With four multi-night runs at the Fillmore East already in the books for 1970, the Grateful Dead returned to their New York City headquarters for a fifth one in September. And, once again, they would be joined by their friends in New Riders of the Purple Sage for the festivities. This would be their third run of the year here in this “Evening with the Grateful Dead” format that featured music from both bands, with the Dead playing one acoustic and one electric set of music. This show also marks the first time David Grisman played along side Jerry Garcia in a live setting for the first time. September 20 was the final night of this particular run and features, arguably, one of the better acoustic sets known to Deadheads.
The opening set is accordingly introduced as “Acoustic Dead” and the band immediately launches into “Uncle John’s Band.” It’s a delightfully casual take on a Dead classic that’s harmonized nicely and sets the tone for the set. They even get some assistance from the Fillmore crowd which is gladly clapping along in time by song’s end. Jerry Garcia continues to man lead vocals on the “Deep Elem Blues” that follows, a song that would follow him around in live settings for the rest of his life. Grisman’s mandolin play blends in perfectly with the acoustic guitars, giving this one a unique feel. And with the added strings and acoustic influence provided by Grisman, a first set “Friend Of The Devil” sounds so crisp that one would think they were playing American Beauty over the PA.
“Big Railroad Blues” features David Nelson on yet another mandolin in a fun, fast-paced version that’s like no other. It was only the third performance ever of a song the Dead would go on to play for the remainder of their playing career. This is backed up by a splendid “Dark Hollow” with Bob Weir jumping in on lead vocals. There is so much acoustic firepower on stage, Garcia actually jumps on the piano for “To Lay Me Down,” quite a rare occurrence.
“Rosalie McFall” joins the fray afterwards, a Charlie Monroe cover and another acoustic song that would go on to be a mainstay for future Garcia acoustic performances. The remainder of the opening set has a decidedly classic Dead feel to it, beginning with “Cumberland Blues,” continuing with a riveting “New Speedway Boogie” that has a lovely little acoustic jam tied to it, and ending with the always emotional “Brokedown Palace.”
The second set then brings along the electricity, both literally and figuratively. “Casey Jones” comes rolling down the tracks to open things before the iconic opening licks of “China Cat Sunflower” ring out loud and true. While not particularly stretched out or extended, a perfectly seamless transition into “I Know You Rider” follows, and with each verse the Grateful Dead delighting the Fillmore crowd even further. It’s cut off a bit on the recording below, but “Candyman” then cools things down a bit, courtesy of the delicate singing and customary harrowing guitar play from Garcia.
This Fillmore show also features a few Dead rarities. “Big Boy Pete” is played for the only sixth time ever and the last one ever with Pigpen who finally gets some lead vocal action. It’s a quick. bluesy number that the band would dust off twice more in the future, with random unshelvings in 1978 and 1985. Perhaps inspired by the last number, or just turned up in the mix, Pigpen shines on the “Me And My Uncle” that comes next, supplying some inspired fills. Seizing the momentum, he then takes center stage and belts out one of his signature songs, “Easy Wind,” that also ably serves as one of the more extended jams of the evening.
A still raw “Sugar Magnolia” follows, but has a fun little vocal breakdown and shows all the signs of being a Grateful Dead staple for years to come. After a quick run through of the Weir-led “Mama Tried,” the Dead go big for this particular Fillmore closing sequence, starting with a massive “Not Fade Away.” This may as well have been the “Drums” portion of the evening as drummers Bill Kreutzmann and Mickey Hart lead the charge on this one, trading percussive punches back and forth that fuel a mesmerizing sequence of improv.
This sets the table for “Caution (Do Not Step On Tracks)” which, it could be argued, serves as the “Space” portion tonight. It’s the Dead at their finest: frenetic and psychedelic blues, powered by probing bass lines from Phil Lesh, and adorned with Pigpen riffing on vocals while feedback and other audio wizardry abound. The jam eventually devolves to only drums, bass and Pig on harmonica for a spell. Garcia then reemerges on lead guitar and the band begins to tie a bow on the second set the only way they know how – with a six-minute feedback jam. From this, the a capella “We Bid You Goodnight” emerges, serving as the de facto encore and officially closing out another memorable Grateful Dead run at the Fillmore East.
Grateful Dead Fillmore East – New York City, NY 9/20/70
Set 1: Uncle John’s Band, Deep Elem Blues, Friend Of The Devil, Big Railroad Blues, Dark Hallow, Ripple, To Lay Me Down, Truckin’, Rosalie McFall, Cumberland Blues, New Speedway Boogie, Brokedown Palace
Set 2: Casey Jones, China Cat Sunflower -> I Know You Rider, Candyman, Sittin’ On Top Of The World, Big Boy Pete, Me And My Uncle, Easy Wind, Sugar Magnolia, Attics Of My Life, Mama Tried, Not Fade Away > Caution (Do Not Step On The Tracks) > Feedback Jam > And We Bid You Goodnight
2001 was a formative year for the relatively new Trey Anastasio Band (TAB). Since sprouting roots a few years earlier, the band had already grown from a three-piece to a six-piece ensemble. Co-founders Tony Markellis (bass) and Russ Lawton (drums), along with Trey, were supplemented with the addition of a horn section consisting of Dave Grippo (saxophone), Jennifer Hartswick (trumpet) and Andy Moroz (trombone) for a short tour earlier in the year.
Come summer, the TAB outfit would add two more full-time members, rounding into an official octet. Another Giant Country Horn, Russel Remington (saxophone/flute) was added to the fray along with Ray Paczkowski, who still mans the keyboards for the band today. The addition of Paczkowski and a keyboard rig to the lineup was a clear game changer, bringing an extra layer of sound and funk that would seem irreplaceable today. Summer of 2001 would be the first time the TAB ‘Octet’ would hit the road, one that included a pair of choice NY gigs that helped close out the tour.
August 3, 2001 Jones Beach
Trey wastes no time getting this show up and running, with the wah pedal at the ready for a bouncy “Burlap Sack and Pumps” opener. It also features an extended saxophone solo from Dave “The Truth” Grippo that helps fuel the high intensity start. The crux of the first set is a 20-minute “Last Tube” that gets smoothed out nicely after some early feedback issues. Everyone gets a turn to solo on this one in a jam that slowly but steadily picks up steam throughout. Jennifer Hartswick’s enchanting harmonies shine through on “Flock of Words” before “Cayman Review,” a song that debuted only weeks ago, picks things back up. This early version is played a step or two slower than its contemporary one, but the funk is still very much evident, showing why it’s remained a staple of TAB setlists. A spirited “Moesha” later caps off a first set that, with the exception of “Words,” never comes to a full stop.
Much like “Last Tube” in the first, TAB’s second set at Jones Beach is heavily influenced by one song. “Money, Love and Change,” another new to TAB song only debuted a handful of shows ago, opens the set and doesn’t let up until well after 25 minutes later. The opening composed section sounds a little shaky as one would expect for a new song, but soon another Tony Markellis-led groove heaps fuel onto the improvisational fire and the jam is off and running. After a brief Trey/Ray duel on guitar and keys, the main theme re-emerges briefly but instead of coming to a close, the horn section leads a direct charge into “Plasma,” cementing a powerhouse start to this set. Newcomer Russ Remington shines when given the chance to lead the way on flute for a little while. Afterwards, Trey makes note of the venue’s new upper level of seats that wasn’t there the last time her played Jones Beach before launching into a scorching “Mr. Completely.”
After closing the second set with “Sand,” the tangible Phish vibe only grew stronger as bassist Mike Gordon came out and joined Trey for a three-song acoustic encore. With Phish still in the midst of their first self-imposed hiatus at this time, this helped to quell any unfounded rumors of the band’s early demise. The “internationally acclaimed movie director” (Gordon had recently releasedOutside Out) showed off his versatility and joined Trey on acoustic guitar for “Back on the Train” before switching back to bass and closing out the evening with a “Bathtub Gin” that had large swaths of the Jones Beach crown clapping and/or singing along at various points.
