Phish has announced a 7 date 2019 Fall Tour, kicking off in Providence, Rhode Island on November 29 & 30 at the Dunkin Donuts Center. Following that, the band has a NY date in Uniondale at the Nassau Coliseum on December 1. Next they will head to Pittsburgh’s Petersen Events Center on December 4 and wrapping with a 3-night run at the North Charleston Coliseum on December 6-8 in Charleston, South Carolina.
A ticket-request period for Phish Fall Tour 2019 shows is now open and will run through Monday, Aug. 19, at 10 a.m. ET. General ticket sales for the tour begin Friday, Aug. 23. Phish and CID Entertainment are also offering travel packages (which include hotel & tickets) for Providence, Uniondale and Charleston. Travel Packages go on sale Thursday, August 15th at Noon ET.
Phish Fall Tour 2019
Nov. 29 – Dunkin’ Donuts Center, Providence, RI
Nov. 30 – Dunkin’ Donuts Center, Providence, RIDec. 1 – Nassau Coliseum, Uniondale, NYDec. 4 – Petersen Events Center, Pittsburgh, PADec. 6 – North Charleston Coliseum, Charleston, SCDec. 7 – North Charleston Coliseum, Charleston, SCDec. 8 – North Charleston Coliseum, Charleston, SC
My Morning Jacket finished out their only four shows of 2019 with an incredible East Coast run this weekend at the The Capitol Theatre in Port Chester, NY and Forest Hills Stadium in Queens, NY. After an incredible two-night run the previous weekend at Red Rocks Park & Amphitheatre in Colorado, the gentlemen from Louisville, KY headed east to celebrate with a very special 20th anniversary concert of their first album The Tennessee Fire, plus songs they covered during that era and a very tight set of fan favorites and deep cuts, all played under a perfect summer night in NYC.
The Capitol Theatre was buzzing with excitement as fans gathered early to form a queue wrapping around the city blocks of Port Chester. Many had signed up for the VIP packages which included a BBQ with the band, featuring drummer Patrick Hallahan’s famous smoked meats. When the doors opened, many rushed to get spots on the rail, buy posters or just soak in the majesty of this beautiful theatre. The projectors layered the walls images of the first record and hand written song lyrics and, later, images of space during the first encore – a cover of Elton John’s “Rocket Man” with soaring vocals from Jim James (lead singer, guitar) and wailing pedal steel from Carl Broemel (guitar, pedal steel, saxophone).
Before we even got to that, the band ripped into “Heartbreaking Man,” the first song from their first album released 20 years ago, with a tenacious energy. One could see the smiles on bassist Tom Blankenship’s face as the boys brought new life to The Tennessee Fire. It is incredible to see what they can do as a live band now. Revisiting the first record was not only special for the audience, but James noted that it was an incredible experience to think about where they were, what they were doing and how much has happened since those songs were written.
Even the slower songs like “Old September Blues” and “Picture of You” were given special treatment with wild guitar riffs traded between James and Broemel – and beautiful solos from Bo Koster on keys. Some of the songs featured a few special lyric changes like the last song of the set, “I Think I’m Going To Hell,” which made the experience of being at the venue and witnessing this performance that much more special for the audience.
On Saturday night, the band bid a bittersweet farewell and ended their four-night summer run with yet another incredible performance. Forest Hills Stadium is a beautiful venue located in Queens and the concertgoers could not have asked for a more perfect night. The band sounded tight and packed a powerful punch into the two and a half hour set. “Compound Fracture” was the opening song from their latest album The Waterfall, released in 2015.
As the sun began to set, the band lit fire to the stage with “Victory Dance” from 2011’s Circuital. “Hope to watch the victory dance after the days work is done / Hope to watch the victory dance in the evenings setting sun,” James sang, motioning to the lingering trails of light over the historic stadium. For fans of the band, it was rewarding to see the full band back together as it had been nearly 18 months since their last performances at One Big Holiday 4. The chemistry was still there and when James and Broemel stood together trading and layering licks over the final two songs of the first set “Steam Engine” > “Phone Went West,” you could see the shape of a heart between their nodding heads with Hallahan, Koster and Blankenship between them.
