Category: Photo Gallery

Porcupine Tree Return to Radio City Music Hall Following Hiatus

UK prog-rock band Porcupine Tree came to the historic Radio City Music Hall on Friday September 16, their first show back in NYC following the band’s 12-year hiatus. In fact, it was almost twelve years since they last played the NYC area at Radio City on Sept. 24, 2010. Given Porcupine Tree’s long hiatus and new music being teased during the pandemic, a great deal of anticipation was built up among the crowd going into the show.

Porcupine Tree began as a solo project of Steven Wilson who eventually moved it to a full band setting in the early 90s. After touring in support of the band’s 10th studio album The Incident in 2010, Wilson shifted gears to work on solo recordings, leaving the band’s future in question. The June 2022 release of Closure/Continuation excited fans with the chance to see Porcupine Tree on this current summer/fall tour, though there is still uncertainty if this is the band wrapping up on a high note, or a sign of more great things to come.

The band’s long two-set show was filled with fan favorites with the entirety of their new album scattered throughout both sets. Set one kicked off with a favorite, “Blackest Eyes,” before diving into three from Closure/Continuation which Wilson joked afterward about being the challenging part of the set. The second set featured the title track off the band’s 2006 album Fear of a Blank Planet and the extended “Anesthetize,” which unfortunately for the many folks donning Rush shirts did not feature Alex Lifeson on stage (Lifeson had contributed guitar lines on the studio recording). The show wrapped up with a pleasantly long encore ending with “Trains,” which Wilson commented that he had wished that would have been the single from In Absentia even though it wound up becoming one of Porcupine Tree’s most popular songs.

The core of Porcupine Tree is Steven Wilson, Richard Barbieri, and Gavin Harrison, with original bass player Colin Edwin not returning. For the Closure/Continuation tour Porcupine tree enlisted touring band members Randy McStine from NYC and Nate Navarro from Boston.

From start to finish, there were no lulls in the band’s performance. Compared to Porcupine Tree’s live shows in the late 2000s the band was just as engaged with each other, the music, and the audience as back then.There seemed to be a collective electricity among the audience fueled by the legacy that Porcupine Tree left for themselves before their hiatus. With the band’s future still unclear, hopefully it will fall on the “Continuation” part of the Closure/Continuation album title.

Porcupine Tree Setlist

Set 1: Blackest Eyes, Harridan, Of the New Day, Rats Return, Even Less, Drown With Me, Dignity, The Sound of Muzak, Last Chance to Evacuate Planet Earth Before It Is Recycled, Chimera’s Wreck
Set 2: Fear of a Blank Planet, Buying New Soul, Walk the Plank, Sentimental, Herd Culling, Anesthetize, Sleep Together
Encore: Collapse the Light Into Earth, Halo, Trains

October 3, 2022
Nathaniel Rateliff & the Night Sweats bring The Future to Radio City Music Hall

Nathaniel Rateliff & the Night Sweats supported their third studio album The Future with a few performances in New York City this month. The band performed a powerfully packed 24-song-set at Radio City Music Hall followed by a stop at Studio 6B for The Tonight Show a couple of days later.

Nathaniel Rateliff performing with the Night Sweats at Radio City Music Hall

As the Night Sweats ramped up for their opener “Look It Here” off the band’s self-titled debut album, Nathaniel greeted the crowd with “How’s everybody doing tonight?” pausing to take in the crowd’s roar from a sold out Radio City Music Hall. “It’s a pleasure to be here with you, my name is Nathaniel, we’re here with the Night Sweats, and we sold this place out, thank you!” The band went on to play a well-balanced set with songs across all three of their studio albums, Nathaniel Rateliff & the Night Sweats (Self-titled), Tearing at the Seams, and The Future, along with a few covers.

Mark Shusterman performs with Nathaniel Rateliff and the Night Sweats at Radio City Music Hall

As the band wrapped their eighth song of the night, “So Put Out”, Megafun’s Phil Cook joined Shusterman’s side on stage while Rateliff addressed the theater. “We have an EP coming out to follow up the record.” Rateliff shared, “…and we did another variation of one of the songs off that record called “What If I“. It was mostly Phil’s arrangement and Phil is a good friend and a big part of our family.” In addition to the remixed “What If I”, Phil came back to support Nathaniel Rateliff and the Night Sweats with “Out on the Weekend” and their closing song, “I Need Never Get Old”. The audience’s enthusiasm shook Radio City the entire evening, especially for the group’s three-song-encore.

