Category: Show Reviews

We’re All Looking For A Little More Love: The Beacon Jams Week 6
Trey Anastasio returned for another installment of The Beacon Jams last night and delivered another astounding show with a well-crafted setlist that showcased several TAB debuts.

Trey was joined by the usual suspects rounding out his band. This included Ray Paczkowski (keyboards), Tony Markellis (bass), Russ Lawton (drums) and Cyro Baptista (percussion). In addition to his backing band, Trey was also again joined by the Rescue Squad Stings. They were composed of Maxim Moston (violin), Katie Kresek (violin), Rachel Golub (viola), and Anja Wood (cello). Jeff Tanski (piano) also sat in sporadically as well. The band was rounded out by the Angels 3 backing vocalists: Jennifer Hartswick, Celisse Henderson and Jo Lampert.

Trey and company wasted absolutely no time opening up with the Phish staple “You Enjoy Myself,” a TAB debut. The opening sequence of the song featured The Rescue Squad strings adding an elegant touch of flair to the beloved number. After “The Silver Light,” Trey turned to his acoustic guitar for a beautiful version of “Winterqueen” before shifting gears to the heavy-hitter “The Moma Dance.”

One of the highlights of the evening came in the middle of the set. Trey opted for the classic Phish ballad “Billy Breathes,” another full TAB debut, where Trey delivered the song’s signature solo (even though he claimed he “messed up”). Before a percussion-heavy version of “Bouncing Around The Room,” Trey dedicated the song to his longtime friend/co-writer Tom Marshall – who recently celebrated his birthday.

The evening wrapped up with a fitting message of hope and optimism in “Rise/Come Together” which fully embraces the overarching theme of The Beacon Jams as a whole. This week’s show also raised over $100,000 for The Divided Sky Fund which provides quality care and compassionate treatment for those struggling with substance abuse issues. If fans are able to donate they can head over to trey.com/donate. The Beacon Jams will resume next Friday at 8 p.m. on Trey’s personal Twitch channel.

photo credit: Jake Silco

Setlist via Phish.net

Set: You Enjoy Myself [1], The Silver Light, Winterqueen [2], The Moma Dance [3], Kill Devil Falls[3], Twenty Years Later[3], Mercy [4], Light [5], Summer of ’89 [6], Joy [7], A Song I Heard the Ocean Sing[3], Farmhouse, Tube[3], Billy Breathes[3], Every Story Ends in Stone, Bouncing Around the Room[3], Wading in the Velvet Sea[3], Are You There Colleen? [8], Rise/Come Together
- [1] Full TAB debut. Began with just Trey with The Rescue Squad Strings and Jeff Tanski on piano with the rest of the band and Jennifer Hartswick, Celisse Henderson, Jo Lampert joining in on vocals later. Lyrics changed to “boy, woman, god, shit.”
- [2] Trey on acoustic guitar with the full band and singers.
- [3] Full TAB debut.
- [4] Debut; with The Rescue Squad Strings and Jeff Tanski on piano.
- [5] With The Rescue Squad Strings.
- [6] With just Trey on acoustic guitar and The Rescue Squad Strings.
- [7] Full TAB debut; with The Rescue Squad Strings.
- [8] Debut.
This performance was part of The Beacon Jams series and featured the debuts of Mercy and Are You There Colleen? and the full TAB debuts of You Enjoy Myself, Moma Dance, Kill Devil Falls, Twenty Years Later, Joy, A Song I Heard the Ocean Sing, Tube, Billy Breathes, Bouncing Around the Room, and Wading in the Velvet Sea. You Enjoy Myself began with just Trey with The Rescue Squad Strings and Jeff Tanski on piano with the rest of the band and Jennifer Hartswick, Celisse Henderson, Jo Lampert joining in on vocals later. The lyrics in You Enjoy Myself were changed to “boy, woman, god, shit.” Winterqueen featured Trey on acoustic guitar with the full band and singers. Trey teased No Men In No Man’s Land in Moma Dance. Mercy through Joy featured The Rescue Squad Strings. Mercy also featured Jeff Tanski on piano. Summer of ’89 featured just Trey on acoustic guitar with the Strings. Trey quoted On the Road Again after Summer of ’89. Trey quoted She Blinded Me with Science in Tube.

All photos by Jake Silco
November 14, 2020
Allman Betts Band Lit up The Paramount on Nov. 10, 2019
The Allman Betts Band brought their 2019 fall tour to The Paramount on November 10, 2019. The tour was supporting their latest album, Down to the River which came out earlier in the year. The supporting acts were Joanne Shaw Taylor and and Jackson Stokes. The Allman Betts Band is Devon Allman, Duane Betts, Berry Duane Oakley, John Ginty, Johnny Stachela, R. Scott Bryan and John Lum.

Jackson Stokes, who is the first artist signed to Devon Allman’s new record label, Create Records, opened up the show with songs from his new self titled album, released on October 25, 2019. He was also the guitarist for The Devon Allman Project from 2016 to 2018. Joanne Shaw Taylor is a British blues rock guitarist and singer. Her sixth album, Reckless Heart, was released on May 17, 2019.

