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.
In what will perhaps go down as the warmest day of 2022, Wednesday, July 20 also proved to be a scorching night of live music in Saratoga Springs, NY for the nearly 15,000 fans who packed SPAC to see the Dropout Boogie Tour. A stellar lineup was headlined by the critically acclaimed blue-collar Blues/Rock duo, The Black Keys. Bolstered by indie rock icons, Band of Horses, along with charismatic up-and-comers Ceramic Animal, the trio of talented bands left it all on stage, giving fans every ounce of sweat they had. Confirming what most of us already know: rock ‘n roll is alive and well in the Capital Region.
Boogie On: The Black Keys made their Capital Region debut at SPAC on Wednesday, July 20, 2022
Kicking off the “boogie” in fine fashion, was Doylestown, Pennsylvania’s Ceramic Animal. A band consisting of three brothers and two of their childhood friends, this genre blending, high energy psychedelic-rock quintet has been around for a while now, having put out three self-funded studio albums, before garnering the attention of Black Keys front man and producer Dan Auerbach. Impressed by their songwriting, big yet down-to-earth personalities, and their DIY work ethic, Auerbach quickly signed Ceramic Animal to his label, Easy Eye Sound. The renowned producer then brought the band to Nashville to record their most recent album, Sweet Unknown (released this past March). Sticking close to their roots while honing their chops, their look and their stage show, Ceramic Animal’s relentless ambition is finally showing dividends. Tapped by Auerbach for a slot on this huge national tour produced by Live Nation, Ceramic Animal quite literally went from playing Albany’s intimate Empire Underground club last month, to making their Red Rocks debut last week, to taking the main stage at SPAC by storm on Wednesday night.
Rapid Rise: Ceramic Animal played a significantly smaller Capital Region venue less than a month ago. (Photo by Zak Radick; 6/30/22 Empire Underground; Albany NY)
Dressed to thrill and ready to make the most of their allotted time, the band came out firing on all cylinders with “Ann Marie” which flowed directly into the hard charging foot stomper “I Can’t Wait.” Taking a brief moment to address fans who showed up early, songwriter Chris Regan lifted the brim of his cowboy hat and acknowledged the significance of collaborating with Auerbach before going into the set’s only “slow” tune, “Forever Song,” which Auerbach originally helped them arrange and record. With stage time at a premium, Ceramic Animal saved perhaps their most impressive and catchiest song of the night for last, uncorking a near 10 minute rendition of “All My Loving,” a hybrid song of sorts that truly showcases what this band can do; seamlessly shifting tempos from rock riffs to a disco-type funk, then slowed to a darkly psychedelic build before reaching it’s climactic end. Successfully cashing in on a huge opportunity to gain new listeners, if people didn’t know who Ceramic Animal was before this show, they certainly did after. At the end of the night, the guys could be seen near the merch both hanging out and taking selfies with scores of new fans.
Ceramic Animal | July 20, 2022 | SPAC | Saratoga Springs, NY | Dropout Boogie Tour
Setlist: Ann Marie, I Can’t Wait, Forever Song, All My Loving
Next on the bill was a different kind of animal in the form of enduring alt rock titans Band of Horses. Led by songwriter Ben Bridwell and featuring a noticeably more “road tested” look than their predecessors, the tattoo covered, flannel wearing rockers from Seattle immediately got the crowd singing along with “Is There A Ghost” from their 2007 album Cease To Begin. With a layered sound full of subtleties and textures thanks to the bands three distinct guitar parts, it wasn’t until Matt Gentling dropped in with his first big bass bomb that the set really took off. Thrashing about the stage with reckless abandon, Gentling’s long haired headbanging was some of the best of the entire night and that’s saying something. Keeping the crowd involved with another sing-along, “The Great Salt Lake” off their debut album was next, followed by my personal highlight of the set, an irresistibly catchy version of ‘The General Specific’ which gave burley and bearded multi-instrumentalist Ryan Monroe a prime opportunity to shine behind the keys. Keeping it old school, another pair of fan favorites, “No One’s Gonna Love You” and “Islands on the Coast” came next. Perhaps taking a que from the audience as you could smell it all night, from there things got a little hazy as The Horses turned SPAC into an all-out “Weed Party” before going into a new tune,“Crutch,” the only song played off their recently released 2022 album Things Are Great. “In a Drawer” and “Laredo” would lead Band of Horses down the home stretch before their final song of the night and easily their most popular, “The Funeral,” which currently has over 300 million streams on Spotify.
