Category: Reviews

Phish Goes Under the Covers in Albany: November 25, 1998

Fresh off the heels of another legendary Halloween performance in Vegas and two iconic shows in Hampton, Phish rolled into Albany for the second to last stop on their legendary Fall 1998 tour. It sees the band at the height of its powers, mixing in new, fresh material to go alongside a bevvy of cover songs that have been unearthed this year. With a rare one-night only appearance in Albany, Phish lets it all hang out in a show that often gets overlooked, but certainly shouldn’t be.

Tonight’s festivities begin with the signature guitar intro to “Punch You In The Eye,” which receives a giant roar of approval from the Pepsi Center. Page McConnell shines early with some stellar runs on both the electric keys and grand piano as the Gamehendge-adjacent number revs up an already rabid arena even further. At its conclusion, another familiar guitar riff emerges. This time it’s the bluesy intro to “My Soul,” a cover song Phish first started injecting into their live shows the year before. McConnell again dazzles with a ferocious piano solo before handing off to Trey Anastasio who returns the favor in kind and then some on guitar. Phish then eases off the gas pedal a bit with another new number, “Roggae,” one of the tracks from The Story Of The Ghost which was released just last month.

The musical setting then shifts back to Gamehendge with “AC/DC Bag.” Anastasio again takes the reigns on a patiently developing jam that gets plenty of noticeable assistance from Mike Gordon on bass and drives the crowd into a certified frenzy by the end. McConnell has a little fun on piano as well, stretching out the ending until Phish changes lanes once more and jumps into the increasingly rare “Lifeboy.”

Phish in Albany 1989-1995

Afterwards, Jon Fishman’s familiar hi-hat drumming signals the introduction to “David Bowie,” which is stretched out and teased beautifully before being cleared for launch. Phish then absolutely obliterates the song’s composed section, playing at a near manic pace, before embarking on a jam that serves as one of the show’s true highlights. It’s patiently crafted, with Anastasio and McConnell parrying back and forth early and often. As the jam continues to build in intensity, Phish does the same with the ending, stretching it out for all its worth to complete a 19-minute journey that blows the roof off the Albany arena.

Few would complain if the first set ended right there, but instead the band throws out one more change of pace pairing. Trey jumps on acoustic guitar for only the sixth ever “Sleep,” a song first debuted earlier this tour, and “Driver,” both songs that would be included on the band’s forthcoming 2000 release Farmhouse. To cap things off, Phish throws in a cover of Led Zepelin’s “Good Times, Bad Times,” with another incendiary guitar solo from Anastasio escorting the Albany faithful to set break.

Phish In Albany: 1997-2000

After a little spacey ambiance, another familiar Fishman drum beat starts up set two. This time it’s “Also Sprach Zarathustra,” aka the theme to Stanley Kubrick’s 2001: A Space Odyssey. Again, Phish takes their time in slowly building up the song’s introduction, going well past five minutes before the first signature guitar lick rings out. The jam that ensues is flavored by some tremendous Mike Gordon bass play before coming to a rousing finish. “Golgi Apparatus” serves as another throwback song to the days of yore and goes off without a hitch before they get into another jam vehicle, this time a cover of The Who’s “Drowned.”

As another whirlwind musical excursion slowly comes to an end, Anastasio quietly starts the beginning of “Prince Caspian” and the rest of the band quickly follows along. After another stout feedback-heavy guitar solo, the music comes to a crawl and then “Piper” emerges, with it’s now “classic” slow build which fits in perfectly with the show tonight. The slow build yields another manic jam, with McConnell furiously pounding away on the baby grand piano. With the Albany crowd once again supercharged, Phish then drops a “You Enjoy Myself” on them in what’s already a full second set of music.

Phish In Albany: 2003-2009

The closing sequence for this show is straight out of 1998 and not one to be duplicated anytime soon. As “YEM” and its customarily eerie vocal jam concludes, instead of taking a bow, Phish bursts into “Been Caught Stealing,” the Jane’s Addiction song that made its debut earlier in year during the “Summer of Covers.” Until a certified bust out at Walnut Creek in 2011, this was the last one played. A rip roaring “Llama” then closes out the second set in fine fashion. For the encore, Phish breaks out yet another cover selection, this time its The Beatles’ “Something,” penned by George Harrison and covered by Phish only on this Fall 1998 tour. To date, it’s the last time it’s ever been performed. “Guyute,” another pick from the recently released Ghost, follows this before an a capella “Free Bird,” as only Phish can do, closes out yet another sterling Albany gig.