Both performances were exceptional to say the least and gave the audience the best of both worlds with a night of deep cuts in celebration of 20 years together and a night of fun fan favorites. Hopefully, they are back on the road together again sooner than later.
Setlist – Capitol Theatre: Heartbreakin’ Man, They Ran, The Bear, Nashville To Kentucky, Old September Blues, If All Else Fails, It’s About Twilight Now, Evelyn Is Not Real, War Begun, Picture Of You, I will Be There When You Die, The Dark, By My Car, Butch Cassidy, I Tnink I’m Going to Hell.
Encore: Rocket Man, Weeks Go By Like Days, Tyrone, Tonite I Want To Celebrate With You.
Setlist – Forest Hills Stadium: Compound, the Way That He Sings, I’m Amazed, Golden, Mahgeetah, Evil Urges, Victory Dance > Circuital, Gideon, Off The Record, Spring, Smoking From Shooting, Tropics, Lay Low, Steam Engine > Phone Went West
Encore: Wordless Chorus, Touch Me I’m Going To Scream Part 1, Touch Me I’m Going To Scream Part 2, One Big Holiday.
The Group Therapy Tour was just the medicine needed for more than 15,000 fans of Barenaked Ladies that packed into CMAC this past Friday night. This being the first time they’ve toured in over a decade, Hootie & the Blowfish was not only celebrating the 25th anniversary of Cracked Rear View Mirror‘s release back in 1994, but also announced their upcoming album Imperfect Circle, due for release this fall.
Opening and getting the night started was the Barenaked Ladies. With Ed Robertson on lead vocals and guitar; Jim Creeggan on bass and vocals; Tyler Stewart on percussion and vocals; and Kevin Hearn on keyboards, guitar and vocals; this quartet have perfected their harmonies and playing over the years, but it’s their stage presence that really lifts them above most bands. The one thing that hits you first (if this is the first time you’ve seen them live) is they have so much fun playing together. Racing across the stage, playing to not only the crowd but to each other, fun has to be their middle name (Barenaked Fun Ladies), just has to be.
They are known for their improvisation – their number one hit “One Week” was added to the album Stunt to demonstrate their flair of improv and the energy they exude during their live shows. Capturing it perfectly on the album and again Friday night, these fun loving guys have proven they still have what it takes to get the crowd out of their seats, dancing and singing. In fact, if the band “Had a Million Dollars,” they wouldn’t have to buy their love because it was right there in front of them as the crowd sang the lyrics word for word while the band pitched and knocked stuffed animals out of the park. Closing the set out with a mash up of some favorite rock songs, percussionist Tyler Stewart demonstrated what his and the other band members’ strongest qualities are: their versatility and talent, both vocally and musically.
With a quick changeover, it was just minutes before Hootie & the Blowfish took the stage. The moment they came out, the crowd rose to their feet. With hands in the air and phones on record, the crowd ate up every moment they played, hungry for more.
The setlist was outstanding, giving the crowd a taste of an expanse of music from their library, those that have influenced them along the way, and just favorites of both the crowd and the band. Joining them a few songs into their set, one of the best moments of the night was when Barenaked Ladies sat in for a cover of the Beatles’ “A Little Help from My Friends.” This classic song was just an epic choice to feature all these talented musicians and what they bring to the stage.
Like a storybook unfolding, Darius told a story the whole evening through music. Sharing past hits from music that influenced them, such as R.E.M.’s “Losing My Religion,” and showing how music can soothe and collectively unite as he and the band dedicated “Will the Circle Be Unbroken?” to the families and victims of the past week’s shootings, it once again demonstrated how music heals and is a universal language to which everyone can relate.
