Two Truths, Rochester’s newest indie pop/rock outfit, was conceived during the 2020 COVID-19 pandemic by musicians and roommates Blake Pattengale and Garrett Mader. Quarantine went quite swimmingly, as this new indie pop/rock band set off on the right foot with their first single “Brushstrokes,” with their forthcoming debut EP, Electric Campfire.
To fill out Two Truths, Max Greenberg joined on keys and Byron Cage on drums. Together their band’s sound pulls from a range of genres from Americana to rock, mixed with folk and a little electronic. Pattengale provides down to earth lyrics which are complimented by full vocal harmonies with electric drums and synths.
As ambiguous as “Brushstrokes” sounds, the song itself has more meaning than what meets the eye. Kerry Regan portrays a man who is looking to connect with his lost love. We see him at his art studio to revisit an old painting. The story unfolds to explain the man’s dreary present day life, compared to his past young happy and inlove self. A scenic picnic, a couple running through the fields accompanied with “When I was a younger man, I’d chase you through the fields that we painted with soft brushstrokes.”
Kerry Regan becomes covered in paint, attempting to immerse himself in his past with his young lover. The music almost feels ambient through its synth texture and angelic guitar picking. Luckily for the protagonist, he finally finds himself in the painting with his lover.
Two Truths serves up true potential in their first single, and we’re excited to see where they will go next. Follow Two Truths on Instagram.
The music for “Brushstrokes” was produced by Pattengale & Mader in Pattengale’s home studio, accompanied by Max Greenberg & Byron Cage, Mixed by Pattengale and Mastered by Ed Brooks. Video production for “Brushstrokes,” was made possible with collaborations by Olivia Rose (pre-production, artistic director, actor), Krit Upra of Floated Magazine (videographer, post-production, director), with additional help from Jeanne De Keyserling (painter, actor) & Kerry Regan (actor).
British indie rock icons Glass Animals started off their Dreamland North America tour right in Buffalo. With a sold-out show at Artpark on August 30, this band completely steam rolled the crowd. Getting to this level of success was nothing short of hard work and dedication.
Photo Credit: Maddie McCafferty
How It Started
Glass Animals members Dave Bayley (lead singer), Edmund Irwin-Singer (bass), Drew MacFarlane (guitar) and Joe Seaward (drums) met each other at age 13 in school. They began making music as a side hobby in 2010 and released their debut album ZABA four years later. This release accelerated their careers significantly, especially due to the viral hit “Gooey.”
After touring globally and appearing on several popular night shows, the band began developing their second album. As a singer, songwriter, and producer, front man Dave Bayley wanted to stray away from standard lyricism. Instead of writing about himself, Bayley sought to tell the stories of people he met on the road. And that’s how the How To Be A Human Being album was curated.
Photo Credit: Maddie McCafferty
Creating Their Dreamland
These musicians built a community by celebrating the ability to be unique and different. Bayley felt this openness with his fans and decided to finally write material that was personal to him. The band faced a significant hardship as Seaward got into a horrific accident. This caused the group to have to reset as the drummer went through rehabilitation. It wasn’t until years later that they made their comeback with multiple singles and further on released their most ambitious album yet: Dreamland.
The 2020 autobiographical album was the most personal and raw material of theirs to date. Unsure of the outcomes of the future, Bayley spent time looking at his past. Dreamlandis about growing up and learning to be vulnerable even in the strangest of times. The band looks to challenge conformity and embrace the inevitable uncertainties of life. In hopes of capturing the essence of getting older, Bayley chose to add audio from old home movies. He layered audio from his Mom’s videos between the songs as interludes to provide a narration aspect.
Photo Credit: Maddie McCafferty
Dreamland is nostalgic, funky, and very intricate. So many elements of this album are detailed in such a meticulous way that often go unnoticed. From creating a table of contents in the intro song to paying homage to Bayley’s favorite artist to alluding to album features on their website through games, everything was thought through. Basically, nothing went untuned when it came to producing this masterpiece. Glass Animals had to transform their at home production talent to an onstage experience after many years away, and let’s just say they did not miss a beat.