Trey Anastasio Band – Jones Beach Amphitheater – Wantagh, NY 8/3/01
Set 1: Burlap Sack and Pumps, Acting the Devil, Last Tube, Flock of Words, Cayman Review, Sidewalks of San Francisco, Moesha
Set 2: Money, Love and Change -> Plasma, Mr. Completely, At the Gazebo, Sand
Encore: Mountains in the Mist, Back on the Train, Bathtub Gin
Mike Gordon sat in for entire encore.
August 5, 2001 SPAC
After a quick dip into Massachusetts on August 4 for a gig at the Tweeter Center, TAB was back in NY two days later for the tour closer, this time Upstate and visiting another old friend, SPAC. With this still very much being the “early days,” a lot of the song pairings and sequences that were seen in Jones Beach would reappear here as the band’s musical repertoire was nowhere near where it is today. But much like snowflakes, no two TAB shows are completely alike.
The band drops “Last Tube” right away this evening as the opener. While it doesn’t quite reach the range of the Jones Beach version, it serves as more than an apt opener that has the band in peak form early and the Saratoga Springs crowd up and dancing immediately. Another sterling solo from Grippo and a rousing peak led by Anastasio again highlight this one. Then it’s right back into the still fledged “Cayman Review,” with Pazckowski moving nimbly between both the clav and organ. “Burlap Sack and Pumps” rounds out the opening trio, enabled by a pulsating Tony Markellis bass line that doesn’t quit. Although the order differed, the only new song in tonight’s first set from two nights prior is the calypso-infused “Alive Again” that appears later in the set, another (now) classic TAB song that was only first played earlier this summer.
Greg Haymes’ Times Union recap of TAB at SPAC
The second set at SPAC has a familiar start but does finally begin to offer a little variety. At this point of the tour, it’s evident that Trey knows which songs are the heavy hitters. Thus, the second stanza begins with a return to “Money, Love and Change.” Once more, it doesn’t quite reach the depths of the Jones Beach version, but Trey still uses the groove-filled jam that ensues as a vehicle to transition right into “Plasma” again.
The setlist then starts to offer a little variety, starting with an exquisite take on the TAB original “Drifting” where the harmony between Anastasio and Hartswick again reigns supreme. Another familiar tune to the Phish faithful emerges after this as the band doubles up on “tubes” for the evening and drops a pulsating mid-set “First Tube.” One of the gems of the entire show is TAB’s take on the soul classic “Ooh Child,” a rare polished cover that dates all the way back to the days of the original trio.
The show, and tour, is closed out in proper fashion with a set-ending “Push On ‘Til the Day” that follows along in the early TAB tradition of locking into an early groove supplied by the rhythm section of Markellis and Lawton and then expanding from there. With the entire horn section locked in as well, it’s a joyous sendoff and a fitting set closer. The instrumental “Mozambique” serves as as the encore, wrapping up a successful tour and two nights in NY for TAB.
It was the Summer of 1973, the ‘Hippie movement’ of the 1960’s still existed, but only in isolated pockets, tucked way in the dusty cobwebbed corners of the counterculture. Groups like the Grateful Dead, Allman Brothers Band, and The Band were still playing to crowds that held tightly to the ideals of the mid 1960’s, which the groups themselves still carried on through their music. The bands were also undergoing personal changes reflected back at them through their audience. All three bands and more than 600,000 of their fans would descend on Watkins Glen for one of the largest concerts in recorded history, Summer Jam.
The genesis for 1973’s Summer Jam began as a brain storm by promoters Shelly Finkel and Jim Koplik who had discussed and planned on setting a line up for the ages. After seeing members of the Allman Brothers Band sit in with the Grateful Dead at a Summer 1972 concert at Roosevelt Stadium the seed was planted to bring together an astronomical set of musicians for a gathering to rival even Woodstock, boy, would they be surprised.
The decision to bring The Band on board came by the promoters asking the Dead and Allman’s which artist they would most like to have join them on the bill, the decision was easy and unanimous. Plans were put in place and and set in motion. Roughly 150,000 tickets were sold at $10.00 a piece for the show, large by any standard of measurement. To everyone’s surprise, by the evening prior to the concert that number of intrepid travelers had already showed up to the festival site. By show time on July 28 the number would exceed an estimated 600,000 fans.
Often overshadowed by other festivals in the annals of rock history, the show became something different than originally planned, but ended up being remembered fondly by all participants. The concert also seemed to signal the end of an era, ushering in a time where festivals became corporate interests instead of private excursions into the unknown. Soon to be gone were the days of Monterey, Woodstock, and the Isle of Wight, properly concluding with the biggest of them all ‘Summer Jam,’ situated smack dab in the middle of New York State. Two of the principal performing artists, The Grateful Dead and Allman Brothers had recently lost founding members, Pigpen for the Dead in March of 1973, and Duane Allman and Barry Oakley for the Allmans in 1971 and 1972 respectively. These deaths caused a restructure and reassessment of both bands musical futures which at this point seemed somewhat uncertain for both groups.
The Band on the other hand was also hanging by a thread because of personal issues regarding publishing, as well as substance abuse seeping into the fabric of the group. The ‘Summer Jam’ acts as a celebration of the recent past for the artists involved, as well as a signpost to an unknown future. For the Grateful Dead, the festival featured one of their usual blistering 1973 sets, in addition to an perfectly encapsulated instrumental journey tagged as one of their finest, hailing in true Grateful Dead fashion from the sound check. The Allmans played an extended and crisply executed set featuring new songs from their retooled line up and fiery soloing from Dickey Betts. Robbie Robertson has often been quoted that the Watkins Glen set was one of the legendary performing moments by the boys, and will go down in history as one of their best.
In spite of prior planning by the promoters and authorities leading up to the evening of the concert, roads and highways were still backed up for a hundred miles, stores in Watkins Glen and surrounding areas were wiped of groceries and beer, and over 150,000 folks were waiting at the 95 acre concert site a night early. Routes 14 and 17 were gridlocked, and even secret back road entries were congested with abandoned cars, forgotten ground scores and backpacking travelers making their way to the festival site.
The day of July 27 found all three bands arriving, scoping out the situation, and standing slack jawed at the amount of people already at the festival site. Legend tells us that when Robbie Robertson guitarist of The Band inquired about a sound check in preparation for the expansive outdoor venue, all three bands decided to do the same thing that evening and make it a mini performance. What happened next is the stuff legends are made of. All three bands played beautiful sets to the lucky early arrivals. The Band ran through a couple of their well know classics as well as jamming on a few unique instrumental grooves that harkened back to their days as The Hawks, when they were still playing Toronto bars and clubs.
A crushing ‘The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down’ opens the ‘rehearsal’ and is answered by encouraging crowd feedback. The instrumental groove the group break into following ‘Dixie’ is jump started by Danko’s smooth fretless bass flourishes and the rest of the band falling in line with a jumpy Levon Helm swing. Robertson’s Stratocaster draws blood with its stinging ring cutting through the somewhat marginal sound quality. Another jewel of the practice session is the rare Danko sung version of ‘Raining in My Heart,’ a bit jagged, but oh so charming.
The Allman’s followed and also ran through a rough and ready sound check that was made up of a few songs planned for the next evening including ‘Ramblin Man’ and ‘One Way Out,’ short but sweet when compared to what would follow. When the Grateful Dead approached the stage for their ‘rehearsal’ segment little did the band or assembled throng know what they were in for.
The Grateful Dead’s ‘soundcheck’ appeared as two sets lasted an hour and a half, but according to many opinions and in true Grateful Dead fashion possibly outshines the next day’s ‘official’ performance. The bonus being the performance circulates in pristine quality unlike songs from the other participants of the concert. The unique improvised instrumental jam that preceded ‘Wharf Rat’ is an anomalous display, never to recreated, and is one of those magical Grateful Dead moments made for the time in which it was born. The jam appeared years later on the official release box set So Many Roads, proof of its distinguished standing in the Dead’s long and varied history.