With a new album to be released on September 6, those in attendance got just a taste of what’s to come. This will be the first album they’ve released since 2005’s Looking for Lucky. A performance of “Rollin’“ as an appetizer left the crowd wanting more, at least it did for this photojournalist.
Despite a slow start to the evening that included the massive number of people coming in to the venue, the issues with ticketing (CMAC is a Ticketmaster venue so buying from third parties is not encouraged or honored) and a strange rain storm that occurred in the beginning of the evening, (rain on one side of the amphitheater and not the other), all in all, it was an amazing night of music that made all the gray moments shine like the rainbow that appeared right before the show began.
Barenaked Ladies Setlist: Bringing It Home, Odds Are, It’s All Been Done, Gonna Walk, The Old Apartment Matter of Time, Brian Wilson, Lookin’ Up, Pinch Me, Big Bang Theory Theme, One Week, If I Had a Million Dollars, Barenaked Rap: Shallow / Old Town Road / Sicko Mode / High Hopes / Whole Lotta Love / Another One Bites the Dust
Hootie & The Blowfish Setlist: Samuel L. Jackson Ezekiel 25:17, Hannah Jane, State Your Peace, I Go Blind (54-40 cover), Sad Caper, Not Even the Trees, With a Little Help From My Friends (Beatles cover with Barenaked Ladies), Hold My Hand, I Will Wait, Let Her Cry, Hey Hey What Can I Do (Led Zeppelin cover), Will the Circle Be Unbroken?, Desert Mountain Showdown, I Hope I Don’t Fall in Love With You (Tom Waits cover), Alright (Darius Rucker song), Running From an Angel, Losing My Religion (R.E.M. cover), Time, Rollin’, Wagon Wheel (Old Crow Medicine Show cover), Old Man & Me, When I Get to Heaven / Fight the Power / Freaks of the Industry Encore: Goodbye, Go and Tell Him (Soup cover), Only Wanna Be With You / Get Down on It, Country Roads (John Denver cover)
Hailing from Vinton, Louisiana, Marcia Ball will be bringing her unique sound to Caffè Lena on Friday, August 30. USA Today described her music as being a combination of “Texas Stomp Rock” and “Louisiana blues-swamp,” an intriguing combination. Each performance of Marcia Ball’s becomes a musical party of joyful music and triumphant vocals, and every note comes with a twist that is all her own.
Marcia Ball has won many accolades over her career, including a recent induction into the Austin City Limits Hall of Fame in 2018. In 2002, she won the Blues Music Award for “Blues Album Of The Year” for Presumed Innocent. In 2004, her album So Many Rivers was nominated for a Grammy Award and won the 2004 Blues Music Award for Contemporary Blues Album Of The Year, as well as the award for Contemporary Blues Female Artist Of The Year . She has been awarded a total of ten Blues Music Awards, ten Living Blues Awards and has been nominated for a Grammy five times.
Clearly, Marcia Ball is an incredibly talented musician who has cultivated a sound and style that can only be described as her’s. She will be performing two shows at Caffè Lena, an early show at 6:00, and a late show at 8:30. To get tickets to the early show, go here. To get tickets to the later performance, go here.
Guster made the best of weather malfunctions at SummerStage 2019 in Central Park on Thursday, August 8. The beautiful stage and lush canopy of trees created a secluded, intimate environment in the heart of New York City. The day was filled with beautiful skies, and the weather forecast was partially cloudy without indication of showers, up until later on in the day.
Rubblebucket has delicious clouds as they perform
Indie rockers, Rubblebucket, opened for Guster, and were fortunate to have blue skies and incredible cloud mood throughout the show. The Brooklyn based bunch includes: Alex Toth (trumpet, leader), Kalmia Taver (vocals, saxophone), Adam Dotzon (trumpet, vocals, flutero), Ryan Dugre (guitar), Noga Shefi (bassa), Jeremy Gustin (drums), and Sean Smith (trumpet). Their vibrant, colorful outfits and art-pop spirit descended upon Central Park, and offered synchronized dancing on stage, as well as a high level of connectivity as they grooved together. At one point, the energetic Taver had the audience sing “Love, Love, Love, Love” while pointing with one finger in the air, transitioning into “Came Out of a Lady.” Rubblebucket made many new fans that night.
