MSG Entertainment has announced that two brand new Trey Anastasio solo acoustic performances have been scheduled next month at the artist’s unofficial home away from home, the legendary Beacon Theatre. The two shows will take place on August 19 and 20, with tickets going on sale to the general public on Thursday, July 28 at noon ET via Ticketmaster.com. These two shows are also being used as a dry run of sorts to test out the Beacon’s groundbreaking new sound system called Sphere Immersive Sound that promises to deliver targeted, crystal-clear and uniform audio to every seat in the house.
February 10, 2009; Beacon Theatre in its final days of restoration.
Sphere Immersive is being boasted as the world’s most advanced concert audio system, and was developed for MSG Sphere at The Venetian, which is scheduled to open in Las Vegas sometime in the second half of 2023. It uses uses 3D audio beamforming technology where sound levels remain consistent from point of origin to destination – ensuring every audience member experiences the optimal sound mix, regardless of where they’re seated. Anastasio’s August performances at The Beacon will mark the first time that this innovation is being integrated into a performance venue, as well as the debut of MSG Sphere technology to audiences.
Las Vegas Exosphere Render
I was lucky enough to experience a demo of Sphere Immersive Sound, and it’s truly unbelievable. I am thrilled to be able to debut this cutting-edge technology at the Beacon Theatre, one of my favorite venues in the world.
~ Trey Anastasio
Anastasio, a fellow Upper West Side resident, continues to build his ever-growing relationship with the historic Beacon Theatre, most recently playing there in June 2021 when he performed to the venue’s first full-capacity crowd in more than 450 days. In another first for the venue, Anastasio was tabbed for The Beacon’s first-ever virtual residency in October and November 2020 with “The Beacon Jams” – eight weekly shows that were streamed live to hundreds of thousands of fans over Twitch and raised more than $1 million for The Divided Sky Foundation.
In addition to online sales, tickets will also be available in person beginning on Friday, July 29 at the Madison Square Garden, Radio City Music Hall and Beacon Theatre box offices.
Phish made their much anticipated and welcomed return to Bethel Woods this weekend. Two packed shows on Friday and Saturday, not far from the original Woodstock grounds, saw the band delight fans with song selections that covered every facet of their ever-growing musical catalog. Phish first played Bethel Woods eleven years ago, with three legendary shows that seemed to serve as prime examples that the band was fully engaged again after reuniting two years prior. Although it was only two shows this weekend, they certainly didn’t do anything to ruin the mystique between Phish and these hallowed grounds.
Friday night’s show had a discernable old school feel to it right from the get-go, courtesy of a “Golgi Apparatus” show opener, the first one of those in nearly seven years. The “Sample In a Jar” that followed reached heights that few “Samples” have seen, fueled by a monstrous jam that evoked memories of The Baker’s Dozen and is a must hear. The rest of the first set featured other older songs like “Timber” and a “My Friend My Friend” > “Guelah Papyrus” sequence. And it wasn’t just limited to originals, with “My Soul” and a raucous and much welcomed “Walk Away” to close out Bethel’s opening set.
In typical fashion, Phish stretched things out a tad in the second set with a boisterous “Mr. Completely” to start that set the stage for an incredibly captivating “You Enjoy Myself.” Bassist Mike Gordon shined on a cover of “Boogie On Reggae Woman” later on which preceded a harmonious “Scents And Subtle Sounds” with a wonderfully slow build in emotion. The closing sequence on Friday night reverted back to the ‘classic’ format with a trifecta of “Wilson” > “Possum” > “Cavern.”
