South of Eden rolled into a steaming hot Jacksonville, FL aboard their school bus, “Bluebird,” only minutes before storms hit the town. The band has ventured far south from their Columbus, OH residence to share new music with a growing fan base before an album release. Their EP, The Talk, was released August 2020 (Lava Records) and received positive reviews in the press, including a videoreview in Rolling Stone. They plan to tour the entire country as soon as possible.
Reminding of rock and roll cowboys, the band stepped on stage and was immediately welcomed at the 1904 Music Hall, where they played on May 2. The small but supportive Sunday-night audience cheered them on from their first song to their last. One person remarked: “Now, that is rock and roll!” The venue felt welcoming, unfancy, beloved by locals, and had excellent lights and sound.
The band’s performance rose true to their declared dream: “We aren’t looking to bring anything back, but instead to remind people what rock n roll means.” They transmitted exactly this impression as they blasted off with “The Talk” and maintained a fast pace throughout their set. The very first catchy guitar riffs, along with Tom McCullough’s drums, pulled the audience into a world that was equally nostalgic and current.
The band, in their present line-up, formed only in 2018, but their sound gives the feeling that they had played all the larger stages for a decade. Their remarkable stage presence, confident sound, and Ehab Omran’s soaring voice, are reminding of early Sabbath, blousy southern vibes, and gritty garage rock.
South of Eden also put on a party! They interacted with the audience, taunting them to guess how many guitar solos Justin Young would insert into any one of the songs, or if Nick Frantianne (bass) would play the correct intro to “Hurricane.” The melodies were catchy and the rhythms fast paced, perfect for dancing and signing along. Their setlist was much longer than the music already released. Seeing this band live is by far a more entertaining experience than just listening online.
Setlist: The Talk, Monica, Hurricane, Mr. Brownstone (Guns N’Roses), Solo, Touch the Ground, Thunder, Lone Riders, Stranglehold, Loaded Bong, Pindrop, Sister, Dancing With Fire
In 2015, Eric Clapton celebrated his 70th Birthday with a pair of sold-out shows at Madison Square Garden. Although his birthday is March 30, the shows didn’t actually take place until May 1 and 3. Clapton was joined by special guests Derek Trucks, John Mayer, Doyle Bramhall II and Jimmy Vaughan on both nights.
Clapton was backed by a band featuring drummer Steve Gadd, bassist Nathan East, keyboardists Paul Carrack and Chris Stainton, and vocalists Sharon White and Michelle John. After a quick salutation to the crowd, Clapton started the show with “Somebody’s Knocking,” and “Key to the Highway.”
The setlist was pretty much the same both nights with John Mayer being the first guest. Clapton and Mayer traded fiery guitar solos with an outstanding version of “Pretending.” Other highlights included a Billy Preston cover of “You Are So Beautiful” with Paul Carrack on lead vocals and an electric version of “Before You Accuse Me” with Jimmy Vaughan.
Trucks and Bramhall helped Clapton close the main set with “Let It Rain.” Late in the night Clapton addressed the crowd “Thank you very much for helping me celebrate this wonderful gift with these wonderful friends.”
For the encore, Eric Clapton brought all the guests back to the stage and ended his ‘birthday’ night with a cover of Joe Cocker’s “High Time We Went.”
Setlist May 1, 2015
Somebody’s Knocking (J.J. Cale cover), Key to the Highway (Charles Segar cover), Pretending (With John Mayer), I’m Your Hoochie Coochie Man (Willie Dixon cover), You Are So Beautiful (Billy Preston cover), Can’t Find My Way Home (Blind Faith cover), I Shot The Sheriff (Bob Marley cover), Driftin Blues (Johnny Moore’s Three Blazers cover), Nobody Knows When You’re Down and Out (Jimmy Cox cover), Tears In Heaven, Layla (Derek and the Dominos cover), Before You Accuse Me(Bo Diddley cover), Wonderful Tonight, Let It Rain (With Trucks and Bramhall II), Cross Road Blues (Robert Johnson cover), Little Queen of Spades (Robert Johnson cover), Cocaine (J.J.Cale cover), High Time We Went (Joe Cocker cover)
Setlist May 3, 2015
Somebody’s Knocking (J.J. Cale cover), Key to the Highway (Charles Segar cover), Pretending (With John Mayer), I’m Your Hoochie Coochie Man (Willie Dixon cover), You Are So Beautiful (Billy Preston cover), Can’t Find My Way Home (Blind Faith cover), I Shot The Sheriff (Bob Marley cover), Driftin Blues (Johnny Moore’s Three Blazers cover), Nobody Knows When You’re Down and Out (Jimmy Cox cover), Tears In Heaven, Layla (Derek and the Dominos cover), Before You Accuse Me (Bo Diddley cover), Wonderful Tonight, Cross Road Blues (Robert Johnson cover), Little Queen of Spades (Robert Johnson cover), Let It Rain (With Trucks and Bramhall II) (J.J.Cale cover), High Time We Went (Joe Cocker cover)
Live music is making its way back into our weekend plans. The Oteil Burbridge band featuring Pete Lavezzoli on drums, Tom Guarna on Guitar, and special guest Jason Crosby on keyboards performed for two nights at the North Beach Bandshell in Miami Beach, FL on April 24 and 25. Over two days the quartet had a Grateful Dead heavy setlist, nicely blended with Oteil’s originals and covers of his favorite artists.