From Quarantine to Tour
The stage at Artpark was an immersive experience no matter where in the crowd you were located. The stage set-up felt like you were in a dream or rather submerged in Bayley’s head. A desktop computer image was loading in the background as the stage was filled with peculiar materials like a diving board, basketball hoop, neon signs, and even palm trees. Seeing all this made the packed crowd pumped up. It also helped that opening artist binki kept the funk alive. The indie musician filled the venue with groovy tunes and also performed magic tricks.
Photo Credit: Maddie McCafferty
When Glass Animals hit the stage, the screams echoed throughout Artpark. The band has undeniable infectious energy that had everyone up and dancing. They opened the show with the beloved single “Dreamland” which set the mood for the night. After that, not a single person sat down.
The hypnotic beats mesh effortlessly with Bayley’s delicate vocals. In addition, the rippling guitars and background psychedelic imagery was entrancing. The liveliness of the audience was incomparable as the band had to stop playing multiple times just to listen to everyone cheer. Being back to live shows never felt so good. They continued throughout the night playing hits off of all three of their albums including “Hazey,” “Pork Soda,” and “Space Ghost Coast to Coast.”
The energy shared from Glass Animals and the crowd made one huge epic dance party. No one wanted the night to end as multiple encores were cheered for. They closed the set with the streaming hit “Heat Waves” which did not disappoint. The song resonates with many as it deals with the struggle of identity and confronting one’s true emotions. Beyond that though, the beat and tempo in this is what makes it even more popular among fans. The night ended as an image of a desktop computer read, “It’s now safe to turn off your computer. Thank you, Lewiston.” There was no room for anything but feelings of awe as everyone left the venue.
Photo Credit: Maddie McCafferty
Future Outlooks
If there was a “plain-Jane” section in the record store then Glass Animals’ discography would be located on the complete other side. Wait no scratch that, they would be located in their own area outside the store. Their sound is unmatched. From the use of rainforest audio, to obscure lyrics which always includes some kind of food, to mixing genres in innovative ways, this band cannot be contained. It’s only up from here and with all the growing momentum, the sky is the limit for Glass Animals.
Make sure to check out upcoming shows at Artpark. GOV’T Mule performs on September 7 and Phoebe Bridgers has a show on September 15.
Setlist: Dreamland, Life Itself, Tangerine, Black Mambo, Hot Sugar, Hazey, The Other Side of Paradise, Space Ghost Coast to Coast, Cane Shuga, It’s All SO Incredibly Loud, Your Love (Déjà Vu), Take A Slice, Gooey, Youth, Pork Soda
Each Sunday evening from 7-9pm you’ll find EQXposure on WEQX, featuring two hours of local music from up and coming artists. Tune into WEQX.com this Sunday night to hear new music from Side-B, Justin Frielloand many more!
WEQX has long been the preeminent independent station in the Capital Region of New York, broadcasting from Southern VT to an ever-expanding listening audience. NYS Music brings you a preview of artists to discover each week, just a taste of the talent waiting to be discovered by fans like you.
Side-B
Albany band Side-B serves some sunny folk pop with “The Mountain Song.” Its chorus ponders the age-old question: If a tree falls in the forest when no one’s around to hear it, does it make a sound? All four of the band’s members met in their early teen years, and even released their debut effort, The Low Budget Romance EP, in their senior year of high school. Their Spotify playlist, “More like Mountain Song,” reveals the track’s main inspirations, including the Beatles, Steely Dan and CCR.
Justin Friello
Schenectady singer-songwriter Justin Friello is a triple threat, well-versed in pop, classical and theatre. His single “The Tent,” based on a true story about a South Carolina man’s suicide, was written back in 2009. It first appeared on his 2010 album Ghosts in Command, but he decided to rerecord it after getting a positive response in Rockbridge Guitar’s 2020 Songwriters’ Contest.