Prior to the sound checks first highlight ‘Bird Song,’ Phil Lesh states ‘This whole thing is a fraud, we’re really clever androids,’ as they band prepares to levitate off of the ground. ‘Bird Song’ comes skipping in, riding with Kreutzmann on the humid Summer evening breeze. Succulent and patient Garcia and Lesh probe the soft cloudy edges of the jam, floating in space. Expansive yet slightly tentative, the ‘Bird Song’ jams wings are lifted by the gusts of inspiration starting to stir.
After polished and well played versions of various first set classics, including a big fat ‘Tennessee Jed’, the band finds itself in one of those sacred spaces, where the music eventually plays the band, and all bets are off. The unnamed jam grows from silence, quietly, pensively, with light cymbal hits and the guitarists peeking around corners probing into darkness. Lesh increases the intensity with some fuzzy chording; Weir gives the musical drift a tangible shape with perfectly timed strums. Lesh then begins to drone and detonate, the band turns into particles and star dust, breaking apart, and then coagulating as a Garcia led jam rises from nothingness. Billy K catches on, Garcia sets the rhythm and the band achieves lift off. Slick, smooth and jazzy, the band improvises idea after idea. Weir strikes out with nervous lush rhythmic ideas, Phil hides and seeks, and Garcia peels off layer after layer of juicy skin revealing the jam’s plump and succulent center. The band sinks their teeth deep into the music creating one of their finest moments in front of the lucky crowd who descended early upon Watkins Glen that Summer night of 1973.
An endless stream of collaborative ideas pours from the group like the icy waters raging through the shady tree lined Watkins Glen only a few short miles away. Some of the melodies are familiar, some are brand new, some mix and match like oil and water, some blend like paints on an artists pallet. One of the finest musical moments in the Grateful Dead’s long and storied history has just occurred, thankfully captured for posterity. An audacious beginning to a concert event that hasn’t even ‘started’ yet! The jam eventually dissolves into a fitting and lucid ‘Wharf Rat,’ the previous journey to arrive there filled with drama and intrigue.
The Dead portion of the soundcheck concludes with a solid but anticlimactic ‘Around and Around’, that leaves the assembled throng looking to find a place to sleep, and prepare for the following days awe inspiring display of music, stamina, and mother nature, that would extend to extravagant lengths. The following day would start at 10:00 AM and conclude very early on the morning of July 30th; history was going to be made.
As the morning of July 28, 1973 revealed itself, the ground beneath the Watkins Glen, New York State Summer Jam concert site was preparing to hold the weight of 600,000 musical travelers ready to rock and roll. The largest gathering for a rock festival was about to take place with a legendary bill of bands that would play extended and legendary sets. After the previous evenings ‘warm up’, the groups as well as the crowd were primed for an all day event. Pleasant but humid New York Summer festival weather settled hazily across the bronzed crown of hippies slightly threatening summer storms. The awe inspiring event about to take place would make history in not only musical but social ways, the smoky remnants of that afternoon still smoldering in the annals of rock history.
The Grateful Dead took the stage promptly at noon to an introduction by Bill Graham who exclaimed, ‘From Marin County to Watkins Glen, the Grateful Dead!’ Blasting into an excitable ‘Bertha’ the Dead ran through a typical, that is to say, well played and amazing set of first set classics. The set is brimming with a typical East coast high energy, building to then detonating on a psychedelic pinnacle with the set closing ‘Playing in the Band’. Slithering through the some of the more familiar themes of the era, by half way into the jam Lesh and Garcia are exchanging husky scrubs and bombs, while the rest of the band is tied into a kinetic and electric fast paced groove. While not reaching the extravagant peaks of the jam from the night before, this is a thick and gooey ‘Playin in the Band’ from an era with many stand outs.
Following a marathon ‘China/Rider of epic proportions comes ‘Eyes of the World’, the peak of the second set and of the Dead’s performance for me; the post verse jam contains a plethora of melodic statements from Garcia, with the song morphing into a swelling and pulsating improvised drift. From fifteen minutes on, Garcia plays like a man possessed and hits on several syncopated grooves that band responds to in kind touching on the delicate spaces explored during the previous day’s sound check, before falling back into the recognizable ‘Stronger That Dirt’ theme. Garcia then deliciously liquefies the band into Weir’s well timed and well placed ‘Sugar Magnolia’. Observed as an entire piece of work the Grateful Dead played an amazing two days of music at Watkins Glen, a testament to their constant journey to strive for the golden note.
The Band’s set started at 6:00 PM after the Dead’s extended four and a half display concluded and became an amazing cross section of their legendary career, peppered with unique instrumental interludes specific to the Watkins Glen performance. Opening and romping joyously through ‘Goin Back To Memphis’, the Band’s music captured the feel of the festival perfectly through its pastoral imagery and down home instrumentation.
This is rock and roll, country blues distilled to its very essence; it doesn’t get much better than this! During these early moments of the Band set, the low point of the festival weekend occurred as a skydiver unfortunately missed their intended mark and perished on the grounds. As an addendum, there was a supposed ‘official’ release of the Band’s set from Watkins released in 1995, but after inspection and discussion it was revealed that this collection was/is a fraud and contains only two actual tracks from the event. The only way to hear the performance as it was is to hunt down one of the circulating audience recordings that exist in decent quality.
This concert takes place in the middle of a year of rest and uncertainty for the Band. Looked at historically, the concert is a towering peak in the landscape of the Band’s performing career. The songs are tight, dynamic and rise and fall like a high speed run down a country gravel road. Garth Hudson is especially on his game laying down a plethora of breezy and inspirational keyboard flourishes that would culminate with his divergent solo spot “Too Wet Too Work’. Danko and Helm are locked in tight, and the vocals of Manuel, Danko, and Helm wrap around one another like a snaky gospel revival. After rocketing through a series of exciting high tempo tracks including ‘Loving You Is Sweeter That Ever’, and a drunken romp through ‘The Shape I’m In’, the group is eventually forced to leave the stage for twenty minutes because of threatening inclement weather. During the jam on ‘Endless Highway’ prior to their leaving, the crowd can be heard on the recording discussing and preparing for the incoming thunder storm. The ‘fly on the wall’ aspect of this field recording is especially entertaining.
Levon Helm’s remembrance of this moment in his autobiography is that the group left the stage as the weather descended, gulped some Glenfiddich whiskey and watched Hudson return to his keyboard for his orchestral spotlight, ‘Genetic Method’ in this case driving away the rain in the process of the extended solo. Titled ‘Too Wet To Work’ in the case of this performance, Garth traveled through numerous musical landscapes, teasing dynamically, improvising, until the weather dissipated and the Band returned to the stage, slamming into a celebratory ‘Chest Fever’, that in Helm’s words would be forever ‘burned into his memory’. The crowd claps in time with the musical waves, a highpoint of the afternoon. The remainder of the Band set burns through an aggressive and elastic instrumental and then momentous and extended versions of smoldering rock classics like ‘Holy Cow’ and ‘Saved’, as well as crowd pleasing renditions of ‘Cripple Creek’ and ‘Life Is A Carnival.’ Absolutely legendary, the monumental nature of the day as well as joy emanating from the stage translates well to the field recording I am enjoying.
By the time Allman Brothers Band hit the stage at 10:00 PM, the almost one hundred acre concert site had become a swamp, and the happily soaked crowd swelled with anticipation for the upcoming musical onslaught. Opening with the recent for the time ‘Wasted Words’, the band is cooking from the get go with Betts and Allman dueling through vocals and slide guitar over the syncopated groove. The band receives a second introduction after the opener because Bill Graham wanted to make sure every band had each individual member introduced to the crowd. The Allman’s then swagger through beautifully crafted versions of ‘Come and Go Blues’ (featured on official release ‘Wipe the Windows, Check the Oil, Dollar Gas’) ‘Blue Sky’, ‘Jessica’, ‘You Don’t Love Me’, among others. Recent additions Chuck Leavell and Lamar Williams fill in admirably on keys and bass respectively. Leavell and Betts especially have developed an intense chemistry, bouncing hearty melodic ideas off each other throughout the show, with their interplay on ‘Blue Sky’ being a highpoint worth of inspection.