The breeze kicked in to start the two night run. They open with a cover by The Weather Report that brought all of the “Elegant People” from the beach. It got the whole crowd immediately grooving. A first set dead classic “Sugaree” start the psychedelic blues for the sun soaked masses. A cover of Jerry Garcia Band “Cats Down Under the Stars” keeps it flowing with Melvin Seals drummer Lavezolli and Oteil locked in ” Cats on the bandstand, give em each a big hand, Anyone who sweats like that must be all right.”
Believe it or not the band follows with another Grateful Dead classic that was played under the Miami Beach haze during soundcheck for “Here Comes Sunshine.” “Hard to find” an end of a first set, the quartet close with “King Solomon’s Marbles” to send everyone looking for their own after they cleared the stage.
The second set started with a beautiful Jerry solo classic “Rubin and Cherise.” The words on the Florida shore singing “the breeze would pause to listen in before going on its way again, Masquerade began when the nightfall finally woke.” Another Jerry tune up next for “Gomorrah” helped “Blow the City off the Map, left nothing there but fire”
Oteil brings you back to Brooklyn Bowl for a “Butter Biscuit” next, then a transition to a Grateful Dead S.O.S. on the beach. “Help on the Way” into “Slipknot” gets another Oteil original weaved in with “Too Many Times” before crescendoing into “Franklins Tower.” It was a funky roll in the dew to close the first set.
Keeping the crowd in a Grateful Dead like glow the band starts the encore so quiet you can hear the ocean. Oteil’s voice on “Stella Blue” reminds you the wave is crashing “In the end there’s still a song, comes crying like the wind, down every lonely street, that’s ever been.” As expected after a Dead heavy show like this you would assume this was the end.
Nope, during the encore the band paid tribute to Sugarloaf with their cover of “Green Eyed Lady.” Its lyrics perhaps another nod to a day on the beach. “Green Eyed Lady windswept lady , moves the night the waves the sand, Green eyed lady…ocean lady.” Out of nowhere, Oteil’s ensemble threw everyone for a loop on their way back to the Miami scene.
After an hour long soundcheck in Miami Beach, Oteil Burbridge took some time to talk with NYS Music
Matthew Romano: I am so glad I got to see the show last night before speaking today. Do you remember the Buddy Miles record that had a cover of Allman Brothers Band tunes “Dont’ Keep Me Wondering” and “Midnight Rider”? I can’t help but hear your same soulful interpretation of these Dead songs.
Oteil Burbridge: Yes I do! I kind of just do it. You can’t do anything to suppress your roots. Not really trying, it just comes out like that. But there was something that really gave me confidence to lean in more on my approach. I don’t know if you’ve heard George Porter sing “Eyes of World”? It’s my favorite “Eyes of the World.” The way he sings it, holy crap, just blew me away seeing that. So I was like yea man do it like you feel it. You know just let it come, let it be what it is.
MR: Well being here in Miami where you just recorded with Page McConnell and Vida Blue for a record we didn’t know what to expect out of your catalog this weekend for a set.
OB: I don’t with Vida Blue material because they are still on the road and we still play. Allman’s aren’t playing, I mean Dead and Company is playing, ya know as slow as we are doing everything. If you notice we do a lot of different versions with this band. We do the the old funkier, sluttier “Loose Lucy” and the faster funky kind of “They Love Each Other,” the long “Eyes” the “Terrapin.” What else? The funky “Bertha.”
OB: So we can just lean in the funk.
MR: I was able to speak with John Mayer on Tales From the Golden Road on Sirius XM and got his angle on bringing his own texture to the Dead and Co. sound. You are in the same boat bringing a whole new edge and vibe to this music that gives it a new form of life.
OB: I mean it just comes out that way. It’s really about being given permission by yourself, the original members, the crowd, and especially the old crew.
OB: Ya know it mattered to me, what AJ thinks, what Jarukie thought. It matters what Derek Featherstone thinks. Ya know all the original crew that’s been here much longer than me. So even to have them and friends approval means the world.
MR: Well how about big Steve Parish who has come Upstate New York to go on his own tour speaking about all his years behind the amps of the Dead for every show?
OB: When you get Parish’s seal of approval, wow. All those guys, Dennis McNally, Bill Walton. When Bill Walton says you’re good, you quit worrying. But John and I have been very lucky to be graced by all those people, the crowd, the original members. I count them as family.
MR: Well being at the first Dead and Company show on October 29, 2015 at Times Union Center (The Old Knickerbocker Arena), it was only appropriate for you and John to open with “Playing in the Band.”
OB: (Laughter) For sure. That was a harrowing night. That was a trip, that beginning time.