Kalmia Taver interacts with the audience
Boston, MA’s Guster took the stage at 7:46 pm, with storm clouds moving Northeasterly, towards the Rumsey Playfield in Central Park. Guster consists of Ryan Miller (guitar and vocals), Adam Gardner (guitar and vocals), Brian Rosenworcel (drums and percussion), and Luke Miller (bass). They brought their signature blend of rock and roll as long as they could, starting with “What You Wish For” from Lost and Gone Forever.
Luke Reynolds of Guster is loving his job
A deep orange and pink sunset began during Ganging Up on the Sun’s “The Captain,” followed by “Don’t Go” from Look Alive. “Stay with Me” brought lightning in the west, and the orange sky transitioned into black clouds. Drops were felt during their final song, “Satellite,” another tune from Ganging Up on the Sun.
The stunning pink and orange cotton candy sunset behind Guster at SummerStage
At 8:04 pm, the rain came down, the venue cancelled the show, and the band announced that everyone needed to leave immediately. Within 10 minutes, ferocious lightning strikes rolled in, and pouring rain soaked anyone who wasn’t under cover. Mother nature took over to end the evening, but outstanding musical performances and great summer vibes were had until that point.
These Guster fans soon wished those clouds were not there!
Guster Setlist: What You Wish For, The Captain, Don’t Go, Stay With Me Jesus, Satellite…
Setlist: I Love It, Real World ’09, Lonely No More, Her Diamonds, If You’re Gone (Matchbox 20), Can’t Help Me Now, The Great Unknown, Street Corner Symphony, One Less Day (Dying Young), Little Wonders, Fire on the Mountain, Let’s Dance (David Bowie), Early in the Morning, 3AM (Matchbox 20), Ever the Same, Someday, I Am an Illusion
Dysfunktone is a four piece jam rock band from Long Island, comprised of Rob Meza (guitar/vocals), Brandon Hanna (guitar/keyboards/vocals), David Wolfsohn (bass/vocals), and Dakota Henry (drums). The group released their first studio effort in 2017 with EP, Illegitimate Business, a mix of funk, rock, soul and rap, that gave the world its first look into the band’s sound. Last month Dysfunktone put out their first full length record, Collective Perspective, which expands on their melting pot sound and gives the world a detailed look at what the group is capable of.
Collective Perspective features a fairly consistent vibe throughout the album, creating this dreamy, sonic landscape that each track seems to relate back to. The music flows, yet is progressive and funky, and lyrical themes deal with different aspects of life that the majority of listeners can relate to.
“Dementia,” is a highlight of the album, with lyrics coming from the perspective of a person dealing with the confusing headspace of dementia, such as: “swim in memories, but always drown, my thoughts are nowhere to be found, my world is upside down.” The musicianship on the track is impressive, melding reggae vibes of the verses with the swirling, psychedelic sounds of the chorus and funky interstitial sections, all crescendoed by a blazing guitar solo that drops the tune into its instrumental counterpart, “Reflection Collection.”
Another highlight is “Hourglass,” which is part of a larger suite of songs that flow into each other, preceded by “Clouded” and “Mirror.” The track features just a handful of verses, and is instrumental for the majority of the song, but the lyrics leave the listener inspired to take hold of their life and make themselves who they want to be. The instrumental section flies through several different musical styles and the tension builds with each shift, with just the last minute of the track bouncing from progressive riff rock to a middle eastern sound and into a heavy metal breakdown -exemplifying that melting pot sound, mentioned before.
The aforementioned “Clouded” is a song worth checking out, melding its laid back, yet dark lyrics with its funky instrumental sections, featuring the best solo on the album.