Fab the Duo
Going against the grain in an increasingly dark and downtempo pop scene, Fab the Duo evokes early 2010s dancefloor fillers like Kesha and Teenage Dream-era Katy Perry. First performing in New York City nightlife, including the historic Stonewall Inn, the self-described two-man boy band breaks barriers performing as an interracial gay couple. Their uplifting new song “Good Distraction” sounds like the closest thing this timeline has to Lizzo’s take on One Direction:
Capping off the Summer with a “wild” performance, the 2021 Capital Concert series came to a bittersweet close Wednesday night in Albany, with the final event at the Empire State Plaza headlined by Saratoga Springs’ hopefuls Wild Adriatic and Troy mainstays Super 400.
The free event presented by SEFCU was initially scheduled to be outdoors, but with lingering precipitation from Hurricane Ida, organizers made the early call to move inside and underground to the underutilized Convention Center.
Holding nothing back on this night, Wild Adriatic [Travis Gray(guitar), Rich Derbyshire (bass) and Mateo Vosganian (drums)] expanded from trio to five-piece for this special performance, enlisting keyboard player Dusty DeLuke and Let’s Be Leonard saxophone player Connor Dunn to help fill out their sound. The additions paid dividends early as the band opened with some of their oldest material, a one-two punch of “Letter” and the always upbeat “Mess Around.”
From there the band slipped into the opening track off their 2019 Our Time EP, “Hard Living.” Now firing on all cylinders, it felt like the boys put a little extra stink on a riff-rockin ‘Same As It Ever Was>Mistreated” jam sandwich, which at one point included a bit of call-and-response interplay between Gray and the audience.
Not done with sandwiches and segues just yet, Wild Adriatic would also uncork Tight Grip >Duende >Tight Grip and then finish up the set with an impressive triple decker treat that went from ” 40 Days, 40 Nights” to “Appleton” to a surprising cover of the Phish song “Carini,” one of the headiest type-II vehicles in their catalogue.
The band would eventually find their way back to “Appleton” to close out the set. After taking a bow and walking off stage, there seemed to be some confusion if they’d be back for an encore. After a few minutes of wonder, a buzz started growing when people collectively realized the stagehands were actually adding instruments to the stage, not breaking it down. When Wild Adriatic finally emerged from the shadows, they weren’t alone.
Now joined by their friends from Super 400, the stage was set for a super-jam scenario. Much to the delight of those who stuck around, fans were treated to a memorable three-song encore of classic covers; “Cissy Strut” by The Meters, “Loving Cup” from the Rolling Stones and finally, the show concluded with reggaed-out version of “I Shot the Sheriff.”
Wild Adriatic – Capital Concert Series, Empire State Plaza Convention Center, Albany – Wednesday, September 1, 2021
Setlist: Letter, Mess Around, Hard Living, Same As It Ever Was > Mistreated > Same As It Ever Was, Ain’t The First Time, New Orleans, Tight Grip > Duende > Tight Grip, 40 Days 40 Nights > Appleton > Carini > Appleton
Superjam: Cissy Strut, Lovin’ Cup, I Shot The Sheriff
After long anticipation, Buffalo came together for the Beau Fleuve Music and Arts celebration. This 5-year event brought crowds of people to the Buffalo Central Terminal on August 29.
Photo credit: Maddie McCafferty
The atmosphere was uplifting as performers took over three different stages and venders filled the walkway. In addition, silent disco sets continued throughout the day. There wasn’t a dull area in the festival as many embraced the numerous exhibits.
Musicians with an array of different genres established their unique presence on stage. From alternative to rap to rock and everything in between, nobody left room for disappointment. Mom Said No was instantly a crowd favorite from the moment they walked on stage in matching blue suits. Not to mention their infectious energy that felt reminiscent to those harmonic alt boy bands.
Photo credit: Maddie McCafferty
Just when you think the intensity can’t get any greater, it did just that. Other artists like Billie Essco, A.I. The Anomaly, and FREAK THE MIIGHTY got the crowd even more wired up. Their stage presence and crowd engagement kept many up on their feet.
Photo credit: Maddie McCafferty
Throughout the day many were highly anticipating an exciting performance from the headliner Jae Skeese. His accolades are nothing short of the clear skill and passion he places in his craft. Guests stayed alongside Jae Skeese throughout the set while dedicating the night to a friend who passed, Weeze.
