Yo La Tengo helped bring Central Park’s 2021 Summerstage Free Concert Series to a close on Friday October 1st. Despite having to reschedule this performance from one month prior due to sever weather, fans were treated to perfect weather this time around. Fans enjoyed the first night of Autumn with plenty of fleece sweaters and a great lineup of performances.
The show opened up with three short films as a part of Rooftop Films’ Summer 2021 Summer Series. Next up, Amanda Nazario played a brief but energetic DJ set just as the sun began to set over Manhattan. And then Mountain Movers pumped up the crowd with their unique blend of drone and noise rock.
As Yo La Tengo took the stage, applause and cheers became screams when they opened with a cover of Velvet Underground’s “Who Loves the Sun.”
Their 90 minute set included several fan favoritessuch as “Autumn Sweater” (a natural inclusion) and “I’ll Be Around,” which they dedicated to Yoko Ono. Frontman Ira Kaplan brought his mother onstage to close out the concert with their cover of Anita Bryant’s “My Little Corner of the World.” The crowd ate it up, and the show ended on a high note.
Ira also announced at Summerstage that Yo La Tengo would once again be playing a series of eight Hanukkah shows at Bowery Ballroom from November 28 through December 5, coinciding with the eight nights of Hanukkah, which starts on November 28 and runs through the evening of December 6. Tickets will be available October 8th. You can find out more on Yo La Tengo’s website.
Ira Kaplan shared this note with fans on the Yo La Tengo Facebook page:
Shammash-ing Time!
Hi everybody, here to tell you that Hanukkah is just around the corner. (No kidding–it’s early this year!) And that we are going to return to the Bowery Ballroom and play all eight nights, just like we did before life got in the way. Comics, opening acts, whatever other nonsense we can cobble together, and the money will be given away. I’d consider writing more, but it still feels a little unreal to be contemplating this. And yet here we are.
Hanukkah starts on Sunday, November 28 and continues through Sunday, December 5. You must be fully vaccinated to enter the Bowery Ballroom. Tickets are $50 each and will go on sale on Friday, October 8 at 12 pm (noon) EDT. OK, gotta start practicing!
Throughout his 40-year career, guitarist Marc Ribot has defied expectations and genre boundaries at every turn. He’s been the go-to guy serving up a singular fusion of rootsy Americana meets outré noise jazz meets Cubano swing with everyone from Tom Waits, Elvis Costello, Robert Plant, Nora Jones and Diana Krall to John Lurie’s Lounge Lizards, the Black Keys and the inexhaustibly productive John Zorn. Now with Unstrung: Rants and Stories of A Noise Guitarist (Akashic Books), Marc Ribot is stepping into the spotlight with his literary debut. And it is one as fresh, fiercely focused, unpredictable and delightfully disorienting as his masterfully knotty guitar work.
First off, this is not a musical memoir per se. It is a collection of darkly funny stories and essays that, in good part, touch upon his thoughts on guitars, amps, touring, composer’s rights and iconic musical partners like punk guitar icon Robert Quine, free jazz legends Derek Bailey and Henry Grimes and producer extraordinaire Hal Willner. But this is a collection that spreads its wings far beyond the world of music. It is a razor-sharp playlist of far-reaching modernist literature, one that puts a Dadaist spin on everything from iPhone failures to treatments for absurdist films that will only ever exist in Ribot’s fevered imagination.
In the first section of the book, “Lies and Distortions,” the guitarist turns his attention to his instrument. “My relation to the guitar is one of struggle,” he writes. “I’m constantly forcing it to be something else: a saxophone, a scream, a car rolling down a hill… I bend them and they bend me.” Marc Ribot also pens a great ode to amps and distortion. In it, he claims his need to play amps at peak volume, to a breaking point that risks both his hearing and livelihood, provides to a guitarist “what makeup is to a drag queen.” His love of distortion is also compared to the appeal of “vocal chords eroded by whiskey and screaming” and “the junked-out weakness of certain horn players” like Dexter Gordon or Lester Young. Ribot also pens a moving tribute to his first teacher, the renowned classical guitar master from Haiti, Frantz Casseus. Ribot’s distinct style may have been informed by his early lessons and lifelong friendship with this man, who like Bela Bartok, merged the folk of his native land with European classical tradition. Ribot’s fierce defense of creators’ rights is illustrated in his discussions of Casseus’ hand-to-mouth existence, due to being cheated out of his composer royalties for decades until the literal last months of his life. He also passionately tackles this issue in “The Attack on Artist’s Rights…and Me,” a much socially-shared 2014 essay first published in Talkhouse Magazine.