Phish Bethel Woods Center For The Arts – Bethel, NY 7/22/22
Set 1: Golgi Apparatus > Sample in a Jar, My Soul, Gumbo[1] -> Saw It Again > Timber (Jerry the Mule) > Meat, Lawn Boy > My Friend, My Friend > Guelah Papyrus, Brian and Robert, Walk Away
Set 2: Mr. Completely > You Enjoy Myself > Fuego > Joy, Boogie On Reggae Woman, Scents and Subtle Sounds > Wilson > Possum > Cavern
E: A Life Beyond The Dream
[1] Unfinished
Phish returned to Bethel Woods on Saturday night for one more go ’round and the old school vibes were thrown out the window right away with a show opening “Evening Song,” a tune from the band’s recent Sigma Oasis release and only the fourth one ever performed live. Next, the band dusted off some Kasvot Vaxt material with “Turtle In The Clouds” and Gordon and Trey Anastasio’s signature dance moves on full display. The emotional peaks of the opening set were handled by a “Fast Enough For You” that fed right into the ever majestic “Divided Sky.”
Phish made the last set, and certainly the encore, count before heading out of Bethel Woods. A somewhat surprising “Prince Caspian” began the proceedings before Phish injected a mega-dose of funk with a sterling cover of The Talking Heads’ “Crosseyed and Painless.” A mid-set “Miss You” served as a needed breather before the set later concluded with two more vintage jam staples in a “Twist” > “Carini” combination. To cap things off for a memorable two-night Bethel run, Phish played not one but five songs, clearly not wanting to leave just yet. A “Horse” > “Silent In The Morning” traditional pairing kicked things off, followed by “Fuck Your Face” and the grand return of “Buffalo Bill,” the first one in three years, close behind. Fittingly, on the grounds of Woodstock, the show came to end with a raging cover of “Fire” that saw Anastasio channel his inner Hendrix, replete with an instrumental run through of “The Star-Spangled Banner.”
Phish Bethel Woods Center For The Arts – Bethel, NY 7/23/22
Set 1: Evening Song, Turtle in the Clouds, Vultures, My Sweet One, Undermind > Fast Enough for You > Divided Sky, Suzy Greenberg > Ghost
Set 2: Prince Caspian > Crosseyed and Painless > Miss You > Set Your Soul Free > Prince Caspian > Twist > Carini
E: The Horse > Silent in the Morning, Fuck Your Face, Buffalo Bill, Fire
Set Your Soul Free contained a short Crosseyed and Painless jam with quotes from Trey. Trey also quoted Crosseyed and Painless in Twist. Trey played The Star-Spangled Banner in its entirety during Fire.
Aqueous has announced one last final appearance before year’s end and the band is making the very most of it. The Buffalo natives have just announced the inaugural The Great Flamingle which is scheduled to take place Saturday, September 3 at the outdoor lot stage at Jack Rabbit in the band’s hometown. The event, with music, vendors and other experiences curated by the band will mark the last full band show on record for 2022, with keyboardist David Loss set to take paternity leave shortly.
The Great Flamingle will feature two sets from Aqueous as well as performances from lespecialand The Talking Dead Heads, plus supporting acts from fellow locals Space Junk and Tortoise Forest on an outdoor lot stage.
This is something we’ve wanted to do forever…We’re all very excited to throw a unique, AQ-curated experience from the music, the vendors, the fan experiences, and beyond! We’re looking forward to building on The Great Flamingle in the years to come, too.
~ Aqueous guitarist Mike Gantzer
Tickets for The Great Flamingle, this last scheduled Aqueous gig of 2022, are on sale now here with both VIP and general admission options available. VIP ticket holders will have access to an intimate indoor performance along with a meet and greet with Aqueous plus complimentary food and two drinks from the Jack Rabbit Kitchen and Bar.
An upcoming Grateful Dead live release is set to feature six previously unreleased shows from the early ’80s at The World’s Most Famous Arena, Madison Square Garden. In And Out Of The Garden will contain two shows each from Dead runs at MSG in 1981, 1982 and 1983, totaling 17 CDs in all. It captures a period of time after the band’s 1980 release Go To Heaven, while songs for 1987’s In The Dark like “Hell In A Bucket” and “West L.A. Fadeaway” were very much still works in progress.
In addition to six classic Dead shows from MSG, the box set will also feature customized art work by Dave Van Patten on the cover and detailed liner notes from award-winning music journalist David Fricke who explores the band’s storied connection to the city.