The centerpiece of the Allman’s extended set is the mammoth performance of ‘Les Brers In A Minor’ which bookends a pulsating and dynamic drum duet by Jaimoe and Butch Trucks, the second of the performance following an aggressive ‘You Don’t Love Me’ duet. Each member gets a chance to express themselves as ‘Les Brers’ like its distant cousins ‘Jessica’, and ‘Liz Reed’ navigates a series of death defying twists and turns while solving a series of delicate melodic mysteries. Rock and Roll veteran Chuck Leavell’s extended dance with the black and whites is a pleasure to behold and spreads out a plush carpet in which the band uses to step into drums. This song represents a powerful and confident jam by the retooled group, asserting their ability to move forward while still respecting their past brothers Duane and Barry. Betts guitar lines range from syrupy amber licks to sharp stinging fly bys, the central pole in which the group revolves.
The Allman Brothers set concludes with ‘Whipping Post’, hoped for, expected, and played like a runaway freight train headed down a dark track. Peak after peak is reached the crowd is astonished, amazed and taken to a unique place by the music played. The weekend ends bombastically, well past midnight following the Allman’s set when members from all three groups return to the stage for Summer Jam. Sincerely sloppy, and at moments stunningly brilliant the music continues into the dawn. Rick Danko appears first to drunkenly croon into the mic momentarily and quite endearingly, soon to be joined by Garcia, then Manuel and eventually Betts, Lesh, Allman and others for some more lengthy jamming to conclude the massive weekend of music to the crowds delight.
The music drifting from the stage meanders for a bit before falling into the highlights, ‘Not Fade Away’, ‘Mountain Jam’, and’ Johnny B Goode’, a momentous and special way to conclude the Summer Jam. The ‘Not Fade Away’ is pleasant enough, but the twenty plus minute ‘Mountain Jam’ the follows elicits speeding clouds, percolating rivers, and joyous wilderness romping. Garcia is especially active, intertwining and responding to everyone on stage. Betts and Garcia together create richly constructed summits during their journey, pausing at scenic overlooks that dance with collaborative playing by all of the principals on stage. The musical movement comes as a defining musical statement for the weekend, an instrumental climax, a joining of ideas and people and a perfect example of the magic available through collaborative musical interplay and willing participants.
Watkins Glen, Summer Jam 1973 is not only notable for its collection of an amazing group of musicians, but for its eclectic collection of fans. The collaboration between the two of these principals combined for a historic and alchemic weekend combining music and experience. The encapsulated moment in time for this weekend will never be recreated, but fortunately forever enshrined on recordings and in the memories of the participants.
On Saturday July 6, 1974, Rich Stadium in Orchard Park, NY held the first ever concert in its history. Eric Clapton and his band would serve as headliners, with The Band serving as a warm up for Slowhand. Tickets for the show were $8.50 each ($46 in 2021 dollars) and caught one of rock’s biggest legends upon the release of his classic 461 Ocean Boulevard.
The show was held one year after opening as the new home of the Buffalo Bills, going 9-5 in their inaugural season. More affectionately known as ‘The Ralph’ in the late 90s, the Buffalo-based multi-national food company Rich Products gave the stadium its original name, signing a 25-year, $1.5 million dollar deal, one of the first sales of naming rights in American sports.
Following a sellout show at Three Rivers Stadium in Pittsburgh the night before, the Buffalo show would not be Clapton’s finest hour by any means. July 5 was Robbie Robertson’s 31st birthday, and with The Band guitarist on the road with the hard-partying Eric Clapton, its possible that Clapton indulged too much the night prior, affecting his performance the next day. Clapton reportedly said “It’s Robbie’s birthday today and … there’s gonna be some bovver tonight.”
Not much is known about The Band’s set beyond their final song, which may have been the most pivotal part of the evening. Joining the opening band for a song is not unnatural for a headliner, but rarer still, as the impact of the main act’s arrival is lessened. When Clapton joined The Band on July 6 for an encore of “Chest Fever” in the support slot, the performance was disjointed and led to the drunken Clapton needing to be carried off stage.
photo by Watt Casey, Jr.
The Band setlist via Setlist.FM
Hard Times the Slop (Noble “Thin Man” Watts cover), Just Another Whistle Stop, Stage Fright, The Weight, The Shape I’m In, The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down, Across the Great Divide, Endless Highway, Up on Cripple Creek, The Unfaithful Servant, Smoke Signal, The Genetic Method, Chest Fever (with Eric Clapton)
Clapton’s band included George Terry (guitar), Dicks Sims (keyboards), Carl Radle (bass), Jamie Oldaker (drums), and Yvonne Elliman (backing vocals). Also joining the lineup was Freddie King, who was flown in specially for these shows.
Geetarz shares insight on Clapton’s performance, which is widely reported as the worst show of the 1974 tour, and a low point for sure. Eric was reportedly massively, incoherently drunk, and unintelligible at times. As the show begins with Clapton giving an outro to emcee “Legs” Larry Smith, a member of the crowd would shout “Clean Up Yer Act!,” a sign of the times indeed.
photo by Watt Casey, Jr.
Drunk and stoned, Clapton would start playing songs without getting the band on the same page, starting the show with a rambling “Last Train to Brownsville”, where he seemed to start engaging with the audience who had apparently been throwing fireworks at the Clapton, saying “To be serious … one more of them, I’ll tell you, and you’re out of here! One more of them silly fucking fireworks and you are out of here! Behavior!”
After “Let it Grow,” Clapton shouted “I am drunk and I am ready for fuckin’ trouble!,” and then brought up Freddie King, but Eric was far from ready and was outshone by King. Clapton even gave a drunken intro for King: “He’s strapping on his guitar, moving to the guest spot, and if you haven’t heard of him, you don’t fucking deserve him! His name is Freddy.”
photo by Watt Casey, Jr.
You would think that bringing on stage a blues guitarist he looked up to would keep Clapton on his toes, but he was outshined in Buffalo and reportedly unable to keep up during this performance of “Have You Ever Loved a Woman?” Doubling down, when King sang the line ‘It’s a shame and a sin’, Clapton weighed in unnecessarily: “Don’t believe them! There’s no shame, there’s no sin…” a revealing moment for Clapton who was at the time secretly in love with Patti Boyd, then married to his friend George Harrison.
Capping off the show with “Little Queenie,” Clapton was now more incoherent and ready to end the night. Rambling during the Chuck Berry song, and apparently triggered by the repeat mentions of the Queen, Clapton said “Meanwhile, in Birmingham …. England, that is, not here, in Alabama …. they’re making Persian carpets … at 19,000 quid apiece … there’s only 10 Pakistanis here! They can’t be bad – who am I?”
photo by Watt Casey, Jr.
The next night in Jersey City was reportedly a somewhat better show for Eric Clapton, and likely The Band as well, with a recording available below that offers an idea of what the July 6 show sounded like. Rich Stadium has seen many more shows over the years, with Clapton setting the bar low for all to exceed in the years that followed.
Going To Brownsville*, Smile, Let It Grow, Hideaway**, Have You Ever Loved A Woman**, Tell The Truth, Willie And The Hand Jive, Get Ready, Steam Rollin’ Man, Little Wing, Blues Power, Presence of The Lord, Little Queenie, Crossroads * with Legs Larry Smith ** with Freddie King
Photos below are by Watt Casey Jr., who was working for Showco, this being his first show.
To celebrate the 4th of July in 1989, the Grateful Dead decided to heed the advice of their song “Truckin’” and return to Buffalo. By now, it was near tradition for the band to celebrate our nation’s independence with summer tour shows in the Northeast. Starting with a show at the same venue, Rich Stadium, for a 4th of July gig in 1986, the Dead followed this up with another one in 1987 in Foxboro, MA.
In classic Grateful Dead style, for 1989, they mixed it back up, with a summer run of shows that began at Foxboro two days prior and landed back in Buffalo on the 4th. It’s a well-crafted and enjoyable show that sees the band in fine form, all fully engaged, cohesive, and perhaps most importantly, healthy. In 2005, it was officially released on DVD, with an accompanying CD soundtrack, appropriately titled Truckin’ Up To Buffalo. Although, oddly, the title track never makes an appearance tonight.
