It was cold in the Beacon and the lights were low. Spirits were high, as masses of Umphrey’s McGee fans piled into the Beacon Theatre, shaking off those winter blues with some good ol’ fashioned rock n roll.
Photo by Zach Culver
Umphrey’s started off their tour, playing their first show of 2020 in NYC at The Beacon Theatre. They returned Friday night, then played Saturday at Brooklyn Bowl. Friday night featured an afterparty with Doom Flamingo at Sony Hall. Saturday’s after Party was also held at Sony Hall and featured Supernatural Beings with Jake as a special guest.
They wasted no time and played a first first set starting with Unsung Hero > Jajunk > Ocean Billy. The first set escalated quickly and stayed at an eclectic high with a triumphant finish with special guest Kanika Moore of Doom Flamingo sitting in on vocals on Anthem by Rush!
Photo by Zach Culver
Second set opened up with an intro by Stasik of a champion of Jam On fantasy football quickly followed by Suxity> Jajunk, Breaker, Wappy Sprayberry (featuring a Jumping Jack Flash jam)! The second set was of to a hell of a start and seemed to escalate through the end, ending the second set with It Doesn’t Matter.
The encore proved to be well worth the wait, The Weight Around actually followed by The Silent Type which featured a Crazy Train jam. What a way to start the year for Umphrey’s Mcgee.
The life of classical music composer and sitar virtuoso, Ravi Shankar, will be commemorated throughout the month of May, in celebration of 100 years since his birth on April 7, 1920. Shankar – who passed away in 2012 – is widely recognized as a pioneer in Indian and Hindustani classical music who popularized the use of Indian music in pop culture.
A five-time Grammy-winner, Shankar is also known for his humanitarian work, being awarded with India’s highest civilian honor – the Bharat Ratna – in 1999. His daughters, Norah Jones and Anoushka Shankar, are both accomplished musicians in their own right, with the former being a nine-time Grammy-winning Jazz composer, and the latter, a respected sitar player.
The Ravi Shankar Centennial Concerts will feature guest-stars, Philip Glass, Dhani Harrison (son of Beatles lead-guitarist George Harrison), an orchestra composed of Shankar’s disciples, as well as his daughters. United States concert tour dates and ticket information can be found below. A centenary concert is also scheduled in New Delhi, India, for November.
May 16 – San Diego Civic Center – San Diego, CA (fundraiser for Shanktar Foundation)
May 19 – Walt Disney Concert Hall – Los Angeles, CA (w/ Norah Jones and Anoushka Shankar)
May 22 – Chicago Symphony Orchestra – Chicago, IL
May 29 – Carnegie Hall – New York, NY. (w/ Philip Glass)
For detailed information regarding Ravi Shankar Centennial Concerts, CLICK HERE.
The Brothers, also known as the surviving members of The Allman Brothers Band, are set to perform a tribute at Madison Square Garden(MSG) for the bands 50th anniversary, to take place on March 10.
The Brothers are made up of Jaimoe, Warren Haynes, Derek Trucks, Oteil Burbridge, and Marc Quinones, with Duane Trucks, Reese Wynans, and Chuck Leavell. Although there are no Allman’s attached to the end of any names, this tribute is about honoring the band, Duane, Gregg, Berry and Butch, and the great music they created.
Jaimoe Johanson is the drummer, Warren Haynesis and Derek Trucks are on guitarist, Oteil Burbridge backs the bass, and Marc Quinones on percussion. All support the last Allman lineup and are the surviving members of the band, minus Betts who “had prior commitments that prevented him from attending,” said his manager, David Spero, according to Rolling Stone’s article.
Duane Trucks, Derek’s brother and the nephew of late Allman founding drummer Butch, will be filling in on drums. Reese Wynans will be playing organ, known for being in the pre-Allman band, Second Coming. Chuck Leavell will be joining as a pianist, a former member of the band back in the Seventies.
It’s undecided who will handle Allman’s vocals yet, but it is sure to be one hell of an anniversary show. The show will take place at 7:30pm and tickets are available directly from Madison Square Garden, or via Ticketmaster.
For more information on The Brothers and their anniversary show for The Allman Brothers Band visit their website.
Singer-songwriter, Kyle Stockman, has released a two-song package titled Opal. It’s been a few months since we’ve heard from Stockman, whose last project, Hearts, was released in June of 2019. “Since I moved back to the city [for school] I’ve been having a lot of trouble finding like-minded people, I was questioning what was going on in my life,” Stockman says of the new project. “It’s me reaching out and asking these questions.”
The records are “Opal” and “Sundays.” The former, is a ballad in which Stockman croons about his longing for that special someone. “I’m speaking through the lenses of talking to one specific person, but it’s really me speaking to everyone around me,” he elaborates. “If someone wanted to love, how could they do it for me without me having to put in all the work?”