Band of Horses | July 20, 2022 | SPAC | Saratoga Springs, NY | Dropout Boogie Tour
Setlist: Is There a Ghost, The Great Salt Lake, The General Specific, No One’s Gonna Love You, Islands on the Coast, Weed Party, Crutch, In a Drawer, Laredo, The Funeral
After an absolutely hilarious ‘Anti-Boogie’ intro video starring comedian David Cross urged Dads Interested in Choosing Our Kids Songs(D.I.C.K.S) to avoid this tour at all costs, it was finally time for the main event. Making their first ever Capital Region appearance and taking the stage around 9:15pm to a rabid applause, The Black Keys came out swinging for the fences with one of their hardest hitting songs, “I got Mine.” Often regarded as one of rock’s most prolific two piece, Dan Auerbach on guitar and vocals and his longtime friend and collaborator Patrick Carney on drums, some first timers in the audience seemed surprised to see a backing band on stage with them. Enlisting two brothers, Zach and Andy Gabbard, along with multi-instrumentalist Chris St. Hilaire to help fill in their live sound, The Black Keys strung together hit after hit. Sing-along songs like “Howlin’ For You,” “Tighten Up,” and “Your Touch” won the crowd over early before the band would really settle in with their signature bread-and butter, groove and blues-based sound. Like following a road map of their musical inspirations, The Keys would go on to pay homage to a number of Blues legends like John Lee Hooker, Junior Kimbrough and RL Burnside and cover songs like “Stay All Night,” “Coal Black Mattie”, “Going’ Down South” and “Crawlin’ Kingsnake” to name a few.
Influential Hitmaker: Dan Auerbach of The Black Keys performing at Saratoga Performing Arts Center on 7/20/22
Armed with a bevy of beautiful guitars and his signature fuzz-heavy pedal effects pallet, Auerbach would get a little extra help from ultra-talented guest guitar player Kenny Brown, who joined in on the fun to play a little slide. All frills and showmanship aside, The Black Keys were mostly all business on this night, only asking the crowd to “sing along if they know they words” once before launching into one of their biggest hits “Gold on the Ceiling.” As one of modern rocks most mimicked voices, Auerbach’s distinct singing was on point all evening, but one song that particularly stood out was a slowed down rendition of “Everlasting Light” in which he absolutely nailed the challenging falsetto parts. Recent ‘Keys songs like “Your Team is Looking Good” and “Wild Child” were met with favorable reactions, but the true highlight for long time TBK fans had to have been the set closing combo of “Ten Cent Pistol” and “She’s Long Gone” from the bands most popular album, 2010’s Brothers. Exiting the stage to a deafening applause, the crowd of about 15,000 simply would not stop cheering until the band came back out for an encore. Happy to oblige, instead of one they got two. First up was the sentimental ‘hold your lighter in the air’ type anthem “Little Black Submarines” which had nearly the entire lawn singing along in unison, a special moment that had all the feels. With the venue curfew now rapidly approaching, The Black Keys brought the show to a close with one final barn burner, the riff heavy stomper now commonly heard at sporting events everywhere, “Lonely Boy.”
With a successful Capital Region debut now in the books, the only real complaint fans may have is the lack of “old school” material played. With a back catalog that currently includes 11 studio albums, The Keys only performed one song that predated their 2008 breakthrough, Attack & Release. That being said, it’s doubtful anyone left the Dropout Boogie Tour feeling cheated. If anything, it’s a testament to the bands uncanny and continued ability to write catchy songs that appeal to a wide range of people of all ages; almost as if they have “too many” good songs to fit into one show. “Always keep them wanting more” they say, well on this hot and humid July night in Saratoga Springs, The Black Keys did exactly that. With this untapped market now fresh on their radar, hopefully it won’t take nearly as long for this dynamic, influential and charismatic duo to find their way back.
