Category: Show Reviews

Flashback: Billy Joel Plays his first Long Island Show in 11 Years at the Paramount
Just before Billy Joel started his Madison Square Garden residency in 2014, he played a “warm up” show at The Paramount in Huntington, Long Island on October 16, 2013, and I was one of the lucky 1500 people fortunate enough to be there. The concert benefitted Long Island Cares, a charity founded by singer/songwriter Harry Chapin.

This was Joel’s first Long Island concert since he played Nassau Coliseum with Elton John in 2002. Tickets to the show sold out in seconds and were listed on resale sites for ten times the face value. Many fans were frustrated to say the least as everyone wanted to be a part of this special occasion.

Fans began lining up hours before the show in hopes of getting as close as possible to the Piano Man. Walking up to the venue, all you can hear was Billy Joel songs being sang and blasted out of every bar and restaurant on New York Ave. Billy’s presence was certainly felt throughout the town that night. The excitement kept growing as it got closer to showtime at the Paramount. Finally the doors opened and the crowd rushed in.

When Billy Joel took the stage, the crowd roared just as load as it does for him at The Garden which is about ten times larger than The Paramount. After Joel opened the show with “Everybody Loves You Now” and “Movin Out”, he said “We’re not going to play all hits tonight, I’m tired of that”. He did sneak in a few deeper cuts like “A Room of Our Own”, “Great Wall of China” and even played “Blonde Over Blue”live for the first time ever, but there was also plenty of hits to go around. There is no way he is doing a show without playing his classics like “Scenes from an Italian Restaurant,” “New York State of Mind” and “Piano Man which the crowd sang along with to every word.

Joel and the rest of the band sounded phenomenal that night. Billy is my favorite artist and I was very lucky to be a part of that night. He then went on to start his residency at The Garden on January 27, 2014. Since then he has broken many records including most consecutive sold out shows and the record for the most shows at The Garden by a single performer, a record once held by Elton John and The Grateful Dead. His 74th consecutive monthly (120th all time) MSG show that was scheduled for March of 2020 had to be postponed due to Covid 19.

Setlist: Everybody Loves You Now, Movin Out, Vienna, The Entertainer, A Room of Our Own, She’s Right On Time, Allentown, The Great Wall of China, Miami 2017, New York State of Mind, This is the Time, Don’t Ask Me Why, Stop In Nevada, Downeaster Alexa, Blonde Over Blue, Scenes From an Italian Restaurant, The River of Dreams, Piano Man

Encore: We Didn’t Start the Fire, It’s Still Rock and Roll To Me, You May Be Right, Only the Good Die Young
October 16, 2020
Flashback: NIN Annihilates Radio City Music Hall Crowds for two nights

Flashback to October 13 and 14, 2018. Nine Inch Nails played two sold out shows at New York’s iconic Radio City Music Hall. It was apart of NIN Cold and Black and Infinite tour. Other major stops included Red Rock in Colorado, and the Aragon Ballroom in Chicago.

The 26 date tour concluded in December 2018 with four nights at The Palladium in Los Angeles. The tour came in support of the new NIN album Bad Witch, which was the third and final instalment in a trilogy series that began in 2016.

The Jesus and Mary Chain opened the show. Back in the day, JAMC had taken NIN on the road as openers. This time Trent and co returned the favor. Their set was awesome. A killer lightshow, and great sound highlighted their career span on songs “Just Like Honey” and “Some Candy Talking.” It was cool to see them with NIN all those years later, especially at Radio City.

NIN switched up their Radio City set considerably from night one. The first four songs were from The Fragile. On October 13, no songs from the album were played. They also drew from The Downward Spiral including “Piggy,” “Closer,” and “The Becoming.” It was strange they didn’t play anything from their newest album “Bad Witch,” flashing back to their archives only.