MR: Well, I love that 6 years later your able to lead the pack with some funk on this repertoire for two nights on the beach in Spring 2021.
OB: Well i mean there is so much funk in the Grateful Dead’s music. The Jerry Bands’ music. Its just like there for the picking. So i just lean in to it
OB: Thats where I come from, ya know? I come from James Brown and Parliament Funkadelic. Earth Wind and Fire, Stevie, Larry Graham, J.V Collier and James Jamerson.
MR: How about Larry Graham creating the slap bass technique to fill for the drummers spot that was absent
OB: Yeah the drummer didn’t come so he had to bass the drum with his thumb and the snare and hi hat with his slap and the plucking part yeah. Tonight we’re gonna do a tribute to Paul Jackson in Head Hunters that just passed. It was the last tune we did during soundcheck today was “God made me Funky.”
MR: That had me dancing outside and threw me for a loop before I came in to talk to ya. I walked in the room feeling like Cleo McDowell in Coming to America…”I’m not sure what to do…I feel like break dancing.”
OB: (Laughter) For Sure. I’ve seen it at Dead shows, people start popping and locking! This weekend has been the biggest amount of people this band has played for. It was great to see that many bodies in motion again.
Later that night Oteil and Friends played one more Saturday night for an audience on Miami Beach.
The crowd immediately responded to the Oteil instrumental “The Happy Dance” to start the evening. Another highlight of Oteil’s solo catalog came next with “Rooster.” His words nailed it over the old Peacemakers groove, “There’s not much time to get your house in order, you can watch as the darkness grows, keep on trying to disguise yourself, but the ugliness still shows, you better clean it up before the rooster crows…”
Then a Dead heavy first set that included the funked up “Bertha” and “Loose Lucy.” The Dead vibes unfolded at the end of the first set with “China Cat Sunflower” > “China Doll” > “I Know Your Rider.” A set ending fake out with “No More Doubt,” another Oteil and the Peacemakers original. With even deeper lyrics “Call out to the grave, I am a mirror to the clouds, you can rest assure there will be no more worry,” to officially end the set.
After a short break the band opened with two covers, Jaco Pastorius’ “Opus Pocus‘ and Donny Hathaway’s “Magnificent Sanctuary.” These tunes are certainly hand picked by Oteil as they are a major influence on his sound.
Oteil Burbridge in Jaco Pastorius Park, FL
The band then closes the rest of the set with The Grateful Dead catalog where ocean breezes flow. After a funky “They Love Each Other” they launched into “Estimated Prophet” > “Terrapin” > “Morning Dew.” Oteil was quoted on his first vocal take on Dew, “I feel like I’ve been through enough in life to do it justice, I hope you enjoyed it.”
Oteil Burbridge Band Setlist April 24 25
The encore for the two night beach run was a tribute to Paul Jackson of the Head Hunters for “God Made me Funky.” Let’s be glad he is out touring this kind of music in 2021. Oteil helps carry the torch for new comers to the scene. It was Miami Beach resident Chris Collins first show who celebrated his father Bobs birthday Friday night. Bob toured for four years with the Dead.
In between shows you can listen to Oteil’s podcast with great artists. The crew heads to B Chord brewing Company in Virginia on June 4 and 5 for their next two night run. Dead and Company 2021 tour will be kicking off August 16th in Raleigh, North Carolina, and running through Halloween, with a three-night stand at the iconic Hollywood Bowl on October 29th, 30th, & 31st.
The Grateful Dead played their one and only show in Alfred, New York, 51 years ago today. After gigs at their usual stomping grounds like the Fillmore West and the Family Dog in San Francisco the previous month, May 1970 kicked off with the Dead going to school, playing this evening at Alfred College and the following night at Harpur College in Binghamton. These legendary performances serve as the first known “An Evening With The Grateful Dead” shows, where the band would be joined by others and play interlocking sets.
Their friends in New Riders of the Purple Sage would join the Grateful Dead at Alfred College this evening, and the following night, playing a joint opening acoustic set, before a set of their own music, with a set of electric Dead wrapping things up. It can be argued that this helped lay the groundwork of the formation of a traditional Grateful Dead show: an opening set with more acoustic, straightforward tunes before a set of heavy improvisational numbers.
The show starts off with an acoustic “Deep Elem Blues” with guitarist Jerry Garcia on lead vocals. The harmonies are certainly a little richer on this one, thanks to the additional backing support from their friends in New Riders. In an interview later this year, Garcia would explain this brand new format and the kind of live show it created.
What we’ve been doing in the States lately is having like ‘an evening with the Grateful Dead.’ We start off with acoustic music with Bobby and I playing guitars, light drums and very quiet electric bass. Pigpen plays the organ. Then we have a band we’ve been travelling with, The New Riders of the Purple Sage, where I play pedal steel, not guitar, Mickey plays drums, and three of our friends from the coast, musicians that we’ve known for a long time, are fronting the band. So we start off with acoustic music and then The New Riders of the Purple Sage — it’s like very snappy electric country-rock; it’s kinda hard to describe — and then we come on with the electric Dead, so it keeps us all really interesting, and it’s six hours of this whole development thing. By the end of the night it’s very high.