Listen to show at PhishTracks or see complete audio recording below.

Phish Pepsi Center – Albany, NY 11/25/98

Set 1: Punch You In The Eye > My Soul, Roggae, AC/DC Bag > Lifeboy, David Bowie, Sleep, Driver, Good Times Bad Times

Set 2: Also Sprach Zarathustra > Golgi Apparatus, Drowned->Prince Caspian > Piper, You Enjoy Myself, Been Caught Stealing > Llama

Encore: Something > Guyute, Free Bird

November 25, 2021
In Focus: Cold Rocks The House At Rapids Theater in Niagara Falls
Cold played in the equally cold Niagara Falls on Monday November 22 at The Rapids Theater. Cold, comprised of Scooter WardÂ (lead vocals, keyboards, rhythm guitar), Sam McCandless (drums, percussion), Lindsay Manfredi (bass, backing vocals), Nick Coyle (lead guitar, backing vocals), and Jonny Nova (rhythm guitar, backing vocals), brought with them Waiting For Eternity and Otherworldly Entity as the opening bands.

Cold has been on their current tour since September. and are coming to the end of their current tour with only a few shows left. The band performed 12 songs tonight including their hits “End of the World” and “Just Got Wicked.”

Cold – The Rapids Theater, Niagara Falls, NY – Monday, November 22

Setlist: Back Home, Happens All the Time, No One, When Angels Fly Away, End of the World, Another Pill, Ocean, A Different Kind of Pain, Just Got Wicked, Suffocate, Remedy, Bleed
November 24, 2021
Alexander 23 Sells Out Webster Hall
Alexander 23 played a sold-out show at Webster Hall in New York City on Friday, November 19. Signing to Interscope records in 2019, the artist has quickly garnered a massive audience with his soft pop masterpieces. His debut single, “dirtyaf1s” instantly went viral and catapulted the artist to the top of streaming charts.

His knack for delicately layering airy vocals with unexpected instrumentals has not gone unnoticed. The artist has written and produced for fellow musicians, such as Role Model and mxmtoon. He also co-produced one of 2021’s biggest pop songs, “good 4 u”, performed by Olivia Rodrigo.

Despite the “Oh No, Not A Tour!” tour being his first-ever North American headline run, Alexander 23 commanded the stage with ease. Opening the show with “Cry Over Boys” off of his latest EP, Oh No, Not Again!, he instantly energized his young audience. As the night progressed, he played hits such as “girl”, “IDK You Yet”, and “Come Here and Leave Me Alone”.

Towards the end of his setlist, the artist took a moment to stray away from his releases and played a cover of Katy Perry’s hit single, “Teenage Dream”. The audience roared with approval and sang along so loudly that it became hard to hear Alexander 23’s vocals.

In between songs, the artist profusely expressed his gratitude for being able to make music and tour for a living. The crowd danced and sang along to each and every song, filling the room with the hallmark of a good concert — a light scent of sweat.
November 23, 2021
Blue Star Radiation Play First Show in Syracuse at Westcott Theater

The debut show of Blue Star Radiation on November 18th at the newly renovated Westcott Theater in Syracuse New York, followed by Putnam Place in Saratoga Springs, Nectar’s in Burlington and Oxbow Brewing and Bend in Portland, Maine. The four night tour before the holidays makes it a fantastic voyage through New England.

photo by Jim Houle

Composition versus improvisation. moe., Kung Fu, The Breakfast, Lotus, Percy Hill, Ghosts of Jupiter, and Assembly of Dust all come from a heavy catalog of music that can be played differently any given night. Blue Star Radiation is a new band that glows off these concepts that includes Vinnie Amico on drums, Rob Derhak on bass, Tim Palmieri on guitar and Nate Wilson on B3 Hammond keys and flute.

photo by Jim Houle

It is appropriate that moe.’s ryhthm section of Rob and Vinnie started this mini run on a Thursday in Upstate, New York. After all, they have played in front a rowdier 220,000 down the thruway in Rome during Woodstock 99. There is a Danko/ Helm quality of the two when they are on a New York stage that radiates. The freshly renovated Westcott filled the old cinema to the back of the house with new premium seating alongside the left stage. moe.’s “The Pit” opened the inaugural performance and helped welcome everyone to a comfortable spot in the room to groove. Nate Wilson then plays his original “Eye of the Yellow Tiger.”