Nathaniel Rateliff & the Night Sweats will complete their run supporting The Future at Austin City Limits Music Festival mid-October. To close out the year, the group will headline their “7th Annual, 10th Annual Holiday Show” at Denver’s Ball Arena on December 16 with special guests Marcus Mumford and Hermanos Gutiérrez.

Setlist: Look It Here, I’ve Been Failing, You Worry Me, I’m on Your Side, I’ll Be Damned, Survivor, Baby I Lost My Way, (But I’m Going Home), So Put Out, What If I (Remixed version with Phil Cook), Wasting Time, A Little Honey, Love Me Till I’m Gone, Danny Boy (Cover), Face Down in the Moment, And It’s Still Alright (Nathaniel Rateliff song), Redemption, Hey Mama, Out on the Weekend (with Phil Cook), Coolin’ Out, Intro, I Need Never Get Old (with Phil Cook)
Encore: The Future, S.O.B. (with Phil Cook), Love Don’t

September 28, 2022
Litte Feat play Point of The Bluff Vineyards

Formed in 1969, Little Feat, celebrating the 45th anniversary of ‘Waiting for Columbus’, played the stage at Point of the Bluff Vineyards in Hammondsport, NY September 26 and the eclectic crowd was ready to groove.

Although formed in LA in 1969, Little Feat plays a strong Southern rock vibe. A subtle mix of The Allman Brothers, Lynyrd Skynyrd, and Marshall Tucker with a hint of Grateful Dead flow to your ears and get your head bopping and feet tapping.

Kenny Gradney of Little Feat playing in Hammondsport NY

While members have come and gone over the years, the band tours in 2022 with Bill Payne on Keyboards and Vocals; Sam Clayton on percussion and vocals; Fred Tackett on guitars and vocals; Kenny Gradney on the bass; Scott Sharrard doing guitars and Vocals; and Tony Leone banging the drums

Follow the band as they continue on with their commemorative tour Little Feat.

Little Feat at Point of The Bluff Vineyards

Setlist: Join the Band, Fat Man in the Bathtub, All That You Dream, Oh Atlanta, Old Folks Boogie, Time Loves a Hero, Day or Night, Mercenary Territory, Spanish Moon / Skin It Back, Dixie Chicken, Tripe Face Boogie, Willin’, Don’t Bogart That Joint, A Apolitical Blues, Sailin’ Shoes, Feats Don’t Fail Me Now, Let It Roll

September 28, 2022
In Focus: Josiah Johnson and The Sea The Sea at Takk House

On Friday, September 23rd, 2022, Josiah Johnson gave a heart-felt performance at the Takk House in Troy.

Josiah Johnson was originally part of the indie-folk band, The Head and The Heart band from 2009-2016. He left after his realization that his struggles with drug addiction needed to be put in check. After entering rehab and working on himself, Johnson came back to begin his solo career in 2020 with his album Every Feeling on a Loop. Today, he continues making indie-folk music with his most recently released song “You Had One Job.”

This was not a typical show were guests showed up, saw their favorite artist perform, and then went home. Before the music, there was an all vegan, four course dinner catered by Meadow Lark. The artists and the guests shared a dinner between four tables in front of the stage. The dinner lasted two hours before the opening act.

The Sea The Sea is an indie-folk pop duo out of Troy with Chuck E. Costa and Mira Costa have released three full-length albums. Their most recent album being Stumbling Home released in 2020. They are currently on tour with their next show being in New York City on September 27th.

The Sea The Sea opened up the night to an audience of about 50 people. The local artists played an hour long set with a mix of released and unreleased songs. After a fan yelled asking were they could find ” I Recorded The Sound Of Rain For You,” Mira replied that most of their music could be found on Patreon. They were anecdotes before almost every song and lots of jokes about making their songs “25 years ago in 2020.” The anecdotes combined with their Indie-Folk style of music made it feel as though a story was being told. The duo ended the set be going to the middle of the room and singing their last two fans with members of the audience.

The stories continued when Josiah Johnson came to the stage. He also gave the audience a brief history of how the preceding song came to be. He mentioned his struggles with rehab and relationships that gave his performance a different meaning. The audience was already mostly comprised of friends of the artists, but once it over, it felt as if everyone had known Josiah for 10 years. His intimate feeling set lasted for about an hour and also ended with him and violinist M’Gilvry Allen playing in the middle of the room. In this instance, The Sea The Sea joined them to close out the night.