The Black Keys | July 20, 2022 | SPAC | Saratoga Springs, NY | Dropout Boogie Tour
Setlist: I Got Mine, Howlin’ For You, Fever, Tighen Up, Your Touch, It Ain’t Over, Gold On The Ceiling, Stay All Night, Coal Black Mattie, Goin’ Down South, Busted, Crawlin’ Kingsnake, Have Love Will Travel, Lo/Hi, Everlasting Light, Next Girl, Your Team Is Looking Good, Wild Child, Ten Cent Pistol, She’s Long Gone
Art, in all its forms, is intended to inspire, challenge and broaden our minds. Whether a song, a painting, a NFT, or an interpretive dance, art is not intended to be comfortable, and if it is, it’s not doing its job. So when Roger Waters, co-founder and former member of Pink Floyd, arrived in Albany this week, he brought with him a performance that reaffirmed his status as an artist, while confronting the views of the audience in the process, sometimes to their discomfort but to great acclamation.
photo by Dave Decrescente
Appearing at a hazy MVP Arena on Wednesday, July 20 for a show two years in the planning – and more than half a century in the making – Waters performed a career-spanning show, featuring Pink Floyd classics, solo and new material amid an odyssey for the senses.
Those two years were such a span of time, that from when the This is Not a Drill Tour was announced in January 2020, the name of the Albany venue has changed from the Times Union Center to MVP Arena. The anticipation for fans – who represented a wide age-range as grandparents joined grandkids to see a legend perform – grew steadily as they awaited the show to go on, nearly two years to the date of the original show (July 25, 2020).
With announcements on the screen read aloud by a calming British voice, the audience was given 15, 10 and 5 minute warnings for when the show would begin. There was this courtesy to all in attendance, as well as a request to silence your cell phone, that were met with agreement from the crowd. Rousing applause and cheers overshadowed those rumblings when those in the crowd who were not interested in hearing Roger’s politics were advised to ‘fuck off to the bar right now,’ as the audience prepared themselves for a spectacle of the audio, visual and political varieties.
photo by Dave Decrescente
For this performance, the cross-shaped stage featured four quadrants of video screens displaying animation and early band images, so that every seat was a great seat and you could see the full show from any vantage point, amid a haze that hung in the air like London fog. Opening with “Comfortably Numb” as a video played across the screens with a dark, dystopian future city scape, the song reaching an emotional peak and the screens ascending, revealing the full band and offering Albany a rare performance in the round.
Performing this evening with Waters were Jon Carin (keys, guitar, vocals), Robert Walter (organ), Jonathan Wilson – (guitar, vocals), Gus Seyffert (bass, guitar), Dave Kilminster (guitar, vocals), Joey Waronker (drums, percussion), Seamus Blake (saxophone), Amanda Belair (vocals) and Shanay Johnson (vocals).
As the band was revealed, the 78 year old Waters showed off his vocal ability and on-stage agility as he moved from side to side and end to end of the arena, making sure no one was left out of seeing Roger close up. A trio of songs from The Wall were the first songs in full view of the audience – “Happiest Days of Our Lives,” “Another Brick in the Wall (Part 2)” and “Another Brick in the Wall (Part 3).” “Powers That Be” followed as the first solo work of Waters, a track off his 1987 concept album, Radio K.A.O.S.
photo by Dave Decrescente
This is when, as if you hadn’t been given fair warning, Roger’s politics become their own feature of the show. If you somehow weren’t aware of where Roger stood on world issues beforehand, well, you were in for an education into the mind of the former Pink Floyd frontman.
Imagery included BIPOC victims of police violence – not just in America, but in England, Africa, Turkey, and around the world. During “The Bravery of Being Out of Range,” the voice and floating head of Ronald Reagan appeared on the screen, giving his farewell address to the nation in 1989, with the words WAR CRIMINAL beneath his image along with 30,000 Guatamalans killed referring to those of Mayan descent who were killed during his presidency through efforts to expand democracy in Latin America. By now, Roger had shifted to the piano as Reagan’s head was burned into the minds of those in attendance, and rightly so given his hatred for Reagan and Margaret Thatcher and whose policies the song criticizes. Not to leave the Gipper alone, Presidents Bush (both), Clinton, Obama and Trump are all featured as well with WAR CRIMINAL below their image for various military action and drone strikes taken during each presidency. Biden was featured last and while his presidency is just one and a half years old, WAR CRIMINAL appeared again, with ‘just getting started’ below, which was met with an uneasy applause from the audience.
https://youtu.be/C6bNEPF9EKU?t=1223
Roger spoke to the audience as he sat at the piano, thanking everyone who kept their tickets from the initial date in 2020. The first portion of “The Bar,” an unreleased song that was written during the pandemic followed, with a similar sound to “Nobody Home” from The Wall. Here, imagery was displayed of the Lakota Indian tribe and their protest against a uranium mine in the Black Hills of North Dakota. These were not light images to see, yet showing the resolve of the Lakota people in the face of overwhelming odds and power, both remarkable and inspiring.