The Allman Betts Band set consisted of songs from their latest album including “Down to the River” and “Southern Accents,” plus a covers of Tom Petty’s “You Got Lucky.” The Allman Brothers Band “Elizabeth Reed,” “Midnight Rider” and The Grateful Dead’s “Friend of the Devil,” rounded out the bill. They also brought back Taylor for a cover of John Lee Hooker’s “Dimples” and Jackson Stokes to play on “Mahalo.” The two-hour set ended with “Long Gone” from the new album.

The Allman Betts Band @ The Paramount Theater on Huntington, Long Island, NY November 10, 2019

Setlist: All Night, Shinin’, Autumn Breeze, Down to the River, Ain’t Wastin’ Time No More, Blue Sky, You Got Lucky, Good Ol’ Days, Melodies Are Memories, Dimples*, Friend of the Devil, Mahalo^, Jessica, Down to the River.

Encore: Long Gone
* with Joanne Shaw
^ with Jackson Stokes
November 10, 2020
Trey Anastasio Resurrects His ‘Ghosts of the Forest’ On Fifth Night of Beacon Jams
The fifth performance of Trey Anastasio‘s eight-week residency at New York City’s Beacon Theatre took the exact form of one of his many recent side projects. From the opening zoom to the stage that soon showed backup singers and a different looking drummer, it was clear early on that tonight would finally be a variation of the core lineup from the first four weeks of The Beacon Jams. Tonight, Trey took his Ghosts of the Forest side project out for its first run in well over a year. If there was any rust on it, it was minimal.

Expectations for this evening started getting a little hyped up early on Friday, thanks to a nondescript Twitter post from Don Hart, Trey’s longtime orchestral and arrangement collaborator. A warning shot like this will rarely go unnoticed within the Phish community.

Immediately, hopes ran high with some sort of orchestral configuration of a Phish song or multiple songs. Perhaps an updated version of “Times Turns Elastic” or an elaborate run through of “You Enjoy Myself”? Apparently, per Trey, Mr. Hart was was still composing arrangements for this evening right up until 20 minutes before showtime, so anything was fair game.

Instead of traditional Phish canon, tonight’s orchestration was directed to one of the more recent Anastasio solo efforts, his Ghosts of the Forest album that was performed a handful of times in early 2019. It’s a complete album with more than 20 songs in all, written by Anastasio in the emotional wake stemming from the death of one his longtime friends, Chris Cottrell.

The opening zoom in to the stage immediately revealed a different lineup tonight. There were three backup singers visibly present: Celisse Henderson and Jennifer Hartswick, both from the original GOTF format, as well as “newcomer” Jo Lampert. The other distinct difference was a scruffy-haired Jon Fishman behind the drum kit this evening instead of Russ Lawton who manned it the first four nights. Together, with other Beacon Jam mainstays like Tony Markelis on bass and Ray Paczkowski on keys, this completed tonight’s GOTF ensemble.

With the “new” Ghosts of the Forest lineup established, they wasted no time in going into the outfit’s namesake song. Even though this was only the band and camera crew onstage, the fog and echo effects that accompanied this one were crowd-ready. “Drift While You’re Sleeping” followed, with the backup singers directing the the bulk of the vocal effects this time. Another sophisticated reverb effect introduced the reggae-ish breakdown sequence and it was clear early on nothing was being held back production-wise.

After this impressive opening sequence, Trey took the time for a quick round of band introductions, including one for Fishman, aka “some guy he picked up hitchhiking,” as well as new backup singer Jo Lampert. Trey made sure to remind folks that Lampert not only served as a clone in Phish’s New Year’s show at MSG last year, but also as one of the backup singers for their Ziggy Stardust musical costume from Halloween 2016. So she was certainly no stranger.

It wouldn’t be a “Beacon Jam” without some sort of spatchcock reference and that’s exactly what led into into the next GOTF song, “Friend.” Instead of the traditional four-piece Rescue Squad Strings that had accompanied Trey the previous weeks, this one would be “spatchcocked” into a fuller and doubly richer eight-piece ensemble Trey’s lead solo sounded even richer with the backing of the additional strings on this one.

photo by Jake Silco

After a quick shoutout to the Phish Chicks Facebook group, the backup signers returned and then it was right into “Sightless Escape,” complete with a “No Men In No Man’s Land” tease and a monstrous vocal breakdown from Celisse at the end. Afterwards, Anastasio honestly confided they were “having too much fun” tonight. “Halfway Home” featured a slowly building and ascending jam topped off with another Trey solo and sterling backup vocal harmony. After this, it was a quick switch to the acoustic guitar for “If Again” which sounds like it could be the uptempo cousin of “The Inlaw Josie Wales.”

Trey then took the time to give personal introductions to all eight members of tonight’s Rescue Squad Strings, including one whose friend formerly dated Jon Fishman. The strings added a wonderfully delicate touch to “In Long Lines” as well as “There’s A Path Above.” Afterwards, Trey thanked and mentioned Don Hart’s involvement, confirming arrangements were being completed right up to the last minute. Naturally, this somehow digressed to another spatchcock reference that ended with Trey telling Fish he plays a song quite regularly about this, “Split Open and Melt.” This led into one of the few GOTF numbers that’s seeped into the Phish repertoire, an electric “About To Run” with no strings or singes, just another ferocious Anastasio solo, capped off with an election and a “running for office” pun.