Some of my favorite pieces in the book are Ribot’s generally observational ones. In “Animal Sounds,” his astute ears dissect a rooster scream, which is not a single scream at all, but a mindlessly repetitive three-part pattern, a sonic cage which is the “opposite of being free as a bird” to the author. He also shares how a poetry exercise in 2nd grade taught him a lesson about both unconscious plagiarism and life losses. There are also flights of fancy about a rocket scientist who dies because he can’t seem to learn how to tie his shoelaces properly and a boy, named Woody, who tries homespun horticulture to graft himself to a tree. There’s also a story where Botox leads to murder. This is all because a husband can’t detect the increasingly aggravated expressions on his wife’s newly treated and immobile face. Like his ofttimes sensibly brief guitar solos, a good deal of the stories here are rendered in a single page or two. They have a darkly humorous, almost haiku style slapstick that brings to mind the work of the great Italo Calvino in works like Italian Folktales and Marcovaldo.
photo by Ebru Ylidiz
The fantasies continue in the third section entitled “Film (Mis)Treatments.” In one, a past-its-prime avant-garde band on tour is not concerned with their performances, only where they are going to eat in each city. When the tour is cancelled after a single disastrous performance, their manager wants to pull the travel and hotel accommodations. So, the band kills him… and continues to eat its way across the Europe! In “The Club Date Musician (Or Saturday Night Nausea),” he lays out the agonizing travails of the wedding band industry, for both the players and the people who hire them. He also observes how all society band leaders seems to take new names that are two first names, and waspy ones at that, like the fictional Nathaniel (Nat) Alexander in his story.
There are also shades of what I assume is Ribot’s personal life outside music, and as a longtime New Yorker, in this brief but enjoyable book. In one story, we learn how a 10-year rent battle with his landlord in the Lower East Side unexpectedly ends in his favor, earning him $170,000 from an escrow account and a move to leafy Cobble Hill, Brooklyn. In “Kaddish for Joan,” we see how the slightly older artist cousin he so admired in his teens succumbs to pressures from her Jewish family – giving up art, the hippie life and going slowly mad in suburbia. A story that especially touched me was “Today I Did Something Remarkable.” In this, Ribot stroll down memory lane and comes to the realization he is entering a new stage of life, as he slowly takes apart the Ikea loft bed his now-adult daughter used throughout her youth.
For some musicians, talent is not limited to the world of sound and lyric. Joni Mitchell, Tony Bennett, Bob Dylan and David Bowie are among the many musos who are pretty good painters. Rob Zombie, George Harrison and David Bryne are among those who have produced or directed acclaimed films. With Unstrung, Ribot is joining this boundary crossing crew, with a collection of diverse, wonderful stories that sing even when they are not about music.
Check out Marc Ribot, as sideman and sideman, on this playlist.
On October 5, 1990, Phish performed at Skidmore College in Saratoga Springs, an overlooked show that was part of the group’s formative years as they hit college markets across the Northeast. The Skidmore Gymnasium, today a part of the Williamson Sports Center, served as the venue for this all-ages show, which was part of Skidmore’s Oktoberfest Weekend.
The numbered tickets for the show read “Oktoberfest Weekend 1990 Continues!! The Class of 1991 Presents: Phish In Concert with Conjunction Junction,” and cost $10. For $15, you could also see NRBQ perform the next day, along with Projectile of Love, all part of the same week-long event. The fall Friday afternoon brought college students and their friends to Upstate New York for the show.