The Dead’s affinity for New York City…was instant and arguably their most profound with any city aside from San Francisco
– David Fricke
The early ’80s period of Grateful Dead history is such a vibrant one, with the recent introduction of Brent Mydland as the new keyboardist into the mix. Mydland’s vocals and effervescent energy behind the piano energized the band at this point their storied career, invigorating older material like “The Wheel,” and “Eyes of The World.” He also gave the band more musical flexibility, which encouraged them to dust off treasures like “Dupree’s Diamond Blues” and “Crazy Fingers” from the proverbial shelves.
This vintage celebration of Dead history at MSG is numbered and limited to an edition of 12,500. The release is set to drop on September 23, but is available for pre-order right now from Dead.net for a price of $179.98.
A digital download option for In And Out Of The Garden is also available.
The Dead didn’t play the Garden until 1979, almost the midpoint of their performing career. but once they got rolling, they made it a home away from home, playing 10 shows in the next 15 years. These performances from 1981, 1982, and 1983 are six of the best the Dead played at the Garden, any of which could have been released on their own
– Grateful Dead Archivist David Lemieux
The six Grateful Dead MSG shows that are featured on this release include:
1981: Madison Square Garden March 9th & 10th
1982: Madison Square Garden September 20th & 21st
1983: Madison Square Garden October 11th & 12th
If the near 30-minute “Help” > “Slipknot” >”Franklin’s” sequence from the 10/12/83 show as seen below is any indication, this is one Deadheads and beyond are going to love.
The Grateful Dead played SPAC only four times in their career and today marks the anniversary of the third show which, for better or worse, may be the most memorable one of them all. Unfortunately, the show is remembered more for being responsible for getting the Dead banned from SPAC for the next three years. Reportedly, more than 40,000 fans attended this show, with Deadheads traveling from all over, creating Woodstock-like traffic conditions in Upstate New York and the Saratoga area.
This crowd size might be suitable for a stadium show, but instead created a venue that was 17,000 people over capacity, producing a chain reaction of safety issues that could have easily endangered the massive crowd. The SPAC balcony for this show was a veritable zoo, packed beyond belief as a result of people rushing in and passes reportedly being dropped down from above. Things are so out of hand a first set PSA urging people to stop hanging from there needs to be done. The band would serve its time and return in grand fashion three years later, but not before one more rowdy show that features a bevy of live Dead standards and traditional blues covers.
The show kicks off in a rather atypical fashion with a cover of the recently revived “In The Midnight Hour.” The Dead had dusted off this Wilson Pickett cover and refashioned it into an opener for a brief span in 1985. After some quick vocal sparring between Bob Weir and Brent Mydland, the band quickly launches into a much more familiar first set sight in “Bertha.” Jerry Garcia rips off the first of many effortless guitar solos and SPAC is officially all systems go.
“Little Red Rooster” follows and produces a sturdy blues jam, this time with Mydland going back and forth with Garcia on organ and guitar, respectively, that does a nice slow build in intensity. Afterwards, both Weir and bassist Phil Lesh essentially stop the show to admonish some fans who are hanging from the balcony railings and urge them to get back into their seats. Fittingly, the Dead then waste no time and jump right into a cover about an outlaw of another kind in “Stagger Lee.”
A pristine “El Paso” with some truly dulcet tones provided from Mydland’s electric piano then follows before Garcia begins to strum the opening chords to “Crazy Fingers.” A spirited Jerry powers through the vocals and delivers a string of delicate runs on the guitar with even more blissful background soundscapes emanating from Mydland’s rig. After a brief, exploratory jam the music then finds itself turning into a full-fledged “Supplication” jam, although no lyrics are ever sung. For some reason, the song was no longer paired with its traditional tag-team partner in “Lazy Lightnin’,” which the band stopped playing in 1984, and would only be a played a handful of times more in their career. The jam eventually loses steam and eventually dissolves seamlessly into “High Time.”
The Dead then wrap up the first set at SPAC with one of their newer live staples in a rousing “Hell In A Bucket” replete with more aggressive guitar play from Garcia and the boisterous vocal stylings of Bob Weir. The set then closes with a cover from way back when in a short and sweet “Don’t Ease Me In.”