“The Green Truth” saw the backup singers return in a big way as they seemed to dominate the tail end of this one. “Beneath a Sea of Stars Parts 1 & 2” followed and featured a nice, drawn out opening sequence with Fishman taking lead on drums for a while. “The lights are flashing” line seemed to nod to the simple yet highly effective combination of flashing house lights and the minimal light rig used onstage. The Rescue Squad Strings then re-entered before “Mint Siren Dream.” This delicate little number saw Trey in full crooner mode, using only the microphone to sing while being supported by the strings and timely fills from Ray on keys.

“Stumble Into Flight” featured more lively play from Paczkowski, that meshed with a distinct echo effect from Trey and powerful backing vocals to produce a notable jam that contained a “Pigtail” quote at one point. Immediately afterwards, with no hesitation, “Ruby Waves” started up, giving this two-song section of the evening a distinct Phish taste. Although no Alpine Valley version, this “Ruby Wavs” got plenty deep and developed another intriguing jam that grew organically, sounding by far the closest to anything purely Phish from “The Beacon James” so far, including the still impressive lighting display.

The strings ambled back on stage for “Shadows Thrown By Fire,” a brief instrumental number with the backup singers adding airy vocals atop. “Wider” was another highlight of the evening, with heavy bass play from Markelis early on bass and a catchy “Gonna get wider when I die” lyric. More strong play on the clav and organ from Ray added to a bit of an extended jam.

Trey then gave the chat room one more nod, and noted that up to $400K in donations have been made to date towards The Divided Sky Fund. This elicited more heartfelt thanks with Anastasio advising a site for the proposed rehabilitation house has been found, and it’s on track to open in late 2021.

photo by Jake Silco

The strings returned once more for “Life Beyond The Dream,” an appropriate song to follow talk of a rehab house with its “don’t give up hope” lyrics. As expected, the string ensemble took this song to another level in a dazzling display of orchestration towards the end. “In This Bubble” followed, with its wishful “going home” lyrics and a melody once again driven by the backup singers who were all in great form all night. This immediately transitioned to the end of the “Sea of Stars” suite with “Beneath a Sea of Stars Part 3 (blue)” that was appropriately heavy on all available shades of blue house lights.

This effectively ended the set. The encore began with another spooky, echoey effect that bled into the beginning of the hauntingly somber “Brief Time,” with Trey again on acoustic. “Pieces of the Machine” with more “Ghosts of the Forest” vocal teases finished things for the evening – a complete performance of Ghosts of the Forest exactly as it had been played in its handful of performances earlier last year. Or, in other words, just another Friday night at The Beacon for Trey.

photo by Jake Silco

Trey Anastasio “Beacon Jams” Beacon Theatre – New York City, NY 11/6/20

Setlist via Phish.net

Set: Ghosts of the Forest > Drift While You’re Sleeping, Friend [1], Sightless Escape, Halfway Home > If Again, In Long Lines [1], There’s a Path Above [1], About to Run, The Green Truth, Beneath a Sea of Stars Parts 1 & 2 [1] > Mint Siren Dream [1], Stumble Into Flight > Ruby Waves, Shadows Thrown By Fire [1], Wider, A Life Beyond The Dream [1], In This Bubble > Beneath a Sea of Stars Part 3 (blue)

Encore: Brief Time [1], Pieces in the Machine

Notes: [1] With The Rescue Squad Strings : Katie Kresek, Maxim Moston, Phil Payton, and Mary Jo Stilp on violin, Monica Davis and Rachel Golub on viola, and Eleanor Norton and Anja Wood on cello

All photos by Jake Silco
November 7, 2020
Twiddle Gets New Jersey Slippin Out The Kitchen Into the Mud at Sussex Drive-In
It was the night after Halloween in Sussex, NJ. All who dared to traverse the wind and rain were met with a field of mud and fans. Twiddle got New Jersey Slipping’ brought the heat to their last drive-in show, this past Sunday November 1 at the Sussex County Fairgrounds. This show featured high energy and dynamic jams throughout both sets. Highlights included a monstrous Gatsby The Great > Slippin’ In The Kitchen > Gatsby The Great in the first set, an incredible Cabbage Face in the second set, and a roaring Juggernaut encore.

Twiddle at the Sussex Fairgrounds Drive In

The line of cars leading up to the show looked intimidating, but cars were being moved to their spots quickly and with ease. Social distancing was enforced and masks were widespread, minimal panic. Goes to show that live music events, even though reminiscent of a futuristic, dystopian, post apocalyptic scenario… can be done safely and successfully.

Lights by Herm Lights

It was raining all day and some at the show. After the sun went down it felt freezing. During a wet, cold night like this it’s vital that the band ‘bring the heat’ to get the crowd moving. In a situation like that, if the music is slow and not captivating people will leave because it’s uncomfortable to stand outside. But if it’s thumping and everyone’s dancing, you bet they’re going to stay.

Ryan Dempsey takes a rare keytar solo

Twiddle brought it. Dynamic, bass heavy, shredding, face melting goodness, no kumbaya sing songy b.s… Okay maybe one “When it Rains It Pours,” but that one’s so catchy and appropriate for the night that we’ll let it slide.

We’re not in Vermont anymore

The first set started out with Polluted Beauty, some positivity to lift the spirits and get the crowd going. Then the monstrous Gatsby The Great >Slippin’ In The Kitchen > Gatsby The Great which took up most of the first set, weaving in and out of intricate grooves. “Syncopated Healing” closed up the killer first set.