Phish was slowly making their way out of Vermont and into New York State, stopping in Saratoga Springs for the first time in March of 1990 to play at Aikos, then located on Caroline Street. For those in the know, and perhaps those who caught Phish at Pauly’s Hotel in May 1989, it was becoming obvious that Phish was a band whose reputation was building fast. By the fall, they had begun to play college gyms around the Northeast. And for the crowd of 300 or so fans, they had plenty of room to move around, but still had to deal with the gym getting warm due to to heaters in gym being on – you can hear calls for air conditioning that can be heard after “Stash.”
The door on the right was the main entrance to the show – photo by Mike Hoganphoto by Mike Hogan
While the show doesn’t spark much discussion or replay, there are a few notable aspects to the show. The opener “I Didn’t Know” jumps out as a random opener, but the song would open sets as early as 1988, sometims with Fishman on trombone instead of vacuum. If you were ever looking for the lyrics to “I Am Hydrogen”, the line “I walk awakening on the misty fields of forever” is included in the intro, while both “Ya Mar” and “Alumni Blues” each have extended guitar intros. One lucky fan who was calling the Phish hotline all summer, asking them to play “The Curtain” at Skidmore was rewarded for their persistence.
courtesy of Skidmore College archives courtesy of Skidmore College archives courtesy of Skidmore College archives courtesy of Skidmore College archives
Mike Hogan attended the show, and shares his recollections of the night:
It was a beautiful fall afternoon and some of my friends traveled from various parts of New England to come see the show with me in Saratoga at Skidmore college. The show opened with an oddly placed “I Didn’t Know,” followed by a lively “Mike’s Song/Weekapaug” with the additional lyrics as I always thought they were, ”I walk awakening in the misty fields of Rather,” although the show notes say otherwise. Other highlights included “Fee” and “The Asse Festival” and “Possum.”
Looking back on the setlist, a very solid show that I’ve always enjoyed listening to. A few years back, Kevin Shapiro (Phish archivist) had asked me about this show. He had Trey’s date book and all that was written in it was Saratoga. It had no sense of the venue or setlist. I was able to provide him a bootleg copy.
One final thought on the ticket stub above. They took everyone’s ticket upon entry. After the show they had simply dropped them on the floor next to the door and I reached down and grabbed one. I wish I had grabbed a handful.
Matt Hogan
Just three years later, Phish would be playing their first show at Red Rocks in Colorado.
Phish – Skidmore Gymnasium, Skidmore College, Saratoga Springs, NY – Friday, October 5, 1990
Set 1: I Didn’t Know, Mike’s Song > I Am Hydrogen[1] > Weekapaug Groove, My Sweet One, The Landlady, Tela > The Oh Kee Pa Ceremony > Suzy Greenberg, Stash, The Asse Festival, Bouncing Around the Room > Run Like an Antelope
Set 2: Golgi Apparatus > The Curtain > Ya Mar, Alumni Blues > Letter to Jimmy Page > Alumni Blues, Uncle Pen, Split Open and Melt, Fee > Possum[2]
Encore: Good Times Bad Times
[1] “I walk awakening on the misty fields of forever” lyrics. [2] Charlie Chan and Popeye signals.
The beginning of Hydrogen included the lyrics “I walk awakening on the misty fields of forever.” Possum contained Charlie Chan and Popeye signals.
An interview with Trey (Tray) and Mike from Phish in the Skidmore News, 10/10/90. Courtesy of Mike Greenhaus.
An old saying — part marketing tool, part observation based on the group’s lyrical content — “Wu Tang is for the Children” is proving itself to be true after all. Throughout their decorated history, the Wu Tang Clan has impacted music, culture, television, fashion and now — nearly 30 years after their debut — the Clan is still impacting today’s school-children.
As first reported in NYSUT UNITED, the Wu have developed a new legion of followers and they refer to themselves as the “Depew-Tang Clan.” Amidst the pandemic, Depew Middle School teacher, Joe Cena, noticed that less than half of his eight grade students were completing their independent reading requirements. As remote learning conditions prevented teachers from having a hands-on connection with their students, Cena acted desperately.
To motivate students, Cena created a prestigious “Wu Wall” where students would earn a spot whenever they completed an assignment or quiz. Cena didn’t stop there, he also ordered a bunch of Wu Tang themed stickers and magnets, took pictures of the children and used an online name generator to give them their official Wu Tang Clan names.