The second set starts on a high note right from the gates and literally doesn’t come to a stop with a set full of nothing but segues. It begins with a “Feel Like A Stranger” that produces a riveting jam that seems to be picking up steam before Garcia seems to shift gears a little quicker than the rest of the band and steers it right into the beginning of “Eyes Of The World.” This lays down the foundation for another series of instrumental jams, spearheaded by Garcia’s frenetic runs up and down the fretboard.
The music then somehow finds its way to an early second set “Goin’ Down The Road Feeling Bad” that’s supercharged and seemingly played at a quicker than normal pace. After some brief indecision, and a possible nudge into “Not Fade Away,” the Dead instead veer into the ever prescient “Women Are Smarter.”
The band then yields the floor to the Rhythm Devils, drummers Bill Kreutzmann and Mickey Hart, for some percussive and psychedelic relief with the traditional “Drums” > “Space” sequence. From the depths of “Space,” some familiar chords begin to emerge and the Dead launch into a “Truckin’” with the “New York’s got the ways and means line” getting a serious round of applause from the SPAC faithful. Instead of stretching this out a bit, the night’s ongoing theme of blues covers then carries on with a take of Howlin’ Wolf’s “Spoonful” with Weir ably manning the vocals.
The short, bluesy jam lends itself perfectly to the intro to “Black Peter” as the Grateful Dead keep the second set’s train of songs going without nary a stop. The Dead then unleash the last three covers from their musical holster to wrap up the evening’s festivities, starting with a set closing “Turn On Your Lovelight” that produces one more brief, boisterous jam with Weir singing the vocals that the legendary Pigpen used to make his own in a different time.
The encore selections could very well serve as a subliminal message to the overflowing crowd that helped make this the last Grateful Dead show at SPAC for three years as well as a nod to the upcoming ban. Chuck Berry’s “Johnny B. Goode” was the first choice, perhaps an indirect message for the Dead faithful to respect the rules and capacity figures for venues going forward. A fitting closer in Bob Dylan’s “It’s All Over Now, Baby Blue” then closes out this show and begins the three-year wait for the Dead’s return to Saratoga.
Grateful Dead Saratoga Performing Arts Center – Saratoga, NY 6/27/85
Set 1: In The Midnight Hour, Bertha, Little Red Rooster, Stagger Lee, El Paso, Crazy Fingers > Supplication Jam > High Time, Hell In A Bucket > Don’t Ease Me In
Set 2: Feel Like A Stranger > Eyes Of The World > Goin’ Down The Road Feeling Bad > Man Smart (Woman Smarter) > Drums > Space > Truckin’ > Spoonful > Black Peter > Turn On Your Lovelight
Count the New York Yankees as one of the many entities lined up to celebrate the late Jerry Garcia’s upcoming birthday. August 1 will mark what would have been the legendary artist’s 80th birthday and to celebrate, the Yankees are breaking out the bobbleheads. The first 1,000 fans to purchase a special event ticket for that night’s game against the Seattle Mariners will receive the collectible Garcia bobblehead figurine, adorned in a Yankees jersey, pinstripes and all. Portions of the ticket sales will also benefit the Grateful Dead’s longtime non-profit, Rex Foundation.
The Yankees’ Garcia Bobblehead Night is just one of the events that are slated to celebrate his birthday that day. The Jerry Garcia Foundation, in partnership with Starchive, will also host a benefit concert on August 1 at Blue Note Napa in Sonoma County, CA with music performed by Garcia’s fellow New Rider of the Purple Sage in David Nelson and his band. The event will benefit the Jerry Garcia Foundation who, along with its technology partner in Starchive, have announced an upcoming archival project to help preserve the historical and artistic contributions of Jerry Garcia.
Like the Garcia bobblehead, tickets for this show are limited and can be purchased here. Yankees tickets can be purchased directly though mlb.com.
