NYS Music 202​0

Tag: South Farms

  • Photo Gallery: Goose Celebrate a Delayed Halloween at South Farms

    Indie-Jam darlings Goose returned to South Farms for their Halloween shows, held November 6 and 7. The week delay was due in part to the torrential rain that hit the Northeast in the last days of October, causing the ground to be too soft for vehicles to enter in Morris, CT. Fans didn’t seem to mind. Celebrating a week late, and turned out in costumes, they were ready for one final dose of Goose Drive-In shows.

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    The shows brought out fans, good jams and a couple debuts from Goose. In the first set of Friday night’s show, “It Burns Within” was busted out for the first time since 2014. The second set saw the debut of pre-Goose band Vasudo’s “Empress of Organos,” which segued into a cover of The Band’s “Don’t Do It,” a fan favorite. Later in the same set, the new “Earthling or Alien” debuted, with pro-shot footage released from the set.

    Setlist: Goose at South Farms, Morris, CT – Friday, November 6, 2020

    Set 1: Lily’s Tiger > Butter Rum, The Whales, It Burns Within, All I Need > Secret Agent Man, Into the Myst
    Set 2: Empress of Organos* > Don’t Do It, Creatures > Honeybee, Your Ocean, Earthling or Alien?^, Yeti
    Encore: Ghostbusters Rap
    *First Time Played
    ^debut

    Saturday was ‘Halloween’ for fans, with costumes galore and the final show for Goose this Drive-In season. A theme of ‘Donnie Darko at The Farms’ reflected on the 2001 cult-hit Donnie Darko, with band members wearing costumes related to the movie – Ric Mitarotonda in the title character’s skeleton costume and Trevor Weeks playing the role of Darko’s imaginary rabbit friend, Frank.

    Debuts were on tap throughout the night, with an apropos cover of Echo & The Bunnymen’s “The Killing Moon” hitting on the Halloween and Donnie Darko theme to start the night. Two bands from the 80s and 90s were found at the end of Set one and start of Set two, with Tears for Fears “Head Over Heels” and Duran Duran’s “Notorious,” respectively. Original pairing “Seekers on the Ridge pt. 1” > “Seekers on the Ridge pt. 2” came in the middle of Set two, ahead of the ever popular “Hot Tea” and “Wysteria Lane.” A little more Tears for Fears came in the form of “Mad World” to wrap up the themed affair.

    Setlist: Goose at South Farms, Morris, CT – Saturday, November 7, 2020

    Set 1: The Killing Moon*, Arrow, Doobie Song, Slow Ready, Jive 1 > Jive Lee, Head Over Heels*

    Set 2: Notorious*, Tumble, Seekers on the Ridge pt. 1* > Seekers on the Ridge pt. 2*, Hot Tea, Wysteria Lane> Head Over Heels Reprise

    Encore: Mad World

    * debut

    photos by Chad Anderson

    “Halloween” night

  • In Focus: Warren Haynes and Danny Louis kick off five-show run at South Farms

    Live music is back in Connecticut thanks to South Farms – the venue has figured out the formula for a socially distanced Drive-In shows. Billy Strings made a stop on his abbreviated tour, and Warren Haynes planned five shows, kicking off this past weekend on September 12.

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    The Sunday show found Warren Haynes and Gov’t Mule’s Danny Louis performing two stripped down sets of classic rock covers and Mule tunes, amid a gorgeous backdrop in the Western Connecticut.

    Haynes will return to South Farms for three more shows on October 1, 8 and 15. Tickets are still available and can be purchased here.

    Setlist: Warren Haynes with Danny Louis, South Farms, Morris, CT, September 13, 2020

    Set 1: Don’t Know Where We’re Going (But We’ll Get There), Glory Road, Blue Maiden’s Tale, Love’s Open Door, Working Class Hero, Traveling Tune, Forsaken Savior, It Hurts Me Too

    Set 2: Southern Accents, Melissa, Child of the Earth, Two of a Kind, Workin’ on a Full House, Beautifully Broken, Captured, Turn On Your Love Light, Smokestack Lightning

    Encore: Fallen Down*

    * w/ Danny Louis

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  • Music is Better on Grass: Marcus King at South Farms, CT

    What is there to say, but it is great to hear live music once again. Having spent the last six months at home counting down the days to when we can all be together, on September 8, for just a few hours in the small town of  Morris, CT, it felt like the curse of darkness had been lifted, thanks to Manic Presents and Marcus King Band. The team at South Farms have figured out a way to bring music and entertainment back to the people, and boy do we all need it.

    marcus king south farms

    The new venue at South Farms for this power house team is unassuming and not a first choice for a one-night event. The venue has everything a fan would want and more: picturesque views of killer sunsets, incredible sound that echoes in the rolling farm hills and of course, great sight lines that make fans feel as though they’re in an amphitheater atmosphere all the while being socially distant Talk about a win-win! 

