A strange summer in a strange year has seen a dearth of entertainment options. No movies. No music. A small band of heroes, named Aqueous, sought to fill the void for at least two beautiful August nights at the Silver Lake Drive-In Theater, amongst the beautiful rolling hills of Western New York. In classic Drive-In fashion, it was a double-feature, rife with of edge-of-your-seat thrills, suspenseful popcorn-tossing excitement, and of course heart-touching drama.
photo by Paul Citone
Night one opened with the slinky grooves of “Phase III” and didn’t really let up from there, for what turned into a non-stop funk-out dance party, appeasing the live-music-starved audience. It wouldn’t be long before the band sunk it’s sharpening teeth into an epic 30-minute “Origami.” It explored multiple plot points before exploding in straight fire guitar shredding. Like donning 3-D glasses, fuzzy dissonance came into sharp jump-off-the-stage focus, throwing the crowd’s heads back in awe.
The fans weren’t the only one’s missing live music. The band was clearly feeling the emptiness of the summer concert schedule, in particular the jam-scene mainstay Phish. They sprinkled multiple teases throughout the weekend. “Origami” featured some “Bathtub Gin” riffing, and then “Reba” and “Down With Disease” were jokingly teased before kicking into a full-fledged cover of “Horn” complete with real live horn honking from the crowd. Later on it came as a “Tweezer Reprise” hint here or a “Maze” segment there, like a famous actor playing a winking cameo in a smaller film.
Having gotten the gang back and firing on all cylinders in night one, the story arc advanced in night two. The heroes intent on ousting the evil villain who had robbed the world of its live music energy source, called upon the Aquengers. And they wouldn’t disappoint. At least for a short time, the air would fill with sweet sounds, the audience would laugh, dance and smile, the world seemed to be right side up once again.
The night’s opener, “On the Edge” dispensed with the booty-shaking funk of part one, and dropped quickly into a dark groove. Guitarist Mike Gantzer added in some twisted slide work while bassist Evan McPhaden pushed out monster-crushing bass blasts. It was some of the finest playing of the weekend, the band was locked in from the get-go. The ensuing “Random Company” rose and fell again and again, producing bigger and bigger swells of energy, in what would set the tone for an evening full of brilliant slow-building jams.
photo by Paul Citone
Knowing it was as big an enemy they would ever be called upon to defeat, the team added the friendly neighborhood Spider Man to their roster, with a fun instrumental run through the classic cartoon theme. Would it be enough? Even when the sound system went down during “Be the Same,” the band persisted, blasting through the minor hiccup with a set-closing rock out.
The 3-song hour-plus final set featured even more suspense. The band was hyper-focused and patient, developing in-the-moment beauty time and again, with ever more revelatory peaks. David Loss’s multi-weapon attacks would reach a climax in the show-closing “Triangle” with rapid-fire guitar and an extended classic rock-out ending.
Ultimately though, after the dust cleared the future of music is no clearer. No one knows when normal live music gigging will resume. Though drummer Rob Houk cut that tension with some much appreciated comic relief. He provided some fantastic banter throughout the two-night run, and also hammed it up on quality covers in the encore slots. Night one saw him singing from the roof on Pearl Jam’s “Dissident” while night two had him crushing Van Halen’s “Jump” after having hilariously threatened some Bon Jovi earlier in the evening.
photo by Paul Citone
While a Drive-In concert is certainly not ideal, under the current circumstances, the promoters at Buffalo Iron Works and the venue Silver Lake Drive-In provided the band and fans a very safe environment to briefly enjoy some level of normalcy to what would usually be a summer full of long nights of live music in sheds, fields and anywhere you can fit a stage.
Setlists
Friday, August 7 Set 1: Phase III, How High You Fly, Origami, Horn (Phish cover, debut) Eon Don Set 2: Skyway > Calling Out, Marty, Come and Go > Don’t Do It Encore: Dissident (Pearl Jam cover, debut) w/ Ryan Nogle on drums
Saturday, August 8 Set 1: On the Edge > Random Company > Spider-Man > Random Company, Weight of the Word, Be the Same Set 2: Dave’s Song, Color Wheel, Triangle Encore: 6’s and 7’s (debut), Jump (Van Halen cover, debut) w/ Ryan Nogle on drums
It’s been 23 years since Garth Brooks rocked the Big Apple with a powerful concert dubbed “Garthstock” in Central Park, and people are still talking about it.
An estimated 980,000 people attended the 1997 Garth Brooks concert.
On August 7, 1997, Brooks decided to perform on the grounds that so many acclaimed musicians had as well. Among the stars to play there were Diana Ross, Elton John and Paul Simon, to name a few. Could Brooks pull off the same notoriety as the past shows?
Brooks tweets about the 20 year anniversary of the Central Park Concert.