The new four piece also filled the first set with some back in black covers. The Black Crowes‘ “Wiser Time” and Santana’s “Black Magic Woman” created a sandstorm of surprises. The band also claimed they were playing ‘Set List Yahtzee’ with a malleable list of songs to pull from. Again, it was a Thursday night for the first of four shows, why stick to the plan?

The second set unfolded with some some chilling viking rock. Nate Wilson’s keys and vocals took Led Zeppelin’s “No Quarter” to warn the frosty November crowd that snow falls hard and don’t you know, the winds of Thor are blowing cold. (Led Zeppelin did play in Syracuse at the War Memorial in November of 1969.) What a song to cover ahead of the partial lunar eclipse that night for the blood moon that hasn’t been seen since the 1440’s. One of the first snows of the year did arrive just as the eclipse unfolded at 4 AM giving way to Thor.

The band did give a lighter nod to the Syracuse, New York suburb of Liverpool by covering “She Came in Through the Bathroom Window” by the Beatles. Tim Palmieri took lead on this as he has on many Sunday Beatles acoustic sets he’s been known to do in New Haven, CT. The band encored with the moe. classic “Opium,” no quarter notes in these lyrics, It’s eight AM not a quarter past three, flowers and fog won’t you rescue me.

poster by Matt Leunig

Rob Derhark simply thanked the crowd for letting them do their thing and have a week of music to just simply cut loose to. Tim Palmieri helped raise a glass and get the Westcott crowd to cheers to moe. guitarist Chuck Garvey. The simplicity of appreciation to play music that is essentially improvisational and unplanned transcends after the show is over.

Blue Star Radiation – The Westcott Theater, Syracuse, NY – November 18, 2021

Set 1: The Pit, Eye of the Yellow Tiger, Wiser Time, Blue Jeans Pizza, Dance Hall Days, Black Magic Woman

Set 2: Locomotive Breath, Mar De Ma, All in Stride, She Came in Through the Bathroom Window, Sign, No Quarter, Bloody Well Right

Encore: Toast to Chuck, Opium

photos by Jim Houle

November 22, 2021
Dead and Friends Dazzle In Rochester: November 20, 1970

The Grateful Dead’s first ever show in Rochester saw them bring a few friends along for the ride. Members of Jefferson Airplane joined them to cap off a mesmerizing night of music at The Palestra at University of Rochester. The late night gig allowed their fellow Californians, who played earlier that night at the War Memorial, a chance to get in on the fun. Jorma Kaukonen, and later Jack Casady, took full advantage, adding their unique styles to the psychedelic stew that serves as the second set. And the first one is essentially an entire Grateful Dead show crammed into a singular set, featuring more than 20 songs. All of this adds up to a simply unreachable bar for all future Dead shows in Rochester to reach.

The show starts off innocently enough with a leisurely run through of “Cold Rain And Snow” whose ending is unfortunately cut off in the recording. “Me And My Uncle” then picks things up a bit, sung ably as always by guitarist Bob Weir. An attuned Pigpen even adds some inspired fills on the organ as the song progresses. This paves the way for him to take center stage and lead the band through a blues cover of “Next Time You See Me” that has the Palestra now fully engaged. Things then get decidedly more psychedelic, starting with a “China Cat Sunflower” that’s accentuated with an early, effortless guitar solo from Jerry Garcia that hits home. A rapid, near chaotic, jam then transpires before a silky smooth landing into “I Know You Rider” as the Dead show off one of their signature song pairings to the Rochester crowd’s delight.