Another highlight was “Burn,” a song from a great movie and soundtrack, Natural Born Killers. NIN did not disappoint with favorite “Help Me I’m in Hell” as part of the encore. The only similarities between night one and night two was – “Head Like A Hole” closed the pre-encore set and “Hurt” closed the entire show.

One of the first concerts I ever attended was NIN at Nassau Coliseum in 1994. It is amazing to see how much this band has evolved over the years, especially at Radio City Music Hall. Their music is still ahead of its time now as it was back then. Although industrial music started sometime in the 1970’s, bands like Nine Inch Nails and Ministry were credited for making the genre popular, bringing it into the mainstream.

Setlist: Somewhat Damaged, The Day The World Went Away, The Frail, The Wretched, The Beginning of the End, Survivalism, Piggy, Burn, La Mer, Closer, The Becoming, I Can’t Give Everything Away, The Lovers, The Great Destroyer, Burning Bright, Head Like A Hole.

Encore: Help Me I’m In Hell, Happiness In Slavery, Even Deeper, Hurt

October 14, 2020
The Dead’s Lone Lake Placid Show: October 17, 1983

The Grateful Dead‘s 1983 fall tour saw the band playing a slew of shows in the Northeast in October. After two shows at Madison Square Garden the week before, and two more at the Hartford Civic Center, the Dead made their way Upstate and paid a visit to Lake Placid and the Olympic Center.

Only a few years ago, this venue housed one of the greatest upsets in sports history thanks to the “Miracle On Ice” in the 1980 Winter Olympics. Now it was the Dead’s turn to leave their mark on the place. This would be the only show in Lake Placid the band would ever play. Fans dubbed the tour stop as the ‘Special Olympics for Jerry’s Kids at Lake Acid,’ and where the opportunity presented itself, covered up the ‘PL’ in ‘Placid’ at every sign to the journey to the Olympic Town for added effect.

Most Grateful Dead shows are known for fun first sets that set the mood before things “take off” in the second one. This may be one of the few shows that goes against that notion thanks to such a powerful opening set. Some early warm up tones of “Sugaree” can be heard before the band launches into the real things. Garcia leads the way with some blistering guitar licks with the rest of the band just trying to keep up. It results in a near 17-minute version that’s arguably one of the best jams of the night – rare for an opener.

This opening burst of energy reemerges in the “Little Red Rooster” that picks up soon afterwards. With sublime bluesy licks provided by Garcia on guitar, Bob Weir’s customary growling vocals and beautiful organ fills from Brent Mydland, this one is a true group effort. A steadily building jam that slowly grows in intensity makes this a memorable “Rooster” that stretches past the nine-minute mark.

Things then slow down a tad with the “Friend of the Devil” that comes next, played in its slower tempo. Afterwards, Weir reassumes vocal duties and leads the band through a standard run through of “My Brother Esau.”

But that frenetic energy displayed in the opening 1-2 punch doesn’t seem to reemerge until the jam that arises from “Bird Song.” With more intricate guitar work laid down by Garcia, this one takes after its namesake and soars. An appreciative crowd make their feelings well known at the end of this one.

There’s no let up in the rest of the set. Weir belts out the lyrics to a quick but powerful “Hell In A Bucket” that includes a brief “Mustang Sally” quote towards the end. At its conclusion, Garcia immediately drops the opening guitar lick to “Deal” and the band is off and running again. The high octane, extended jam that results from this one stretches this “Deal” well past the ten-minute make and serves as an appropriate closer to an absolutely fiery opening set.

While the second set may not offer up as much firepower as its predecessor, there are some memorable moments to be sure. “Touch of Grey,” a newer song at the time that would later propel the Dead to a new level of stardom, begins the set. Despite some brief feedback issues, it gets a nice hand from the crowd when all is said and done.

“Samson and Delilah” produces more high energy interplay between band members, with bassist Phil Lesh making his presence clearly felt on this one. Then comes a bust out of sorts in “To Lay Me Down,” the first one played in 82 shows. Though it shows little signs of rust as more poignant guitar work and delicate vocals from Garcia pepper this one throughout.