Collective Perspective as an album is a good representation of Dysfunktone’s sound, merging several different genres together to create an album that takes the listener on a musical journey, though it could improve on one thing. Some of the songs sound a little too similar musically during the lyrical sections, all sharing that flowy sound mentioned earlier, which helps keep the vibe of the album consistent, but leaves the listener kind of tired of that sound by the end of the album. That being said, the album as a whole works well, and the musicianship on tracks like “Toasty” and “Feelin’ Time” is really impressive. The album is definitely worth listening to if you’re a fan of jam rock. Catch Dysfunktone at Art Jam 2019 in Whitingham, VT from September 6-8 and purchase Collective Perspective on the group’s Bandcamp here.
Greensky Bluegrass brought their signature bluegrass with a jam twist to a sold out crowd at the elegant Pier 17 Rooftop in lower Manhattan. Residing in Michigan, the band members include Michael Bont (banjo), Dave Bruzza (guitar), Paul Hoffman (mandolin), Michael Devol (bass) and Anders Beck (dobro). The country boys felt right at home against the iconic NYC backdrop of the Empire State Building and Brooklyn Bridge.
Greensky Bluegrass on stage at Pier 17
“Past My Prime” from Shouted, Written Down & Quoted kicked off the first set. More originals followed with “No Idea,” “Living Over,” also from Shouted, and All for Money’s “Like Reflections” and “What You Need.” The band channeled the great Paul Simon and delivered a tasty bluegrass cover of “Gumboots” from the Graceland album. Next up was a more traditional cover of “White House Blues” by Charlie Poole. The set wrapped up with a well executed segue of Tuesday Letter’s “Broken Highways” into “It’s Not Mine Anymore.”
Anders Beck on the Dobro
Set two opened with more delicious originals like “For Sure,” “Uh Huh,” and “All for Money” from the album of the same name. Live at Bell’ s “Old Barns” preceded a nice sequence of old and new songs with “Broke Mountain Breakdown Reprise” segued into Jimi Hendrix’s “The Wind Cries Mary” before revisiting “Broke Mountain Breakdown Reprise.” Another All for Money tune, “Ashes,” was played followed by “Hit Parade of Live.” Guitarist Scott Metzger joined the band on stage, adding mind numbing depth to “I’d Probably Kill You” and “Don’t Lie.”
The crowd loves Scott Metzger on stage with Greensky Bluegrass
The band closed out the night with an encore of “Just to Lie” into Billy Joel’s “Big Shot” and had their fans yelling for more. They are one skilled team of traditional bluegrass musicians who aren’t afraid of new territory or a big city. Greensky Bluegrass will be back in New York State at the Borderland Festival in East Aurora, NY on September 22. Head over to their website for tickets and information.
Setlist
Set One: Past My Prime, No Idea, Living Over, Like Reflections, What You Need, Gumboots (Paul Simon cover), White House Blues (Charlie Poole cover), Broken Highways > It’s Not Mine Anymore
Set Two: For Sure, Uh Huh, All for Money, Old Barns, Broke Mountain Breakdown > The Wind Cries Mary (Jimi Hendrix cover) > Broke Mountain Breakdown Reprise, Ashes, Hit Parade of Love, I’d Probably Kill You*, Don’t Lie*
Syracuse-based keyboard player Mark Nanni has recently released a CD titled Towns & Spaces In Between. It is a wide-ranging disc that represents the breadth of the artist’s playbook, encompassing jazz standards, original tunes, popular songs from James Taylor, and selections from the Jerry Garcia/Grateful Dead songbook. He touches on classical, blues, and ragtime as well. It begins with a twist on Irving Berlin’s “Russian Lullaby” that allows Nanni to showcase his technique with precision and elegance. A different take on “Bye Bye Blackbird” catches the listener’s ear before leading into a couple of original songs such as “Sweet Danielle,” and “Royalty.” Perhaps the biggest surprise on the recording is the last tune, “Sonatina in G,” by Beethoven.