Jerry Garcia, 5/24/70
After “Elem,” a traditional blues cover the band recently re-adopted after playing once in 1966, the opening set carries on with a unique version of “I Know You Rider.” This one is played at a super slow, folksy tempo compared to the traditional Dead version of later years and features an additional verse with the lyrics: I’d rather drink muddy water / Than sleep in a hollow log.” Definitely not your customary “Rider.” Following this, fellow guitarist Bob Weir promises the rapt Alfred College crowd a song about “simian creatures behind the wheel” and the band delivers a quick take of “Monkey And The Engineer.” At its conclusion, Garcia does not cease strumming and quickly leads the group into a flawlessly acoustic “Candyman.”
At its conclusion, Garcia beckons their friends David Nelson and John “Marmaduke” Dawson from NRPS to join them on stage. They make their collective presence immediately felt with a super-harmonized take on “Me And My Uncle.” This alt-country tune about gambling and betrayal sits square in the Riders’ musical wheelhouse and their presence make this one a truly pleasant version. The same can be said of the “Mama Tried” that comes next.
“Cumberland Blues,” a Dead tune that lends itself perfectly to vocal harmonies, goes off without a hitch next, with all guitars (and voices) on stage very much in synch. Nelson and “Marmaduke” stay on stage for the rest of the opening acoustic set and later contribute to a cover of The Everly Brothers’ “Wake Up Little Susie” which is succeeded by “New Speedway Boogie.” It’s only the tenth ever version of this Dead original penned by Garcia and famed lyricist Robert Hunter and the first ever on the East Coast. It’s a version so tight that it has Garcia and a least one other audibly “whooing” in delight mid-song.
The incredible musicianship and harmonies that serve as this opening act comes to a close with “Cold Jordan,” another traditional cover with hymnal-like lyrics that the Dead and NRPS would play together this year. And then a pristine take of “Uncle John’s Band,” replete with three-part harmonies. While it may not have all the accolades of the following night’s acoustic set at Harpur College in Binghamton, it’s beautiful in its own right and certainly merits a listen.
At its conclusion, Garcia states they’ll be back later with their “electric” stuff and preps the crowd for an incoming Pigpen performance. To start this last portion of the evening, “Not Fade Away” is the selection, done in traditional Grateful Dead-style. Garcia fires off a bevy of emotional guitar riffs and the double drumming tandem of Hart and Bill Kreutzmann only add to the power this one generates. Then, as promised, Pigpen takes center stage and lends his signature vocal prowess and swagger on a cover of Otis Redding’s “Hard To Handle.”
For a listen to this classic acoustic set and the opening two “electric” numbers check out the video below or go here.
The Grateful Dead close out the Alfred College gig with an absolutely ferocious “The Other One,” that’s sandwiched by “Cryptical Envelopment” on both sides, quite commonplace during this era. Bassist Phil Lesh finally gets a chance to let loose and explore the fret board, leading the band through this high octane, psychedelic sequence. The latter half of “Envelopment” gets particularly spacy and intricate at parts.
“High Time” gives Garcia one last chance to sing lead, justifiably slowing things down significantly from the improvisational madness that preceded it. Pigpen then sends the crowd home on a high note, ripping through another R&B-infused cover, this time Bobby Bland’s “Turn On Your Lovelight.” It serves as a more than fitting final number for a show that may have subconsciously helped shape the way live Grateful Dead shows are formatted for years to come.
Grateful Dead – Alfred College, Alfred, NY – May 1, 1970
Set 1: Deep Elem Blues, I Know You Rider, Monkey and the Engineer -> Candyman, Me And My Uncle, Mama Tried, Cumberland Blues, The Race Is On, Wake Up Little Susie, New Speedway Boogie, Cold Jordan Uncle John’s Band
Set 2: Not Fade Away, Hard To Handle, Cryptical Envelopment ->Drums -> The Other One ->Cryptical Envelopment, High Time, Turn On Your Lovelight
It is rare to see an arena rock show where the headliner gets completely overshadowed by the opening band. It is even rarer when that headliner is a legendarily mighty live performer like ex-Black Sabbath frontman Ozzy Osbourne, with Metallica opening the show. But on April 27, 1986, 35 years ago tonight, the exalted Ozz was utterly outshined by a youthful, ‘Master of Puppets’-era Metallica at Glens Falls Civic Center.
James Hetfield – photo by Dino Petrocelli
Master of Puppets – hailed by many as the best thrash metal album of all time, along with Slayer’s Reign in Blood, released the same year – had come out around 2 months before this gig. Metallica was the best heavy band in the world in 1986. Period. It is inarguable. I know you might think they suck now, and that there were a ton of great other metal and punk bands then, but I don’t care – in April 1986, Metallica were better.