Today we look back at perhaps the most memorable and influential music festival of the 21st century, the first Bonnaroo. Held June 21-23, 2002 in Manchester, TN, Bonnaroo has helped pave the way for the success of the modern day music festival. The original 2002 edition skewed jam band-heavy when compared to the contemporary version, but the communal vibes and appreciation for live music that the festival has fostered over the years have only gotten stronger. Discover how the first Bonnaroo Music and Art festival came to fruition, the memorable musical offerings that weekend, and how the festival laid the groundwork for successful music festivals in the years and decades that followed.
photo by Pete Mason
Origins
Bonnaroo, in name alone, is steeped in musical culture. The word derives from the French words “bonne,” meaning “good,” and “rue” which means “street.” This was done out of respect for the music tradition of New Orleans, a spirit the founders of Bonnaroo were looking to carry over into their next venture. And even more fittingly, “bonnaroo” also serves as Creole slang for a “really good time,” the very essence of any successful music festival.
Not only that, Angola Prison was located on Bonnaroo Avenue. To be on that street, and not in prison, was naturally, a good thing. The cajun expression “desitively bonnaroo” came to mean “better than the best,” originating among the inmates of the South Louisiana prison, for if you were on that street and not in the prison, it was “desitively bonnaroo.”
Not only that, Angola Prison was located on Bonnaroo Avenue. To be on that street, and not in prison, was naturally, a good thing. The cajun expression “desitively bonnaroo” came to mean “better than the best,” originating among the inmates of the South Louisiana prison, for if you were on that street and not in the prison, it was “desitively bonnaroo.”
The closing of Knoxville’s World’s Fair Park in 1999 unknowingly got the ball rolling for the creation of Bonnaroo. The park had been the yearly home of the Hot Summer Nights music festival until construction forced concerts to no longer be held there. Festival founders AC Entertainment were forced to pivot and look elsewhere and from there the seeds of Bonnaroo were hatched.
The closing of the World’s Fair Park for concerts precipitated getting creative and trying to find, ‘OK, if we can’t do this anymore, how can we still participate in the summer outdoor concert business,’ and it was from that that Bonnaroo was ultimately launched.
Ashley Capps, co-founder AC Entertainment
Bonnaroo seemed like a natural name for the massive new venture on a giant farm in Manchester, TN. Not only for the aforementioned translations, but the term itself wasn’t completely foreign either after being introduced to pop culture through Dr. John’s 1974 release Desitively Bonnaroo.
Superfly, who produced shows during New Orleans Jazz Fest in the late 90s, had experience in staging 28 shows over 8 nights at various New Orleans venues, typically late-night and catering to jam band fans. Superfly founders Kerry Black, Rick Farman, Richard Goodstone and Jonathan Mayers had attended Glastonbury and Coachella Festivals in years prior, and used these experiences to frame their vision for Bonnaroo Music and Art Festival.
The Superfly team brought in Coran Capshaw, who managed Phish and Dave Matthews Band, among others, to assist with financing, and worked with regional promoter Ashley Capps (AC Entertainment), based out of Knoxville. Working together, Superfly, Capshaw and AC Entertainment combined resources and dove in feet first, creating America’s most successful multi-day camping music festival since the original Woodstock.
Farman spoke to Relix in April 2002 noting that the first task was to establish bonafides to the fans:
The first thing that I think is important to let everybody know is that we have an extremely experienced and professional crew behind this event. I know many people know Superfly from the events we’ve done at Jazz Fest and other things. And I know people know AC for the events he’s done. But what I really wish to emphasize is that we have hired the best people in the camping festival business to help us put on this event. We have a lot of experience between AC and us in putting on concerts and concert promotion but we certainly understand that our experience is limited in putting on an event of this size.
Our basic plan has been to make the learning curve zero. Most of the people that we’ve hired were also key players in putting on the big Phish events- everything from our project manager, site coordinator, vending consultant, production manager, parking company, business manager, the head of security and the different security companies that were hiring. We’re going to have Clean Vibes out there, which I think people know through many events, including the big Phish events. So in terms of the quality of the people putting on the event and the quality of the facilities, its really going to be top notch.