The Dead follow this up with a smoking take of “Sugar Magnolia,” a still relatively new song in their live repertoire at the time. Another furious Garcia solo and the drumming duo of Bill Kreutzmann and Mickey Hart fuel this one. The pace then slows back down again with the folksy pairing of “Friend Of The Devil” and “Mama Tried,” led by Garcia and Weir on vocals, respectively. An interesting little percussive jam then introduces “Good Lovin’” and the Dead are off and running again. Their cover of The Rascals’ hit song immediately goes deep, as the percussive vibe returns in a big way with a near immediate drum solo that doesn’t let up for several moments. It’s essentially the “Drums” portion of the show thrown right in the middle of “Good Lovin’.” Garcia eventually leads the rest of the band back into the fray and then he takes his turn exploring every aspect of the song in a jam that stretches out well past 20 minutes – a Type II “Good Lovin’” if there ever was one.

The Palestra at University of Rochester

A rowdy “Cumberland Blues” follows this, with the Palestra crowd clapping along joyously before an emotional and well harmonized “Candyman” that settles things back down once more. The first ever performance of “Truckin’” in Upstate New York comes next, as the Dead show off another new tune that will go on to become a classic. Although it doesn’t beget much of an extended jam, there’s some fun musical interplay between Garcia and Pigpen before another manic drum-heavy section that signals the beginning of “The Other One.” However, after an extended opening sequence, it’s a shortened “Other One” as the band quickly shifts gears and jumps into “Saint Stephen” after just one verse. Before “Stephen” is even finished, a noticeable “Not Fade Away”-like drum beat picks up, so it’s no surprise that they launch into that next. This kickstarts a truly vintage “Not Fade Away” > “Goin’ Down The Road Feeling Bad” > “Not Fade Away” sequence that has both the Dead and the Rochester crowd fully engaged.

As if that weren’t enough already, the set goes on afterwards as a bluesy shuffle starts up, clearing the path for Pigpen, with harmonica in tow, to take center stage once more for “King Bee.” The marathon set then finally comes to a close with a rousing “Casey Jones.” The Dead are then able to get their comrades from Jefferson Airplane out for a second set that’s short on songs but long on blues-infused psychedelic improv. It begins with a cover of “All Over Now,” a song popularized by The Rolling Stones. Jorma Kaukonen, who plays the entire set, steps right up and delivers a jaw dropping guitar solo with what sounds like Garcia on the pedal steel guitar and Weir belting out the vocals. A fun, short little “tuning” jam takes place afterwards before they jump into another cover, this time a ripping take Chuck Berry’s “Around & Around.”

Then the band just jams out for a while, with Koukanen and Garcia playfully trading guitar riffs back and forth. The rhythm section is locked in and it makes for one of the more enjoyable portions of this show as the West Coast-based musicians deliver their brand of psychedelic rock to an eager East Coast auditorium. It’s also probably one of the reasons that this sit-in has been dubbed one of the ten best ever with The Grateful Dead, per Rolling Stone.

As the jam progresses, Jack Casady joins in on bass as the music begins to take some structure. The group then goes through two verses of “Darling Corey,” a traditional song that Pete Seeger, among others, have recorded. This is just quick thought though, as the structure quickly devolves and soon dies out completely. After some extended tuning, the ensemble launches into another extended jam, now with dueling basses to go along with three guitars. They bounce and move from one loose melody to another, never stopping for too long. At one point, a jam reminiscent of a souped up “Cumberland Blues” seems to take place. “Uncle John’s Band” then closes out a lengthy night of Grateful Dead in Rochester, highlighted by a monumental sit-in from members of Jefferson Airplane.

View this and more Grateful Dead shows from across the years in New York State with our interactive map below!

Grateful Dead The Palestra at University of Rochester – Rochester, NY 11/20/70

Set 1: Cold Rain And Snow , Me And My Uncle, Next Time You See Me, China Cat Sunflower > I Know You Rider, Sugar Magnolia, Friend Of The Devil, Mama Tried, Good Lovin’ > Drums > Good Lovin’, Cumberland Blues, Candyman, Truckin’ > The Other One > Saint Stephen > Not Fade Away > Goin’ Down The Road Feeling Bad > Not Fade Away > I’m A King Bee, Casey Jones

Set 2: It’s All Over Now, Instrumental > Spring Song Tuning > Around And Around, Jam > Darling Corey > Jam > Tuning > Space Jam, Uncle John’s Band

November 20, 2021
Protomartyr Return To The Live Stage For Three New York Shows
Detroit based post-punk vets Protomartyr are back; on tour for the first time post-COVID and giving their excellent 5th LP Ultimate Success Today the live treatment. The band made their way to Bushwick’s Elsewhere Hall this past Thursday, November 18 followed by two more sold out shows upstate at Tubby’s in Kingston.