Mihali x3

Set two featured the popular “When It Rains It Pours,” a monstrous “Cabbage Face,” and “Frankenfoote” to close up the set. Set two featured a wider variety of songs and grooves. Ryan Dempsey took a key-tar solo, got up on his chair to play with his foot, and threw a pumpkin at the crowd which masterfully bounced on the rail and missed anyone around.

Brook Jordan shining

Twiddle put on an incredible show; their fans were screaming for more. They return with a hard rocking “Juggernaut” encore to close up the show.

Twiddle New Jersey “Juggernaut” encore

My car neighbors mentioned they’ve seen Twiddle twice before and it got me thinking: I’ve been spoiled to see and shoot this band all around the states for over five years now. And I must say that I’ve always like the band, but after this show I think I’m a true fan.

You gotta like apples, man

Twiddle at Sussex County Fairgrounds 11/1/20
- Set 1:
  - Polluted Beauty
  - Gatsby The Great >Slippin’ In The Kitchen > Gatsby The Great
  - Syncopated Healing
- Set 2:
  - Hattie’s Jam
  - When It Rains It Pours
  - Cabbage Face
  - Brown Chicken Brown Cow
  - River Drift
  - Blunderbuss
  - Frankenfoote
- Encore:
  - Juggernaut
- - 1- Harry Potter, Halloween theme teases
  - 2- Ghostbusters tease
  - 3- Canon in D
Twiddle New Jersey
November 5, 2020
The Disco Biscuits go Running into the Night at Lafayette Apple Festival

Layafette Apple Festival, just south of Syracuse, will enter 2021 as a regular stop for touring bands as we ride out the COVID-19 pandemic, and assuredly should continue to be a destination for live music moving forward. Over October 29-31, The Disco Biscuits performed to large crowds in Lafayette who were hungry for the often imitated, never duplicated release that live music provides, and in doing so put an exclamation point on the Northeast Drive-In season.

Having performed in Syracuse on Halloween in 2015 at Crouse Hinds Hall, and again last year in November at SI Hall at the State Fairgrounds, The Disco Biscuits are regulars across New York State. They’ve hosted their Camp Bisco Music Festival numerous times between Van Etten, Hunter and Mariaville over 2005-2013, and make regular stops at The Capitol Theatre in Port Chester, among other venues.

photo by Dave Decrescente

Even with the rain that pounded the grounds on Thursday night, the staff assisted fans if they got stuck and took necessary measures to ensure a smooth entry and egress from the grounds. The crowd did their part two by following the lead of the staff, abiding by basic social distancing norms and remaining confined to their assigned spots for the evening.

But being ‘confined’ to your car area has its perks. The physical space around your vehicle is greater than you might find perched up in the crowd at a music festival, and with limited interference from others. While at a festival, you have the spatial boundaries to dance and enjoy the performance, but others are close by so your volume and limbic movements are limited by comparison, or at least contrained to social norms and appropriate levels of touching.

During COVID-19 times, touching is limited just to your personal bubble, and within your space at an event such as the Disco Biscuits, or Dirty Heads a week earlier, you have an immense amount of freedom to dance with unbridled abandon and exuberance, having only a thin tape of elastic and the proximity to your car and spot-mates keeping you confined. Even at temperatures hovering around freezing, there were major benefits to the layout of these Drive-In shows.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=77sA9org5T4

Thursday night’s performance was marred by an intense amount of rain, which led to the stream on CouchTour.TV to be lost – although they quickly replaced the stream with footage from Drive-In shows earlier in October. The night started out wet, and led to a shortened first set. The crashing of rain and its deafening sound brought out a fitting “Magellan” with a “Widow in the Rain” bustout mixed in between.

Disco Biscuits, Lafayette, NY – Thursday, October 29, 2020

Set 1: 7-11-> Lunar Pursuit-> Minions-> Miracles
Set 2: World is Spinning, Magellan-> Gangster-> Helicopters (inverted)-> Widow in the Rain-> Magellan
Encore: Frog Legs

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tUsDCZ9GmPY

On Friday night, the band waited until 7:45pm to take the stage, allowing for all to have sufficient time to enter the muddy grounds and safely arrive in their spot. The first set lasted roughly an hour, and featured one of the new songs performed last fall in Syracuse, “Freebis Slinky.” Entering into set two, “Highwire” kicked things into high gear, while a late set “Pimp Blue Rikki” gave was to rising star of the Biscuits’ catalog, “Clocks.”

Disco Biscuits, Lafayette, NY – Friday, October 30, 2020

Set 1: Portal to an Empty Head, Freebis Slinky-> Rock Candy-> Grass is Green (inverted)-> Rock Candy
Set 2: Highwire-> Astronaut-> Crickets-> Mindless Dribble-> Pimp Blue Rikki, Clocks
Encore: Station

photo by Dave Decrescente

One thing that is amplified in the Drive-In setting is behavior that would otherwise be incidental at a normal show. Case in point, leaving a show before the encore. Normally, you would just excuse yourself, walk out of the venue without issue, and there’s a little more space for everyone else to enjoy the encore. This happens, rarely with cause for event, and is a forgettable exchange at best.