Despite some early fumbling of the lyrics in the “Terrapin Station” that comes later, the band makes up for it with a beautifully patient and well executed version. The heavily percussive outro jam then bleeds right into the beginning of the traditional “Drums” segment, like it has so many times.

After some heavy noodling from Garcia in “Space,” showcasing all sorts of guitar effects, “The Wheel” slowly emerges. The revved up Lake Placid crowd is audibly charged up for this one. Allegedly, crowd members in both the concourse and lower bowl linked arms and danced arm in arm around the arena during this one. What a sight that must have been.

The second set comes to a close with a couple of longtime covers that the Dead have perfected by now. “Goin’ Down The Road Feelin’ Bad” sees the crowd getting into it once more, vigorously clapping along in time. This is followed up by The Rascals’ “Good Lovin’,” giving Garcia one last chance to lay down some impressive guitar solos. And Bob Weir’s Pigepn-esque “rap” at the end sends the crowd into a frenzy.

One more cover choice ends this one. Perhaps in a nod to John Lennon’s birthday which is October 9th, the Dead trot out The Beatles’ “Revolution” for the encore. It almost sounds like a slower version of “Deal” at first. And with that, the band’s lone performance in Lake Placid was complete. This was no “Miracle” though, just another Grateful Dead show.

Listen to it here.

Grateful Dead Olympic Center – Lake Placid, NY 10/17/83

Set 1: Sugaree> Little Red Rooster, Friend Of The Devil, My Brother Esau, Bird Song, Hell In A Bucket> Deal
Set 2: Touch Of Grey> Samson & Delilah, To Lay Me Down, Women Are Smarter, Terrapin Station> Drums> Space> The Wheel> I Need A Miracle> Goin’ Down The Road> Good Lovin’
Encore: Revolution

October 11, 2020
Trey Anastasio Begins ‘Beacon Jams’ Residency

Phish guitarist and New York City resident Trey Anastasio kicked off his eight-week virtual residency at the Beacon Theater last night, delivering the kind of live music we’re all starving for right now. Appropriately named “The Beacon Jams,” this Friday night, and the next seven as well, will serve as a weekly musical oasis for a world currently deprived of massive live shows and indoor concerts. Broadcast by twitch.tv, Trey and friends delivered two-plus hours of music spanning the musician’s prolific career.

Photo: Jake Silco via Trey Anastasio Facebook

Tonight’s performance was essentially a stripped down version of the current Trey Anastasio Band configuration. Longtime stalwarts Tony Markellis and Russ Lawton manned the bass and drums, respectively. Cyro Baptista was behind the percussion kit, and delightfully present and high in the mix all night. And a spry Ray Paczkowski added his signature sound on keys for most of the night. Jeff Tanski, a friend, theatrical collaborator and fellow NYC resident, would also sit in on piano for a few songs.

One of the more interesting aspects of the show was that instead of a typical stage setup with the band facing the seats, the back of the stage was opened up entirely for the cameras and the band faced the opposite direction. With the majestic yet empty Beacon Theater as the backdrop, the night started off aptly with “Corona.” Making its first live appearance since a 4/27/18 Trey show in New Orleans, this set the tone nicely with a short but passionate outburst of a jam.

Photo: Jake Silco via Trey Anastasio Facebook

The “Blaze On” that followed carried things even further. Cyro and his wearable rub board gave it a nice percussive touch early. And the extended jam that ensued had everyone getting in on it courtesy of rotational solos before Trey put the finishing touches on it.

He had a noticeably fun time all night “breaking the fourth wall” after songs and mentioning/thanking the twitch chat room that was shown in front of him on a monitor. and mentions/thanks the chat room. After some playful banter, it was time for “I Never Left Home,” one of the many new Trey songs from his new Lonely Trip album that was recently produced and released while in quarantine. The echoe-y vocal effects and spellbinding dark and psychedelic jam that this evoked in its first live showing just oozes with Phish potential.