Cliff Burton – photo by Dino Petrocelli
During Metallica’s “Ecstasy of Gold” intro tape there was a curtain in front of the stage, and this writer remembers a good crush down the front, as about half the crowd – Metallica were relatively new then, and many of those present that night did not know them – surged down towards the front. Legendary Metallica bassist Cliff Burton came out from behind the stage-left curtain to check out the crowd, smoking a cigarette and nodding at the people down front. Then the curtain dropped to reveal a stage-set modeled after the Master album cover, and the band opened with a blasting “Battery,” sounding as ferocious and tight as you’d want. The band utterly crushed for 55 minutes, with James, Cliff and Kirk headbanging madly the whole time – and a good 2/3 of the crowd were right there with them.
James Hetfield – photo by Dino Petrocelli
There was a great song selection for the near-hour they played – a few new songs (“Master of Puppets”, “Sanitarium”), plenty of ‘Ride The Lightning’ stuff (the title track, “For Whom the Bell Tolls”, set-closer “Creeping Death”), “Seek & Destroy” from Kill ‘Em All, and a crushing encore medley of Diamond Head’s classic “Am I Evil?” and the now-immortal thrash god-song “Damage, Inc.” Still one of my favorite shows ever. Sadly, this was the last time I saw Cliff Burton play – I had tix to see them in August in Montreal before Cliff’s untimely death, but James had that skateboard accident and it was cancelled. By the next time I saw them, Thanksgiving ’86 in Poughkeepsie, it was Jason on bass.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6Qcn2wVG9aI
And Ozzy played too. He went down well, naturally, bringing the house down as he descended from the ceiling on a “monster Ozzy” throne. But, as pro and energetic a live performer as Ozzy and his always-professional band is (in those days led by guitarist Jake E. Lee), it was anticlimactic. Of course I mean no disrespect to Ozzy, who after all sang for the greatest band of all time and has always rocked live – I’d seen him before and many times since and this was easily the least awesome, contributed to, no doubt, by having to follow a hungry, young Metallica at their utter peak. To be sure, he didn’t suck – it’s hard to truly fall flat with songs like “Suicide Solution”, “I Don’t Know”, “Flying High Again” or his old band’s “Iron Man” – but it seemed like standard arena-rock after what had come before.
Also, Ozzy in 1986 was promoting the flaccid ‘Ultimate Sin’ record and flirting with a glittery, frosted-hair-and-makeup, almost glam image, which didn’t work for him – after 3 songs he was his usual sweaty self and the glittery outfit and frosted hair made him look like some bloated, middle-aged, hysterical, sweaty housewife who’d had too many glasses of wine. He opened with “Bark at the Moon”, closed with “Paranoid”, played lots of first album classics and crappy then-new songs from ‘The Ultimate Din’ and not enough Sabbath. Ozzy Osbourne lost, Metallica won.
All hail METALLICA, 1986-edition.
Metallicasetlist: Battery, Master of Puppets, For Whom The Bell Tolls, Ride The Lightning, Sanitarium, Seek & Destroy, Creeping Death, Am I Evil?, Damage, Inc.
Ozzy Osbournesetlist: Bark at the Moon, Suicide Solution, Never Know Why, Mr. Crowley, Shot in the Dark, I Don’t Know, Killer of Giants, Guitar Solo, Thank God for the Bomb, Flying High Again, Secret Loser, Drum Solo, Iron Man, Crazy Train, Paranoid
By 1971, The Grateful Dead had firmly established the Fillmore East as their New York City base of operations. But as the saying goes, all good things must come to an end. The Fillmore East would be shuttered by the end of the summer, but not before one last run of Dead shows, which began 50 years ago today. The five-night run would serve as the band’s last hurrah at Bill Graham’s legendary East Village venue. It’s also the source of material for one of their essential live albums, Ladies and Gentlemen….The Grateful Dead. Tonight’s show features some iconic Dead tunes that were still in the early roll out stages combined with some short-lived classics.
The band wastes no time and dives right into a roaring “Truckin’” to open the show. It’s a crisp, early version of this Dead classic to-be that was barely a year old at the time. It would also serve as the opener for three other shows during this Fillmore run. After requesting some “cranking up” of the monitors, Jerry Garcia then leads the group through “Loser,” carrying over the alt-country psychedelic vibes established earlier by the New Riders. A short, but hauntingly beautiful guitar solo from Garcia highlights this one. The collective mood then gets lifted in a major way with “Hard To Handle.” The charismatic Pigpen, who has several shining moments this evening, takes the lead on vocals in his signature, blues-riddled style. Garcia and drummer Bill Kreutzmann seem to take turn raising the fervor and intensity which yields a hearty early jam.
After a vintage extended tuning session, the show resumes with “Me And Bobby McGee,” this time with Bob Weir leading the way on vocals for a cover song. Afterwards, Weir shouts out some more friendly advice to the monitor guy before “Cold Rain And Snow” lifts off. Garcia’s aggressive guitar tone and thunderous bass notes from Phil Lesh give this always emotional number a little something extra tonight. This sets the stage for Pigpen to take charge once more, this time with harmonica in tow for “The Rub.” This Lightnin’ Hopkins cover, also known as “Ain’t It Crazy,” would only be played 13 times by the Dead, properly shelved for good after Pigpen’s passing.