Josiah Johnson continues his tour with a show at The Sultan Room in Brooklyn on September 27.

The Sea The Sea setlist: Restless Heart, Rainstorm, I’ll Be Loving You, I Recorded The Sound Of Rain For You, A Thousand Years, Everybody, Let Our Kites Fly, The Story That They Gave To Us, Not The Same As Goodbye, Stumbling Home, LWAWL, This Is The Way

Josiah Johnson setlist: False Alarms, Warm, Nobody Knows, Honey Come Home, Woman, Futile Devices, Josh, Hello Hello, I Wish I Had

Chuck E. Costa (left) and Mira Costa (right) of The Sea The Sea

Chuck E. Costa performing at Takk House

The Sea The Sea performing at Takk House

Mira Costa performing at Takk House

The Sea The Sea performing at Takk House

The Sea The Sea performing at Takk House

The Sea The Sea performing in the middle of the audience at Takk House

Josiah Johnson performing at Takk House

M’Gilvry Allen performing at Takk House

Josiah Johnson performing at Takk House

M’Gilvry Allen (left) and Josiah Johnson (right) performing at Takk House

Josiah Johnson performing at Takk House

Josiah Johnson and M’Gilvry Allen performing at Takk House

The Sea The Sea and Josiah Johnson closing out their performance at Takk House

M”Gilvry Allen hugging Mira Costa

September 26, 2022
In Focus: Shinedown At Darien Lake Amphitheater

On a late summer night, with the summer concert season winding down, Shinedown brought their Planet Zero World Tour to Darien Lake Amphitheater on Tuesday, September 20.

Shinedown, hailing from Jacksonville, Florida, have become regulars on the New York State concert scene over the last decade. Tuesday night marked the band’s third performance in Upstate New York over the past week.

John Harvie opened the concert with a high energy, fast paced performance. Harvie bounced from all corners of the stage as he worked his way through several of his alternative rock tracks.

Up next was Jelly Roll. He performed a mixture of hip hop and rock music blended with his strong, soulful voice. The crowd was fully engaged at this point, belting along lyrics to many of the songs, including the powerful set closer “Save Me.”

Finally it was time for the main event. After a brief video highlighting the band’s return to touring in a post-pandemic world, Shinedown took to the stage in a shower of fireworks and pyrotechnics. Opening with “The Saints Of Violence and Innuendo,” the band followed with a mixture of songs old and new. There are few frontmen as charismatic as lead singer Brent Smith, as the crowd hung on his every move.

As the show wound to a close, the band brought opener Jelly Roll back to the stage to join in a cover of Lynyrd Skynyrd’s “Simple Man.” While the cover has become a staple in Shinedown’s set, the song took new life mixed with Jelly Roll’s powerful vocals. The crowd quickly engaged in a full-fledged sing along. Shortly after, the band closed the evening with “The Sound of Madness.”

September 24, 2022
In Focus: The Australian Pink Floyd Show

Playing for over 4 million fans since 1988, The Australian Pink Floyd Show showed Rochester why they are the ultimate Pink Floyd tribute band after performing at the Kodak Theatre on September 21. Right down to the light show and lasers, Australian Pink Floyd, as they are sometimes called, got toes tapping and heads rocking right out of the gate.

Immediately, fans were transported back in time with remarkable renditions of classics like “Obscured By Clouds,” “Time,” “Money” and of course, “Another Brick in the Wall Pt 2.”

Hailing from Adelaide, group consists of Luc Ledy-Lepine (guitar), David Domminney-Fowler(guitar/vocals) Steve Mac (guitar/vocal), Jason Sawford (keyboard), Paul Bonney (drums), Ricky Howard(bass/vocals), Mike Kidson (sax), and the amazing Chris Barnes on vocals. Backup singers are Lorelei McBroom, Emily Lynn, and Lara Smiles.

September 23, 2022
Billy Strings and Willie Nelson highlight Outlaw Music Festival at SPAC

On an overcast and at times rainy Sunday, Saratoga Performing Arts Center (SPAC) was home to more than a concert, but instead the day long Outlaw Music Festival, with Particle Kid, Brittney Spencer, Larkin Poe, Billy Strings, The Avett Brothers and the legendary Willie Nelson.