But at a Drive-In show, the counterpart to leaving early is a bit more engaging with your neighbors than just ducking out to beat the crowd. Provided there is no medical emergency, the act of starting your car, turning on headlights and beginning to drive out while others nearby are still enjoying the show is rude and, when weather is mixed in, can be dangerous and obnoxious. If not a venue policy, the general norm of not leaving until the show is fully over should be considered for all Drive-In shows, for safety and general courtesy of all who paid top dollar for these limited live music experiences.

photo by Dave Decrescente

Halloween found the band walking out wearing sweatshirts that bore V, O, T and E, making it clear what their message was this Halloween – let’s get down, then on Tuesday, let’s get down to business and vote.

“Rockafella” launched the first set into the night, giving way to an unfinished “Little Betty Boop,” which led into a large “Morph Dusseldorf” sandwich, layered with a tease of the James Bond theme (in honor of Sean Connery, who died earlier that day), “Feeling Twisted” and a thorough “Abraxas.” After an incredibly lengthy set break, the band returned with “Save the Robots,” taking a patient stroll through the composition’s open space, leading to an extensive, tension building pause where the band got spooky, before finally dropping back into the jam, spawning an eruption throughout the audience.

photo by Dave Decrescente

A monstrous “Orch Theme” arose with the ominous synth out of the year-old “Running Into the Night,” which did the heavy lifting in following the top notch “Robots” and kept the set flowing from jam to jam. An inverted “Humuhumunukunukuapua’a” surfaced before diving down into a nasty “The Great Abyss” before returning to “Running Into the Night.”

For an encore, Gary Numan’s “Cars” was the most fitting song of the weekend, if not the whole run of Drive-In shows. The first cover of the song in over 10 years, “Cars” let the band stretch their legs in the New Wave classic, before shifting into the semi-rare “Naeba” and back into “Cars,” a perfect encore choice after a high energy second set, keeping up the dance vibe all throughout. With post-show music of Poolside’s “Harvest Moon,” the crowd carefully made their way out of the grounds and off into the night.

Disco Biscuits, Lafayette, NY – Saturday, October 31, 2020

Set 1: Rockafella, Little Betty Boop (unfinished)-> Morph Dusseldorf-> Feeling Twisted-> Abraxas (unfinished)-> Morph Dusseldorf
Set 2: Save the Robots, Running into the Night-> Orch Theme-> Humuhumunukunukuapua’a (inverted)-> The Great Abyss-> Running into the Night
Encore: Cars-> Naeba (inverted)-> Cars

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1uz8BpvENlg

Hopefully this isn’t the last Disco Biscuits show of the year, but it likely won’t be the last at Lafayette Apple Festival. We look forward to 2021 mixing Drive-In shows with the return of live music to the venues across New York and the rest of the country.

photo by Dave Decrescente

November 5, 2020
Flashback to November 2, 1988: Slayer, Motörhead and Overkill at Mid-Hudson Civic Center in Poughkeepsie

These were days when metal giants still walked the Earth, and on this day on 1988 a bulletproof triple-bill played at a packed Mid-Hudson Civic Center in Poughkeepsie: California thrashers Slayer, legendary British underground gods Motörhead, and NJ heavies Overkill, who opened.

photo by Mark Kurtzner

At the time, Overkill were supporting their then-new third album, ‘Under The Influence’, and played a short set featuring new bruisers such as “Shred” and “Welcome to the Gutter,” along with a few classics like “Rotten to the Core.” Said frontman Bobby Blitz a few years later about opening for Motörhead – Overkill, were, after all, named after a Motörhead song – “touring with Lemmy was like touring with GOD! I’d be sitting next to him, taking pictures, asking ‘Can you sign another album, Lem? It was great.”

photo by Mark Kurtzner

Motörhead played second – odd to see them open for Slayer, a band who’d been wearing Motörhead shirts on the inside sleeve of their first album five years earlier, and a band about 10 years behind of Motörhead in terms of when their first albums came out – but Slayer had hit big with their third record ‘Reign In Blood’ a couple years earlier, while Motörhead were still – and always would be, In America – beloved underground veterans. This did not stop Lemmy and his bands of rogues from stealing the show. They were then promoting their second live record, ‘No Sleep At All’, and Lemmy strode out on stage and barked “We are Motörhead, and we play rock’n’roll”, before the band blasted into “Dr. Rock”, the ’Orgasmatron’-era pounder which also started the new live record.

photo by Mark Kurtzner

The band were still playing many songs from the most recent studio record, ‘Rock’n’Roll’ (4 songs, plus ‘Rock’n’Roll’-era b-side “Just Cos You Got The Power”), and “Eat The Rich” from that record got a big reaction, even from the younger Slayer-heads who knew it from MTV. Unlike their later years, where the majority of the set was from the ‘classic’ pre-1983 Fast Eddie years, this night most of the songs played were from the then-recent records by the newer 4-piece Motörhead with guitarists Wurzel and Phil Campbell, including “Dr Rock”, “Built for Speed”, a grinding “Orgasmatron”, the minor hit “Killed by Death”, and the aforementioned slew of ‘Rock’n’Roll’-era songs. The band did play a few vintage songs though, including “Stay Clean”, “Metropolis”, eternal favorite “Ace of Spades” and the world-flattening and opening-band-inspiring “Overkill”. A ear-destroyingly killer show, and with 3 of these 4 men now in Valhalla – Lemmy, guitarist Wurzel and drummer ‘Philthy’ Phil Taylor – a lineup that will never be seen again.