The CD was recorded live with no overdubs. While I admire the artist’s choice, there were a few places in which the vocals maybe could have used a little touch of enhancement, when overtaken by Nanni’s impressive keyboard playing. A minor point, to be sure, as his vocals serve the songs well. It’s just that Nanni’s piano and organ skills are so dazzling.
Photo Credit: Sandy Roe
For those unfamiliar with the work of Mark Nanni, Towns & Spaces In Between is a great introduction to the range of his abilities. I would hope the CD, and this review, each serve as an impetus to go see him live. The artist is at his best when able to stretch out on pieces, whether as a solo artist, or with the Grateful Dead tribute band Dark Hollow, or The Intention, Mark Nanni’s long-standing jazz ensemble.
Highlights: “Changes” “Nobody Knows You When You’re Down And Out” “Sonatina in G”
The artist’s schedule is available at through his Facebook page here.The artist’s CD can also be purchased at his shows, or through his website here.
There is a saying that it takes 15 years to become an overnight success and, with a lot of hustle and hard work, that statement rings true for the band Shinedown.
Back in February of 2004, Shinedown headlined at a small club in Syracuse with maybe 50 people in attendance. Flash forward to July 6, 2019 and they practically sold out the Syracuse Lakeview Amphitheatre. It was truly a sight to see all of their hard work back then paying off with a fan-filled amphitheatre.
Shinedown’s band members, lead vocalist Brent Smith, drummer Barry Kerch, guitarist Zach Myers and bassist Eric Bass, pour their energy out into the crowd as soon as they hit the stage. They keep a curtain up to build up anticipation but once that curtain drops, Shinedown hit the ground running.
Brent Smith took the time to shake hands with photographers in the photo pit.
Lead vocalist Brent Smith is a tremendous performer and front man because of his magnetic engagement with the audience, his band members and even the photographers down in the pit. Smith loves his band and his fans, which shows in how he interacts with everyone he comes in contact with at Shinedown’s shows. Smith is always very humble and thankful for Shinedown’s fans. No matter how much a fan loves a band and their music, it is always heartfelt and touching to know the band appreciates the fan in return. All relationships are a two-way street and Shinedown helps to pave both sides.
Halfway through Shinedown’s set the entire band disbursed throughout the huge audience at the amphitheatre, playing stripped down versions of “Amaryllis,” “I Dare You,” “Through The Ghost,” and “Second Chance.” It is a challenging feat to play together so well being so far apart, but they pulled it off and it was a unique way to give audience members stripped down versions of the songs.
One of the highlights of the night was when they performed one of their latest singles, “Get Up.” Smith had the crowd light up the amphitheatre with their cell phones. It was a chilling site to see and the song portrays such a positive message that it almost served as a pep talk from the band to keep going no matter what life throws at you.
Shinedown is one of those bands that simply puts on an amazing show every single time and the Syracuse, NY show was no different. When a band truly loves and appreciates their fans and truly love what they are doing it shines through in their music and performance. It may have taken the music world a little longer than Shinedown’s earlier fans from that night back in 2004 to see their amazing talent, but now the music world is aware and it’s truly apparent with the filled Lakeview Amphitheatre a few weeks ago that Shinedown has touched so many fans throughout their still growing career!
Be sure to check out one of Shinedown’s shows when they come back to NY in September. You can see Smith & Myers acoustic on September 12 and the full band with Papa Roach, Asking Alexandria, and Savage After Midnight on September 20 in Albany, NY and September 27 in Buffalo, NY.
Shinedown’s Setlist:
Devil, Diamond Eyes, Enemies, Monsters, Black Soul, I’ll Follow You, Unity, 45, Bully, Amaryllis, Through the Ghost, I dare You, Second Chance, Simple Man, Cut the Cord, Get Up, Sound of Madness, Brilliant