Nothing, however, prepares you for the sheer amount of reading involved in a full Roger Waters concert experience. Instead of a professor giving you a pre-reading assignment before class, Waters puts the text on the screen, leading your eyes to dart from the screen to the band, and back again, knowing that this captive audience is laser focused on the center of the room. All of the text is no doubt informative and sheds some light into the mind of Roger Waters, yet at times feels like being stuck in a car with a podcast where you can’t change the channel.
The second side of Wish You Were Here took center stage as the set moved into its second half, starting with “Have a Cigar,” as early Pink Floyd photos were displayed on the screens; “Wish you Were Here,” as Roger spoke of Syd Barrett stories and images appeared above, and the finally, the latter portions of “Shine On You Crazy Diamond.” As sheep, pigs and dogs appeared on the screen, the show entered the Animals era, including Tweets featuring the recent opinions of the US Supreme Court while the band performed “Sheep” to the loudest cheers of the set thus far.
photo by Dave Decrescente
After a 20-minute intermission, a flying pig was released – roughly the size of a compact car and soaring over the crowd – circling the arena and drawing attention away from Roger and the band as they took the stage and moved into The Wall’s “In the Flesh (Part 2)” and bringing along the full experience of The Wall, short of the actual wall being torn down. Banners dropped down featuring marching hammers, a red hue about the stage and Waters in a full dictator-tilt as he tore through Pink’s speech from the film, before moving into “Run Like Hell” as the pig continued to circle the stage above the crowd.
Two tracks from 2017’s Is This the Life We Really Want?, “Déjà Vu” and the title track followed, with a theme of human rights flashing on screen, along with specific rights for Yeminis, Palestinians, women and those without equal rights in the world.
The coins of “Money” could be heard next as the Dark Side of the Moon era was given center stage.. With screens showing faces of humanity and scenes from global protests, “Us and Them” felt more like “Us versus Them,” particularly those most vulnerable among the ‘Us,’ indiginous peoples from around the world. “Brain Damage” and “Eclipse” would follow, with a rainbow forming on the screens while a triangular prism of lasers surrounded the stage end to end, providing a full Dark Side of the Moon album cover effect.
photo by Dave Decrescente
Waters’ encore began with one of his last songs for Pink Floyd, “Two Suns in the Sunset,” which references nuclear holocaust, and was connected to the Doomsday Clock. A second portion of “The Bar” followed, with the band crowding around Waters at the piano, as they brought acoustic instruments in preparation for a walk around the perimeter of the stage as “Outside the Wall,” the final track on The Wall closed the show. With Waters standing on the stage at the end to a standing ovation, his bid farewell with a simple message: Peace.
When taken together, Roger Waters’ live performance coupled with the knowledge he seeks to impart on his audience is a vivid spectacle of the highest order. Taken separately, both fall on deaf ears and the message is lost. Waters continues to examine the uncomfortable realities of life through his music, one for the benefit of his audiences for the past 54 years and counting.
Roger Waters’ “This is Not a Drill” Tour arrives at Long Island’s UBS Arena at Belmont Park on August 13, followed by two nights at Madison Square Garden on August 30 & 31. All tour dates can be found here.
Roger Waters – MVP Arena – Albany, NY – July 20, 2022
Set 1: Comfortably Numb, The Happiest Days of Our Lives > Another Brick in the Wall, Part 2 > Another Brick in the Wall, Part 3, The Powers That Be, The Bravery of Being Out of Range, The Bar, Have a Cigar, Wish You Were Here > Shine On You Crazy Diamond (Parts VI-IX), Sheep
Set 2: In the Flesh > Run Like Hell, Déjà Vu, Is This the Life We Really Want?, Money > Us and Them > Any Colour You Like > Brain Damage > Eclipse
Encore: Two Suns in the Sunset, The Bar (Reprise), Outside the Wall
The Mann Center in Philadelphia hosted Phish for two steamy nights of music over Tuesday and Wednesday, July 19-20, including a space-themed “Tweezer”-fest on night one of the run.