The pop-country musician started making headlines in the late 1980s, so by 1997, the crowd for his show was expected to reach thousands. Brooks won Country Music Award ‘Entertainer of the Year’ seven times, a first for any artist.
The significance of this concert came from admittance being free and was broadcast live on HBO. He also had a couple famous special guests by the name of Billy Joel and Don McLean.
The largest concert held in Central Park.
The New York City Fire Department said that 980,000 people attended the concert, making it the biggest concert ever. Although there’s debate to whether that number was true, the crowd’s size surpassed all of the past artists.
On the 20 year anniversary of the Central Park concert, Garth Brooks sat down with ET.
“I never seen so many people in my life. Try to remember, in my hometown, when I grew up, [there were] probably 17,000 people. So, to look out and see 40 times your hometown out there, it’s like — it was crazy. It was so beautiful.”
Just as music fans the world over are clamoring to get their fix, so, too, are musicians longing to get out in front of actual crowds and ply their trade. No live stream can replicate the energy of a live concert, where musical notes serve as a conduit facilitating an infinite loop of energy travelling between the band and the audience. Live music requires presence — you have to be there, to be sure — though not just in body, but in mind and spirit, too. Within that presence, as one finds alignment with the head, the heart, and the feet, is where the magic lives. As it has been said, “Seek and ye shall find.”
Bridging that thought, it’s been especially hard to find live music these days (no explanation necessary), especially that of the safe and socially distant variety with crowds respectful of both coronavirus and others’ personal space. Creativity has become the order of the day in terms of booking, and I’ve now been lucky enough to catch a few live shows in locales previously unthinkable: a field behind Woodbridge HS, the Asbury Park Elks Lodge, even a few backyards, not least of all my own.
Some days live music seems more poignant than others; Jerry Garcia’s birthday has always been one of those days. I’ll never forget seeing Jerry on his birthday at The Palace at Auburn Hills, August 1, 1994, one of just three performances by the Grateful Dead on this date. Well, in the summer of 2020, any live show is special, and just as I was one of the lucky ones to see Jerry’s birthday show in ‘94, so, too, was I lucky enough to see Cosmic open the Days Between (marked by the days between Jerry’s birth and death, 8/9/95) on August 1, 2020.
After having spent the day on the beach in Asbury Park with my wife, we parted ways {one of the beautiful things about our marriage is that even though we have divergent interests, she unilaterally supports my passions} and I grabbed some primo socially distant real estate at the Asbury Elks Lodge, right up front near the band and in front of the PA. I’ve spoken of silver linings in other recent musings, but my favorite one bears repeating: encroaching on someone else’s personal space has become societally uncool, and that bodes really well for an abundance of dancing space. Punctuality has also become the order of the day and, since timeliness is next to godliness, mine was rewarded not just with the best 10×10 foot square in the house but also with soundcheck, a tasty version of “Beat It On Down the Line,” even if the band ultimately decided not to play a “seventy-eight beat intro for Jerry’s birthday” after briefly parrying the idea back and forth.
Just fifteen short minutes after the announced start time of 4:00, everybody was dancing in a ring around the sun as Cosmic took to the stage and opened this gorgeous afternoon with the Grateful Dead’s anthemic summer song, “The Golden Road To Unlimited Devotion.” This song has a short history with the Grateful Dead and wasn’t to be played live at any time after 1967, wayyyy before my time, heck, even before the actual summer of love later that same year, but to me it’s always been a party tune and set a fiery tone for the day as the band implored, “Hey hey, hey, come right away. Come and join the party every day.” An impressive and energetic “Viola Lee Blues” followed (is there any other kind???), before the band played “Set Me Free”, the first of seven original tunes they would play on this sunny August afternoon.
Shirtless guys and sun-kissed girls in long flowing dresses, spinning and twirling in a scene reminiscent of San Francisco’s Golden Gate park, the crowd was beauty personified. On this day, as we celebrated what would have been Jerome John Garcia’s 78th trip around the sun, none of us were thinking about the problems of the world, at least no more so than pertained to social distance and wearing masks. We were celebrating the life and music of Jerry Garcia, the outward expression of whose passion in turn shaped most of our lives. From the youngest among us who, forget about having seen Garcia live, probably shouldn’t have been drinking legally, to those with stories from the Avalon Ballroom and the last time they saw “Golden Road” live, our collective spirit embodied the principle of community.
Yet, in a whole world full of petty wars, “Throwing Stones” unfortunately seems to grow more relevant with each passing day. Political bullshit aside, it’s a fun song that set up one of the day’s highlights, “Cream Puff War”, driven by the insane timekeeping of drummer Dan Donovan, who would also provide an interesting bit of trivia during set break, “I wanted to make sure we worked this one into the setlist today since it’s the only tune (whose lyrics) were written by Garcia.” A short but combustible tune that the Grateful Dead only played in 1966 and 1967, Cosmic did it great justice on this most special day for Deadheads. That, I think, is the beauty of the Grateful Dead and the symbiosis they inspire between the musicians occupying their space and the deadheads taking it all in. Regardless of who’s holding the guitar, we’re all just fans (maybe fanatics would be more appropriate but let’s not parse words).