As silly as it is, it definitely increased their motivation to read books.
Joe Cena
The Wu’s impact on Depew Middle School didn’t end there, as Cena began to explain the art of rhyming to the children using verses from the Clan. As part of the poetry unit, he presented the song “Triumph” with color-coded lyrics to explain the intricacies of rhyme patterns.
Although Depew operates inconspicuously as part of the Buffalo-Niagara Falls metropolis, Cena’s innovate and creative efforts to motivate his students did not go unnoticed.
As part of an effort to have Cena recognized, student, Aleigha Sharpe, secretly reached out to several members of the Clan. Writing,
As everyone knows, due to COVID-19 school hasn’t been the same. But my English teacher has put so much effort to make this year for his students the best and memorable.
Aleigha Sharpe
Unsure if she would get a reply, Sharpe was shocked to receive a personalized message from Method Man himself, shouting out the Depew Middle School and Joe Cena. The Ticallian Stallion even bestowed Cena with his own personalized Wu nickname, labeling him, “Excessive Gallant,” as he congratulated the teacher for his continued efforts towards educating the children.
I want to shout out Depew-Tang Clan… and also especially Joe Cena. AKA Excessive Gallant. I love what you are doing over there. You’re keeping learning fun and you’re including Wu – Tang. Salute to you, brother. Hats off!
Method Man
Cena’s students presented him with the Method Man response video and the English teacher was visibly touched from the gesture. Holding back a smile and plenty of emotions, Cena was in disbelief to hear Method Man say his name.
Trey Anastasio Band officially closed out their fall tour with back-to-back shows at Radio City Music Hall over Saturday, October 2nd and Sunday October 3rd. It was the group’s first performance at the legendary venue since 2018’s ” A Concert for Island Relief,” where TAB teamed up with Dave Matthews Band and more to raise money for hurricane relief efforts in Puerto Rico.
photo by Rene Heumer
This year’s Radio City shows arrived during a similarly turbulent time for both the world and Trey Anastasio Band. Despite the band’ precautions, the lineup was drastically affected by COVID – 19. First came the loss of Jennifer Hartswick to a mild case of the virus, which put the rest of the brass section in quarantine. Then, shortly before a Columbus, Ohio show, Russ Lawton tested positive as well. Thus, on Saturday night, TAB performed as a five piece, with Jon Fishman again stepping in for Lawton.
As Ray Paczkowski put it:
We thought about it like, half the band is TAB, half the band is Phish. And we want it to sound like something that isn’t quite either.
Though powerhouses like Hartswick and Russ Lawton were impossible not to miss, the tapered-down nature of the band allowed TAB the freedom to improvise. The set stayed playful and experimental throughout, and Jon Fishman’s presence behind the drum kit felt familiar while adding a layer of mystery.
Furthermore, a smaller band gave newer members an opportunity to shine. Bassist Dezron Douglas joined the band this fall with enormous shoes to fill after the tragic loss of Tony Markellis. Markellis, who joined Trey’s earliest solo project in 1998, was a force of nature and a steady heartbeat within the band. Though Markellis remains one-of-a-kind, Douglas’ jazz roots and dexterous abilities add a new element to TAB. Reportedly, Russ Lawton specifically requested working with Douglas as the band sought a new bassist for this tour.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KklDY5VjUkI
Douglas, who studied at the Hartford Conservatory of Music with Hartswick, brings the life and freedom of jazz to his masterful electric bass work. A classically trained double-bassist who first heard Phish in high school, he embodies the timeless quality of TAB’s music. No matter how many times TAB has performed a song, it never feels the same. Their music, like their ensemble, grows and changes as the years go on.
With their rendition of “Mr. Completely” thoroughly embodying their ability to rejuvenate old classics. Highlights included Douglas’ perfect syncopation on bass to Cyro Baptista’s insane percussion break, where he built a beat out of bird calls as the rest of the band went silent. The energy in the audience marked a TAB show at its very best; fans of all ages focused on letting a rhythm take them, dancing their hearts out together. For some 20-odd minutes, the harmony rang throughout the audience.