photo by Mark Kurtzner

Slayer, of course, were also mighty and unstoppable. The pit was huge, sweeping away any who wanted to merely stand and watch, and the west coast thrashers opened with “South of Heaven”, title track from the then-new record, before mayhem erupted with song #2, “Raining Blood”. This was the ‘classic lineup’ – Tom Araya, Kerry King, drummer Dave Lombardo, and the late, great Jeff Hanneman. There was no rest thereafter, and the band leaned on the new record heavily – 8 of 15 songs played were from ‘South of Heaven’, with more vintage neck-snapppers like “Black Magic”, “Chemical Warfare”, “Necrophiliac”, “Postmortem” and “Kill Again” also played, before the show wrapped up – as would usually be the case, until Slayer’s 2019 conclusion as a touring band – with ‘Reign In Blood’-era skull-smasher “Angel of Death.”

photo by Mark Kurtzner

Motörhead setlist: Doctor Rock, Stay Clean, Traitor, Metropolis, Dogs, Eat the Rich, Built for Speed, Just ‘Cos You Got the Power, Orgasmatron, Stone Deaf in the U.S.A., Killed by Death, Ace of Spades, Overkill

Slayer setlist: South of Heaven, Raining Blood, Silent Scream, Read Between the Lies, Black Magic, Postmortem, Necrophiliac, Behind the Crooked Cross, Kill Again, Mandatory Suicide, Chemical Warfare, Ghosts of War, Spill the Blood, Live Undead, Angel of Death

photo by Mark Kurtzner

November 2, 2020
Halloween Flashback: Raven, Liege Lord and Never More perform at L’Amour in Brooklyn in 1986

New Wave of British Heavy Metal band Raven were no strangers to playing Halloween shows in the New York City area – their first American gig ever had been just over 4 years to the day, October 30, 1982, when they opened for Riot and Anvil in Staten Island at the ‘Halloween Headbangers’ Ball.’

Raven hail from Newcastle, in England, and their first three albums – Rock Until You Drop (1981), Wiped Out (1982) and All For One (1983) – still stand as ahead-of-their-timel classics, raw, fast real metal records, all hailed being massively influential to the thrash metal scene in the later 80s.

The band – made up of brothers John and Mark Gallagher on bass/vocals and guitar, and hockey-helmeted Rob ‘Wacko’ Hunter on drums – had also made significant headway in the USA in the early/mid-80s, first with a New York/New Jersey-area late 1982 tour with Anvil, and then the legendary ‘Kill Em All For One’ US tour in 1983, where the band had crossed the States with opening band Metallica, bringing underground metal to all corners of America.

By the time of their 1984 ‘Live at the Inferno’ US tour (with New York’s own Anthrax as support band), the band were signed to legendary NY/NJ metal indie label Megaforce Records, and big enough to sell out Roseland Ballroom in Manhattan, where they headlined in August 1984 with Metallica and Anthrax opening – a show which resulted in Raven (by this time New York State residents, living in Cortland, NY) being signed to major label Atlantic Records.

John & Mark Gallagher – photo by George Putt

Opinions differ on whether the band’s Atlantic Records output advanced their career, or damaged it. The 1985 album, ‘Stay Hard’, certainly raised the band’s profile outside the metal underground, especially via the MTV video for the single “On & On”, but their hardcore metal demographic scoffed at the less-thrashing sound of Stay Hard, and the rear-cover photo of the band looking more airbrushed and cleaned-up, as opposed to their more street-level, rough-hewn image of yore.

Their underground credibility was further damaged by the early 1986 LP The Pack Is Back, on which producer Eddie Kramer gave them a more slick, polished sound, and the band dabbled with guitar synths and a more commercial sound. The band’s slicker sound on TBIB, combined with a frankly ill-advised album cover, featuring the costumed band bursting out of sports lockers, damaged their standing with the growing thrash metal audience, yet was still too heavy to appeal to the Ratt and Motley Crue demographic.

Raven bassist/vocalist John Gallagher – photo by Sean McFerran

In Summer 1986 the band righted the ship with the ‘Raven Mad’ EP, a welcome, raw return to form after the woefully overproduced and unusually weak The Pack is Back LP. This Halloween 1986 gig was the final date of the ‘Mad’ tour, after which they went upstate to make follow-up album Life’s A Bitch.

First band Never More did not impress: strange, horror-themed costumes and warbling vocals, terrible stuff. Second band Liege Lord were much better, Iron Maiden-stye metal, fast and powerful.

Raven guitarist Mark Gallagher – photo by Sean McFerran

Raven, however, were on total form this night and erased any concerns that the TPIB record had changed their high-intensity metal assault. L’Amour was pretty packed, and the set-list was fantastic – the band hit the stage with the All For One-era classic “Hung, Drawn & Quartered”, high-speed and raging, straight into the then-recent “Stay Hard,” heaver live than he recorded version. The set featured more stuff (5 songs) from the great ‘All For One’ than any other album, three tunes each from ‘Mad’ and ‘Rock Until You Drop’ (including the classic 1980 debut 7” single “I Don’t Need Your Money”), a couple from “Stay Hard” (the title track and the “hit”, “On & On”) and only one from The Pack Is Back: “Young Blood” which sounded much heavier live than on the record.