Weir then gets back on the mic for “Playin’ In The Band,” another soon-to-be Dead classic that was debuted only months earlier at the Capitol Theater in Port Chester, NY. It’s essentially just a run through of the composed portion, with no jam to speak of with the song still in its nascent stage. Garcia then notes that “we used to do this song acoustically” before an uptempo rendition of “Friend Of The Devil” takes place.
The first set then wraps up with a few already established staples of the Grateful Dead’s live catalog. The instrumental segue between “China Cat Sunflower” and “I Know You Rider” is near-seamless, with Garcia delivering a flurry of emotional guitar fills on the latter. “Casey Jones” then drives the Fillmore crowd off to intermission, capping off a whirlwind first set. Garcia and Weir both take it upon themselves to advise everyone they’ll return shortly.
The Dead kick off the second set at the Fillmore in grand fashion with a supercharged “Morning Dew.” Steadily progressive rhythms supplied by Lesh and Kreutzmann secure the framework for another Garcia guitar solo that drips with emotion, much to the crowd’s delight. After a quick run through “Beat It On Down The Line,” it’s Pigpen’s turn again as he and his harp rip through a cover of the bluesy “Next Time You See Me.”
Pig then gets back behind the organ for “Bertha,” another fresh tune at the time, debuted only months ago. Afterwards Garcia seems to make note of Mickey Hart, who had recently begun his hiatus from the band, “not being with us tonight” but that his grandmother was in attendance. This clears the deck for “Sugar Magnolia.” Garcia has the wah effect on full blast for this one, almost overpowering everything else. After some more griping about the in-house monitors, the Dead’s cover of Smokey Robinson and The Miracles’ “Second That Emotion” smooths everything over. It would the fourth performance of this song that the band only ever played five times – all in April of 1971.
But this would not be the cover selection that blows the doors off the second set. That honor belongs to the “Good Lovin’” that follows, sung in Pigpen’s signature style and immediately supplemented with a majestic drum solo from Kreutzmann. As the wave of “Drums” begins to recede, a loose form of “Good Lovin’” reemerges, spurred on by Pigpen and his improvisational crooning. With the rest of the band fully locked in behind him, this sequence sees the Dead at their full powers and steals the show.
Things would slow down considerably after this, with “Sing Me Back Home,” another Dead tune with a short shelf life. Although it would be played the following two nights as well. One of the last inter-song tuning sessions is memorable as this one has a distinct “Spanish Jam” element to it. Finally, the opening shuffle beat of “Not Fade Away” takes shape, initiating the final sequence of the evening. In following tradition, another silky smooth transition follows into “Goin’ Down The Road Feeling Bad” before turning back into NFA. The Grateful Dead then treat the ravenous crowd to an “Uncle John’s Band” encore, wrapping up the first night of this last ever run at the Fillmore East.
Grateful Dead – Fillmore East – New York, NY 4/25/71
Set 1: Truckin’, Loser, Hard To Handle, Me And Bobby McGee, Cold Rain & Snow, The Rub, Playin’ In The Band, Friend Of The Devil, China Cat Sunflower-> I Know You Rider, Casey Jones
Set 2: Morning Dew, Beat It On Down The Line, Next Time You See Me, Bertha, Sugar Magnolia, Second That Emotion, Good Lovin’-> Drums-> Good Lovin’, Sing Me Back Home, Not Fade Away-> Goin’ Down The Road Feelin’ Bad-> Not Fade Away
On Saturday April 20, 1991, when 4/20 was not the national holiday it has since morphed into, Phish performed at the University of Rochester, at Douglass Dining Hall. Presented by the UR Student Union, tickets were $6 for students and $10 for the public.
Show poster, via Amy Baerenklau
Phishâs third ever show on 4/20, the unique venue was named for abolitionist Frederick Douglass, and went through a complete makeover in 2015. UR alumnus Justin Miller described the show as “stale Froot Loops in the morning, then fresh Phish that night,” an apt take on an era when Phish was certainly nascent and making their footprint on college campuses, and would move on to playing sheds with Santana a year later.
The all ages show hosted a reported two hundred people, who would be treated to Jesus Jones right there the following year on 4/20.
photo by J. Adam Fenster
The first set provides standard early 90s Phish fare, ending with the lost acapella song, “Setting Sail,” formally debuted at this show, borne from a “You Enjoy Myself” vocal jam.
Trey welcomed Jon Fishman‘s parents and sister to the show prior to the start of Set 2, noting their recent show at Ithaca State Theater on February 14, 1991, where Dr. Fishman’s car was given away to a fan with fun pre-“Sloth” banter. The wide-ranging second set is chock full of songs, with a short and heavy “Tweezer” moving seamlessly into “The Oh Kee Pah Ceremony.”
With graduation a few weeks away, Phish feted the seniors in the crowd with an encore of “Alumni Blues,” including “Letter to Jimmy Page” sandwiched inside, closing out one of their final dining hall performances.