Photo credit: Maddie McCafferty
Beau Fleuve Music and Arts celebration brought together a diverse group of local musicians, artists, fashion designers, and other contributors to support Buffalo. The community collectively united to uplift the talented artists that are located right in their backyards. Supporting the arts has become a priority and with that comes even greater potential in the future. This event is just the start of a more profound movement.
Canadian-born and NYC-based singer-songwriter Jenny Kern has released the heartfelt and lyrically rich song, “Where Did the Time Go.” The new single follows a string of acclaimed singles that will precede the release of her long-awaited self-titled EP I Never Thought You Were Listening, due out on October 1.
Jenny’s career began when she was still in University, performing around Montreal. Eventually, she gained more confidence in her sound, leading her to move to NYC in 2013. NBC welcomed Jenny as a Page seeing her true potential, where she would late work for acclaimed filmmakers Noah Baumbach and Greta Gerwig, allowing her to make the leap into film and television. Her love for music became so apparent that in 2018 she decided to take a leap of faith and pursue music full time.
In her rise to fame Jenny found herself performing at notable venues around New York City like Rockwood Music Hall, Pianos, and Mercury Lounge. Her debut EP was not only down to earth but intimate; a self-reflection on her personal experience with self-doubt, regret and the search for comfort in painful seasons. Jenny lures her audience through a confession-like delivery portraying her vulnerability through each lyric.
The COVID-19 pandemic served as a catalyst for Jenny’s writing style. Her anticipated self-titled EP I Never Thought You Were Listening will be released this October 1st, with her new single “Where Did the Time Go” giving her audience a tease of what we can expect from her.
“Where Did The Time Go” is an intensely personal and self-reflective song about dealing with anxiety. I started writing this song in quarantine while having an existential crisis, and not knowing what my purpose was, or why I was existing. While it’s dark in nature it was very cathartic to write. There’s something powerful in laying out your fears and anxieties and admitting that you don’t have all the answers.
Jenny Kern on Rock and Roll Globe
Jenny’s first single of 2021, “Coming Back For Me” released this January has spun on XPN and NPR’s World Café and earned a spot on Spotify editorial playlists like New Music Friday, Fresh Finds, and Indie All Stars.
Watch Jenny’s new music video below, produced by Tashaki Mikyaki, with a focus on the reality of isolation that pushes us to question ourselves.
Dead and Company continued their Empire State run on Wednesday, August 25 at Darien Lake Performing Arts Center, with the amusement park behind the venue giving the performance an county fair vibe. John Mayer sported a pair of headphones after noticing a slight ringing in his ears post show in Bethel Woods and wanted to protect his hearing. The headphones also allowed him to hear the band better and in turn, play in the band better.
photo by Josh Davis
Mayer immediately lit up the show with opener “Viola Lee Blues.” In a Tales from the Golden Road conversation with NYS Music, Mayer said he loved bringing his approach to the Grateful Dead’s mixolydian blues catalog. “A song like ‘Viola Lee Blues’ I can really pull the Hendrix thing to it. It’s not that different.” Thus, “Viola Lee Blues” jammed and was weaved into both sets. Mayer stayed out front vocally on “Cold Rain and Snow” that hit inland from Lake Ontario to cool off the summer crowd. Bob Weir got on the mic for “Feel Like A Stranger” to remind the crowd that it’s “gonna be a long long crazy silky night” with Oteil Burbridge really fueling the funk level. He told NYS Music earlier this year “Well I mean there is so much funk in the Grateful Dead’s music. The Jerry Bands’ music. It’s just like there for the picking. So I just lean into it” Oteil and John really bring a new energy to this celebrated catalog and traded lead vocals on a swaying “Ship of Fools.”
The New York western plain vibe continued with “Friend of the Devil” that had Jeff Chimenti leading with saloon style piano – Chimenti has been playing with Bobby in “Ratdog” for a reason for over 20 years. Bob Weir started howling vocally on “Loose Lucy,” with a tone that night very in the moment and full of raw emotion. Mayer got another stab at the mixolydian blues to close the set with “New Speedway Boogie”. Mayer said of the musical concept in Dead and Co., “It’s very ascending and descending that’s what’s allows people to ride it”
photo by Josh Davis
The second set started with a nod to the western terrain of Darien, with “Truckin’” (up to Buffalo), followed by the first song Dead and Company ever played as a group, naturally, “Playing in the Band.” A beyond welcoming composition for Mayer, Burbridge, and Chimenti who joined the 3 core members on this musical journey six years ago. Burbridge said in an interview with NYS Music in Miami about the band’s first gig: “That was a harrowing night. That was a trip. That beginning time. But when Bill Walton says you’re good, you stop worrying.”