Another glorious original rocker followed, “Make Me Feel High,” as Wanda, Exalted Ruler of the Fraternal Order of Asbury Elks (I can’t shake the image of Fred Flinstone as Grand Poobah of the Royal Order of Water Buffaloes) made her way to the stage, seemingly intent on having a discussion with each band member during the middle of the song. Fully expecting a buzzkill announcement like “turn it down” or some shit like that, Wanda surprised me at the end of the song by taking the mic and welcoming us all while imploring us to “enjoy the music and the hospitality.” Poor timing aside, it was a nice message.
Taking the break as a chance to confess their hunger and ask for provisions, a familiar drumbeat signalled the start of “Samson & Delilah,” with bassist John “Jelly Roll” Nemeth taking lead vocals. John was a noticeable force on the bass all afternoon and I’m sure glad I had a hand in getting his mix turned up during soundcheck. “Wine Women Rock”, another original, this one with keyboardist Billy Siegel on lead vocals, was so good that one fan felt inspired to drop a tip in the bucket on stage left in the middle of the song.
Even when he’s not singing Dead tunes, Billy still has the Brent Mydland thing going on and I just love his vocals, this last being my favorite of the “Billy” tunes. Lead singer and guitarist Michael Jaskewicz went off script with the next one, a lovely version of Dylan’s “When I Paint My Masterpiece” before an explosive “China Cat Sunflower” > “I Know You Rider” that closed the set 75 minutes and almost 10,000 steps later.
I love that this band, with a local and loyal following behind them, has the balls to play their own songs in key spots of the set. Opening the second set with “This Fire”, they continue to make the statement that they are so much more than a Dead cover band. I haven’t asked but I suppose that’s why they dropped “Jerry Band” from their moniker, as they seek to grow and develop their own material. I’ve now heard eleven original songs over two shows these past couple of weeks, and here’s to hoping there’s an album release on the horizon.
“Foolish Heart” is always a treat and Jaskewicz characteristically dazzled with both his guitar and his voice. “The Wheel” gave way to “Crooked Tree”, another rockabilly original that really slams as Siegel pounded the black and whites. Some fine setlist wizardry gave an emphatic Siegel the chance to continue stealing this segment of the show with the joyous “Hey Pocky Way” that followed. There would be no MVP, however, on this sun-soaked afternoon, as it was a total team effort. “Run For the Roses” was the first turn through the Jerry Garcia catalog before “We Are Divine,” an original dripping with proggy funk that was one of the best songs of the night, GD or otherwise.
During “Terrapin Station,” I closed my eyes and transported to another time and place, enjoying the simultaneous delicacy and raw power of a song that, from the first time I heard it, literally shaped the rest of my life. The Rolling Stone’s “Loving Cup,” even if it felt more like Phish’s version, rocked like the set closer that it could have been (my notes here simply read, “Sweet Jesus!”), even though there was still a “Loose Lucy” and a “Might As Well” on tap. Singing thank you, for a real good time!
I’d have gone home happy right then and there, fully spent having shared all of my love and energy with the band and the folks around me, but if the band was going to treat us to one (or three) more, I’d dig deep and continue to give all of myself right back. One more original was followed by a pair of JGB tunes, the powerful “Mission In the Rain” and the prayerful “Sisters and Brothers”. “Mission” has long been a personal favorite, a song by Robert Hunter that really paints a picture of the human condition.
Of this song, Garcia, in an interview, once said “Mission in the Rain” was “… a song that might be about me. It’s my life; it’s like a little piece of my life. Hunter writes me once in a while.” I felt every bit of that with Nemeth’s foreboding bass notes and Jaskewicz’ stirring vocals. As for “Sisters and Brothers”, what better way to close the day than with the hopeful gospel of Charles Johnson song popularized by the Jerry Garcia Band, “My Sisters and Brothers.” I’ll leave you with the power of its words …
I wanna say to my sisters and my brothers Keep the faithWhen the storm flies and the wind blows Go on at a steady pace When the battle is fought, and the victory’s won We can all shout together, we have overcome We’ll talk to the Father and the Son When we make it to the promised land If we walk together, little children We don’t ever have to worry Through this world of trouble We gotta love one another Let us take our fellow man by the hand Try to help him to understand We can all be together, forever and ever When we make it to the promised land
18,651 steps on the lawn of the Asbury Elks. Who’d have thunk it???