The ensuing “Soul Planet” featured another extended jam, this time fueled by Russ on drums. Trey then took a quick moment between songs to read some more chat room messages and also wish his Mom a happy birthday. Jeff Tanski then came out for “Shade” on piano with Ray moving over to the organ.

Photo: Angela Cranford/MSG Entertainment

“Dark and Down,” a classic TAB song then followed before the debut of another Lonely Trip song “A Wave of Hope.” The upbeat lyrics and positive sentiment noting “this too shall pass” carried right over into the next song, “If I Could See The World,” another new Lonely Trip number.

Things then shifted from inspirational to funky through the “Sand” that followed. With Ray heavy on the clav per usual. this one is given the full treatment with pulsating rhythm supplied by Russ and Tony and another passionate Trey solo on top of it all.

One of the true highlights of the evening was the “Stash” that immediately followed. This would be the only “old school” Phish song played tonight and it was anything but traditional. Trey was only accompanied by Jeff Tanski on piano and Cyro who added a mesmerizing percussive element simply by clapping along in various rhythms. This all served to create an acoustic “Stash” of sorts that is a must hear.

Photo: Jake Silco via Trey Anastasio Facebook

The Phish vibes were out once again in full force in the “Everything’s Right” that came later. Cyro began this one with what seemed to be percussive ping-pong paddles of some sort before a Russ shuffle beat steered the song into its familiar beginning.

Although he never left the stage, some true acoustic songs seemed to begin the unofficial “encore.” This included a tender rendition of “The Inlaw Josie Wales,” a song Phish hasn’t tackled in 20 years, although it does get some run through TAB. This also gave Trey a chance to talk about the rehabilitation house that proceeds from this residency are going towards, obviously a project near and dear to Trey’s heart.

“46 Days” saw the rest of the band then come out and finish things off in style. This marked the end of night one with another seven Friday nights of Beacon Jams lined up to follow. It’s fairly clear that each night will feature new guests, stories and interaction with Trey via twitch, and live music that’s good for the soul.

Trey Anastasio “Beacon Jams” Beacon Theater – New York, NY 10/9/20

Corona > Blaze On, I Never Left Home [1], Soul Planet, Shade [2], Dark and Down, A Wave of Hope[1], If I Could See The World[1] > Sand, Stash [3], When the Words Go Away [4], Everything’s Right > …And Flew Away[1], The Inlaw Josie Wales [5], Sunset Days [6], 46 Days

[1] Debut.
[2] Jeff Tanski on piano.
[3] Only Trey, Jeff Tanski on piano, and Cyro clapping.
[4] Debut; Trey solo acoustic.
[5] Only Trey on acoustic and Jeff Tanski on piano.
[6] Trey solo acoustic.

October 10, 2020
Flashback: Phish at Nassau Coliseum, October 1999

Phish has a storied history at Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum, one highlighted by Island Tour performances in April 2 and 3, 1998, and one of their most notable performances of the ‘2.0’ era, February 28, 2003. The Uniondale venue has played host to Phish seven times, most recently on December 1, 2019. 1999

Phish would return to Uniondale on October 7 and 8, 1999, nearing the end of their Fall Tour, with two shows to follow in Albany that would close the tour. Newsday reviewed the first of the two nights, saying, “The Britney Spears of the world come and go, but Phish, the shaggy Vermont jam-band that has never had a hit on the radio or video, is proof that quality music can survive in a mass marketed world.”

The first set on October 7 was highlighted by three songs – an 18 minute “David Bowie,” a “Gotta Jibboo” with an ever-rare “Dave’s Energy Guide” tease, and to follow, a set closing “Fluffhead.” The second set would feature an inventive ‘Mike’s Groove,’ with a nearly an hour of music packed in between “Mike’s Song,” (featuring Trey on keys) “McGrupp,” “Prince Caspian,” “Golgi Apparatus” and “Weekapaug Groove.”