For an opener, the Dead bring out an old faithful in “Bertha” that sparks the ignition at Rich Stadium this evening. Jerry Garcia adding a little extra “4th of July” mustard to the lyrics and the band easily toying with the reentry at one point only enliven the crowd further. This is succeeded by “Greatest Story Ever Told,” with fellow guitarist Bob Weir taking over the controls, admirably backed up, as usual, by Brent Mydland both vocally and instrumentally on electric piano. In the pivotal three-spot tonight, the band reverts back to another old standby, their signature take on the folk classic “Cold Rain And Snow.”
Weir then tags back in for another cover tune. This time it’s the band’s take on “Walkin’ Blues,” an old blues standard that was reintroduced to their live shows a few years prior. A lively Hammond organ solo from Mydland that’s supplanted by slick work from Weir on guitar along with his signature vocal stylings highlight this one. Garcia seems to take great delight in playing the “Row Jimmy” that follows, as made evident by the smiles that accompany two poignant guitar solos and a flawless vocal delivery. It’s a beautiful rendition from an era of the band’s history that produced a lot of them.
The Dead then go back to their vaunted bag of “covers,” this time going with a choice version of the Bob Dylan-penned “When I Paint My Masterpiece.”
The Dead go back even further for the next song, “Stagger Lee,” their electricized cover of another folk song that dates back to the early 20th century. To close out the rest of the first, they return to their immense catalog of original material, starting with “Looks Like Rain.” Weir tackles the emotional vocals with ease while Garcia tacks on some more transcendent guitar fills for good measure. A rowdy “Deal,” accentuated by more frenetic work from Garcia on the fret board, then caps off the first set, with the Rich Stadium crowd vociferously making their appreciation known.
To ring in the second set for Buffalo’s 4th of July celebration in 1989, the Grateful Dead rip into an immaculate “Touch Of Grey.” The pulsating bass line deployed by Phil Lesh that doesn’t quit and more nimble guitar play from Garcia gets the communal engine revved backed up again in a big way.
After a quick pause, “Man Smart (Woman Smarter)” keeps the line moving. Brent Mydland steals the show on this one, lending both his signature raspy singing tone and some dazzling work on the organ that flavor the song perfectly. The Dead then go back into the earlier pages of the songbook again and slow things down a touch with “Ship Of Fools.” Some exquisite rhythm guitar play from Weir and fully engaged vocals on Garcia’s end seem to give this “Ship” a little extra edge to it.
But instead of a full stop afterwards, the Dead effortlessly slink into an instrumental section of “Playin’ In The Band” before taking it out for one verse, merely serving as a reprise. Perhaps remembering they opened the previous show with PITB two days ago at the Foxboro show, the proverbial ripcord is deployed and the band effortlessly shifts gear into a different classic, “Terrapin Station.”
Like it’s done so many times before, the percussive heavy outro of “Terrapin” slowly gets consumed by drummers Bill Kreutzmann and Mickey Hart and the “Drums” portion of the evening ensues. They leave no stone unturned, unleashing an impressive arsenal of percussive agents from around the world, including an electronic-sounding steel drum and an African talking drum.
Some heavy duty kaleidoscopic imagery accompanies their playing on the video, as the rest of the band begins to reenter the fray for the “Space” portion. Eventually, a familiar tone breaks through, a quasi-trumpet sound, courtesy of one of Garcia’s many guitar filters. This paves the way for the delicate “I Will Take You Home,” sung passionately as always by Mydland, that’s juxtaposed wonderfully with the scorching take of “All Along The Watchtower” that follows.
The end of the second set wraps with another couple of tried and true Grateful Dead live staples. “Morning Dew” allows Garcia to drop a few more staggering guitar solos, which he does with ease in conjunction with some truly inspired and emotional singing. “Not Fade Away” then gets the rest of the band, and the Buffalo faithful, singing together one last time to close out the set.
The crowd continues to serenade the band through the encore break which ends once “U.S. Blues” emerges, a fitting closure to this 4th of July show, and just like they had done three years ago as well.
Both full audio and video of this vintage Dead show can be found below. Happy birthday, America!
Grateful Dead Rich Stadium – Buffalo, NY July 4th, 1989
Set 1: Bertha > Greatest Story Ever Told, Cold Rain And Snow, Walkin’ Blues, Row Jimmy, When I Paint My Masterpiece, Stagger Lee, Looks Like Rain > Deal
Set 2: Touch Of Grey, Man Smart (Woman Smarter), Ship Of Fools > Playin’ In The Band Reprise > Terrapin Station > Drums > Space > I Will Take You Home > All Along The Watchtower > Morning Dew, Not Fade Away
Motörhead are one of the great metal bands of legend, with a long history of playing multiple gigs throughout the State dating back to their first US tour in 1981: New York City, Poughkeepsie, Rochester, Syracuse, Buffalo – these cities saw numerous Motörhead gigs in the years the band toured America. Not Albany.
Oddly, this 2000 gig at Northern Lights remains the only headline show Motörhead ever played in the Albany/Saratoga area, EVER, in 40 years of being a band, almost 35 years of touring America. I don’t count Poughkeepsie in that – 1.5 hours south of Albany, a much smaller city, yet they first played there in 1981 on the ‘Ace of Spades’ tour opening for Ozzy, played again in ’83 headlining with Robbo, and played The Chance and Mid-Hudson Civic Center many, many times since.
Lemmy and the boys played lots of times, in little, backwater Poughkeepsie, but they’ve hardly ever played in the much bigger Albany area (the only other times were opening for Ozzy at SPAC in ’92 – Mikkey Dee’s first-ever gig with Motörhead – and more recently at Glens Falls with Megadeth and SPAC with Slayer, both in 2012). Albany was rarely blessed with Motörhead. You almost always had to road-trip.
Anyway, this was a cool bill. Speedealer opened (original name: REO Speedealer, until the classic rock band threatened suit), a band I’ve seen a few times, with Fu Manchu and (several times) The Supersuckers. Good band, noisy and punky, and they were good this night.
The Supersuckers, one of my favorite bands, played next. At the time they were pushing the fantastic ‘Evil Powers of Rock’n’Roll’ album, one of their best. I’d discovered them around the time of their ‘Sacrilicious’ album, but this was the first time (of many) I’d seen them. This was still the ‘classic’ Eddie/Rontrose/Thunder/Dancing Eagle lineup, and they crushed. Played like 15 songs in 40 minutes, one after the other, short, fast, no-nonsense real punk-metal-rock with a few funny stage raps from Eddie.
I don’t know why more metal fans don’t worship this band. It was a well-balanced set, mixing new ‘Evil Powers’ songs (the set-opening title track, “Santa Rita High”, “I Want the Drugs”, “Gone Gamblin”), with some older blazers (“Beat to Shit”, “Doublewide”, “She’s My Bitch”, “Creepy Jackalope Eye”, “Mudhead”), a few covers (WILLIE NELSON’s “Bloody Mary Morning” and “Whiskey River”, and a tease of THIN LIZZY’s “Cowboy Song”) before the concluding Satanic headbanging glory of “Born with a Tail”. Fantastic band, killer opening set.
Nashville Pussy followed. Liked the ‘Double Live Gonzo’-inspired name, fun album titles like ‘Let Them Eat Pussy’ and their fuck-off attitude, but the music never caught me. So, never really a fan of this band, don’t dig the vocals, but I remember they did play AC/DC’s “Kicked In The Teeth”, which is a great cover choice, and everyone who was there remembers clearly inebriated bassist Corey Parks’ boobs repeatedly falling out of her tank top. Other than that: eh.
Motörhead of course then went on and conquered all. My recall is that the place was not anywhere near empty, but not packed to the rafters either. Maybe this is why Motörhead never play headline gigs here.