Setlist
Soundcheck: Beat It On Down the Line
Set One: The Golden Road (To Unlimited Devotion) > Viola Lee Blues, Set Me Free*, Throwing Stones > Cream Puff War > Make Me Feel High*, Samson & Delilah, Wine Women Rock*, When I Paint My Masterpiece, China Cat Sunflower > I Know You Rider
Set Two: This Fire*, Foolish Heart, The Wheel, Crooked Tree*, Hey Pocky Way, Run For the Roses, We Are Divine*, Terrapin Station, Loving Cup, Loose Lucy, Might As Well
Encore: unknown original, Mission in the Rain, My Sisters & Brothers
On August 4, 2015, Billy Joel played the final show at the original Nassau Coliseum. Billy played for over 3 hours at the 43 year old arena with a setlist that touched on every decade of his career. The thing that made this show special was the way he built the show specifically for a Long Island Crowd. He had many Long Island anecdotes including his first gig at Holy Family Church in Hicksville, and fights he had in a Northport restaurant.
The place went crazy when Billy said “I’d like to bring out a fellow Long Islander and one of the great songwriters of our time” and out walked Paul Simon. It got even louder when he played the first few notes to “Me and Julio Down by the Schoolyard.” They also did a duet of “Homeward Bound” and then a horn section came to the stage and they played “Late in the Evening” for the last song with Simon. Later on, another Long Island native, Kevin James came out and did the intro to “Miami 2017” before Joel took over the song.
It was Joel’s 32nd concert at the Coliseum and the last before the $130 million renovation and featured Michael DelGuidice to open the show. It was a sad event for fans like myself who grew up going to Islander games and concerts at the Coliseum our entire lives. They couldn’t have picked a better person to end that chapter of the Coliseum’s history. That’s probably why Billy also reopened the arena on April 5, 2017.
Setlist: Movin’ Out (Anthony’s Song), Zanzibar, Summer, Highland Falls, Everybody Loves You Now, No Man’s Land (first since 1995), Just the Way You Are, The Entertainer, The Longest Time (with Doo wop tribute intro), The Downeaster Alexa, Me and Julio Down by the Schoolyard*, Homeward Bound*, Late in the Evening*, The Ballad of Billy the Kid, New York State of Mind, Miami 2017 (Seen the Lights Go Out on Broadway)^, Until the Night, Allentown, Goodnight Saigon@, Keeping the Faith, She’s Always a Woman, My Life, Captain Jack, I’ve Loved These Days, The River of Dreams, Scenes From an Italian Restaurant
Well, moe. was supposed to perform at Vernon Downs this past weekend, but the powers that be pulled the plug just two days prior to the shows. Making lemonade out of lemons, moe. instead streamed both nights of shows from Big Blue North Recording Studio in Utica, where they had been rehearsing for the shows. The band sent the following video message to fans prior to the show.
Over the two nights, fans were treated to a tracks off the new album, This is Not, We Are, a few classic moe. jam vehicles and a couple of choice covers that left the fans buzzing on the couch and online.
Highlights from the two shows included a “St. Stephen” jam in the new song “Crushing,” “Timmy Tucker” and “Brent Black” both providing ample room for improvisation, and a cover of Lou Reed’s “Walk on the Wild Side,” sandwiched in between “Bear Song” to end the first set of the weekend.
On August 1, the band paid tribute to Jerry Garcia on his birthday with a “West L.A. Fadeaway” that was anything but your typical cover of a Dead tune. Rob starts this out with heavy funk in his bass as Al’s gutiar takes a spacey journey to the lyrics. Full of just the right amount of notes, the band put a most unique twist on the song, one you’ll want to check out below.
With a rousing “New York City” to end the two nights, moe. tipped their hat to the Big Apple with their ode to the heart of the Empire State and epicenter of COVID-19 pandemic in America.
If you missed the shows, order here from Tour Gigs.
Setlist – July 31, 2020
Set 1: Johnny Lineup, Akimbo, Along for the Ride, Tubing The River Styx > The Pit > Dangerous Game > Bearsong > Walk On The Wild Side > Bearsong
Set 2: Brent Black > Mar-Dema > Who You Calling Scared, Four, ATL, Can’t Seem To Find, Billy Goat > Brent Black
Encore: Plane Crash, Jazz Cigarette
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7uKkKXyMpKA
Setlist – August 1, 2020
Set 1: Buster, Downward Facing Dog > Deep This Time, Undertone > Letter Home, Tailspin, Skitchin’ Buffalo > Skitchin Buffalo Reprise > Wind it up
Set 2: George, Blue Jeans Pizza > Crushing > LL3 > Bullet, Don’t Wanna Be > Timmy Tucker
We head back to the Island for this week’s Jerry Sundays installment with a Grateful Dead show at the legendary Nassau Coliseum from 1979. The band played two shows here earlier that year in January, more than five years after their first appearance in Uniondale in 1973.