Despite setbacks along the road and the constraints of touring during COVID-19, the TAB live experience was fully intact at Radio City. After their hiatus from the venue, TAB offered a little bit of everything, from a heartwrenching Paczkowski/Anastasio duet of “Shade” to crowd favorite “Twist.” The packed house got a joyous and poignant set that honored those missing and welcomed new (and familiar) faces back again. As Paczkowski said, the goal was to create something a little TAB, a little Phish, but also new and singular. By the time TAB landed on classic closer “First Tube,” the crowd dancing madly in the aisles, it was clear that job was done.
The final evening of Trey Anastasio Band’s 2021 tour was a Sunday to remember. The revolving cast of musicians included Trey Anastasio and Jon Fishman’s first time together on the infamous stage at Radio City since Spring of 2000. It’s important to understand the level of composition versus improvisation Trey’s music takes on for whomever joins him on stage. Keyboardist Ray Packzkowski, percussionist Cyro Baptista and bassist Dezron Douglas were all the right cats to join in the moment at Rockefeller.
A nod to the NYC subways helped the show open with “Get Back on the Train.” Having Cyro add another layer of percussion to Fishman’s grooves all night was reminiscent of Phish’s Halloween’s shows in Atlantic City 2010 with Giovanni Hidalgo and Atlanta 1996 with Karl Perrazo. Dezron Douglas’ bottom end locked in with them served up the funkiest “Moma Dance” to date that clocked in over 20 minutes. “Undermind” also included heavy drum grooves with Jon and Cyro exploring all of the skins in front of them. “Ocelot,” “Set Your Soul Free” and a chilling set closing “Dark and Down” helped wrap up a complete jam heavy 6-song set.
The second set opened the Art Deco venue with Tony Markellis’ infamous bass line to “Sand” This ensemble really had all three mezzanines grooving immediately. Paczkowski’s rig sounded as if it was coming from Radio City’s organ in the main theatre, the largest instrument ever built by the Wurlitzer company. “Everything’s Right” served up the longest layer of improvisation clocking in at over 35 minutes of sound stretching out to the grand foyer. Ups, downs, ins and outs… it was hair raising. Trey returned to his Upper West Side abode for “Lonely Trip” and never “Never Left Home,” recorded solo during his NYC quarantine. Dezron Douglas’ bass line sounds like jelly jam to Trey’s lyrics on this. “Oh, I’ll never be halted, I always shall roam. Oh, scaling the cliffs and enjoying the view” The band then closed the show with a dark and extended “Carini.”
The encore was full of special dedications and moments to TAB members current and past. Trey let the crowd know that members Russ Lawton, Jennifer Hartswick, Natalie Cressman, Coachema Gastelum and James Casey were all in good health and on the mend despite their absence. A soul Sunday nod to Markellis was sent out to the theater as well. Trey appropriately performed “Strange Design” and “Backwards Down the Number Line” on the acoustic guitar to reference all these friends as part of the tour’s ever changing ride.
He then invited special guest James Casey to the stage in hand with alto soprano sax for backing vocals on the last three songs. “Evolve” “Rise/Come Together” and “Life Beyond a Dream” Casey’s sax blew like Branford under the great proscenium arch that sits above the stage. All three songs’ message is saturated in positivity and optimism towards whatever life can throw at you. Love is the message here. “We’re all looking for a little more love to shine a light and lift us up,” “Don’t give up hope. Keep on dreaming.”
Trey Anastasio Band – Radio City Music Hall, New York City – Sunday, October 3, 2021
Set 1: Back on the Train > The Moma Dance, Undermind > Ocelot, Set Your Soul Free, Dark and Down
Set 2: Sand, Everything’s Right, Lonely Trip, I Never Left Home > Carini
Encore: Strange Design [1], Backwards Down the Number Line[1], Evolve [2], Rise/Come Together [3], A Life Beyond The Dream[3] [1] Trey solo acoustic. [2] With James Casey on saxophone. [3] With James Casey on additional vocals and saxophone.
After a three-year touring hiatus, LA-based rock band Dead Sara finally returned to NYC on Friday, October 1st.
The excitement for Dead Sara’s return was palpable at Bowery Ballroom. As the stage got set up, fans watched the process attentively. Their eyes stayed glued to the stage even as the crew performed mundane tasks like taping the setlist down. The moment they saw the crew give a thumbs-up signal to the sound staff, cheers erupted.