Opening up Tuesday’s show were a trio of space songs, “Space Oddity,” “Martian Monster” and “Halley’s Comet,” perhaps inspired by new photos from the James Webb Space Telescope. A second set “Tweezer” segued freely in and out of “Cities,” “Passing Through,” Hendrix’s “Izabella” (which seems to be firmly in the rotation once again), “Mercury” and “Piper.” Trey Anastasio seemed to quote Lou Reed and Velvet Underground’s “I’m Waiting for the Man” during “Character Zero.”
Wednesday night, an appropriate “Steam” opened the night, given the steamy temperatures at showtime hovering around 90 degrees. A surprising “AC/DC Bag” opened the second set, with a nonstop segue threough “Soul Planet” > “Simple” -> “Light” -> “Party Time” with a romantic encore of “Waste” and “Loving Cup”.
Catch Phish in Bethel this weekend, then Hartford and Jones Beach next week!
Phish – The Mann Center, Philadelphia, PA – Tuesday, July 21
Set 1: Space Oddity, Martian Monster, Halley’s Comet > Stash, The Moma Dance > Gotta Jibboo, Shade, The Old Home Place, Walls of the Cave
Set 2: More > Tweezer -> Cities -> Tweezer -> Passing Through > Izabella > Tweezer > Mercury > Piper > Tweezer > Also Sprach Zarathustra > Character Zero
Encore: Drift While You’re Sleeping > Tweezer Reprise
Space Oddity was played for the first time since July 28, 2017 (154 shows). The third Tweezer contained teases of Izabella and Cissy Strut. Trey teased Dave’s Energy Guide in Piper. Also Sprach Zarathustra included Space Oddity quotes from Trey and Martian Monster quotes from Trey and Page. Trey quoted I’m Waiting for the Man in Character Zero.
Phish – The Mann Center, Philadelphia, PA – Wednesday, July 20
Set 1: Steam > Runaway Jim, Tela, Kill Devil Falls, Theme From the Bottom, Birds of a Feather, I Didn’t Know, Funky Bitch, Split Open and Melt
Set 2: AC/DC Bag > Soul Planet > Simple -> Light -> Party Time, Lonely Trip, David Bowie
Encore: Waste > Loving Cup
Runaway Jim contained a Nellie Kane tease by Trey. David Bowie featured an In Memory of Elizabeth Reed tease by Trey.
A perfect summer night greeted Dead and Company as the group returned to Citi Field for their two-night tour closing run in Queens over July 15 & 16. After a quick introduction by Bravo Network’s Andy Cohen (also Anderson Cooper’s New Year’s Eve television sidekick and huge Grateful Dead fan), the show kicked off with a high energy version of “Bertha” which set the tone for the weekend.
Drummer Billy Kruetzman had been sitting out most of Dead & Co.’s summer tour due to some back issues but made a humble return for the tour closers. The crowd’s raucous cheers every time the cameras focused on him brought out a smile on his face. Jay Lane had been filling in for Kruetzman for most of the tour and came back out during Saturday’s show to join the band on stage.
Dead & Co.’s setlist was orchestrated with the perfect ebb and flow of leisurely moments and dancing feet while maintaining full speed ahead. Set 2’s “Terrapin Station,” “Standing on the Moon,” and drums/space blended brilliantly with heaters “China Cat Sunflower -> I Know You Rider,” “Not Fade Away,” “Sugar Magnolia,” and the extended jam evolving “Space” into “The Other One.”
With Dead & Co.’s summer tour grand finale at Citi Field, here’s looking forward to what we hope to be more tours from the band. Check out photos from Friday’s show below, as well as setlists from both nights.
Dead and Company – Citi Field – Queens
Friday July 15:
Set 1: Bertha -> Mississippi Half-Step Uptown Toodeloo. Shakedown Street -> Sugaree, Tennessee Jed, Bird Song -> Don’t Ease Me In
Set 2: Althea. Viola Lee Blues, Terrapin Station, China Cat Sunflower -> I Know You Rider -> Drums -> Space -> The Other One -> Standing on the Moon, Not Fade Away
Encore: Sugar Magnolia
Saturday July 16:
Set 1: Playing in the Band -> Uncle John’s Band, Dear Mr. Fantasy -> Hey Jude, Ramble On Rose, Brown-Eyed Women, Jack Straw
Set 2: Truckin’, Wang Dang Doodle -> Scarlet Begonias -> Franklin’s Tower, St. Stephen -> William Tell Bridge -> The Eleven -> Drums (with Jay Lane) -> Space -> All Along the Watchtower, Morning Dew, Deal -> Playing in the Band Reprise
Spoon opened their second leg of their summer tour at the Town Ballroom in Buffalo on July 7. Touring in support of their recent release Lucifer On the Sofa. Though it was the first show they had played since June, you wouldn’t know it. Opening up the leg with a Smog cover of Held, the show was an eclectic mix of old and new, playing 5 songs from Lucifer on the Sofa, along with an impressive mix of their older catalog. It really highlighted the deep well they can draw from and keep the audience on their toes.