Now, in the middle of hockey season, and at the peak of the NY Islanders hockey dynasty no less, the Dead played three shows at the famous arena that surrounded Halloween. This was still the dawn of a new era of Dead as the band was still breaking in keyboard player Brent Mydland, new to the band as of April that year.
The tone for this evening is immediately set through a ferocious “Jack Straw” that starts the show off in grand fashion. Weir’s vocals are matched in intensity only by the lead guitar fills supplied by Jerry Garcia. “They Love Each Other” ends with a flippant comment from guitarist Bob Weir afterwards about Russia “bombing Staten Island” that evening. The Cold War Era was truly a different time. A robust and particularly uptempo “Mama Tried” that follows seems to take the place of the usual early show “El Paso” due to the “Mexicali Blues” that starts up immediately afterwards.
Another gem from this first set is a crisp version of “Peggy-O,” with delicate vocals and guitar play both handled wonderfully by Garcia. The swaying emotions that the cover of this traditional ballad brings with it would be a staple of Dead and Jerry Garcia Band shows for years to come. This one has a smooth delivery thanks to an in-sync rhythm section that motors along behind Garcia effortlessly.
The first set “Candyman” features even more howling guitar play from Garcia and the “Looks Like Rain” that follows is filled with even more emotional guitar fills that accompany nicely with Weir’s vocals that steadily build in ferocity as the song develops. And the newcomer gets a first set contribution as well as the Mydland-penned ballad “Easy To Love You” makes one of its earlier appearances.
But the true “meat and potatoes” of this show is the opening sequence of the second set. Some consider this longest “Scarlet Begonias” > “Fire On The Mountain” combination that the band has ever played. And they would have a legitimate argument as this one effortlessly stretches out past thirty minutes in all. Garcia and Mydland start hooking up as the “Scarlet” jam progresses and this carries all the way into and through a “Fire” that more than lives up to its name.
The rest of the second set is certainly no slouch, but the extended break and rabid fan reaction after these first two songs marked the end of something special. The “Terrapin Station” that follows later in the set features more of the same relaxed tone in some of its transitional sections that stretch out a little longer than usual. This eventually gives way to a “Playin’ In The Band” that races through its composition and serves up another psychedelic offering with more heavy Garcia-Mydland interplay steering the collective ship.
A late second set “Black Peter” gives Garcia’s guitar the spotlight and a chance to blissfully wail away again. And the “U.S. Blues” encore hits all the right notes, courtesy of more passionate playing from Mydland. But the legendary “Scarlet” > “Fire” pairing that opens the second set is what makes this show so special – one of the greatest versions of one of the band’s greatest pairings. In other words, just another typical New York Grateful Dead show.
Grateful Dead 11/1/79 Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum Uniondale, NY
Set 1: Jack Straw, They Love Each Other, Mama Tried-> Mexicali Blues, Peggy-O, Minglewood Blues, Candyman, Looks Like Rain, Don’t Ease Me In, Easy To Love You, Promised Land
Set 2: Scarlet Begonias-> Fire On The Mountain, Samson & Delilah, Terrapin Station-> Playin’ In The Band-> Drums->Space->Black Peter-> Good Lovin’
The show would serve as The Who’s only performance at SPAC, with a then-record attendance of 33,652 (reported as 27,800 by The Who), which shattered the previous record of 22,647 set by Chicago in 1970. Christian rock star and future Gospel Music Hall of Fame singer Mylon served as support for the show.
The crowd was everywhere, in the seats, on the lawn, on the stage, in the aisles and even on the steel girders on the side of the theater. The latter, fortunately, was only temporary until the police ordered the dozen young people down.
They were a noisy, restless audience to say the least, but seemed to lap up everything the four-man group offered. The Who gave them their money’s worth for an hour and a half, and do they work. As to the quality of their music, It was loud. I’ll leave further critique to those who favor this type of rock music. But the fact that they brought nearly 28,000 paying customers to SPAC is not to be denied.
They seemed to sing all the songs the crowd came for, as well as anumber of new ones, and had a difficult time convincing the crowd to go home.
Opening the show for the first have was Mylon, a long haired, grating singer-guitarist backed by five musicians and three girl singers. They did everything from rock to country-western, spirituals and even a standard, “Sixteen Ton.”
The Post-Star review goes on to detail the sound at the show as well as fans camping on the lawn:
The sound throughout the program was loud for those in the theater, and everywhere backstage theater walls and floor were actually vibrating. Out on the lawn, the sound was more moderated. Thanks to the closed circuit TV system used again last night, those on the lawn had a perfect viewing spot. Watching the TV cameramen in the aisles and one on stage on a ladder trying to cover the show for those on the lawn was almost a show initself.
There were the usual several minor cuts and abrasions, as well as several fainting incidents requiring backstage first aid, with some also going to the hospital.