Frontwoman Emily Armstrong captivated her audience with her powerful vocals and hypnotizing stage presence. The audience reacted positively, shouting out their approval after each song.
The band performed “Heroes,” “Hypnotic,” and “Good Times” amongst other tracks off of their first full-length album since 2015, Ain’t It Tragic.
What truly made the night memorable was when Armstrong spotted an American flag in the crowd. She began singing the National Anthem as a joke — much to her surprise, the crowd immediately joined in and belted the entirety of the anthem back to Armstrong. She flipped the bird and nailed a massive stage jump as she transitioned back into Dead Sara discography, cementing her as a modern rockstar.
On October 2nd, Janet Evra performed her concert “A Night in Paris” to a sold out crow at the Seneca One Auditorium in Buffalo. This was a big moment for JazzBuffalo as it was their first use of the auditorium.
Photo by Samantha Rychlicki
Janet Evra along with guitarist Will Buchanan, sax and flutist David and drummer Tim Moore created a wonderful night of jazz that took the audience to Paris. Evra’s voice was soothing and pure. Plus, her ability to play the bass was equally as flawless.
With this performance, the audience at Seneca One was taken on a beautiful journey through songs by Miles Davis, Édith Piaf as well as Janet Evra originals. Those originals, Evra has been eager to play since pre-pandemic times. Tony Zambito, Executive Director of JazzBuffalo, said it best “The future of jazz is in good hands.”
Janet Evra and company provided an amazing night of music that was just what Buffalo needed.
Setlist: Comment te Dire Adieu, C’est Si Bon, Que Reste-t-il, Baila, Dream a Little Dream of Me, Solar, Paris, La Vie en Rose, Koop Island Blues, La Mer, Zou Bisou Bisou.
Photo by Samantha Rychlicki Photo by Samantha RychlickiPhoto by Samantha Rychlicki
Photo by Samantha Rychlicki
Photo by Samantha Rychlicki Photo by Samantha Rychlicki
Photo by Samantha Rychlicki
Photo by Samantha Rychlicki Photo by Samantha Rychlicki Photo by Samantha RychlickiPhoto by Samantha Rychlicki Photo by Samantha Rychlicki
SNL has returned for its 47th season, with Owen Wilson hosting and Kacey Musgraves as the musical guest.
The episode began with a cold open featuring prominent Democrats and what they’ve been up to in the offseason, including President Joe Biden and former Governor Andrew Cuomo. Cecily Strong stole the show as Arizona Senator Kyrsten Sinema, as did Melissa Villaseñor as a post-Met-Gala AOC. In his opening monologue, Owen Wilson poked fun at the negative reviews he’s received from critics over the years.
One of the night’s strongest sketches was of a school board meeting derailed by conspiracy theories and critical race theory outrage. Alex Moffat and Ego Nwodim took on nearly the entire cast of SNL as unhinged parents and townspeople, each more absurd than the last.
Later, Kacey Musgraves took to the stage with new single “Justified.” The song kicks off the second act of her fourth studio album, star-crossed, which she conceived as a three-act Greek tragedy in album form. Every song references her 2020 divorce from fellow country singer Ruston Kelly, trading in her signature sass for sentimentality.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a0z7GH78oGo
Then, continuing their Weekend Update tenure, Michael Che and Colin Jost cracked jokes about missing white woman syndrome and R. Kelly. At the end of their set, Jost commended late SNL alum Norm MacDonald for inspiring him to do Weekend Update, leading into a montage of MacDonald’s best moments on the show. On September 14, 2021, MacDonald passed away from acute leukemia after privately battling the disease for nine years.
Finally, Kacey Musgraves closed out the episode with star-crossed’s biggest tearjerker, “Camera Roll.” Lyrically, the song is about looking back on a relationship with rose-tinted glasses after only preserving the good memories.
Kim Kardashian-West will be hosting next Saturday, with Halsey serving as the musical guest.