Also notable was the encore, which featured three songs – “Rocky Top,” “I Am Hydrogen” and “Julius” – the stand alone “I Am Hydrogen” being played outside of the typical “Mike’s Song” > ” Weekapaug Groove” for the first time since Halloween 1987, and almost as rare, being played in an encore slot.

October 7, 1999 Setlist via Phish.net

Set 1: NICU > My Soul, Dirt, David Bowie, Frankie Says > Possum, When the Circus Comes, Gotta Jibboo, Fluffhead

Set 2: Boogie On Reggae Woman, Heavy Things, Tube, Back on the Train > Mike’s Song[1] > McGrupp and the Watchful Hosemasters, Prince Caspian > Golgi Apparatus > Weekapaug Groove

Encore: Rocky Top > I Am Hydrogen > Julius

[1] Trey on keys.

Fall 1999 tour map via Todd Puckett

After the barn burner of the night before, October 8 would still have some tricks up its sleeve, particularly in Set 2. The first set was somewhat standard, beyond a “Meatstick” that brought Sofi Dillof to the stage for the dancing portion of the millennium tune.

Set 2 opened with “Halley’s Comet” and then ventured into a 20-minute “Tweezer” which featured a jam that was reminiscent of the Siket Disc tune “My Left Toe.”

After a fantastic mid-set “Harry Hood,” Phish began to play the opening notes of The Who’s “We’re Not Gonna Take It,” and appropriately brought to the stage Phish lyricist Tom Marshall, singing “My name is Tommy” to a rapt audience. The track from Tommy was played to perfection, as Phish is well versed in The Who‘s catalog, particularly Quadrophenia from their Halloween 1995 show at Rosemont Horizon in Illinois. Turning into the “Listening to You” portion of the song, the energy in the room can still be felt as Marshall belts out the remainder of Townshend’s lyrics and Phish tears through the rock n roll overture.

Even though Nassau Coliseum is shuttered for the time being, and may not reopen, the performances Phish and others have made there have secured the venue’s legacy for generations of music lovers.

October 8, 1999 setlist via Phish.net

Set 1: Piper, AC/DC Bag, Suzy Greenberg, Meat, Meatstick, Run Like an Antelope

Set 2: Halley’s Comet > Tweezer, Bug, Fee, Harry Hood, We’re Not Gonna Take It[1] > Chalk Dust Torture

Encore: The Squirming Coil, Tweezer Reprise

[1] Phish debut; Tom Marshall on vocals.

Phish Nassau 1999

October 9, 2020
Phil Collins Brings His 2019 ‘Not Dead Yet’ Tour to MSG
On October 7, 2019, Phil Collins brought his ‘Not Dead Yet’ Tour to Madison Square Garden for two nights. The tour was 97 shows total including legs in Europe, North America, South America and Australia. and named after his 2016 autobiography. Due to ongoing nerve damage with his hands, this is the first tour that Collins did not play drums. Instead he relied on his son, 18 year old Nicholas Collins to handle all the drum parts. He did an excellent job and I’m sure his father was proud.

Back surgery had also left Phil with a paralyzed right foot so he had to remain seated during this tour. His backup band included guitarist Daryl Stuermer, keyboardist Brad Cole, bassist Leland Sklar, percussionist Richie Garcia and featured Nicholas Collins on drums.

It was a bit awkward as Phil hobbled on stage assisted by a cane, but I don’t think he cared much and neither did the audience. You realize he is an absolute legend as he begins to play hit after hit spanning his 50 plus year career. He sounded fantastic. He even snuck in a few Genesis songs along the way and teased a Genesis reunion which is now supposed to take place sometime in 2021. They played for 2 and half hours, and still couldn’t possibly play every song everyone wanted to hear.