Reportedly several on the lawn camped there from late Sunday night in order to be sure of a good place, so that should give some indication of the popularity of The Who. For anyone so inclined, a close examination of the group’s tons of sound equipment would be a short course in the electronic world of amplification at its fullest.
The intermission was especially long, as management pleaded for the young people to clear the aisles to comply with state fire laws. They never did get the aisles clear, but finally did get most of the kids to sit down so those in seats could see the stage.
A unique feature to evenings at SPAC – a program was distributed to attendees, as seen below.
Program coverProgram back
Among the small print, the program says of The Who:
Unlike so many groups in the fickle world of pop music, The Who have remained together as a band since their start in 1964. The creative sparkplug of the group is Pete Townsend, guitarist, songwriter and composer of Tommy. Bass player John Entwhistle is another fine songwriter. The two other members of the group are drummer Keith Moon and the explosive microphone-twirling singer Roger Daltry.
(Ed. Note: Townshend, Entwistle and Daltrey’s names were misspelled in the program)
Aside from the rock opera concept, The Who have been pioneers in many other areas of pop music. They were the first to refine guitar feedback to a high art, the first to use the previously sacred Union Jack as clothing and the first to wind up their performances by smashing their instruments.
The program goes on to note that The Who had just played two sold out shows at Forest Hills Tennis Stadium in Queens. They wrapped up their tour shortly after their Saratoga performance, with final tour stops at the Yale Bowl in New Haven, CT, Cobo Hall in Detroit and Chicago Auditorium.
Setlist: Love Ain’t For Keeping, Pure And Easy, My Wife, I Can’t Explain, Substitute, Bargain, Behind Blue Eyes, Won’t Get Fooled Again, I Don’t Know Myself, Baby Don’t You Do It (Marvin Gaye), Pinball Wizard, See Me Feel Me, Water
If you’re in the Saratoga Springs region this August and September and need a safe activity for the whole family, where everyone can feel like a kid again, you’re in luck. Saratoga Springs’ Universal Preservation Hall has the perfect afternoon activity for you.
“Part of the Machine: Rock and Pinball” is one of the most fun and unique experiences you’ll have this summer in Saratoga Springs. Designed for music lovers of all ages, you’ll find 16 different pinball machines, all inspired by Rock ‘n’ Roll bands including The Rolling Stones, KISS, AC/DC, The Beatles and Alice Cooper, among others.
There is of course one of the greatest pinball machines of all time, the detailed “Tommy” celebrating The Who’s “Pinball Wizard” himself. Alongside each machine, you’ll find artist memorabilia and information on each pinball machine, as curated by the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, who brought the exhibit to UPH.
UPH is also taking all precautions during the exhibit. There is a limit of 20 patrons per 90 minute block, during which time a facemask and gloves are required. Upon entry they’ll check your temperature and guide you in a socially distanced way to the exhibit.
Following each block, all machines and surfaces are sanitized and cleaned over 30 minutes, before the next group comes in. Tickets are $20 for adults and $10 for children, giving access to all pinball machines, with no need to dig into your pockets for quarters.
The Saratoga region is fortunate to have such an exhibit open to the public during a time when group activities seem a relic of the past. Given the UPH staff’s propensity for professionalism and creating an environment that is welcoming to all, you’ll find this exhibit welcoming and return for future performances and exhibits. Playing pinball for 90 minutes is a great way to get lost in the music and feel like a kid again, if only for a short time.
https://www.instagram.com/p/CDPST-FJtAH/
“Part of the Machine: Rock and Pinball,” is now open and runs through September 26. Tickets are available for admission during the following time frames: Sunday â Wednesday: 10 a.m., noon, 2 p.m. and 4 p.m. and Thursday â Saturday: 10 a.m., noon, 2 p.m., 4 p.m. 6 p.m. and 8 p.m. Tickets can be purchased in advance or at the door. For more about the exhibit, visit UPH’s website.
The guitar Pete Townshend used to write “Pinball Wizard” is an added bonus to the Rock and Pinball exhibit at Universal Preservation Hall.
In 2020, it is nearly impossible to imagine 600,000 people gathering anywhere, but especially in the rural town of Watkins Glen for Summer Jam ’73. For live music enthusiasts, summer is the best time of the year. The warmest months typically mean road trips with friends to exotic cities like Hartford, Connecticut; Bangor, Maine; and Camden, New Jersey. It means forgetting your tent stakes and having to make new friends by begging for extras at music festivals. Summer is when the sun stays up the latest, the air smells the dankest, and live music infuses with nature in the most powerful ways.