It wouldn’t quite be a complete outdoor music season in New York City without an installment of The Governors Ball Music Festival. After some difficulties with weather cancellations in 2019, GovBall had been looking forward to celebrating its 10th Anniversary in 2020, going as far as announcing their lineup in January 2020. Barred by the heat of the pandemic, that occasion had to be put on hold but GovBall made a triumphant return (this time to Citi Field) to celebrate its big anniversary with yet another sold-out crowd.
Three perfect sunny days of weather set the stage for the packed lineup consisting of several of the artists originally slated for 2020, some new additions, and plenty of New York heart and soul.
Early birds who made it to Citi Field for the festival’s noon-hour start were treated to some excellent up-and-coming acts, several with local connections. A few of the artists representing the five boroughs were Laundry Day, Drew Lucas + Livia O, King Princess, and Harlem-born A$AP Rocky. Nearby, New Jersey made its mark on GovBall with the band ARIZONA and an incredible R&B/country/soul styling from Breland.
Governors Ball made a move this year from its usual home on Randall’s Island in Manhattan to Citi Field in Queens, adopting a similar stage setup to Founders Entertainment’s The Meadows Music & Arts Festival which used to be held in the same location. Although maneuvering through the packed crowds as the evenings was a bit slow, the arrangement of the stages ensured that there was always an act to treat the ears while making the trek to the next stage.
Billie Eilish closed out the first night with several new tracks from her latest album release, Happier Than Ever, as well as several fan favorites from her catalogue. The crowd sang along with Billie through every song, which she reacted by saying that “GovBall is her favorite festival ever” and that she was so happy to be there again after her 2018 performance, this time as a headliner. The highlight of her performance was when she took to the sky on a moving platform, which lifted her up above and passed her several times over the crowd. Despite her huge set and 50,000 screaming fans, her performance felt intimate and personal.
The second night ended with a band as A$AP Rocky came onto the stage after crowd surfing on an inflatable car. His body men were running through the crowd dressed in head scarves to hide their faces. A$AP had been walking through the crowd before his set in disguise, and once his set began and he was on stage he revealed his face to a huge swell of cheers. Once on stage, he immediately told the crowd to open up the mosh pits, and the audience did so with enthusiasm. His set included some of his biggest tracks, and the crowd couldn’t get enough of his performance.
Post Malone played the final set of the festival, beginning from atop a massive catwalk rigged with lighting and pyrotechnics. Every time he took a sip from his big red party cup, the crowd egged him on to chug his drink. They did this at least four times, but rumor has it that there was only water in the cup. That didn’t stop him from making a moment out of it, and the crowd ate (or drank) it up. He opened with his hit song, Wow, and played most of the top singles from his catalog. He was joined briefly by Young Thug and the two shared the stage for one track.
Throughout the show the pyrotechnics were hot and huge, with Post even joking that it was “hot as f**k up here.” During his performance the crowd offered to help with his vocals by singing along, and he even joked, “Ya’ll know I’d sound like s**t without auto tune” which got a big laugh and huge applause. His set and the festival ended with a big splash of fireworks, with Post thanking the crowd for their energy.
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 Joseph Beaty, Coyote Reverieand 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.
Joseph Beaty
“Kick Out The Pieces” is Adirondack musician Joseph Beaty’s latest single, ahead of his upcoming album Rust, You Can Leave Me Now. Out October 15, Rust is shaping up to be a callback to grunge and indie rock of the ‘90s. “Kick Out The Pieces” is the most menacing track yet, which says a lot next to previous singles “Still Forming” and “Thick of Things.”
Rust, You Can Leave Me Now is the embodiment of 2020. Things in my life (in all our lives) were put in perspective and it was time to remove the negative bits. This record was my catharsis, my therapy. It is gritty, unsafe, and dark. No sense in sugar-coating it. You will hear many lyrics talk about knocking the rust out. This therapy experiment helped me arrive as a new, more focused person for 2021.
Joseph Beaty
Coyote Reverie
Vermont trip-hop duo Coyote Reverie will release their debut album Imah on October 13. New song “Achilles’ Helix” has arrived just in time for Halloween, with spooky and cryptic lyrics: “I’m her shadow on the wall, I’m her echo down the hall / I’m the voices in her head, I’m the snakeskin that she shed.”