The 19 song setlist barely scratched the surface of even just his greatest hits. One of the highlights of the show was when Collins, his son Nicholas and percussionist Richie Garcia had a wild synchronized percussionist duel which culminated with both of them coming out to sit with Phil and play amplifies cajons. It really brought the energy up and was the closest thing we got to see him playing drums. Another highlight was when he brought his son Nicholas to accompany him on piano on “You Know What I Mean” which Collins said his son requested to be included on the tour.

Nicholas returned to the drums as Phil stood for the only time to perform “In the Air Tonight.” He kept the energy up with “Can’t Hurry Love” and “Invisible Touch” ending the show with “Easy Lover,” Sussudio” and “Take Me Home.”

The crowd, including myself was definitely pleased with the performance and went home happy. Weather or not he will ever play again solo or with Genesis will remain to be seen.

Setlist: Against All Odds, Another Day in Paradise, Hang In Long Enough, Don’t Lose My Number, Throwing It All Away (Genesis), Follow You Follow Me (Genesis), I Missed Again, Who Said I Would, Separate Lives, Drum Trio, Something Happened On The Way To Heaven, You Know What I Mean, In The Air Tonight, You Can’t Hurry Love, Dance Into The Light, Invisible Touch (Genesis), Easy Lover, Sussudio, Take Me Home
October 7, 2020
Fans flock to Swanzey, NH for Goose at Drive-In Live
Goose has been loose across New England in the past few weeks, performing Drive-In shows in Yarmouth, MA, Morris, CT, Essex Junction, VT and soon they’ll head to Ohio, Maryland and North Carolina. Goose hit a fever pitch with fans in 2019 and have made the most of this new era of live music, between a successful Bingo Tour in June, and recent Drive-In stops across the Northeast.

So when Goose headed from Northern Vermont down to Southwestern New Hampshire on Saturday, October 3, they marked the closest shows to New York State, and beyond their just announced Halloween run at South Farms in Morris, CT, these shows stand to be the final chances to catch Goose in the Northeast, possibly until 2021.

Arriving at the Cheshire Fairgrounds in Swanzey, NH, cars were greeted by a friendly staff and it was incredibly easy for you to locate your car’s spot. Areas on either side of your car were marked off for social distancing, and your party could begin once you were parked.

No matter where you parked, the sound was incredibly good. Speaker stacks made it so the folks in the C section towards the back got the same quality as folks in the A section up front, allowing all to hear the new clavinet for guitarist/keyboardist Peter Anspach. Even the sloping hill allowed for good views even from the top of the venue.

Highlights from the evening included an early cover of The Band’s “Look Out Cleveland” and 20-minute versions of “Madhuvan” and the second set opening “Tumble.” Tom Waits’ dark “Christmas Card From a Hooker in Minneapolis” followed “Tumble,” and was repeated in the encore due to skipping a portion of the song the first time. The encore was polished off by the second ‘Jive’ tune of the night, “Jive Lee.” Listen to the show on Archive here.

Swanzey has succeeded in a state where live music is still embraced and allowed, and should be looked at as a template for how to pull off live music until the pandemic has subsided. On Saturday, October 31st, Pink Talking Fish will headline a at Drive-In Live in Swanzey, featuring Mihali from Twiddle and Neighbor, marking the grand finale for the Drive-In Live concert series.

The night before in Burlington, Goose welcomed Giant Country Horns member Dave ‘The Truth’ Grippo for most of the show, including “Time to Flee,” seen below.

Setlist – Goose at Drive-In Live, Swanzey, NH, October 2, 2020

Set 1:Yeti, Look Out Cleveland*, Honey Bee, Jive I, Madhuvan, 726
Set 2: Tumble, Christmas Card From a Hooker in Minneapolis^, All I Need, Echo Of A Rose, Flodown
Encore: Christmas Card From a Hooker in Minneapolis^, Jive Lee

* The Band ^Tom Waits

For Halloween, Goose will perform two shows on Friday, October 30th and Saturday, October 31st. South Farms has hosted numerous acts, using the multipurpose outdoor venue with a grid-like layout where the audience is situated in pairs, on 8’x8’ plots of grass.