Phish – 4/20/91 – Douglass Dining Hall, University of Rochester
Set 1: Runaway Jim, Reba, Llama, Fluffhead > My Sweet One, The Landlady, Esther > Chalk Dust Torture, Bouncing Around the Room, You Enjoy Myself -> Setting Sail[1]
Set 2: The Sloth, Ya Mar, Split Open and Melt, The Squirming Coil > Paul and Silas, Cavern > The Man Who Stepped Into Yesterday > Avenu Malkenu > The Man Who Stepped Into Yesterday > Tweezer > The Oh Kee Pa Ceremony > Suzy Greenberg, Sweet Adeline
Encore: Horn > Alumni Blues > Letter to Jimmy Page > Alumni Blues
[1] Debut.
Trey teased Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas in Reba. Fish led the band in the debut of Setting Sail, which arose out of the vocal jam of YEM. Tweezer contained In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida teases from Page.
Hometown horn funk favorite, Victory Soul Orchestra, features the dirty sounds of New Orleans’ driving brass, with influences including Galactic and The Dap Kings. You can find them fronted by Albany’s own JB aka Dirty Moses and singer Dali Soto. Their efforts combined help create a funk/rap show that brings the house down. In January 2019, they released their first album, Astrobeat, which is available on vinyl and all streaming platforms.
C.K. and the Rising Tide’s brand of music features poetic, nostalgic lyrics supported by music that is rockin’ and emotionally evocative. Curtis K. Flach (“C.K.”) appreciates how a film’s soundtrack enhances and cements the emotions portrayed on-screen. C.K. has a similar agenda for his tunes: “I write music as a soundtrack to daily life – a way to express things you might not be able to say otherwise…or may not want to say.”
Tickets are available via Eventbrite for Victory Soul Orchestra on April 17 and C.K. and the Rising Tide, with special guest Julia Alsarraf on April 24. Expect more live music announcements from Lark Hall in the coming weeks.
On Saturday, April 10, Lark Hall welcomed The Wheel and a crowd of 70 or so Deadheads who barely found time to take a break from dancing. It seemed like everyone was letting loose the pent up dance moves honed over the past year. With two sets packed with Grateful Dead classics, including a fiery “Help on the Way” > “Slipknot” > “Franklin’s Tower,” the crowd was elated and showed the band their love all throughout.
Two words succinctly sum up the driving force behind the first ever Phish show at Nassau Coliseum: Island Tour. It’s the impromptu run of shows that are now viewed as essential elements of Phish lore. As the legend goes, the band was preparing to record their new album and wanted to test run some of the new songs. The previous year saw them at the height of their powers to date so a last minute tour announcement was sure to have few issues. And, somehow, Phish had never played Nassau Coliseum before. This all changed with the Island Tour and an opening show that saw new songs debuted and older ones stretched out in the new, infectiously funky sound the band had begun to hone.
There’s no time wasted this evening, as Phish thoroughly rips a “Tube” opener to the delight of the Nassau Coliseum crowd. Page McConnell on keys drives the jam in its early stages with heavy clavichord work. After that, it’s not long before the band is in full funk mode with a digital delay loop in full effect, picking right up where 1997 left off. This “Tube” is a great sign of things to come. The band seems locked in from the get-go as they stretch this one to nearly eight minutes.
After a quick conference, “My Mind’s Got A Mind Of Its Own” is the selection, filling the customary bluegrass spot that was more prevalent at this point in time. Bassist Mike Gordon nails the lyrics before this quick one ends with a flourish on piano from McConnell. “Sloth” emerges next to the delight of the crowd as Phish takes a quick trip to Gamehendge. Despite some lyric fumbling from Trey, they’re able to make it out of this one fairly unscathed. “NICU” follows this which sees drummer Jon Fishman in fine fashion keeping the time on this older Phish tune. Afterwards, Trey makes his now famous comment about the band “being bored at home” and “wanting to do some shows.”
Then, the first song with some real exploration since “Tube” comes next in a complex “Stash”. It features some early dissonant playing from Anastasio on guitar that the band uses as fuel for this particular jam. Before long, Phish has filled Nassau with a dark, foreboding jam that’s accentuated by a menacing light show. The digital delay loop then makes another appearance as the jam then shifts into a near ambient space. It stays in this mode for a while, with the band patiently crafting this one. It’s a truly exploratory section that yields little payout, however. Instead of bringing it back around to the finish, the jam slowly trickles out and the opening chords of “Horn” ring out.
Trey shows a little rust on the guitar solo, but overall it’s a harmless effort that wraps up quickly. “Waste” comes up next, a popular track from Billy Breathes, their most recent studio album. Trey nails his part on this one, as it finishes with an inspirational flourish. Then, as if to make up for the last two “slower” songs, an absolutely incendiary “Chalkdust Torture” wraps up the first set. Immediately, Anastasio is in rapid-fire mode on guitar for this “Torture” which seems like it’s intentionally sped up. The rest of the band is up to the challenge though. Gordon on bass goes tit-for-tat with Trey while Page pounds away on the baby grand on this simply (and literally) electric Phish classic that sends the Nassau crowd into set break.