Spoon is a band that serves no bullshit; no stage theatrics, no elaborate light setup or costumes. Britt Daniel (vocals, guitar), Jim Eno (drums), Alex Fischel (keyboards, guitar), Gerardo Larios (guitar, keyboards) and Ben Trokan (bass, keyboards) are just 5 guys on stage who are focused on just playing their music. The band represents their cool Austin roots from the 80’s and 90’s where bands were cool without trying too hard. The show moved along like a locomotive, it didn’t slow and keep chuggin along and gaining momentum. Their 5 song encore started with a cover of John Lennon’s Isolation and ended with their musical nod to The Rolling Stones with 2014’s Rent I Pay. Some people say that rock is dead, but Spoon is proof that it’s alive and well.
Setlist: Held (Smog Cover), The Devil & Mister Jones, Don’t You Eva, Wild, The Beast and Dragon, Adored, The Way We Get By, Don’t Make Me a Target, The Underdog, I Summon You, My Babe, Feels Alright, My Mathematical Mind, Do I Have To Talk You Into It, Inside Out, I Turn My Camera On, Got Nuffin
Encore: Isolation (John Lennon Cover), The Hardest Cut, Do You, Small Stakes, Rent I Pay
Phishâs summer tour opening run at Xfinity Center in Mansfield, Massachusetts was a heater to get the band on the road again after a month or so off. The former “Great Woods” has seen many Phish shows – 19 as of Friday, July 15 – and drew a New England crowd and many more to get summer started.
On Thursday, Phish dove in right away with “Ghost” and a “Set Your Soul Free” wedged in between before playing “The Wedge.” The second set opened with an unfinished “Chalkdust Torture” that segued into “Plasma” and “Weekpaug Groove,” which made Friday night interesting when they opened the second set with “Mike’s Song.” A deep trio of “Prince Caspian” > “Backwards Down the Number Line” > “Bug” provided quality jams, with a big “Sand” to end the set.
Friday night, the band was on fire out of the gate with “46 Days,” a big “Everything’s Alright” moving into “Rift” and a “Maze” > “Bathtub Gin” > “Rock n Roll” segue that was a powerful end to the first frame. Set 2 started with “Mike’s Song” but when they finished up “I Am Hydrogen,” Trey Anastasio quickly moved into a heavy “Carini” which slowly gave birth to “Blaze On.” The non-stop segues continued with “Golden Age” > “The Howling” > “A Wave of Hope” > “Harry Hood” provided an equally energetic ending as Set 1. A three-song encore of “Bouncing Around the Room,” “NICU” and “Slave to the Traffic Light” closed the night as everyone headed north to Bangor, Maine for the next show.
Phish – The Xfinity Center, Mansfield, MA – Thursday July 14
Soundcheck: Jam -> Plasma
Set 1: Ghost -> Set Your Soul Free -> Ghost, The Wedge, Mound, Mountains in the Mist, Back on the Train > Ruby Waves, I Been Around, Tube > About to Run
Set 2: Chalk Dust Torture[1] -> Plasma -> Weekapaug Groove -> Saw It Again -> Prince Caspian > Backwards Down the Number Line > Bug > Sand
Encore: Punch You in the Eye > Say It To Me S.A.N.T.O.S.
[1] Unfinished; Chalk Dust Torture was unfinished. Trey teased Tweezer Reprise in Weekapaug.