Unlike drive-in shows, South Farms is equipped for the band to use live sound, as opposed to FM radio transmitters. Social distancing guidelines are in effect while attending the event.

Ticket presale begins on Wednesday, October 7 at 10 AM ET, followed by a general onsale on Friday. October 9 at 10 AM ET.

photos by Zach Culver
October 7, 2020
Aniello Debuts Latest Single Through Democratic Virtual Concert Series: Team Joe Sings

Quarantine provided many different things for many people. Spending more time with your kids, finding new recipes to experiment with, maybe even picking up embroidery. For New York City-based singer/songwriter, Aniello, quarantine gave him the opportunity to work harder on his music than ever before, leading him to make it to Billboard alongside notable names like, X Ambassadors, Andrew Bird and Kesha.

Promotion for Team Joe Sings

Last week, Aniello debuted his latest single, ‘Stand Up,’ on the virtual concert series, ‘Team Joe Sings,’ created by presidential-nominee Joe Biden and Kamala Harris’ campaign team. Aniello says he wrote this single a few years back, during the 2016 presidential election, but it remains so true to our current state of the nation now.

“I wrote this song as a message to myself, at first, to just keep standing up, but as a whole it really means to stand up for equality and your beliefs and is also really an anthem to the LGBTQ+ community.”
Aniello

He views this election as being the most important one to vote in because of how divided our country has become.

“Never have I ever been so open about my politics, but right now it is so important. I think Joe is obviously the right guy for the job. Team Joe Sings is a great way to promote people to get out and vote.”

Aniello Scibelli

Aniello Scibelli, also known as Neil Davis, grew up in the city and describes himself as a New Yorker through and through. His love for music started at a very young age and it just kept growing.

“My parents got me this toy keyboard when I was a toddler. As I grew a little older, I would play tunes that I heard from the cartoons I watched,” recalled Aniello.

He went on to get an education at Frank Sinatra School of the Arts in Astoria, which was founded by musician Tony Bennett and his wife Susan Benedetto.

“It was really amazing to me that I had the opportunity to learn from the best. I mean, Susan was my teacher and mentored me through school and to this day is still a really good friend of mine,” he said.

After his father passed away in 2017, his strength to move on from the grief, turned into creativity. Since then, his ability to stay positive through every situation, regardless how tough, lead him to release empowering and motivational music.

‘Stand Up’ can be found on Bandcamp and Apple Music. ‘Team Joe Sings’ appears on the featured artists’ Youtube page every Thursday through Election Day.

October 6, 2020
In Focus: Tom Morello Release Party for ‘The Atlas Underground’ at LPR
In preparation for the release of his album The Atlas Underground, Tom Morello played 2 sold out shows at New York’s Le Poisson Rouge on October, 2, 2018.

For the first part of the show, Tom Morello was interviewed for almost an hour where he told stories about playing with Bruce Springsteen, meeting Chris Cornell for the first time, and shooting the music video for Rage Against the Machine’s “Sleep Now in the Fire,” where filmmaker and director Michael Moore was arrested. During the interview he also played his guitar solo from Audioslave’s “Like A Stone,” a song he wrote for Chris Cornell called “The Garden of Gethsemane,” and jammed along with Ozzy Osbourne’s “Mr. Crowley.”

Morello recently spoke to Rolling Stone about what it was like to play with Springsteen, in celebration of The Boss’ 71st birthday.

For the next part of the show, Tom let the audience hear The Atlas Underground in its entirety and gave a quick synopsis before every song about the featured guest and how the songs came to be.

The show concluded with Tom playing “The Ghost of Tom Joad” and inviting audience members on stage for a cover of “This Land is Your Land,” and concluded the show by playing “Killing in the Name” while the audience sang vocals.