“Sundays” sees Stockman break out a lot more spoken-word, while the record itself relies a lot less on melodies for the verses. He evaluates his current standing in life. Surrounded by peers, he contemplates where exactly he fits in, with the record resembling a self-therapy session. “Sundays talks about what I’m seeing around me, the people around me and what I’m realizing about what going on in my life,” says Stockman. “At the end, I go back questioning ‘do you want to be with me?’ Bringing it back full circle.”
On the heels of this new release, Stockman says he is looking more into performing, dialing back on releasing full-length project and focusing more on growing his brand and his name.
Opal is available on all streaming platforms, with a lyrics video for “Sunday” already on YouTube.
Motion City Soundtrack have been on indefinite hiatus since 2016, but last summer the Minneapolis band began teasing something for New Years Eve. The surprise came in the form of a NYE show in Chicago at House of Blues followed by a month-long “Don’t Call It A Comeback” tour of the US. New York area shows included Webster Hall in NYC, where we caught the tour, Starland Ballroom in NJ and The Paramount on Long Island.
The newly renovated Webster Hall is still very much a work in progress, but that did not take away from the delight and anticipation of the fans. By the time the opening bands were set to play, the room was already mostly full and buzzing. Support for the night came from Gregory Stovetop followed by The Sidekicks who both played very upbeat pop-rock sets.
Motion City Soundtrack put out one of the most iconic mid-2000s anthem in “Everything is Alright,” and the crowd was treated to it early as the second song. The entire room jumped along to the guitar riff, stressing the ancient Webster Hall floor, while shouting the chorus in full-throat. Another fan favorite, and pop-rock hit “The Future Freaks Me Out” served as the final song of the night.
Motion City Soundtrack at Webster Hall 1/8/2020 – Photo: Joseph Buscarello
The band had terrific chemistry throughout the night, Justin’s vocals sounded crisp and the band delivered a tight 20 song, career-spanning set, meant to please. The hiatus is certainly over and MCS are back at it.
Motion City Soundtrack at Webster Hall 1/8/2020 – Photo: Joseph Buscarello
The rest of the tour runs through mid February, with stops coast to coast, concluding with three sold-out home town shows at The Fillmore in Minneapolis. Support for those last shows comes from White Reaper, Why Not, Lydia Lizer and Author.
Gov’t Mule wrapped up 2019 with two shows at the Beacon Theatre in New York City, with a fair amount of Beatles covers in the process. The band teased the possibility of some Beatles songs on their social media ahead of the run, with pictures of mules walking across Abbey Road as well as playing on the rooftop of Apple headquarters.Â
Night one included covers of “She Said She Said,” “Tomorrow Never Knows,” “And Your Bird Can Sing,” and “Revolution.” Night two’s crowd was treated to an entire eleven-song post-midnight Beatles set with songs including “Get Back,” “Come Together,” “Oh Darling” and “Something.”
Prior to the December 30th show, The Madison Square Garden Company (owners of the Beacon) presented the band with a commemorative plaque honoring their 40 shows at the venue (as of New Year’s Eve). The plaque will be on display backstage at The Beacon.
Gov’t Mule next performs in Jamaica on January 17 for their Island Exodus shows. Warren Haynes will also be part of The Allman Brothers’ 50th Anniversary show at Madison Square Garden on March 10.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ot5XpIcRBWk
Setlist: December 30, 2019
Set 1: Railroad Boy, Larger Than Life, Fool’s Moon, Painted Silver Light, Effigy > Folsom Prison Blues Jam, Effigy, Which Way Do We Run, She Said, She Said, Tomorrow Never Knows, And Your Bird Can Sing#, Revolution*^ Revolution Come, Revolution Go
Set 2: Dark Was The Night, Cold Was The Ground, So Weak, So Strong, Doing It To Death, Fallen Down, The Other One Jam@, Play With Fire#@, Birth Of The Mule&
Encore: Live With Me*+
# with The Better Half Singers @ with Aaron Heick * Debut ^ with Connor Kennedy & with Oz Noy Mule + with Carmine Appice & Jimmy Vivino
Setlist: December 31, 2019
Set 1: Mr. Man, Lola, Leave Your Light On, Unring The Bell, Endless Parade, Whisper In Your Soul, Thorns Of Life, Game Face > Mountain Jam > Game Face, Don’t Step On The Grass, Sam, Eternity’s Breath Jam, Tastes Like Wine
Set 2: (full set with Connor Kennedy) Get Back*, Don’t Let Me Down, I’ve Got A Feeling*, One After 909*, Dig A Pony*, Dig A Pony (Reprise)* > Auld Lang Syne, Come Together*, Oh! Darling*, Something*, I Want You (She’s So Heavy), The End
Encore: Brighter Days, Silent Scream Pt. 2 > Scenes From A Troubled Mind > Starship Trooper Jam > The Gates of Delirium Jam > Starship Trooper Jam > Scenes From A Troubled Mind > Silent Scream Pt. 2, Sco-Mule^, Lay Your Burden Down >, Smokestack Lightning^ > Lay Your Burden Down, Catfish Blues^, Bad Little Doggie
* debut ^ with Jimmy Vivino
Opening for Gov’t Mule on Monday, December 30 was The Record Company. The Los Angeles-based band consists of Chris Vos (guitar, lead vocals), Alex Stiff (bass, backing vocals), and Marc Cazorla (drums, backing vocal). The trio was influenced by blues singers as well as early punk and rock bands like The Stooges and The Rolling Stones.