This was the ‘We Are Motörhead’ tour, a great album. The title track is one of my favorite Motörhead songs and a great opening number. In 2000 they were still playing a fair amount of ‘newer’ (i.e. post-1990) Motörhead songs, whereas by the end in 2015 they’d gone to the majority of the set being Fast Eddie-era stuff, which of course is some of the most classic metal ever, but leaves aside some great stuff. The cool ‘deep album’ track for the show was “Dead Men Tell No Tales”, but they played many post-Eddie songs (a roaring “I’m So Bad (Baby I Don’t Care)”, “Over Your Shoulder”, “Civil War”, “Born to Raise Hell”, “Stay Out of Jail”, “Sacrifice”, “Going to Brazil”), plus a slew of neck-snapping expected classics: “Bomber” and “No Class” early on, “Dead Men” and an all-conquering “Orgasmatron” mid-set, and the face-removing “Iron Fist” and “Killed by Death” to conclude the regular set, with “Ace of Spades” and “Overkill”, as always the usual encore songs. It was LOUD. Lemmy presided over all like the undisputed king of volume and unassailable cool he was. He is missed. All hail the late, great Lem, and the almighty Motörhead.
Setlists
Supersuckers – Evil Powers of Rock’n’Roll, Santa Rita High, Luck, Beat To Shit, I Want The Drugs, Doublewide, Creepy Jackalope Eye, Mudhead, Gone Gamblin’, She’s My Bitch, How To Maximize Your Kill Count, Bloody Mary Morning, Whiskey River, Born With a Tail
Nashville Pussy: Struttin’ Cock, Piece of Ass, Wrong Side of a Gun, 5 Minutes to Live, High as Hell, Shoot First and Run Like Hell, She’s Got the Drugs, Go to Hell, Kicked in the Teeth, I’m the Man, Go Motherfucker Go
Motörhead: We Are Motörhead, Bomber, No Class, I’m So Bad (Baby I Don’t Care), Over Your Shoulder, Civil War, Metropolis, God Save The Queen, Born To Raise Hell, Stay Out Of Jail, Dead Men Tells No Tales, Sacrifice/Drum Solo, Orgasmatron, Going To Brazil, Iron Fist, Killed By Death, Ace of Spades, Overkill
The last time Phish would ever play the venue known as the Finger Lakes Performing Arts Center took place 27 years ago today. This performance is also the birthplace of one of the more revered pieces of music in the band’s history. A super extended “Tweezer,” affectionately nicknamed as “Fleezer” due to the locale, highlights a three-song second set and still gets rave reviews to this day. The venue now goes by the name of CMAC Performing Arts Center. But the music Phish played their last time at Finger Lakes will, thankfully, last forever.
A raucous Finger Lakes crowd greets the band and only gets louder when the show starts with “Sample In A Jar” as the opener. Trey Anastasio’s guitar solo in its customary spot ramps up the early show energy even further. Phish sticks with material from Hoist, at this point still their most recent studio album, and follows up “Sample” with “Scent Of A Mule.” Anastasio and Page McConnell engage each other on guitar and piano, respectively, almost right away, leading to a quick but aggressive “Mule Duel” section.
Phish then breaks out the new “Ha Ha Ha,” a short number whose only lyrics also serve as the title which had been debuted barely a month ago. The “Divided Sky” that immediately follows is anything but a laughing matter, however. A rapt Canandaigua crowd soaks in every note of this classic song that’s played to perfection and serves as the first set highlight.
Anastasio and McConnell lock up again in another instrumental duet of sorts in a “Guelah Papyrus” that the entire band seems to toy around with at one point or another before “It’s Ice” gets deployed. Bassist Mike Gordon shines on this one, delivering a myriad of various rhythms and fills throughout. It also features a particularly loose and surprisingly extra spacey section in what’s a sign of things to come.
After slowing things down with the ballad “Strange Design,” Phish ends the opening set at Finger Lakes Performing Arts Center on a high note, beginning with an absolutely frenetic, high intensity “Maze.” And instead of ending the set with “Cavern,” an a capella rendition of “Sweet Adeline” is also thrown in for good measure.
All in all, it’s a fine first set, but kept pretty “close to the vest” in terms of free-form improvisation. Aside from snippets of “Mule” and “It’s Ice,” no song veered too far away from its regular structure. That would all change in a big way in the second set, courtesy of a jam for the ages.
The set starts out innocently enough with the new “Theme From The Bottom,” only the eighth one ever played and the first time it opened a second set. It’s a polished version that sees the full band in synch, creating a powerful sequence of music accentuated by another screaming Anastasio guitar solo. Instead of bringing it to a full stop at its conclusion, a feedback-heavy jam begins to develop.
This goes on for several minutes, with even more loops and audio madness being thrown into the proverbial soup. Drummer Jon Fishman gets prominently involved, varying tempos and styles throughout. All of this results in an early second set Grateful Dead-like “Space” section that sounds like it’s on speed. A familiar guitar riff slowly but steadily emerges as the jam pick up steam and, before long, the opening lyrics to “Tweezer” are ringing loud and true.
For the next 40-plus minutes, Phish treats the Finger Lakes Performing Arts Crowd to a version of this classic song that some still regard as one of the best of all time, hence the “Fleezer” label. Before the jam even ensues, Gordon and Fishman rev up the crowd by hamming up some of the lyrics. The band removes the shackles of any standard-sounding “Tweezer” early on and is soon knee deep in Type II improvisation. The jam goes on to visit a variety of styles and tempos, again thanks to the interplay of Fishman and Gordon. It’s got the band singing “My Generation” lyrics over an infectious, rockabilly portion of the jam (foreshadowing their upcoming Halloween cover of The Who’s Quadrophenia), pure ambience that devolves into more harrowing feedback-fueled chaos, Fishman on the vacuum, and “Rift” teases from Gordon. It’s a monumental piece of music that’s certainly worthy of a catchy nickname and a place in Phish lore.
It’s a “Tweezer” so epic that the only natural follow-up would be a “Reprise” of itself. That’s exactly what Phish does this evening, creating a set for the ages for the Finger Lakes crowd that’s short on song titles but long on jaw dropping rock and improv.
For an encore, the band went acoustic, with each member playing an acoustic guitar for “Acoustic Army,” an event strictly related to 1995 Phish. An electric, both literal and figurative, cover of The Beatles’ “While My Guitar Gently Weeps” then closes out the festivities for the evening, with another chapter of the band’s growing legacy now written.
By 1992, there was no secret about the affinity the Grateful Dead had for Albany’s Knickerbocker Arena. This would be the third year in a row they made sure to make a tour stop here. But after two previous three-night runs, including the acclaimed one from 1990 that will always be associated with their acclaimed Dozin’ At The Knick live album, the Dead only had two nights to play all the hits this year. This first of these performance went down 29 years ago today.
Tonight’s Grateful Dead show, despite a ravenous Knickerbocker Arena, has a very relaxed open as the band slowly ambles into a “Bertha” opener. No complaints are heard as the crowd drowns out the opening lyrics in delight. After a mild jam that’s peppered with some thunderous bass notes from Phil Lesh, the entire room seems to be singing along for the remainder of this first set staple. The “New Minglewood Blues” that comes next begins in similar fashion. Garcia and keyboardist Vince Welnick each drop a couple of bluesy solos and get stretched out a little while, in between, Bob Weir takes care of the vocals, making note of the “Upstate fllies” in a nod to the locale.
“Row Jimmy” gets the rest of the band singing again, and sees more dexterous work from Garcia on guitar, as he digs into his MIDI bag of effects and offers something that sounds closer to a flute solo at one point. After three classic Dead originals, the first cover of the night is Bob Dylan’s “Queen Jane Approximately,” with Weir once again manning lead vocals. Welnick gets in on the act here and highlights this one with a blissful, ethereal piano solo.
“Dire Wolf” finally brings the tempo back up and the band rips through another first set mainstay, with Garcia plowing through his requisite solo with ease. But it’s near a minute and a half until the next selection is made, “Beat It On Down The Line.” With both the Dead and Knickerbocker Arena now alive and well, the sing-a-long is back on thanks to “Loose Lucy” as the crowd continues to add their collective backing to the lyrics in revelry. Welnick makes the shift from piano to Hammond organ nicely and adds some flavorful support as well. “The Music Never Stopped” then puts the fitting finishing touches on a crisp opening set that’s nothing but treasured Dead originals and a Dylan cover.