Setlist: The Garden of Gethsemane Like a Stone Guitar Solo (Audioslave song) Mr. Crowley Jam (Ozzy Osbourne cover)

The Atlas Underground: Battle Sirens, Rabbit’s Revenge, Every Step I Take, We Don’t Need You, Find Another Way, How Long, Lucky One, One Nation, Vigilante Nocturno, Where It’s At Ain’t What It Is, Roadrunner, Lead Poisoning, The Ghost of Tom Joad (Bruce Springsteen cover), This Land Is Your Land (Woody Guthrie cover) (Fans brought on stage), Killing in the Name (Rage Against the Machine song)
October 3, 2020
Flashback: Grim Reaper, Armored Saint and Helloween perform at the Mid-Hudson Civic Center, October 1, 1987

The Mid-Hudson Civic Center is not a particularly huge arena by normal standards, but the fact that it was less than half-full on this night made it seem that much bigger. This was a solid triple-bill of 1987 real metal – dubbed the ‘Hell on Wheels’ tour – featuring Helloween and Armored Saint, but headliners from the U.K., heavies Grim Reaper, had one hit single to their credit (“See You In Hell”), and that single success had not translated to arena-filling status for the Brits.

So the hall was not packed (a fact not helped by the fact that the much bigger British hard rockers Def Leppard was playing a gig a few hours north at the Glens Falls Civic Center that night), and frankly the audience that was there seemed to be present more for German newcomers/openers Helloween, there on their first US tour, and L.A. metal gods Armored Saint, who played the middle slot. This was a show that could have – and perhaps should have – been booked into The Chance around the corner.

photo by Marc Kurtzner

Helloween had a big buzz at the time with their ‘Keeper of the Seven Keys Pt. I’ album, were already pulling big crowds in the UK and Europe, and years later are considered to be trailblazers for the epic, Power Metal sound which still packs halls in Europe. This night they were a new young metal band with something to prove, and hit the stage fast and heavy, and got the less-than-capacity crowd going immediately, despite the fact that the house lights didn’t go down until halfway through the second song.

photo by Marc Kurtzner

The band played a set full of songs from the then-current Keeper album, including “Future World” and the 13-minute epic “Helloween”, and were given a third-on-the-bill encore by the enthusiastic crowd, and played older song “How Many Tears” to wrap things up. The band seemed primed for much bigger things in 1987, and returned a year or two later to play packed halls with Anthrax in ’89, but mass success did not ensue, in the U.S. anyway.

photo by Marc Kurtzner

As tight and entertaining as Helloween were, this writer was there for band #2, west coast heavies Armored Saint. “March of the Saint” kicked their set off, and from there the Saint (singer John Bush, bassist Joey Vera, drummer Gonzo Sandoval and the late, great guitarist Dave Prichard) attacked the stage with enough energy to melt icebergs.

photo by Marc Kurtzner

At the time AS were promoting their third Chrysalis Records LP, ‘Raising Fear’, and played several tracks from that release, like “Human Vulture”, “Book of Blood”, and the killer “Chemical Euphoria”, but didn’t ignore older songs like “Long Before I Die” and “Can U Deliver”, all served up with sweaty, infectious energy.

photo by Marc Kurtzner

The set finished with the then-new record’s high-velocity, headbanging title track, “Raising Fear”, before the band were summoned for an encore, the even faster, heavier “Madhouse” from their debut record.

photo by Marc Kurtzner

Headliners Grim Reaper finished the night, and seemed to get less front-of-the-stage energy from the crowd than the first two bands had. GR were solid metal, singer Steve Grimmett had (and has) a mighty howl, and guitarist Nick Bowcott is no slouch, but the band seemed superlative after the more exciting first two bands, and they played an hour of shrieking metal, culminating in the inevitable “See You In Hell” before a dwindling crowd. That said, a fine night of pure metal, perhaps in a hall bigger than was warranted by the headline act.

photo by Marc Kurtzner

October 1, 2020

Built in Breakdance