The ensemble then unfolded a “China Cat Sunflower” into a “I Know You Rider” that shone the light back on Weir’s vocals, taking on the spirit animal of an old wolf howling under the night tent at Darien. This sole survivor momentum lead into the band’s tribute to Rolling Stones drummer Charlie Watts who passed earlier this week with a cover of “The Last Time”. Again Bob Weir lead the pack in the moment, “This could be the last time, I don’t know.” Billy and Mickey’s “Drums” segment opened up some chakras with their vibrations, and the band returned for “Space.” After orbiting it was time to bring the children home with “Uncle John’s Band” The final song of the evening brought great imagery to a late August night with “Wharf Rats” and the band came full circle by closing the show with a reprise of “Playing in the Band.”
The encore was truly chilling as they covered Bob Dylan’s “Knocking on Heavens Door.” Although Bobby and John both sported cut off tees like Guns & Roses, this was truly their take on this song, a very heavy way to end a show. A night of music like this brings all your feelings to the surface. Jerry Garcia once said of music’s effects “I don’t know why. It’s the same reason why you like some kind of music and not others. There’s something about it YOU like. Ultimately I don’t find it’s in my best interests to try and analyze it. Since it’s fundamentally emotional.”
Dead and Company – Darien Lake Amphitheater, Darien Center, NY – 8/25/21
Set 1: Viola Lee Blues > Cold Rain and Snow, Feel Like a Stranger, Ship of Fools, Friend of the Devil, Loose Lucy > New Speedway Boogie
Set 2: Truckin’ > Playing In The Band > Viola Lee Blues > China Cat Sunflower > I Know You Rider > The Last Time* > Drums/Space > Uncle John’s Band > Wharf Rat > Playing In The Band (Reprise)
Each Sunday evening from 7-9pm you’ll find EQXposure on WEQX, featuring two hours of local music from up and coming artists. Tune into WEQX.com this Sunday night to hear new music from Senior Living, Fenton Hardy and many more!
WEQX has long been the preeminent independent station in the Capital Region of New York, broadcasting from Southern VT to an ever-expanding listening audience. NYS Music brings you a preview of artists to discover each week, just a taste of the talent waiting to be discovered by fans like you.
Senior Living
Senior Living is a punk and shoegaze band from Albany, NY. Like the best of both worlds, their music is meant to be listened to with the volume cranked all the way up (their Instagram bio makes note of this, simply stating “bring earplugs yo”). On Senior Living’s debut album, Anniversaries, they combine both genres with ease, offering a plausible answer to how Green Day might sound covering My Bloody Valentine, or vice versa. The best tracks to showcase this fusion are the album’s shortest and longest tracks: opener “Carousel,” and penultimate song “Sourir.”
Fenton Hardy
Fenton Hardy’s five-minute “Morose” is much sunnier than its title suggests. The opening track from his EP, The Ghost, it references those Mondays where we don’t feel like getting out of bed: “Friday, you taste like honey / Oh Monday, like tequila and regret.” Nevertheless, it encourages the listener to face the day ahead. The keyboard and bass have lots to do here, acting as the intro and outro respectively.
Sarah King
Vermont singer-songwriter Sarah King puts a feminist spin on folk ballads with her EP, The Hour. She describes “Poison” as “a soul-country anthem inspired by [Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez] and her strength dealing with men belittling her.” The title stems from the lyric, “I gave you a taste of your own medicine, and you say I poisoned you.” Each of The Hour’s five songs approach feminism, empowerment and trauma from a different angle, including a cover of Black Sabbath’s “War Pigs.” The EP was produced by Simone Felice (The Lumineers, Jade Bird), who was impressed after King cold-emailed him.