The Dead dive into one of their more recent originals with “Foolish Heart” to kick off the second set at the Knick. Garcia and Welnick once again complement each other beautifully on guitar and keys, respectively, as the band sears through this one effortlessly. No extended jam of note develops afterwards. Instead, it’s a brief pause and away with “Playin’ In The Band” where, after a quick run through of verse, the collective improvisation starts almost immediately and doesn’t let up anytime soon. When it does, the beginning to “Uncle John’s Band” ensues, as the audience seems to come back up for air after the quick yet heavy display of psychedelic mayhem that immediately preceded it.
The Dead then go back down to the bottom, the way bottom, courtesy of an extended “Drums” > “Space” sequence that stretches out to nearly a half hour. A well rested Knick is more than happy to help out with the vocals for the “I Need A Miracle” that finally emerges. A quick jam, punctuated by an aggressive Welnick piano solo, is crafted before things slow down one last time with “Wharf Rat.”
After another set comprised of solely live Dead originals, and some intense improv, the evening closes out with a pair of covers. Weir hams it up one last time on vocals, and Welnick on piano as well for that matter, on Chuck Berry’s rocker “Around and Around” that suits the crowd perfectly. And the band help themselves to some more Dylan material with “The Mighty Quinn” that serves as tonight’s encore.
With night one of the two-night run now in the books, expectations were surely through the roof for the following evening. Thanks to some sort of odd cross-promotional gadgetry straight out of 1992, if you held onto your ticket stub from tonight, the Dead would make sure you were well fed for tomorrow.
Grateful Dead Knickerbocker Arena – Albany, NY 6/11/92
Set 1: Bertha, Minglewood Blues, Row Jimmy, Queen Jane Approximately, Dire Wolf, Beat It On Down The Line, Loose Lucy, The Music Never Stopped
Set 2: Foolish Heart, Playin’ In The Band-> Jam-> Uncle John’s Band-> Drums-> Jam-> I Need A Miracle-> Wharf Rat-> Around and Around
As Phish was putting the finishing touches on their acclaimed Billy Breathes album in 1996, they also honored a fun Bearsville, NY tradition. It had become commonplace for bands to play at a very small club called Joyous Lake whenever they were finished with their business at Bearsville Studios. Billed as ‘Third Ball’, the last “stealth” Phish gig made available for public consumption went down 25 years ago today.
Joyous Lake and its 200-person capacity were a far cry from the arenas and amphitheaters that Phish played regularly by now. Thankfully, sound engineer Paul Languedoc provided soundboard patches to those in the know who showed up with recording gear. As a result, this show has all the feel of a small, intimate affair from the late ’80s combined with the raw power and energy Phish had infused their music with by 1996. Approximately two months before there was a Clifford Ball, there was Third Ball.
Bearsville Studios, June 1996 credit: Danny Clinch
Since this was no typical Phish concert at this point in time, why not open it with a “Split Open and Melt?” Drummer Jon Fishman starts up the signature opening drum beat and, much to the small crowd’s delight, the show begins. Although the jam has a few “clunky” early moments, in no time a full-fledged “Melt” jam is underway, with any other discernible signs of rust now clearly removed. With most of the year devoted to work on Billy Breathes so far, this was only the second live show played in 1996.
The “Runaway Jim” that comes later seems to have all of the Joyous Lake crowd signing along at the outset. They soon give way to a beautifully escalating, driving jam that’s steered by Trey Anastasio and Page McConnell on guitar and piano, respectively. The band also fools around a bit with the “Funky Bitch” that follows, continuing to drop some early gems on the Bearsville crowd.
The double-edged sword that is a small venue gig rears its head in the beginning of “Theme From The Bottom.” A crowd that’s getting energized by some intimate Phish, as well as more “hydrated” by the minute, can be heard very easily in some of the quieter opening segments. Although quiet moments wouldn’t be an issue for much of the remainder of the first set, starting with the “Big Black Furry Creature From Mars” that follows where Trey allegedly fashioned an empty beer bottle into a guitar slide. “Scent Of A Mule” features its customary ‘Mule Duel’ as well as a full-on teases of “Sunshine Of Your Love” and “Cocaine.” And the set comes to a whirlwind of a close with a cover of “Highway To Hell” that has the full band toying around with the vocals.
The second set of this “secret” gig at Joyous Lake features a blend of live Phish staples and brand new debuts. “AC/DC Bag” revs things back up as the set opener, with some intense guitar play from Anastasio on the back end of it. Next, somewhat surprisingly, a sublime “You Enjoy Myself” is played, undoubtedly in front of the smallest crowd in years. The band treats this one no differently though as its played to perfection, with all the bells, whistles and customarily eerie vocal jam included.
Phish keeps the old school vibe in effect with a “Chalkdust Torture” that emerges the instant said vocal jam concludes. It’s not a particularly extended version, but it packs a punch. “Sparkle” then follows in the same vein before “Stash” gives the band another chance to spread their wings and soar.
The second set also contains a pair of Phish debuts that are now firmly embedded in their live show repertoire. “Waste” and “Character Zero,” two songs prominently featured on the upcoming Billy Breathes release, are played back-to-back, both for the first time ever. “Waste” is still so raw at this time that it stops somewhat abruptly with Trey noting “we don’t have an ending for it yet.”
The remainder of the show is vintage Phish, beginning with the monstrous “David Bowie” that follows the debuts. Trey stumbles over some of the lyrics in “Fee” before getting redemption via another dazzling run on guitar on the “Sample in a Jar” that closes out the set. The “Ya Mar” that starts the encore has a rough spot or two before rounding into form before an incendiary cover Jimi Hendrix’s “Fire” closes the book on Third Ball.
Listen to the show in its entirety below, or selected songs at PhishTracks.
Phish Joyous Lake – Bearsville, NY 6/6/96
Set 1: Split Open and Melt, Poor Heart, Runaway Jim, Funky Bitch, Theme From the Bottom, Big Black Furry Creature From Mars, Scent of a Mule, Highway to Hell
Set 2: AC/DC Bag, You Enjoy Myself, Chalkdust Torture, Sparkle, Stash, Waste, Character Zero, David Bowie, Fee > Sample in a Jar
E: Ya Mar, Fire
This unannounced show was performed under the name “Third Ball.” BBFCFM featured Trey using a Rolling Rock beer bottle as a slide. Scent of a Mule included a Sunshine of Your Love tease and saw Trey on keys for portions. Waste and Character Zero debuted at this show. The opening act was Juan Hung Low.
While it may be Memorial Day Weekend, it’s also the ten-year anniversary of the one and only Phish run at the Bethel Woods Center for the Arts. In 2011, the band was still very much trying to gather its collective footing after reuniting only two years earlier. For some, these shows represent the first true “return to glory” moments for the band and fans alike. It’s only fitting that it took place on the hallowed grounds of Bethel, NY, the same ones that served as host for one the most influential music events of all time, Woodstock. Even though it was only Phish performing in Bethel this weekend, there were still plenty of magical moments to be had.
An argument can be made that some of the most passionate and inspired music of the entire weekend never even made its way to the public. On the night before the run was set to begin, Phish blessed their sound check with what many consider to be one of the best “Waves” of all time. It’s a version that stretches out to nearly a half hour, diving way beneath the surface without coming back up for air.
Night One – May 27, 2011
The first night of this memorable run also served as the 2011 summer tour opener. The only other show Phish had played this year to date was their 1/1/11 gig at Madison Square Garden to cap off the New Year’s run. Some rain leading up to this evening wreaked havoc on the fertile and lush grounds of Bethel Woods. But that certainly wasn’t going to deter anyone.
The rain had left some parts of the lower lawn in a treacherous state, to say the least. So boots, tarps and blankets were en vogue. But rather than play it safe and ease into the show, Phish instead opened night one of Bethel Woods with a raging “Tweezer” that caught everyone off guard, in a good way. Summer tour and the band’s third year since returning from a self-imposed breakup were now officially underway.
Considered tame by today’s standards, the show opening “Tweezer” doesn’t stray too far and elicits a mild jam. But the joy of it opening the show, and the tour, was never in doubt. Instead of stretching it out, they immediately transition into “My Friend, My Friend” and night one is off and running.