Protomartyr at Elsewhere 11/18/21. Photo by Buscar Photo

The night opened with a fiery punk rock set from the Philly based band TVO. After a short changeover, Poughkeepsie native and free jazz legend Joe McPhee took the stage for a deep and abstract saxophone performance. The crowd was quite taken back by the significant change of pace, but McPhee stepped up to the microphone and performed a 20 minute set consisting of three distinct movements. Bits of distinguishable jazz rhythms kept popping up, surrounded by layers of breathing and speaking (inaudibly) through the instrument as if an entire story was being narrated. You could hear a pin drop in the room while McPhee was performing, but he concluded with a thundering applause from an audience truly shocked and in awe of what we witnessed.

Joe McPhee at Elsewhere, 11/18/21. Photo by Buscar Photo

Protomartyr have been a cult success for their first couple of albums and their stature has grown quite a bit with their more recent releases. LPs such as The Agent Intellect and Relatives in Descent solidified the band’s sound; a solid post punk backing fronted with deep vocal style reminiscent of Nick Cave. Ultimate Success Today, released in July of 2020, stayed true to that sound and provided another pillar to the band’s catalog. One of the singles from the album, “Processed By The Boys,” came along with a comical video featuring the band in 80s era TV game show form.

The short tour started earlier in November and after the three New York shows, the band has one final stop in Pittsburgh to close out the run. Photos from the Elsewhere show are below and stay tuned for more updates from the band as the tour wraps up.
November 20, 2021
Thundercat Keeps It Weird At Higher Ground

Thundercat brought his grooves to Higher Ground last Wednesday night, performing a jam-heavy set interjected with thoughtful musings on his friends, his passions, and his career.

Known for his mind-bending bass riffs and soulful, high vocals, Thundercat brought an inventive, jam-heavy set elevated by his classic comedic flair. Playing to a mesmerized crowd, he encouraged the Ballroom to fall into the music the same way he does.

Thundercat. Photo by Hattie Lindert.

Compton producer Channel Tres opened for Thundercat, melding glitzy club beats with deep, emotive vocals. At first, Tres rose to fame crafting beats for hip-hop stars like Wale and Kehlani; now he’s forging a name for himself. Although initially the crowd seemed underappreciative of his set (he deserved a Brooklyn Steel crowd), by the end he had converted fans jumping at the barrier. By the time he closed with the pulsating “Topdown,” the crowd was screaming as he performed original choreography. At one point, he wiped his brow with a merch t-shirt, then tossed it into the crowd.

“Hey, I’ll sign it for you,” he called out the lucky winner. “I mean you never know, I might be famous one day.”

Channel Tres. Photo by Hattie Lindert

Channel Tres. Photo by Hattie Lindert

Thundercat’s comical and outlandish style precedes him, and he did not disappoint when he took the stage in an oversize, sparkling Gucci barrette. Even more outsized than his style is his mythical skill on the bass guitar. Before he even stepped on stage, tour staff came out to carefully lay the instrument by his mic.

“There it is,” an audience member in the front row whispered in awe. “There it f*cking is.”

Thundercat. Photo by Hattie Lindert

Throughout the show, Thundercat spoke continually about beloved friends and coworkers he’s lost. Thundercat has often spoken about the pain of losing close friend Mac Miller to an overdose in 2018. That loss had a deep effect on the artist himself, and the formulation of his critically acclaimed latest album, 2020’s It Is What It Is. Thundercat also shared stories of his childhood best friend, pianist Austin Peralta, who has since passed. As he dove into a racing rendition of “I Love Louis Cole,” Thundercat credited Peralta with introducing him to the artist’s music.

“Mac, MF Doom, DMX, Austin… they changed my life,” he said. “And I’m still here.” The following performance was nothing if not a celebration of life. Afterwards, he performed “A Message for Austin,” the track he wrote dedicated to Peralta, falling into an insane acid jazz jam session.

Thundercat. Photo by Hattie Lindert

Thundercat’s personality is defined by his passions, and he mused on them all: fashion, anime, his cat, Tron. He assured the crowd he’s working on new music, though a wide berth of tracks from his extensive catalog, along with Flying Lotus and Knower covers. Mostly, he jammed, disappearing into the eyes of keyboardist Dennis Hamm and drummer Justin Brown.