The only album they skipped was ‘Wiped Out,’ which is the only remotely negative thing I can say about this amazing show. Early in the gig John Gallagher’s wireless mike packed it in, and he played most of the show singing at a mike stand, which gave it a cool ‘early Raven’ vibe. The encore included a cover of the Status Quo song “Big Fat Mama” which, because we are in America, almost no one recognized, and they finished with the classic “Hell Patrol” from the first LP, with the band virtually destroying the stage at the end, Wacko tearing his drum set to pieces, and John Gallagher hanging over the crowd from ceiling pipes. Truly, the band erased any fears that The Pack Is Back had turned them into lightweights. A tremendous show.

Mark Gallagher on the floor – photo by George Putt

Three and a half decades later, the band is still going strong, with a new drummer and a killer 2020 album, Metal City. All hail Raven!

Raven at L’Amour, Brooklyn, NY, October 31, 1986

Setlist: Hung, Drawn & Quartered/Stay Hard/Gimme Just A Little/All For One/Young Blood/Mark Gallagher Solo/Speed Of The Reflex/I Don’t Need Your Money/Rock Until You Drop/John Gallagher solo/On & On/Seek & Destroy/Break The Chain/Mind Over Metal. Encores: Do or Die [w/ drum solo]/Big Fat Mama/Hell Patrol.

October 31, 2020
Peakin’ at the Beacon with Trey: Week Four Recap

The anticipation leading up to the fourth week of Trey Anastasio’s Beacon Jams was at an all-time high as there was a palpable energy among fans online. Last week Trey Anastasio rearranged a beautiful rendition of “What’s The Use?” with the Rescue Squad string section and debuted “The Lizards” with TAB, proving that each installment of his virtual residency is not one to be missed.

photo by Jake Silco

Trey kept that momentum in full swing this week and treated fans to another surprise intro. Earlier this summer Page McConnell and Trey recorded a few songs at Trey’s infamous barn in Vermont. Last week the duo shared a recording of Sigma Oasis’ “Evening Song” as well as a personal message from Page congratulating Trey on the success of his residency thus far and especially the newly founded non-profit The Divided Sky Fund, which focuses on delivering quality care and compassionate treatment for those struggling from addiction. This week fans were treated to a recording of Trey and Page playing a tender stripped-down version of “Waste” at the barn before the broadcast.

One of Trey’s many talents outside of playing music is his robust sense of humor and keen sense of the evolving culture among Phish fans. Before the music started, a video showed Trey alone inside an abandoned Madison Square Garden stuck on the same platform suspended in air from the 2019 New Year’s Eve stunt.

Trey played his best Tom Hanks in Cast Away and as he lowered himself to the floor of the arena and started walking around. Trey found himself outside of section 119’s famous spicy chicken sandwiches and holding a plastic bag over his arm recreating a viral candid shot took by a fan of him inside a juice bar (Trey also recreated this exact scene on Halloween 2017 in Las Vegas with TAB). A barefoot Anastasio with long hair and a long beard, wearing his green jumpsuit from NYE, proceeded to walk from MSG to the Beacon where he sat in the audience as the camera panned to live time and the band was on stage.

The band opened up with an instrumental jam based on John Murphy’s “In The House – In A Heartbeat” from the horror film 28 Days Later before moving into “Say It To Me S.A.N.T.O.S.” There were several highlights from this week of the Beacon Jams including a stellar version of “Gumbo,” the first “Quantegy” since May of 2005, and a rousing two-song punch of “My Friend, My Friend” > “Guyute” with the Rescue Squad strings and pianist Jeff Tanski. At the end of “Guyute,” Trey also recited Vincent Price’s narration from Michal Jackson’s “Thriller” since this was the eve before Halloween.

The conclusion of the fourth week of Trey’s virtual residency marks half way through the run and an astonishing 75 total songs played thus far without a single repeat. The energy, thoughtfulness, precision on stage, playful chemistry, and choice song selection makes this run eerily similar to Phish’s iconic Baker’s Dozen residency at Madison Square Garden in 2017. Fans are encouraged to donate to The Divided Sky Fund if they can. Trey and company will continue the Beacon Jams next Friday on his personal Twitch channel.

photo by Jake Silco

Trey Anastasio, Beacon Theatre, October 30, 2020

Setlist via Phish.net

In the House – In a Heartbeat [1] -> Say It To Me S.A.N.T.O.S., Quantegy, Snowflakes in the Sand [2], Mountains in the Mist[2], Heavy Things > Breath and Burning [3], Gumbo [4] > Lonely Trip [5], Pigtail, My Problem Right There, Till We Meet Again [6], My Friend, My Friend [7], Guyute [8], More[6], Frost [9], Alaska, Bounce > Bug > Architect

[1] TAB debut.
[2] Trey solo acoustic.
[3] Full TAB debut. Lyrics changed to “rage on the Beacon stage.”
[4] Full TAB debut.
[5] Debut.
[6] Just Trey on acoustic guitar and the Rescue Squad Strings.
[7] Just Trey on acoustic guitar and the Rescue Squad Strings and Jeff Tanski on piano. No “MYFE” ending.
[8] Just Trey on acoustic guitar and the Rescue Squad Strings and Jeff Tanski on piano. Trey quoted some of Vincent Price’s lines from Thriller.
[9] With The Rescue Squad Strings.