The Outlaw Village, located towards the back of SPAC’s renovated concession area, featured a variety of vendors like you’d see at a festival or your nearest Shakedown Street. A packed crowd was lively and excited to see the new (Particle Kid, Brittney Spencer), the rising star (Billy Strings), Americana (Larkin Poe, Avett Brothers) and the old (Willie Nelson, closing in on 9 decades).

Billy Strings simply stole the show, and it seemed that the crowd was mainly there for the rising Nashville star (via Michigan). In fact, it could easily be argued that Billy Strings should have played just prior to Willie Nelson, flipping slots with Avett Brothers. Granted, Avett Brothers have been around for over 20 years, but the energy and draw of Billy Strings far outweighs the Americana of the Avetts. Having Billy and his high power set precede Avetts left the latter’s set feeling like something was lacking, and the speed was lower tempo and inconsistent by comparison.

When you factor in that the gracious Billy Strings thanked Willie, not just from the microphone, but in the setlist as well – spelling out THANK YOU WILLIE over the course of 14 songs in a 75Minute set. Highlights from the set included covers of Pearl Jam’s “In Hiding” and Bill Monroe’s “Uncle Pen.”

Billy Strings Setlist: Turmoil and Tinfoil, Hollow Heart, Away From the Mire, Nothing’s Working, Know It All, Y’all Come, Old Mexico, Uncle Pen, West Dakota Rose, If Your Hair’s Too Long (There’s Sin in Your Heart), Love and Regret, Libby Phillips Rag, In Hiding, Everything’s the Same

The 89 year old Willie Nelson followed Avett Brothers with four band mates tore through a set that the audience waited patiently for, kicking things off with his classic “Whiskey River.” Bringing out grandson Micah Nelson (Particle Kid) for “Everything is Bullshit,” ” Halfway to Heaven” and “Mammas Don’t Let Your Babies Grow Up to Be Cowboys” plus a few other tunes was an excellent touch; the set brought to mind Farm Aid in 2013 at SPAC, where Lukas Nelson and Promise of the Real performed a short set and later joined his pater familias.

To close out Outlaw Music Festival at SPAC, Willie invited all the days performers to the stage for “Will the Circle Be Unbroken?” and a finale of Mac Davis’ “It’s Hard to Be Humble.”

September 22, 2022
Madeon Brings Good Faith Forever To Brooklyn Mirage

French DJ and music producer Madeon released his second LP Good Faith back in 2019 but has been touring strong behind the record ever since. Madeon puts on a few different types of shows ranging from DJ sets, to the standard club concerts but he will also perform select shows dubbed Good Faith Forever. These shows boast a unique production, with the most recent one happening at the revamped Brooklyn Mirage last Sunday, September 11.

Madeon at Brooklyn Mirage, 9/11/22. Photo by Joseph Buscarello

Madeon’s choice of venue is one of the key factors for the unique Good Faith Forever shows. The venue must have large-scale production capabilities to allow Madeon to take on a larger-than-life presence and completely engulf the audience into the show. For New York City, there is no better choice than Brooklyn Mirage. The venue has a massive LED screen that is curved and wraps around the front end of the crowd, making you feel immersed in the visuals no matter where you are in the venue. The venue has all the bells and whistles already built in, giving Madeon the joy of incorporating lasers into Good Faith Forever for the first time.

Madeon at Brooklyn Mirage, 9/11/22. Photo by Joseph Buscarello

A key element to the show takes place in the last leg, when an elevated platform takes Madeon about 20 feet above the stage right as he performs the unreleased song “Gonna Be Good.” At this height, Madeon is towering over the crowd with an intense visual show taking place on the LED, carefully aligned and framing the musician. The venue again provided amplification; not only were fans dwarfed by the show at this point, but the sheer size of the screen and the visuals on it made the entire production feel truly out of this world.

Madeon at Brooklyn Mirage, 9/11/22. Photo by Joseph Buscarello

The setlist featured Madeon’s latest one-off release “Love You Back” which came out earlier this year, and the show closed with fan-favorite “Shelter” (a collaboration with Porter Robinson). Good Faith was released back in 2019, but given the delays performing live due to the pandemic, the support for the LP did not begin until 2021. Combine that with the variety by which Madeon performs and you have a tour cycle that goes on without ever getting stale. Good Faith Forever makes a few more festival stops including III Points in Miami before heading to Mexico and then Jakarta, Indonesia. There are also a handful of DJ sets mixed in between. Head over to Madeon’s website for the full tour dates.