Thundercat knows his audience, and how long they’ve waited to see him; he gave fans a treat closing with crowd-pleasers “Them Changes” and “Funny Thing.” Though he remained faithful to the hits, Thundercat still experimented. Tracks like “Nowhere,” a Knower cover, and “Existential Dread,” found him switching things up and sometimes even extending runs beyond the crowd’s content. After all, as he playfully called out, many of them were still underage.

Thundercat. Photo by Hattie Lindert.

Thundercat’s expressive, masterful skill on the bass translates well to storytelling, be it comedic or serious. His graceful hands, adorned with tattoos, fly as he describes a night out drunken of Jameson with friends or a scene from Death Note. Above all, he wanted to share pieces of himself with the crowd: music, stories and laughs.

“I know you guys know the power of music,” he said to a cheer. That night, the power of live performance felt just as meaningful.

November 19, 2021
Dirty Dozen Brass Band Cissy Strut back to The Blue Note

The Dirty Dozen Brass band from New Orleans just finished up a four night residency at Blue Note on Sunday November 14. Fellow Orleans Cats Ivan Neville and Tony Hall of Dumpstaphunk checked out the brass band at the Note on Thursday before their two night sold out run at Madison Square Garden with Dave Matthews Band.

Photo by Dino Perrucci

You never know who will stop in to New York City’s infamous Blue Note Jazz Club in Manhattan. Since the clubs history in 1981 it wasn’t uncommon to have Stevie Wonder appear on the Greenwich Village stage room that seats 250. Isaiah Sharkey and Cory Henry helped kick some funky neo soul beats from the club so far this year. During their Fall 2021 residency lasting over thirty days with Robert Glasper the club welcomed Chris Rock and Dave Chappelle to the Note.

Photo by Dino Perrucci

The Dirty Dozen Brass Band helped keep the New Orleans groove in the village vibrant during their four night stay. The brass section consists of Kirk Joseph on jazz sousaphone, Roger Lewis on Baritone Sax, Calvin Johnson on tenor saxophone, Timothy Norris on Trombone and Gregory Davis on Trumpet and vocals. Guitarist Takeshi Shimura and on Drums Julian Addison. Sitting in during the residency were Dave Mullen & Rick Frank on horns.

Gregory Davis gave the club a bit of an angle on the bands influences that helped get every one up from their tables. Davis told the sold out Blue Note crowd,

One of our influences was James Brown. James always played music that people would dance to. So Get on Up! James would want to see you shake your tail feather.

Photo by Dino Perrucci

To keep James spirit strutting down West 3rd street the dozen laid down a “Super Bad” jam that everybody on the Note stage stretched out on. Improvisation on a classic funk cut at its finest.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BbUcEt8dRSU

Davis also got to the crowd to partake vocally by turning their seats in to funk doctor chairs. “You know when your at the Doctor and he gets you to say Ahh?” “Do it just like that” The procedure worked as the crowd gave way in unison to their “Ahhs” that helped launch the band in to the classic New Orleans funk composition “Cissy Strut”

The world renowned New Orleans groove that was in Manhattan this past weekend from the Garden to The Blue Note was a vibe. It carved out some trenches from the Mississippi to the Hudson River, It created another musical niche with the other great Blue Note locations in Tokyo and Nagoya, Japan, Milan, Italy, Waikiki, Hawaii, Napa California, Beijing, China and Sao Paulo & Rio De Janeiro Brazil. When asked about performing at the Blue Note Tokyo legendary artist Steve Gadd told NYS Music the secret to playing any great gig.

I mean you always go off the audience. When you get it musically to a level where everyone on the bandstand is having fun and can hear each other and you can trust the audience is hearing it the way you are it gets to a spiritual level. In Japan or wherever you are, that’s the goal.

November 18, 2021
Ripe Cover Elton John at Empire Live in Albany
Empire Live has become quite the up and coming venue in 2021 and what better place to host an up and coming band in Ripe, with The Heavy Hours and Max Muscato opening the show on Friday, November 12th.