This performance was part of The Beacon Jams series and began with a video of Trey finally escaping from his riser from Phish’s December 31, 2019 concert at Madison Square Garden and making it to the Beacon Theater to watch the himself and his band playing the TAB debut of In the House – In a Heartbeat before they segued into Say It To Me SA.N.T.O.S. This show marked the full TAB debuts of Breath and Burning and Gumbo and the debut of Lonely Trip. Ray teased Happy Birthday after wishing his mother a happy birthday. Quantegy was performed for the first time since May 3, 2005. Trey performed Snowflakes in the Sand and Mountains in the Mist solo acoustic. The lyrics of Breath and Burning were changed to “rage on the Beacon stage.” Trey quoted If I Had A Hammer (The Hammer Song) after Pigtail. Til We Meet Again through Frost were performed with The Rescue Squad Strings (Katie Kresek and Maxim Moston on violin, Rachel Golub on viola, and Anja Wood on cello) and with Til We Meet Again and More featuring just Trey on acoustic guitar and My Friend My Friend and Guyute just Trey on acoustic guitar and Jeff Tanski on piano. My Friend My Friend did not contain the “MYFE” ending. Guyute included Trey quoting some of Vincent Price’s lines from Thriller.

October 31, 2020
Flashback: 311 Plays Special Halloween Show for the Long Island Excitable Ones
On October 31, 2017, reggae rock band 311 treated their Long Island fans to a special Halloween show at The Paramount in Huntington. They really took the spirit of Halloween seriously with vocalist/turntablist SA Martinez, bassist P-Nut, lead guitarist Tim Mahoney, drummer Chad Sexton and lead vocalist and guitarist Nick Hexum taking the stage in full costume. The event was presented by Long Island radio station 94.3 The Shark. Fellow rap rockers Shinobi Ninja opened the show and were also dressed in costumes.

I have been to many, many 311 shows, but I would say this show in particular had the best old school setlist. Of course it made perfect sense that they opened the show with “Jackolantern’s Weather.” They even pulled some of their more popular songs like “Amber” and “Come Original” and replaced them with deeper cuts for their hardcore fans such as “Visit,” “Unity” and “Hive.”

They also added “Gap” that was featured on their 1996 Enlarged to Show Detail EP. It seems to me whenever the guys come to Long Island they really make an effort to tear the roof off the venue. Growing up the Island I can tell you they have a huge loyal fan base here and they definitely know it.

The set was two-and-a-half hours long and even included some bits of spooky Halloween themed music such as the theme song of Stranger Things and “This is Halloween” from The Nightmare Before Christmas. You can tell they guys were really enjoying themselves as they covered songs from almost every album from Music to Mosaic. The set ended with two more old school songs “Who’s Got the Herb” which I think they have to play at every Long Island show and “F— the Bull—-” which is the best show closing songs ever written.

As part of their 30th anniversary tour, the band was scheduled to co-headline a North American tour with Incubus in the summer of 2020, but it was cancelled because of the Covid 19 pandemic.

Setlist: Transistor Intro, Jackolantern’s Weather, Galaxy, Flowing, Gap, Extension, Light Years, Sick Tight, Visit, Bass Solo, One and the Same, Hive, Inner Light Spectrum, Wildfire, Rock On, Applied Science, Hey Yo, Lose, Transistor, Use of Time, Unity, Hydroponic, Feels So Good

Encore: Livin and Rockin, Who’s Got the Herb, Fuck the Bullshit
October 31, 2020
Dirty Heads perform Drive In Concert at Lafayette
The Dirty Heads performed in Lafayette, NY at the Apple Festival grounds on Saturday, October 24. The Drive-In style show was brought by Creative Concerts, one of the only promoters currently booking shows in the Syracuse region.

The concert experience was certainly a unique one. Concert goers had assigned parking spots by color coded rows. Each row had a limited amount of parking spaces made out of string barriers to ensure proper distancing between vehicles. Each row had their own designated restroom to use as well. The venue was equipped with large projector screens on each side of the stage to broadcast the performance. It ensured a good view no matter the location. The sound quality was good and the stage constructed to give off a music festival vibe.

The Set: Dirty Heads Lafayette

The Dirty Heads came on around 8pm, allowing everyone to get in their designated parking areas before the show started. While the temperature was brisk, 40 degrees, that did not stop the high energy performance and excitement from the crowd. For many, if not most of the people in attendance this was their first concert in at least 7-8 months. People were in very good spirits: laughing and smiling, BBQ-ing at their vehicles,and just enjoying the moment of experiencing live music- something that has been missing from a lot of our lives this past year.

All the band members were dressed appropriately for the weather: jackets, gloves and hats. It is still a strange site to see an entire band performing all bundled up. However, it did not effect their performance at all as they flowed through a 21-song setlist. Dierits such as “Oxygen”, “Burn Slow”, Vacation”, and “Dance All night”.

Dirty Heads performance in Lafayette gives high hopes, at least for the near future of live music. The ability to successfully and most important, safely put on a show with a large draw of people while adhering to all guidelines in regards to the pandemic.

The next shows at Lafayette Apple Festival Grounds will be The Disco Buscuits performing for three nights, October 29, 30, and 31. More info can be found from Creative Concerts.

Check Out Photos From Dirty Heads
October 29, 2020

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