The Record Company began their set with the second single “Make it Happen” from their most recent album All of This Life. As soon as they started playing, the crowd was immediately engaged. They followed that with two cuts from the first album, “On the Move” and “Rita Mae,” plus their 2017 single “Baby I’m Broken.” Only a few songs in and the Beacon was nearly filled to capacity as people finished filing in. Many people were dancing in the aisles and singing along as the band did a few more songs from the first album Give it Back to You. The set ended with a tremendous version of “I’m Getting Better” that left the crowd wanting more.
The band will be playing The Summer Camp Music Festival in Chillicothe,IL, as well as The Riverbend Festival in Chattanooga, TN this summer.
Setlist: Make it Happen, On The Move, Rita Mae Young, Baby I’m Broken, Turn Me Loose, Off The Ground, Life to Fix, I’m Getting Better
Jam rockers Phish executed their annual New Years Eve show and gag, albeit with unexpected turns and clones. The show took place at Madison Square Garden to a sold-out crowd. The gag is an annual tradition where the band attempts to fool the audience during the third set. Over the years, the gags have become more theatrical, but this one included an unplanned element of surprise.
The first set included a notably-funky jam “Halley’s Comet,” and the setlist delight, “Fluffhead.” Additionally, after “Axilla,” the band continued a story that was started on 12/30, and eventually referenced a pan flute player named Zamfir. Fishman was able to conjure up Zamfir, played by Richard Glasgow their tour manager, by saying his name.
The second set was a non-stop jam that prepared the fans for the gag to come. Notable songs included “Punch You In the Eye” and “Mercury.” As the set ended, the crew removed all instruments from the stage, and left eight large covered cubes.
Set three began with the band talking behind stage without realizing the audience was listening. Guitarist Trey Anastasio mentions that the band will finally give the people what they want, and play an entire set of jazz ballads, a cappella, for new years eve. That is of course, until Zamfir made another appearance, unleashed his pan on the band, and effectively started the annual gag.
The band appeared wearing wacky colorful jumpsuits during a piano solo for “Send in the Clowns.” Fishman wore a pink inverted version of his usual donut muumuu. The band then changed the lyrics from “Clowns” to “Clones,” and by the end of the song, Anastasio proclaimed “Send in the clones,” and with that, an entire dance troupe dressed in the same outfits as the band, complete with wigs, paraded onto the stage. The band members blended in and were soon cast into the air above the stage, with color-coded platforms suspended above the stage with their respective instruments.
To end 2019, Phish launched into a rocking “First Tube” from the air, with their clones performing choreographed dance sequences on the ground and on color coordinated risers. At midnight, the band played the traditional “Auld Lang Syne,” followed by “Sand,” reminiscent of the incredible “Sand” played twenty years ago at Big Cypress Seminole Indian Reservation in Florida. The band members were toggled up and down in the air on their platforms, as the clones dance beneath them.
At the end of “Sand,” Anastasio was noticeably still suspended in the air, while the other three band members were on the stage. Anastasio tried to ease the audience with quipps like “Well, I guess if I’m about to fall to my death, I might as well tell you guys all how much I love you.” A long pause followed, where he found out that the crew was unable to move his broken platform to the ground. The show must go on, and Anastasio played from his hobbled platform for the rest of the set. The audience stood in near silence watching Anastasio’s platform swaying ever so slightly, as the pops of thousands of balloons echoed in Madison Square Garden, with the clones laying down on the platforms, waiting patiently for the next song to begin.
Trey Anastasio is lowered to safety via the Rescue Squad
Despite being stuck, the show continued with Page, Jon and Mike moving up and down on their platforms, with Anastasio’s static, 30 feet above the stage. During the quintessential “You Enjoy Myself,” the clones participated in an exceptional vocal jam. At the end, Anastasio awkwardly declared that the encore was starting, because there was no way for him to exit his platform, and asked the audience to pretend that they had gone off stage and come back on. The band gave the fans one final song of the night, “Tweezer Reprise,” and all left the stage, except Anastasio, who remained on his hobbled platform, and sang an impromptu ode to the “Rescue Squad” of crew who safely brought the Bad Lieutenant down. Using Fishman’s platform to safely bridge Anastasio to safety, Anastasio continued the “Rescue Squad” jam on his way down, utilizing Fishman’s drumkit for a final thank you to the Rescue Squad.
Trey Anastasio
Was it all part of the gag? Was this part of the plan? Fans continue to debate this days later, all the while reveling in one of Phish’s most impressive New Year’s Eve stunts to date.