The Boston based Ripe rolled through Albany in the midst of a long tour taking them through a lot of the Northeast, into Canada, and finishing out the year with two shows for New Years Eve at Irving Plaza on December 30th and 31st. After taking off the month of January their winter tour kicks off in Knoxville and runs through the deep south before heading out to the Midwest.

Set List: Flipside, Downward > Stanky, Escape, Beta Male, Queen of the City, Pretty Dirty > Passerby, Noise in the Forest > First Time Feeling, Bennie and the Jets, 5am, Talk to the Moon > Follow Through > Little Lighter

Encore: Goon Squad
November 17, 2021
Zedd Unleashes Euphoric Set Selling Out NYC Club, Nebula
Flying straight from Orlando’s EDC concert, Zedd moved the party to New York City on Saturday, November 13 in the heart of Times Square, selling out Nebula’s second official opening weekend. Entrancing the crowd with his signature electro house drops and mesmerizing psychedelic LED screens, Zedd’s very presence atop the stage paralleled that of a higher power.

photo by Jarrett Birnbaum, Of The Art

Worshipping crowdgoers welcomed the well decorated German-Russian DJ that has paved the electronic scene for over a decade. Almost on command Zedd wielded his powers, sending chills down several hundred spines starting with the all so notable eerie Squid Game introduction to unleashing the intoxicating beat of Do it Do it from Cherish. His edit of Squid Game x Do it Do it swallowed us into a two hour rave marathon of his GRAMMY winning catalogue.

photo by Jarrett Birnbaum, Of The Art

Certainly a renowned powerhouse EDM DJ virtuoso, he reminded us how he single handedly shaped the soundscape of the early 2010s era starting his set with Stay the Night (feat. Hayley Williams) and The Middle. Immediately working the crowd with nostalgia of the good ‘ol days, Zedd was just as excited to see fans memorize his every lyric. The DJ, songwriter, and record producer found himself infected with his own rhythms jumping relentlessly with one proud fist in the air. Sampling Lil Nas X’s “Industry Baby” we were lured away from Zedd’s originals, unlocking edits of Drake’s “Way 2 Sexy” and Daft Punk’s “One More Time”.

photo by Jarrett Birnbaum, Of The Art

Palms open and looking to the sky Zedd was able to contact his fellow EDM gods for countless thick heavy bass drops thrumming the dance floor to fuel ceaselessy dancing fans.

Zedd made full use of New York City’s newest club. The all encompassing LED screens put on acclaimed painted visuals taking club goers soaring through space, inside futuristic tunnels, and swimming through vortexes. Combined with synchronized strobe lights pointed every which way, Zedd provided a full sensory performance. A true connoisseur, prolonging each beat drop gearing us for the high intensity ultimate of euphoric choruses from “Spectrum” even singing along to Ariana Grande’s “Break Free” with the rest of us.

photo by Jarrett Birnbaum, Of The Art

The sheer intimacy of the soldout 700 person max venue aided in creating a closer bond to the almost untouchable DJ. His charisma could be felt all the way in the back depths of the club. In a sly attempt to hide his celebrity, he occasionally appeared as a mere shadow letting his LED lightshow dictate the concert along while waving just one finger in the air, complete with a drink in the other. His limited check-ins with the crowd and bright let us know was enjoying it all as much as we were, basking in the glory of the name he has made for himself.

photo by Jarrett Birnbaum, Of The Art

The EDM scene is often believed to be crafted around drugs that claim to fully encapture each performance, yet the community projects carefree and accepting energy builds families on the dance floor. He made it almost impossible not to become best friends with strangers entranced by his music. when erupting countless climax of euphoric woes with every bass drop. Each inevitable buildup releasing to well crafted high intensity drops cooked up an addicting recipe that fans could not get enough of.

photo by Jarrett Birnbaum, Of The Art

To pull in the rails of the night, Zedd cranked his signature “Clarity” with one last remark, “New York! My name is Zedd and I f****** love you! Put your hands up if you had a great time.” One last drop erupted the climax of the night matched with bursts of confetti and fog covering roaring fans and blaring kick drums. His first GRAMMY winning song made way for ubiquitous dancing closing the night with unbelievable insanity. Classic Zedd.

photo by Jarrett Birnbaum, Of The Art
photo by Jarrett Birnbaum, Of The Art
November 17, 2021