The location the team would choose was found in Central Tennessee, in the small Coffee County town of Manchester. Located an hour drive southeast of Nashville, the town of less than 9,000 at the time had previously served as host to at least one previous music festival, Itchykoo.
Named for the Small Faces song “Itchykoo Park,” the festival was held only once, from August 12-15, 1999, featuring 40 bands over four days and nights. The event sold 20,000 tickets, but the event did not repeat, something apparent before the weekend concluded, with event staff reportedly departing mid-shift when it became clear their work would not be paid.
The classic rock-centric festival featured Dave Mason, Survivor, Rick Springfield, Blue Oyster Cult, Sammy Hagar, Joan Jett and the Blackhearts, Iron Butterfly, Leon Russell, Davy Jones and Mickey Dolenz (performing separately), Starship and the Wilson sisters from Heart. The lineup, while ambitious, did not have a true headliner, but instead a list of classic rock bands with no clear connection between the artists.
Itchycoo not returning to Manchester for additional installments, coupled with World’s Fair Park closing for construction, made the perfect conditions for Bonnaroo to arrive in 2002. Of course, the two festivals would have a similar sounding name, and an ambitious first year endeavor like Bonnaroo needed to establish their brand as distinct from the predecessor, at least to all who were aware of Itchykoo. With a name that signified a ‘good time,’ was the name of a street in New Orleans as well as a Dr. John album, confusion with the 1999 festival was not a factor.
The location in Manchester, a 700-acre farm with access roads left over from Itchykoo gave it perfect location next to I-24, something that was a necessity for any major music festival to ensure easy access for arriving fans. The farm was purchased in 2007, and a permanent power source was added shortly after, so as not to use the TVA hookup that accounted for 70% of all power, with the rest coming from generators.
On March 13, 2002, with little advertising, tickets for Bonnaroo went on sale, at an initial cost of $100, eventually sold for as much as $170. Tickets were sold exclusively through the Bonnaroo website, with 10,000 tickets sold the first day. Within the first week, 70,000 tickets were sold, and the festival announced a sell out on March 24. Within 11 days, and mostly by word-of-mouth, Bonnaroo had sold out their first year with a lineup and vision that fans agreed with.
There was of course another failed festival in 1999 that also had an impact on Bonnaroo, and music festivals in general. Woodstock 99, which quite publicly showed Baby Boomer greed meeting Gen X angst, in full view on MTV. While Itchykoo failed due to lack of headlining acts and lack of funding, Woodstock tarnished a brand permanently, with founder Michael Lang unable to celebrate the 50th anniversary of Woodstock with a festival 20 years later.
The Adirondack Independent Music Festival will once again take place in Lake George at the unofficial end of summer on Labor Day weekend. The festival will return to the Charles R. Wood Festival Commons and take place Friday, September 2 through Sunday, September 4.
Pink Talking Fish
This year’s headliners are moe. who are playing four sets over two nights and Pigeons Playing Ping Pong who will play two sets as well, returning to the festival for the first time since 2019.
In addition to lots of great music, the festival will also feature a variety of food and craft vendors as well a great view of the fireworks at Lake George on Saturday evening. $175 General Admission Weekend (3-day) tickets are on sale now at the Adirondack Music Festival website. There is also a special VIP option available, which includes admission to all three days, a meal each night, free snacks, half-priced adult beverages, $2 water / soft drinks, a private viewing area (with private bar) and access to private bathrooms.
Also featured on this year’s bill are Dopapod, Pink Talking Fish, Badfish: A Tribute to Sublime, Ryan Montbleau Band, lespecial, Dogs in a Pile, Neighbor, Hayley Jane & The Primates and Freekbass & The Bump Assembly (featuring former members of Turkuaz).
Music in the Festival Commons will begin at 1pm on Friday and 12:00pm on Saturday and Sunday and run continuously across two side-by-side stages until 11pm each night. The event is open to attendees of all ages and children 12 and under are free.
