell, Saratoga Springs’ JT Maple, along with Americana rock outfit Eastbound Jesus and the Colorado-based jam quartet Magic Beans. And, of course, after all of these acts, Formula 5 closed the stage out, performing a highly lauded, headlining set of music.
Adding to its serene views and amiable atmosphere, Rock The Dock equipped itself with an impressively nice sound. Patrons could sit atop the second or third deck of the massive steamboats —three of them boxed in the concert area in grand fashion—and enjoy the music as if they were riding the front row. In between sets, patrons could meander to close by vendors and be serenaded by the music of both JT Maple and Mike Powell.
Magic Beans, one of Colorado’s most promising jamband acts in recent times, were on deck taking the stage just before Formula 5’s send off. And they played a short but strong hour-long set that really managed to warm up the energy of Rock The Dock properly. Towards the end of their set, Beans’ steady, focused approach to uplifting trance funk had hit the crowd right way and had the concert area flush with dancers and smilers. At the apex of this great set, Magic Beans delivered a uniquely slow version of Talking Heads’ “Life During Wartime.”
Formula 5 then took their time that evening to put on a proper close to a more than respectable seven year career of touring and recording. Those seven years saw a few different iterations of the band (every member of which was present this evening) craft and refine a highly popular, unique improvisational sound and live experience.
That live experience came out in full force for one last time at Rock The Dock, with the band—in it’s most recent lineup of keyboardist Matt Richards, bassist James Woods, drummer Greg Marek, and guitarist Joe Davis—sounding off to hundreds of their most dedicated fans and family in true, larger-than-life style. The way they performed for this ending display, the band might as well as have been in front of thousands of people, let alone several hundred. It came with perhaps a bit of irony that this last set from Formula 5 was as musically thrilling as some of the best they had ever done. By the last of the exasperated yet tenaciously sung notes from lead Joe Davis on the night’s encore “Breaking Glass,” it didn’t seem right that such a great display was the end instead of being the beginning of a new chapter.
But here at Rock The Dock there was no crazy setlist, no stage antics or tricks. Formula 5 simply offered an extremely well-executed, instrumentally colorful and comfortable display of original jams. A mighty “In The Sand” strapped Formula fans into a familiar rocket, and catapulted them towards the psychedelic reaches of high-energy space funk that this band had always demonstrated they could navigate better than most others playing today.
By the time the band transitioned energetically into “Come Along,” the dock was rife with glee. Whether people were realizing or not that this was in fact Formula 5’s final show, for a moment, that didn’t seem to be clear. People were just happy, and they moved in colorful motion to the quartet’s shifting tempos and amazing collection of weird, wild rock sounds.
One of those sounds was the familiar and super heady keyboard intro from Matt Richards to the band’s “Sad Bed.” If anyone thought “In The Sand” would be the highlight point, they might have been subverted by this tune which was played even more ambitiously than the mega jam before it. Across the last couple of years, since the career-making release of their record All Points North, “Sad Bed” has been one of Formula 5’s most creative and transcendent vehicles for improvisation, stretching out on many live occasions past twenty-five or even thirty minutes in length. This farewell show at Rock The Dock boasted a “Sad Bed” to end all “Sad Beds,” a masterfully groovy, last improvisational exercise for the band. In this inspired performance, Formula 5 sounded like a synthesis between all of their influences, fusing together the cosmic ’70s feel of Parliament Funkadelic, the raunchy grit of Widespread Panic, and the artistic unexpectedness of The Grateful Dead.
Even “Trout Waters Pt. 1 & 2,” which the band often in past shows would split up as segue points between other songs, was kept together in one long delivery and went near ballistic. Drummer Greg Marek, who was completely in the zone in this moment, deserves credit for helping to launch this one into a fantastic, power-rocking jam.
Through the entirety of this fully loaded yet all-too-quick two hours, the band was all smiles, with all four members beaming at one another at every musical change or, at times it seemed, just because they were so into it. Here, in the last show, they were having fun, and perhaps that’s what counts most. The crowd was certainly more than appreciative, matching the band’s amazing gusto step for step through to the end. When the band had returned to a deafening encore chant, Marek took to the microphone and said a few words that must have eased at least a few minds. “I don’t see why there’s any reason we can’t do this again next year.”
Swimmer continued the party for Rock The Dock at Lake George’s King Neptune’s Pub and the beach bar’s crowd eventually swelled to a cool gathering of festival attendees and turned the local hub into a sizzling last bit of dancing fun. Formula 5’s members, when they weren’t on stage making their last sentimental statements of the evening, were among the late night crowd, having a much deserved beer and mingling with fans and friendsSwimmer, this instrumentally intense yet often very melodically pleasing quartet, ripped up the last few hours of the festival between confident guitar shreds, jamtronic-tinged bass and drum lines, and even some moments of soulful saxaphone work thrown in. At the very least, this band that hails from the still musically fecund hotspot of Burlington, VT showed that while some of our favorites now and then have to call it quits, the music is always being carried on strongly by still younger and continually impressive artists.
Formula 5 Setlist: Friday July 12, Rock The Dock Music Festival
Set 1: Earthbound Tim > Booher’s Pass, Pedro -> In the Sand > Come Along, Trout Waters Pt 1 & 2, Sad Bed > Gettin Tough Again