The rest of the first set is comprised of multiple covers that paint a clear picture of what influences Phish musically. First is their take on Ween’s “Roses Are Free,” a song forever immortalized in Todd Phillips’ Bittersweet Motel documentary. Next, keyboardist Page McConnell shines on his solo on Son Seals’ “Funky Bitch.” The first set also features a take on James Gang’s “Walk Away” that’s properly fueled by Trey Anastasio on guitar and it finishes with a splendid cover of Jimi Hendrix’s “Bold As Love.”
Aside from an earlier “Wolfman’s Brother,” some of the more exploratory work from the band in the first set came during “Stash.” A jam that starts from near ambience quickly picks up speed while never quite shaking the framework of the song. It provided a nostalgic glimpse of a song that used to be a first set powerhouse for a band still very much rounding into form.
With one set under their belt, Phish opens up the second with another rager, “Carini.” Those who called that and “Tweezer” both as set openers should be commended. Again, compared to modern day versions, this “Carini” doesn’t veer too far off the path, but rather sets the table nicely for the crescendo-building “Get Back On The Train” that succeeds it.
The second set also contains a “Waves” that has its moments but doesn’t come close to the majesty and weirdness offered up in the one from yesterday’s soundcheck. And, of course, more choice cover selections. This included the always popular “Boogie On Reggae Woman” (Stevie Wonder), with Mike Gordon and his signature bass line/effect leading the way. The set picks up in a major way, and possibly peaks, with a deep dive of the Talking Heads’ “Crosseyed and Painless.”
Once drummer Jon Fishman finishes leading the group through a funkified version of this cover, the rest of the set plays out in somewhat traditional fashion. “The Squirming Coil,” replete with an enchanting, set-ending piano solo from McConnell closes out the set before “Julius” and its infectious “don’t take another step” mantra closes the book on the first night of Bethel.
Phish – Bethel Woods Center For The Arts – Bethel, NY 5/27/11
Set 1: Tweezer > My Friend, My Friend, Poor Heart, Roses Are Free > Funky Bitch, Wolfman’s Brother -> Walk Away, Stash, Bouncing Around The Room, Kill Devil Falls, Bold As Love
Set 2: Carini >Back On The Train > Boogie On Reggae Woman > Waves > Prince Caspian > Crosseyed and Painless > Wading In The Velvet Sea > Possum, The Squirming Coil
Encore: Julius
Wolfman’s contained a Streets of Cairo tease from Trey. Before Stash, Trey teased The Fish (Schindleria Praematurus) by Yes.
Listen to the complete show on YouTube, or track-by-track at PhishTracks.
The second night of the Bethel Woods run began as so many Phish shows do, with people scurrying everywhere to secure their spots as notes from the opening song rain down. In this instance, the selection is “Theme From The Bottom” while plenty of viable spots on the lawn are still being secured.
Traditional first set stalwart “NICU” then follows, with McConnell wasting no time getting down to business on the Hammond organ. A super funked out take of another Talking Heads cover, “Cities,” then gives those on the lawn and everywhere else more than enough reason to get down and dance. The “outro” jam lasts well longer than it should and serves as a legitimate highlight of the weekend.
The rest of the night two’s first set is best encapsulated by a couple of song pairings. “Halley’s Comet” picks up on the experimental vibe and takes it the distance, fomenting a certifiable Type II jam momentarily. But before it can explore any further, the opening chords of “Runaway Jim” enter the fray, serving as the back end of a powerful two-song sequence whose jam gets the full on ‘Plinko’ treatment. The first set then later wraps up with another Phish staple, “Bathtub Gin” that gets a taste of “Manteca” and a distinct “Golden Age”-type jam midway through before rounding back into form.
Like most Phish shows, much of the heavy lifting takes place in the second set tonight. An explosive “Down With Disease” starts things off nicely, with Jon Fishman providing one intricate drum fill after another in a jam that comes to an early vigorous peak. Instead of returning to finish “Disease,” the jam meanders for a while until Anastasio signals for a wonderfully patient “Free” to begin.
As the second set progresses, Phish continues to show their mastery of juxtaposition. A zany “Makisupa Policeman” immediately goes off the rails, with mentions of spliff smoking and imaginary trips to Mike and Page’s respective “houses” that eventually sends the Bethel Woods crowd into an uproar, along with a healthy clav-driven, mini-funk jam. But instead of going to Fish’s “house” and carrying on with the silliness, the band turns on a dime and crafts an emotional “Harry Hood.”
The set later concludes with another Phish classic, “David Bowie.” And another longtime cover favorite, The Beatles’ “A Day In The Life” puts the finishing touches on night two in Bethel. With two nights now in the books, only the Sunday show remained. And, as the saying goes, those are not to be missed.
Phish – Bethel Woods Center For The Arts – Bethel, NY 5/28/11
Set 1: Theme From The Bottom, NICU, Cities, Halley’s Comet > Runaway Jim, Gumbo > Quinn The Eskimo > Limb by Limb, Horn, Bathtub Gin -> Manteca > Bathtub Gin
Set 2: Down With Disease > Free > Backwards Down The Number Line > Makisupa Policeman > Harry Hood > Cavern > David Bowie
Encore: A Day In The Life
Gin included a mash-up jam of Golden Age and Manteca and later closed with a Manteca quote from Trey. Disease was unfinished. BDTNL featured a DEG tease from Mike. Makisupa included lyrics referencing several band members’ houses (and Trey’s favorite show, House).
As to be expected, Phish closes out the Memorial Day Weekend in fine fashion. The “AC/DC Bag” opener “gets the show on the road” in a major way and Phish coasts from there. “Ocelot,” still a fairly new tune at the time, gets a surprisingly monstrous jam attached to it. The “Ya Mar” and “Timber” that follow serve as a nostalgic throwback of sorts, giving the set a temporary old school vibe.
“Suzy Greenberg” makes a first set appearance and then instantly morphs into a rowdy “46 Days.” And the quality cover selections continue as well, with Lynyrd Skynyrd’s “Ballad of Curtis Loew” getting the call tonight. Just like old times (again) the opening set then concludes with a “Run Like An Antelope” that does just that.
For their last Bethel set, Phish decides to maintain the traditional feel and opens it with a vintage “Mike’s Song” > “Simple” -> “Weekapaug Groove” trifecta. “Simple” yields an especially spacey, ambient-type jam before the rhythmic law firm of Fishman & Gordon kickstart the “Groove.” Afterwards, the band takes some time to reintroduce a certain dance some may have forgotten.
The second set later comes to a close with another powerhouse trio. “Also Sprach Zarathustra,” aka “2001,” offers one last definitive dose of funk for the weekend before giving way to the newly established jam vehicle that is “Light.” And “Slave to the Traffic Light,” with its customary soaring jam that evolves from near silence is the final emotional stamp.
By the end of the weekend, so much great music had transpired that it was hard to take inventory of everything. That’s why it came as a shock to many when, after “Loving Cup,” the distinct riff of “Tweezer Reprise” rang out, bringing the entire weekend full circle. It’s more than an ideal choice to close out the final chapter of music for the weekend, with the hopes that it won’t be the last one Phish writes here.
Phish – Bethel Woods Center For The Arts – Bethel, NY 5/29/11
Set 1: AC/DC Bag > Sample In A Jar, Rift, Ocelot, Ya Mar, Timber (Jerry) > The Oh Kee Pa Ceremony > Suzy Greenberg > 46 Days > Twenty Years Later, The Ballad of Curtis Loew, Run Like An Antelope
Set 2: Mike’s Song > Simple ->Weekapaug Groove, Meatstick > Fluffhead > Joy, Also Sprach Zarathustra > Light > Slave to the Traffic Light
Encore: Loving Cup > Tweezer Reprise
Ya Mar included Express Yourself (Charles Wright & the Watts 103rd Street Rhythm Band) teases from Mike. Antelope contained a Curtis Loew tease from Trey and Manteca teases from Trey and Page. Page teased Magilla in Simple.