As many festival professionals, seasoned Shakedowners, and road warriors are isolated in their hometowns waiting for social ‘undistancing’ to begin, we take a trip back in time to July 1973 — to Summer Jam at Watkins Glen Grand Prix Raceway. Thanks to Dave Smith’s Historic Essay, and many other stories written by attendees of the mega-event, we’ve put together a list of 1973 Flashbacks from that iconic yet blurry weekend.
UPSTATE NEW YORK’S LARGEST CITY
With 600,000 people crammed onto 95 acres, Watkins Glen became one of the most densely populated areas on Earth! It is estimated that 1 in every 400 Americans trekked to the event, many being young adults from the Northeast.
JAM BEFORE THE MUSIC
New York State Police estimated 20 miles of roadblocks (with over 50 miles of traffic) by 4am Saturday morning — 8 hours before the first band was set to take the stage. Traffic was so backed up many guests abandoned their cars and walked tens of miles to get in. On Wednesday night, 48 hours before the actual event, police estimated roughly 50,000 new guests in a town of 3,500. By Thursday, that figure doubled and by Friday night, Watkins Glen was a quarter-million strong. New York State Troopers recalled Woodstock and the nightmarish traffic problems. This was worse.
ICONIC MUD OF NEW YORK MEGAFESTS
Tents, tarps, flip-flops, beer cans, strollers, coolers, empty peanut butter jars, and fancy sun hats were among the items caked into the mud long after the event was over. Much like New York’s iconic music festival four years earlier, Woodstock, Summer Jam ’73 had its fair share of torrential rain and ass-shaking hippies to create an Upstate NY mud bath for the ages.
IS THIS STILL SOUNDCHECK?
The Band and the Allman Brothers Band both put on longer (and more rocking) soundchecks than usual to warm up the early attendees, but The Grateful Dead put on a two-set pre-show for the ages. Bassist Phil Lesh did his best to remind the crowd, “This is still just a test,” as they introduced Set II, but happily, no one was buying it. “This whole thing is a fraud, we’re really clever androids,” Lesh announced before breaking into a legendary “Bird Song.”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L7L1zD4Xh-Q
TRANQUIL(IZERS) AND SERENE
How do you take the beauty of the Finger Lakes Region and make it even more spectacular? Drugs. Jamaican grass, speed, LSD, magic mushrooms, mescaline, cocaine, and a suspicious clown peddling Ex-Lax were a few of the items found at the mind-altering buffet that weekend. Dealers made so much money selling everything from animal tranquilizers to bags of oregano, that some of them rented U-Haul storage trailers just to leave behind come Sunday morning.
THE KIDS ARE ALRIGHT
With over half a million young adults gathered from all parts of the country, there was almost zero violence (one stabbing reported). A 74-year old Watkins Glen native, George Rehety, reported from his lawn chair, “You know, these are nice kids. I haven’t seen one fight.” An eight-year-old from nearby Corning, NY had this stellar recap: “Music was good, but I couldn’t understand the words. What was that funny smell? The food that I tasted was really yummy.”
LOCAL LAW KEPT IT COOL
600,000 drunk and stoned young people in blazing heat — what could go wrong? The sheriff of Schuyler Country was Maurice Dean of Watkins Glen. As one of the youngest sheriffs in the Empire State, his age helped him understand the prevalent generation that was “invading” his town. When comparing the Summer Jam crowd to the Can-Am crowd just one week earlier, a mounted cop said, “I’d rather deal with these kids than the race crowd any day. I’ve never been called ‘Sir’ so many times in my life.”
BUZZED AND CONFUSED
The drug of choice for the weekend was Jack Daniels and Canadian Club whiskey. Pull tab beer cans like “Genny” went for 99 cents a six-pack, but only if you were prepared. The local beer suppliers were fresh out. “And I’d filled the place with beer, up to the ceiling,” Jack Mafianey, the Beverage Baron himself, said. “This is ten times bigger than the Grand Prix.” With the biggest party on Earth happening in a tiny town, beer disappeared. According to Dave Smith’s record, concert beer initially went for $.75 a can and when all the ice melted, warm beer cost a quarter.
GO CHASING WATERFALLS
Nude swimmers were surfacing all over the beautiful Finger Lakes Region. At the end of Main Street, Chequaqua Falls saw its fair share of bare butts, and Aunt Sarah’s Falls in Montour Falls became a communal bathtub by the Sunday morning. Locals laughed at the sight of concertgoers emerged in the local ponds off County Route 16 — a favorite for Watkins Glen snapping turtles that loved to chomp anything that dangled past them. One local couple looked outside their window to see a trio of young women spraying each other down with a hose. Not the usual Saturday night ritual in Watkins Glen.