September 19, 2022
Joe Jencks and Kray Van Kirk trade songs at Caffe Lena

Joe Jencks and Kray Van Kirk traded songs at Caffe Lena in Saratoga Springs on Sep. 16. The night was divided into three sets: a solo set by Van Kirk followed by a solo set by Jencks, then both singers came on stage to trade songs back and forth for a story-filled hour plus from these two singer songwriters. Joe Jencks was last featured on NYS Music at the folk music Old Song Festival of Traditional Music and Dance.

In the solo sets, Kray Van Kirk started the night off. A highlight from Van Kirk for this listener was when he introduced a song with this: “I am going to spend my time rejecting my heritage.” He then sang a song of solidarity with people of all kinds. Van Kirk said after the show that his “ancestors were slave owners in this country.” He finished his solo set with the title track from his most recent album Midnight Commander.

Joe Jencks took the stage for his solo set and began by saying that he was standing in solidarity with the workers of Amtrak. Jencks mentioned that his friend Van Kirk, who lives in California, was fortunate that he took a plane over to the Northeast, as a trip via train could have been tricky. The highlight for this listener was also a title track. This time it was Jencks singing the title track to his new album The Coming of the Years. Jencks mentioned how this song was an homage to “getting together” and how nice it was to get together with an audience considering the past couple years of the Covid pandemic.

During the combined set, Van Kirk told an incredible story/legend about Irish Selkies. These are the Irish people’s version of Mermaids. Jencks continued the theme of water-related storytelling. He sang a song of acceptance that centered on “The Lady of the Harbor” (Statue of Liberty). Both singers spun tales of politics and bravery. Concluding the night, the two singer songwriters invoked Pete Seeger telling the US Congress that he was not invoking his 5th Amendment rights; he was invoking his 1st Amendment rights. Then the crowd sang along to a swelling rendition of The Youngbloods’ Smile on Your Brother.

Photos by Derek Java Photography

Joe Jencks listening to Kray Van Kirk.

September 19, 2022
Bear’s Den Play Historic Webster Hall In East Village

British folk rock band Bear’s Den played at historic Webster Hall in the East Village on Thursday, September 15. They have been touring nonstop for the past 18 months gaining a loyal fanbase. The duo consists of Andrew Davie (lead vocals, guitar) and Kevin Jones (vocals, drums, bass, guitar). Christof van der Ven joined the band in 2016 as a session musician and plays in their live shows. Jools Owen is also their current drummer and horn player when they perform live.

Bear’s Den performs at Webster Hall 9.15.22

Bear’s Den opened their set with the title track of their recently released fifth studio album Blue Hours. The album was released in May of 2022 and debuted on the UK Albums Chart at # 6. They then played “Frightened Whispers” which is also featured on the new album. Fans were excited when the band went back in time a few years and performed “Red Earth & Pouring Rain” from their 2016 album of the same name.

Bear’s Den performs at Webster Hall 9.15.22

Continuing the mix of new and old material, the next portion of the set included “Fuel on the Fire,” “All That You Are” and “Isaac.” A big highlight of the night was when the band performed an unplugged version of the 2013 song “Sophie.” After that, they played a few more new tracks from the new album including “New Ways” and “Shadows.”

They then performed their newest single released only a few days ago, “Stitch In Time.” The song was developed during the creation of the new album, but wasn’t completed until they recently started touring again. When asked about the meaning of the song, the duo said, “‘Stitch in Time’ is a song exploring ideas around trauma. Specifically the idea of reaching back through time to be with someone in a difficult moment and just being with them and letting them know that it’s not ok.” You can listen to the new song below.

Perhaps my favorite part of the show was when the band went into the crowd during the encore at the packed Webster Hall and performed “Gabriel.” Without the help of mics, the band sounded amazing and really brought the crowd together for a communal experience. The show ended with “Agape,” the first track from their first album Islands released in 2014.

You can see the rest of their tour dates here.

Setlist: Blue Hours, Red Earth and Pouring Rain, Frightened Whispers, Fuel on the Fire, All That You Are, Isaac, Sophie, New Ways, Shadows, Stitch in Time, Magdalene, Crow, Love We Stole, Spiders, Auld Wives, Pompell, Gabriel, Agape

September 18, 2022