A New York Welcome at Citi Field – Review/Photos by Steve Malinski
It was otherwise just a typically warm summer NYC evening to usher in this past Friday night when Dead and Company took the stage at Citi Field. After some strange times in the two-year gap since their last stop in NYC (and some Covid-19 checks before entering), however, the music restored a sense of normalcy and familiarity with experiencing a large-scale concert.
Just as if Dead & Co. hadn’t skipped a beat since their 2019 tour, they took the stage without an ounce of rust from their pandemic downtime. As they shuffled into the first set with “Good Times,” John Mayer commanded the mic, signaling the core role he has developed in this iteration of the Grateful Dead family. Bob Weir stepped up to the plate sharing the lead with Mayer on vocals throughout the night, rallying the Queens crowd for the New York City line in “Ramble on Rose.” The youngest surviving member of the original Grateful Dead lineup, Weir was nimble on his feet as he enjoyed crafting the rhythms just as much as the crowd relished the sound.
Set two took a trip to the late 1970s-era Dead setlists, featuring the classic pairing of “China Cat Sunflower/I Know You Rider” and fluidity from the start to finish of the set. The night was capped off on a high note with an energetic “U.S. Blues” and an encore covering The Band’s “The Weight,” featuring a trade of choruses between Jeff Chimenti, Mayer, Weir, and Oteil Burbridge.
Dead and Company Citi Field – Flushing, NY 8/20/21
Set 1: Let the Good Times Roll, Bertha, Good Lovin’ -> Big Railroad Blues, Ramble On Rose, They Love Each Other, Cassidy -> Casey Jones
Set 2: Eyes of the World -> Uncle John’s Band -> China Doll -> China Cat Sunflower -> I Know You Rider -> Drums/Space -> Spanish Jam -> Althea, Stella Blue, U.S. Blues
Dead and Company Recreate 1969’s Woodstock Performance at Bethel Woods – Review by Matt Romano, Photos by Steve Malinski
It’s true, The music never stopped for the Grateful Dead. It’s newest reincarnation as Dead and Company continued its trip through the Empire State at Bethel Woods Performing Arts Center on Monday, August 23. The band played on a stage set among the rolling hills of the original 1969 Woodstock festival. A sense of delight was in the air for all those on the adjacent path of the site towards the stage for this year’s festivities.
They opened with “Hell in a Bucket,” this time enjoying the ride. Jeff Chimenti immediately stepped out as he would the whole night on the keyboards. The band really seems to play off Jeff and the musical ideas he passes onstage. John Mayer especially picks up on the mixolydian blues concept Pigpen started in the ‘60s by taking lead on “Easy Wind.” This track is ideal for Mayer’s blues background and the words, “Easy wind going ‘cross the Bayou today. There’s a whole lotta women. Out on the streets in a red today.”
Mayer also stepped out in front for “Brown Eyed Women,” singing as humbly as Jerry sang about Delilah Jones. The band then drifted off into the seas to end the first set. A “Row Jimmy” out in the mist led to a “Lost Sailor,” and they came back to shore with a “Saint Of Circumstance.”
Tigers in trance deserve a second chance. That’s what the band was able to get on the other side of the hill from their Woodstock ‘69 performance. The Grateful Dead may have been one of the more famous performers at Woodstock, but their set didn’t exactly knock it out of the park. They played from 10:30 pm to midnight on the second day, but their entire performance was filled with technical difficulties. The band was even subject to electric shock on stage although that truly could have been them representing their infamous logo.
But on this night on the other side of the hill, Bob Weir said at the start of the second set, “Now 50-some years ago right here, we tried this next little sequence and it didn’t go so well. It didn’t work so we’re gonna try it again.” With that, Dead and Company, in all their glory, recreated the five song setlist from the 1969 festival that includes covers by Merle Haggard and Bobby Blue Bland: “St Stephen,” “Mama Tried,” “Dark Star,” “High Time,” “Turn on your Lovelight.”