WILL WAIT FOR FOOD
Forget about fast food in rural Finger Lakes towns back in 1973. Jim Teemley’s Meat Market and Deli was the next best thing for the dry-mouthed hippies that descended on the community. Teemley’s wife recalled, “It was as orderly as a school cafeteria, the kids were very polite and mannerly, and there were no incidents of potato chip bags or candy being stolen.” On Route 414, the Simpson’s store ran out of food at a record pace, and although the Raceway was prepared for 150,000, they didn’t properly supply for four times that amount. Luckily, with free entry, the extra $10 fans brought for the now free concert entry was more than enough to acquire sustenance.
While the world may never see another Summer Jam ’73, music festivals will return. The sweet sound of live music will fill the air. You and your friends will make unforgettable memories. And concertgoers will wake up on another hazy Monday morning with mud in their Birkenstocks. 2020 may prevent us from partying with 600,000 like-minded people, but it won’t stop us from discovering the wonders of nature and finding community through the chaos.
Shortly before the country would celebrate its Bicentennial in 1976, the Grateful Dead would play a show at the Beacon Theatre. This is the second and last time the band would play this New York City venue before upgrading to the larger confines of Madison Square Garden a few years later. They had recently ditched their fabled massive Wall of Sound PA system for a more stripped down and intimate stage setup, opting to let the music speak for itself rather than overpowering the audience. A string of East Coast shows in June of this year would see the band in pristine form as they dusted off some of their classic songs and began to introduce new ones, ushering in a new era of The Grateful Dead.
The first set starts off in electric fashion thanks a crisp vocal section led by guitarist Bob Weir that helps fuel a cover of “Promised Land” that would make Chuck Berry glow. A slow, drippy “Sugaree” follows that allows fellow guitarist Jerry Garcia a chance to stretch out his vocal chords a bit before a rip roaring “Cassidy” sets the tone for the first set, thanks to accompanying vocal support from Bob Weir and Donna Jean Godchaux.
An audible first set highlight, based on the crowd reaction alone, is a sultry “Candyman” that places the lyrical craftsmanship of Robert Hunter and the complimentary guitar play from Garcia front and center. Soon after, the ravenous New York City crowd gets a little taste of Grateful Dead shows of old show thanks to a stirring rendition of “It Must Have Been the Roses,” a song the band played extensively in 1974 and a staple of Jerry Garcia Band shows for years to come.
The first set of this show ends with an impressive sequence of a “Let It Grow” that stretches out all the way to a “Drums”-esque type jam before settling into a set closing “Might As Well.” Even though this tune was also played the night before, it still marked only the sixth time this Dead tune was played live, one they would continue to showcase for another eighteen years,
Grateful Dead, June 1976
The band wastes no time in opening the second set with a “Saint Stephen” that immediately explores the given space and stretches into a formidable jam. However, instead of a “William Tell Bridge,” the rhythmic partners of Bill Kreutzmann and Mickey Hart begin the percussive intro of “Not Fade Away,” a Buddy Holly cover that, by now, The Grateful Dead seem to have appropriated as their own.
Contrary to most Dead shows, the ensuing Beacon “Drums” section gets ripcorded almost instantly in favor of an incredibly emotional “Stella Blue” that’s spearheaded by poignant Garcia-sung lyrics. This particular version is marked by a beautifully patient progression from all parties and is definitely one of the show’s highlights. Garcia’s hauntingly slow delivery of the vocals, matched perfectly by the rest of the band, gives this version a rather emotional feel to it. Take a listen to the entire segment from “Saint Stephen” to “Stella Blue” below – worth the price of admission alone.
“Samson and Delilah,” a song that made its live debut only weeks earlier in the beginning of the tour, shows off its future potential nicely with a shortlived jam that picks the energy back up before a leisurely “Friend of the Devil” brings things to a crawl again. A manic “Dancin’ in the Streets” then follows as the band seems to delight in varying up the tempo of this second set. The telepathic interplay between Garcia and bassist Phil Lesh is on prime display here.
Perhaps what makes this show so special is the superb sound quality, thanks to soundboard recordings captured by the band’s longtime live recording engineer Betty Cantor-Jackson. For years, this and the other June ’76 shows were some of the most revered recordings in the tape trading community. Picking up on that, these recordings have since been further polished and remastered and are now available for purchase as part of a 15-disc box set that highlights this special era of Grateful Dead music. It features this and four of the other shows surrounding this one. With production limited to only 12,000 individually numbered copies and a slew of crisp recordings from this seminal era of the band’s history, it’s sure to be a “sound” investment for any fan.
Grateful Dead Beacon Theatre – New York City, NY
Set 1: Promised Land, Sugaree, Cassidy, Candyman, The Music Never Stopped, It Must Have Been The Roses, Looks Like Rain, Tennessee Jed, Let It Grow -> Might As Well
Set 2: Saint Stephen->Not Fade Away->Drums->Stella Blue, Samson & Delilah, Friend Of The Devil, Dancin’ In The Streets->The Wheel->Sugar Magnolia->Scarlet Begonias->Sunshine Daydream