But you don’t have to take my word for it. Check out the nice fan-shot video footage of the first set below or here.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gehEr7EOLn0
The second set picks right back up with a return trip to Gamehendge courtesy of “Punch You In The Eye.” Once again, Phish exhibits impeccable patience and craftmanship as they deftly stretch out the intro to this one, much to the delight of the Nassau crowd. The rest of the calypso-style rocker is played to perfection, with Gordon shining on bass throughout.
“Simple” fills the two-spot for the second set, and after a standard composed section, eventually yields a spiritual instrumental jam spearheaded by Anastasio. Majestic, soaring guitar lines help create an incredible soundscape on one of the better extended pieces of improvisation this evening. As the jam winds down to a standstill, the choice is then made to drop the debut of a brand new song. The first ever “Birds Of A Feather” then leaves the nest, soon to be featured on the band’s upcoming Story Of The Ghost album they would record the following week. Instantly, everyone can tell this song has a bright future as another digital delay loop and some intense wah-wah from Trey warmly welcome this one to the live Phish catalog.
After some more banter from Trey about the new tune and upcoming album, the familiar opening chords of “Wolfman’s Brother” ring out. Gordon’s bass seems to has a little extra “pop” on this one and helps power yet another funk-fueled excursion. Eventually, McConnell reintroduces some more heavy clav sound and Phish ever so subtly slides right into their cover of Robert Palmer’s “Sneakin’ Sally Through The Alley.”
But there would be no customary vocal jam accompanying this “Sally” – the funk is too deep. Instead, the jazz-shuffle jam that had developed wanders for a bit before taking a turn to the dark side and into the debut of “Frankie Says.” This harrowingly beautiful number, with McConnell on lead vocals here, would also wind up featured on Story Of The Ghost. Although it hasn’t been played live in nearly six years now.
The final major improv of the evening then follows in the form of “Twist.” Once the opening vocals are out of the way, this one takes off with a another frenetic jam with McConnell emitting a myriad of tones and styles on keys with Fishman playing in metronome-like fashion on drums. An inspired Trey on guitar helps give this jam yet another ethereal feel that soon devolves into outright ambience with a drumbeat.
Phish then wraps up the second set of their first ever show at Nassau Coliseum with a couple of crowd favorite sing-a-longs. “Sleeping Monkey” takes it on down to the shore and a blisteringly fast “Rocky Top” puts a cap on a memorable set of music. For an encore, Phish goes dark one last time with “Guyute,” giving the Nassau crowd one last taste of what to expect on the forthcoming album.
Phish Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum – Uniondale, NY 4/2/98
Set 1: Tube, My Mind’s Got A Mind Of Its Own, The Sloth, NICU, Stash > Horn > Waste > Chalkdust Torture
Set 2: Punch You In The Eye > Simple > Birds Of A Feather, Wolfman’s Brother->Sneakin’ Sally Through The Alley->Frankie Says->Twist > Sleeping Monkey > Rocky Top
On Wednesday March 27, 2019 – 50 years to the day of the formation of The Allman Brothers Band, The Allman Betts Band made their debut at Brooklyn Bowl in New York City and they certainly did not disappoint.
Allman Betts Band consists of Devon Allman, Duane Betts and Berry Oakley Jr., (you can probably figure out who their Father’s are), guitarist Johnny Stachela, drummers Jon Lum and R. Scott Bryan and keyboardist John Ginty. Devon and Duane have been playing together for over 30 years and both have solo albums, and the other members of the band are definitely top notch musicians. Any Allman Brothers super fan like myself will certainly enjoy this group.
The setlist was a mix of new music from the band’s debut album Down To The River, solo cuts from both Devon and Duan’s solo albums. Of course there were also a few Allman Brothers classics like Elizabeth Reed, Blue Sky and Dreams. There was even a cover of Prince’s Purple Rain featuring country singer and Brooklyn born Jessica Lynn. You can see the full setlist below.
On April 9, 2021 the group will finally hit the road again and start their Spring tour at the Marquee Theatre in Tempe, Az continuing through the midwest for 15 dates. After that they will continue for 12 more show in May and June mostly in the south. You can see all of the upcoming tour dates here. They also have a follow up album to Down To The River called Bless Your Heart which was released last summer. Due to Covid19 the band was unable to tour last year but now many states are easing restrictions and it appears that live music is finally making a come back.
Setlist: All Night, Melodies Are Memories, Blue Sky (Allman Brothers cover), Left My Heart In Memphis (Royal Southern Brotherhood cover), Taking Time (Duane Betts cover), In Memory of Elizabeth Reed (Allman Brothers cover), Multi-Colored Lady (Greg Allman cover), Seven Turns (Allman Brothers cover), Mahalo (Devon Allman’s Honeytribe cover), Purple Rain (Prince cover with Jessica Lynn), Dreams (Allman Brothers cover), Good Ol Days, Shakedown Street (Grateful Dead cover)