Fans of musical icon and New York’s own, the great, late Lou Reed, will soon be able to hear some new and previously unreleased material as part of a new archival release series. In partnership with Reed’s widow, Laurie Anderson, acclaimed label Light in the Attic will release the first album of the series, Words & Music, May 1965, later this summer on Aug. 26. It features some of the some earlier takes on Velvet Underground classics like “Heroin,” “I’m Waiting for the Man,” and “Pale Blue Eyes” that Reed helped craft along with fellow VU co-founder John Cale.
This newly unearthed material is the result of a five-inch reel of recordings that Reed mailed to himself in the form of a “poor man’s copyright” back in 1965. It went untouched for nearly 50 years, only discovered after the artist’s death in 2013. The raw, grainy material gives an early inside look at the genius of Reed and, per music journalist Greil Marcus in the liner notes, “They make a darkness, and Reed and Cale try to feel their way through it. In ‘Heroin,’ there’s just a hint of the hurricane it will become and the enormous authority it will carry two years later. … ‘Pale Blue Eyes’ says go farther, there’s no end to this, and you know that they will go farther — they’re almost there.”
Words & Music, May 1965 will be available in several formats, including LP, cassette, 8-track, digital and CD, and can be preordered here. The deluxe two-LP edition, is being limited to 7,500 copies and also includes an additional 7″ record that features six other early songs and a cover of Bob Dylan’s “Don’t Think Twice, It’s Alright.” The full track listings for both albums can be seen below.
In addition to this, the five-inch reel itself will be physically on display this week, along with other Reed-related artifacts, at Lou Reed: Caught Between the Twisted Stars. The exhibition opens on June 9 at the New York Public Library for the Performing Arts.
“This collection is to inspire people,” Anderson said in a recent NY Times interview. “It’s not necessarily to say, ‘Here’s the real Lou Reed.’ That’s never what it was meant to be. Here’s a lot of his music and how he did it. Be inspired by it. But it’s not and can’t be a real picture of the man.”
Lou Reed, ‘Words & Music, May 1965’ Track Listing 2xLP 1. “I’m Waiting for the Man” (May 1965 Demo) 2. “Men of Good Fortune” (May 1965 Demo) * 3. “Heroin” (May 1965 Demo) 4. “Too Late” (May 1965 Demo) * 5. “Buttercup Song” (May 1965 Demo) 6. “Walk Alone” (May 1965 Demo) 7. “Buzz Buzz Buzz (May 1965 Demo) 8. “Pale Blue Eyes” (May 1965 Demo) 9. “Stockpile” (May 1965 Demo) * 10. “Wrap Your Troubles in Dreams” (May 1965 Demo) 11. “I’m Waiting for the Man” (May 1965 Alternate Version) 7-inch 1. “Gee Whiz” – (1958 Rehearsal) * 2. “Baby, Let Me Follow You Down” (1963/64 Home Recording) 3. “Michael, Row The Boat Ashore” (1963/64 Home Recording) 4. “Don’t Think Twice, It’s All Right” (Partial) (1963/64 Home Recording) 5. “W & X, Y, Z Blues” (1963/64 Home Recording) * 6. “Lou’s 12-Bar Instrumental” (1963/64 Home Recording) *
Today we celebrate the anniversary of the first Phish show ever held at New York City’s esteemed Radio City Music Hall. Fresh off the heels of a New Year’s Millennium celebration in the Everglades that made headlines worldwide, Phish was ready to take on the year 2000 with a Spring Tour of Japan on the books. But first, they would play a few gigs in New York City to dust off the cobwebs and help support their album Farmhouse which was released just days earlier. On this the first of a two-night run here, Phish would wind up playing about half of the new album’s songs while mixing in other classics in a show that certainly lived up to the anticipation surrounding it.
Phish seems to soak in the applause for a bit from a raucous Radio City Music Hall before starting the show with thunderous “First Tube” that seemed to move the ground itself. Mike Gordon’s constant, unwavering bass line dominates this one pulled from Farmhouse that continues to be a mainstay at shows to this day. A familiar first set face in “Wolfman’s Brother” gets played next, adding a veritable dose of funk to the revered music hall, with sound coming through in pristine fashion thanks to Radio City’s amazing acoustics.