    The evening began with Early James, an Alabama singer/songwriter whose sound is a blend of country, southern blues, and jazz, and has a lyrical style that is a mix between Bob Dylan and Tom Waits. This one-two punch tonight allowed fans to be reintroduced to the concert format with James’ incredible talent. A highlight of his opening set was “Easter Eggs” with honky guitar licks and southern slide guitar. 

    As the sun set a loud roar and the sound of woo-hoos echoed the night sky, Marcus King, with drummer Jack Ryan and bassist Stephen Campbell took the stage. Marcus joked saying how it was great to actually see people, instead of cars for the first time once again. The trio jumped right into playing a version of “I Just Want To Make Love To You/Hoochie Coochie Man”

    The highlight for this photographer came as the trio began “One Day She’s Here,” a song that is hauntingly beautiful and can resonate with the times. “She” could be considered to so many people in the music industry this year.  

    Pretty little girl in a Coupe de Ville
    Saw her disappear up across the hill
    One day here, now the next, she’s gone
    Didn’t even get to hear me sing my song
    She disappears just like the dawn
    One day she’s here, the next, she’s gone

    Other highlights of the night included a rocking version of “Virginia”, a southern rock song that just is so gritty and raw that those who were in attendance who had their eyes closed would have sworn Warren Haynes came to the farm early. And of course a stellar encore of “The Well” and Black Sabbath’s “War Pigs.”

    One thing is for sure, that night at South Farms with Marcus King reminded us that “she” will come back one day and boy has she. Music is alive and well, as long as there are those who listen and follow the rules. Those who work in this industry will not go down without a fight. If you’re missing seeing acts at your local venue, do yourself a favor check out South Farms, because “Music is better on grass.”

  • South Farms in Connecticut to Host Socially Distanced Concerts

    South Farms in Connecticut plans to host socially distanced concerts and Comedy shows starting in late August and running through October. These socially distancing shows included upcoming performances from Grace Potter and comedian Nikki Glaser and are a beacon of hope for live music on a regular basis in these trying times. 

    The Farm will operate in the safest ways possible. People attending will be met by a staff member once inside and they will escort people to their grid placement. People will be required to wear a mask at all times they aren’t in their grid.  Tickets will be sold using a “grid” system, with 250 marked-out 8-foot squares available, each square holds two people, for purchase between $100-$160. Each square is surrounded by an additional grid for social distancing and flanked by aisle spacing. Grids can’t be combined with adjacent spaces. to create larger areas. 

    South Farms will include food trucks, a full bar serving alcohol, water and soft drinks and several satellite stands with ground markers indicating where patrons should stand while waiting in line. People can bring lawn chairs and blankets to make their grids more cozy. 

    Keith Mahler, president and CEO of Premier Concerts, spoke about the concerts saying, “Our primary concern is the safety and comfort of our audience.” This concern for safety will be taken seriously by staff members. They will enforce safety protocols, such as the use of masks and social distancing, using a “one strike and then you’re out” system, similar to if you were spotted smoking a cigarette. Hand sanitizing stations will be located throughout the venue.

    These concerts are being launched by Premier Concerts/Manic Presents and the Paletsky family which owns the 150-acre family-run South Farms and event space in Morris, Connecticut.  The upcoming concerts will represent a new model of low-capacity, all-outdoor venues, designed specifically to host concerts in the pandemic era. This model can be emulated all over the world to bring back live music. Hopefully New York can follow the lead of South Farms and bring back some live local music. 

    Several outdoor concerts are already scheduled to take place in August in Ridgefield, including two Grace Potter solo performances at Ballard Park on August 15 and back-to-back nights featuring Nick Fradiani and Javier Colon in the field next to the Ridgefield Playhouse on August 28-29. Tickets can be bought here.

    For more information can be found on South Farms website here.

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