Phish – The Xfinity Center, Mansfield, MA – Friday, July 15
Soundcheck: Jam
Set 1: 46 Days, Water in the Sky, Everything’s Right -> Rift, Wolfman’s Brother, Maze > Bathtub Gin > Rock and Roll
Set 2: Mike’s Song > I Am Hydrogen > Carini -> Blaze On -> Golden Age > The Howling > A Wave of Hope > Harry Hood
Encore: Bouncing Around the Room, NICU > Slave to the Traffic Light
Returning in 2022 to the south shore of Long Island was the Great South Bay Music Festival, featuring four days of artists on multiple stages. Attending on Saturday, July 9, artists included Aqueous, Galactic, Joe Russoâs Almost Dead, Tedeschi Trucks Band, moe. and Escaper, among many others over the long weekend.
Saturday kicked off with Aqueous on the main stage, who are taking a light 2022 to focus on family time, something well deserved for the Buffalo band. Brooklyn’s Escaper played an incredible set at the Clamshell Bandshell featuring Lespecial bassist Luke Bemand. With boats around the shore and some making their way to hear the music via kayak, the New Orleans sound of Galactic proved to be funky as always.
moe. played an outstanding set of music giving way to an evening sunset, on the heels of shows in Albany, Buffalo and at Levitate Music Festival. Joined by Suke Cerulo on guitar and Nate Wilson on keys (both in place of a recovering Chuck Garvey), the band shared their honed sound, including an ode to the Allman Brothers in a set closing “In Memory of Elizabeth Reed.” Listen to the show here.
moe. Setlist: Plane Crash, LL3, Mar De Ma-> Jam->Tailspin, NYC, Skrunk > In Memory Of Elizabeth Reed
JRAD closed up the night with a firey, jam filled set. Russo and his bandmates are back in New York in late August at SPAC, with many more fall tour dates planned in the Northeast.
Great South Bay Music Festival has become a staple of summers in Long Island for the past decade. We look forward to the 2023 installment and all the music in store.
New York jam icons moe. continued their recent revival on Thursday, July 7 with a headlining gig in their old hometown of Buffalo. As part of the Seneca Casinos Outer Harbor Concert Series, moe. played at the Lakeside Event Lawn in the outer harbor. With founding member Chuck Garvey still on the sidelines, Suke Cerulo filled in on guitar while Nate Wilson was also added on keys for this tour.
moe. kept it fairly old school this evening, in the community in which it grew up as a band. A “Kyle’s Song” > “Seat Of My Pants” got the evening started off right. The first set also offered up the newer composition “Prestige Worldwide” before “Time Ed” later closed out the set.
An even older tune “Johnny Lineup” opened up the second set, followed close behind by other legendary moe. tunes like “Timmy Tucker” and “Sensory Depravation Bank.” A powerhouse combination of “Recreational Chemistry” > “Meat” to close out the set preceded the all too fitting “Skitchin’ Buffalo” encore.
moe. Outer Harbor Drive – Buffalo, NY 7/7/22
Set 1: Kyle’s Song > Seat Of My Pants, Haze, Prestige Worldwide > Rickey Marten > Time Ed
Set 2: Johnny Lineup > Timmy Tucker, Sensory Depravation Bank, Meat > Recreational Chemistry > Meat
Real hip-hop was on display at the latest Alive at 5 in Albany on Thursday, July 7. Talib Kweli, one-half of hip-hop duo Black Star, was greeted to a warm reception on Thursday. Kweli’s large audience consisted of many who probably grew up listening to 90s styled hip-hop/rap. Backed by the band, The Whiskey Boys, many were brought to the feet with the versatile range of music on stage.
Not only was hip-hop on the menu this evening, there was also a fair amount of R&B and jazz performed. Kweli made time to demonstrate the complexity of each instrument on stage with solo performances. He also interacted with the crowd by not only playing some of his hits, but in paying tribute to Biz Markie, Ol’ Dirty Bastard and DMX. The show brought a lot of nostalgia and history to a multi-generational audience.
Talib Kweli was preceded by DJ Siroc and DJ TGIF. DJ Siroc played a nice set of songs, ranging with many hits from the 90s and early 2000’s. DJ TGIF was introduced by Mayor Kathy Sheehan, as he is one of Albany’s own. He kept to the unofficial theme with a set consisting of hits from Jay-Z, A Tribe Called Quest, and DMX. A dance battle broke out during the end of DJ TGIF’s set that lead well into the excitement for Talib Kweli.
If you were not able to catch Talib Kweli, his next performance will be at the Blue Note in Manhattan on July 12th.
Alive at Five returns on July 14 with Cassadee Pope featuring Sydney Worthley opening the show.