Weir, who was 22 during the original Woodstock, sang Merle’s “Mama Tried” with the same howl in 2021 that he had in 1969. “I turn 21 in prison doing life without parole. No one could steer me right but Mama tried.” Bobby Bland’s “Lovelight” percolated throughout the set with John Mayer, who is no gravity stranger, wanting to be where the light is. The old memory set faded into a “Drums/Space” jam that featured a new “bass” segment from Oteil Burbridge – who has joined the Rhythm Devils on Halloween at Madison Square Garden – took his own featured piece. He was left on stage solo with only pure bass notes to the crowd’s ears. The band joined Oteil on his sky journey for “Space” While up there, they decide to return to the Garcia classic “Standing on the Moon,” to remind of summer tours past. Bob Weir and John Mayer then brought out the acoustics to send everyone back on the tree lined paths with “Ripple.”
You certainly could feel Jerry’s spirit in the same rolling Catskill hills that his music happily haunts. His music helped Dead and Company continue to set the bar high for likely their only recreation of this old performance. “It’s not enough to be the best at what you do. You must be perceived as the ONLY one who does what you do”
Dead and Company hit Darien lake Wednesday night, then head to Saratoga Springs on Friday.
On your way to SPAC, don’t forget that Stewart’s Shops is your ice cream shop! With over 345 shops in 31 counties across New York and southern Vermont, the convenience store chain is known for their fresh & local dairy products. With dozens of choices at the cone counter, you’re bound to find something you love! Try a shake, sundae, or cone today, What’s Your Flavor?
Dead and Company Bethel Woods Performing Arts Center – Bethel, NY 8/23/21
Set 1: Hell in a Bucket, Easy Wind, Loser, Brown-Eyed Women, Throwing Stones, Row Jimmy, Lost Sailor -> Saint of Circumstance
Set 2: St. Stephen -> Mama Tried -> Dark Star -> High Time -> Turn On Your Love Light, Drums/Space/Oteil Bass Solo -> Deal -> Standing on the Moon -> Turn On Your Love Light
Thousands of fans packed the beautiful grounds of the Saratoga Performing Arts Center (SPAC) in Saratoga Springs on a spectacular August evening to listen to the familiar and steady voices of James Taylor and Jackson Browne.
Jackson Browne got the evening started, singing a mix of his classic songs. If you closed your eyes during the performance, you’d be hard-pressed to know that it was not the Jackson of one of his early albums. Fans enthusiastically greeted each song, many singing along with the familiar lyrics. The audience erupted in cheers when Jackson brought out James Taylor to accompany him on a few songs. He mentioned that knowing this tour was on the horizon made the last year and a half more bearable. Both performers mentioned how much fun they’ve been having on this tour, so much so that they have added 18 new dates.
Jackson Browne at SPAC
After a short break, James Taylor‘s set began with images and videos playing on a gigantic fretboard above the stage. Pictures of James throughout his career, fans at different James Taylor shows, and videos of fans playing some of James’ songs warmed up the enthusiastic crowd. As the darkened stage lit up, James emerged in his trademark cap and jacket and performed songs from his massive songbook.
James Taylor at SPAC
The crowd didn’t hesitate to call out requests, and James interacted with the crowd to set up his next selection. “It’s funny you should mention North Carolina,” before segueing into “Copperline,” a song about the area he grew up in. As a James, I was happy to hear “Sweet Baby James” make the setlist. The songs served as a lullaby of sorts to me and transported me back to my youth. Jackson Browne joined Taylor for an encore of “Take it Easy,” and James ended the night with “You Can Close Your Eyes,” a duet with his son Henry
The tour continues in the northeast with one more show in New York at the Northwell Health at Jones Beach Theater, and two shows in New Jersey before heading south and west in the fall.
James Taylor Setlist: Country Road, Never Die Young, Copperline, That’s Why I’m Here, Mexico, You Make It Easy, Line ‘Em Up, Steamroller Blues, Easy as Rollin’ Off a Log (Johnnie ‘Scat’ Davis cover), Sweet Baby James, Fire and Rain, Carolina in My Mind, Shower the People, How Sweet It Is (To Be Loved By You)
Encore: Shed a Little Light, Take It Easy (with Jackson Browne), You’ve Got a Friend, You Can Close Your Eyes (with Henry Taylor)