An early show “Squirming Coil” then makes an appearance. The “Little Jimmy’s off to camp” line seems to get a noticeable roar of approval from the crowd, perhaps in respect to last summer’s legendary (and sweltering) Camp Oswego festival in Upstate New York. After a fairly brief Page McConnell closing piano solo, the opening to “Possum” emerge which reenergizes Radio City and then some with the floor once again seeming to have a discernable bounce to it, especially on the upper levels of the building. After a brief pause, the funk returns once more, this time courtesy of a bubbly “Moma Dance.”
Once “Moma” comes to a rolling stop, the opening chords to “Limb By Limb” ring out, a fellow Story Of The Ghost selection. “Limb” elicits one of the finer jams of the first set, one that slowly increases in fervor and intensity, with McConnell and Trey Anastasio on guitar musically sparring back and forth, before it closes with Jon Fishman alone on drums. “Character Zero” then wraps a bow around the much anticipated first Phish set at Radio City, a spirited and well-played one with fairly standard selection of songs for 2000.
The second set stays very much in that same vein, beginning with a “Gotta Jibboo” that produces the next standout moment of the evening. The band is instantly locked in on a blissful jam that takes off right away, aided by Anastasio’s signature digital delay loop running underneath it the entire time. This momentum carries squarely into the “Down With Disease” that comes next. The band rips through the composed section and jumps immediately into an aggressive high-octane jam that starts strong and never really lets up, with Fishman pushing both the tempo and the limits in a masterclass of drumming. Eventually, Trey reintroduces the digital delay loop with Page adding in some harrowing organ fills as the band takes their time crafting this one. It all adds up to a 20-minute “Disease” that’s the highlight of the show and one of the better ones ever played to date.
In a true case of juxtaposition, Phish lets the crowd catch their breath a little and trots out the introspective “Dirt,” yet another Farmhouse selection. This would actually begin a three-song run from the new album (and four of five including “Jibboo”) in the second set as “Twist” follows and brings with it a mellow, groove-infused jam that turns into near ambience.
This lays the foundation for “Piper” and its customary (at the time) slow build introduction. “Piper” goes from slow to lightening quick in a hurry, with Anastasio shredding out the main chords in rapid fashion with Fishman, once again, doing some otherworldly business on the drums. Instead of stretching “Piper” out further, it comes to a rather abrupt stop and Phish pivots to “Harry Hood,” much to the delight of the Radio City crowd.
Phish doesn’t mess around with “Hood” and delivers a splendidly euphoric version of one their signature songs, a slow build of emotion before cresting perfectly. A second set full of music and memorable jams could have easily ended right there with few complaints. But from the ashes of “Hood,” McConnell emerges alone on piano and begins “Wading In The Velvet Sea” to add another emotion-provoking song to the list. Afterwards, both he and Trey expressed their appreciation for being able to play at Radio Music Hall, where they had both been able to see the great Stevie Wonder perform, with Trey making some especially poignant and heartfelt remarks about the current state of Phish and the scene it has created.
With that said and done, the resurrected “Guyute” then closes out the second set in grand fashion. The “I hope this happens once again line” at its completion gets another extra round of applause from the crowd. For an encore, Phish trots out one last Farmhouse selection with the acoustic “The Inlaw Josie Wales” before “Loving Cup,” the lone cover song of the night, sends the Radio City crowd home glowing, eagerly anticipating what’s to follow in round two tomorrow.
Take a listen to the whole show below or song by song at PhishTracks.
Phish Radio City Music Hall – New York, NY 5/21/00
Set 1: First Tube, Wolfman’s Brother, The Squirming Coil, Possum, The Moma Dance > Limb By Limb > Character Zero
Set 2: Gotta Jibboo, Down With Disease > Dirt, Twist > Piper, Harry Hood > Wading In The Velvet Sea, Guyute
