The 2022 Summer at the Plaza Festival lineup has been announced. The festival will be at the Empire State Plaza in Albany and it will feature family-friendly concerts, movies, and festivals, starting with the annual July 4 celebration.
New York State Office of General Services Commissioner Jeanette Moy announced the lineup and spoke about the festival in a statement.
Thousands of people come to our free Summer at the Plaza events each year with their family, friends, and neighbors to enjoy the great entertainment, delicious food, and beverages, and the amazing fireworks at New York State’s Independence Day celebration. We have an exciting lineup of concerts, festivals, and movies this year with something for everyone. I want to thank our generous 2022 sponsors whose support makes it all possible.
Summer at the Plaza 2022Events
July 4, 5 – 10 P.M. New York State’s 4th of July Celebration Presented by Price Chopper/Market 32 with a performance by Starship Featuring Mickey Thomas.
This annual event features live music and fun for the whole family, including a fireworks show. Each year more than 20,000 people gather on the Plaza and in the surrounding neighborhoods to enjoy the day, which includes a naturalization ceremony, dozens of food and craft vendors, activities for kids, and an evening of live entertainment leading up to the big pyrotechnics show.
Starship featuring Mickey Thomas.
July 16, noon – 5 P.M. Kids Day Presented by MVP Health Care featuring “Dino Ranch”
Kids Day is a day dedicated to activities that kids can do. There will be live music, face painting, horses, rock wall, balloon twisting, and more. Kids Day will feature characters from the animated series “Dino Ranch” and will be held in the parks on the east and west side of the state Capitol.
August 6, 2 – 7 p.m. Black Arts & Cultural Festival Presented by UpState New York Black Chamber of Commerce featuring SWV
The Black Arts and Cultural Festival is an updated take on a classic celebration of the traditions and cultural contributions of the Black community through music, art, dance, and more. The celebration will feature a performance by R&B group SWV, one of Billboard’s “Top 40 Female Groups of All Time.”
SWV
August 17, 11 A.M. – 9 P.M. New York State Food Festival featuring the Eli Young Band
The annual Food Festival pairs a wide variety of delicious food and beverages with an exciting lineup of free entertainment, featuring a country music performance by the Eli Young Band.
Eli Young Band.
September 14, 5 – 9 P.M. Hops & Harvest Festival
The Hops and Harvest Festival was first held in 2018, and it celebrates the best of what autumn has to offer in upstate New York. Headline performer to be announced.
September 24, 5 – 9 P.M. Hispanic Heritage Celebration featuring Charlie Cruz, Amarfis, & Fulanito
Celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month at the state’s annual cultural celebration, featuring live music and dancing inside the Empire State Plaza Convention Center. This year’s celebration will feature performances by musical acts Charlie Cruz, Amarfis, and Fulanito.
Amarfis.Fulanito (Photo by Brian To/FilmMagic)Charlie Cruz.
The Capital Concert Series presented by Miller Lite and DeCrescente Distributing Company offers four Wednesday evening concerts free to the public. Each performance starts at 5:30 P.M. with a list of award-winning and diverse artists.
Rock band moe. is the first act to kick off the Capital Concert Series Lineup. They formed at the University of Buffalo in 1990, and are known for their unique sounds and epic concert performances. They have played with well-known bands, like the Allman Brothers Band, Robert Plant, members of the Grateful Dead, and more.
Grammy-award-winners Pat Benatar and Neil Giraldo will headline the July 13 date of the concert series. Benatar and Giraldo, whose hits include “We Belong,” “Invincible,” “Love Is A Battlefield,” “Promises In The Dark,” “We Live For Love,” “Heartbreaker,” and “Hell Is For Children,” have created two multi-platinum, five platinum, and three gold albums, as well as 19 Top 40 hits.
Grammy-award-winning Jamaican-bred quintet Inner Circle has had a long string of successes stretching back to the 1970s. The King Yellowman Show won a contest and then went on to play reggae for crowds all over Jamaica and the rest of the world.
Inner Circle.The King Yellowman Show featuring K’reema & The Sagittarius Band
Melle Mel and Scorpio were members of Grandmaster Flash & The Furious Five which was the first rap group inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. The Sugar Hill Gang has released hits such as “Rapper’s Delight,” “Apache,” “8th Wonder,” and “Living in the Fast Lane.”
Melle Mel and Scorpio with The Sugar Hill Gang
The lineup for the Lunchtime at the Plaza Concert Series Presented by M&T Bank has been announced. The free outdoor concert series provides live music from noon to 1:30 P.M. on Wednesdays between June 1 and July 27 at the Empire State Plaza. New York State Office of General Services Commissioner Jeanette Moy spoke about the lunchtime events in a statement.
The lunchtime concert series provides an excellent opportunity for state employees and the public to get outside and enjoy a live performance while eating lunch from one of the Plaza food trucks or shopping at the weekly summer farmers market. We want to thank M&T Bank for their generous sponsorship of this Summer at the Plaza event
Lunchtime at the Plaza Concert Series Presented by M&T Bank
The last set of events happening at Summer at the Plaza 2022 are the outdoor move nights in West Capitol Park starting at 8 P.M. for three Wednesdays, featuring classic films.
Capitol Park After Dark Movies Series in West Capitol Park
August 24 — “The Wiz”
August 31 — “Sunset Boulevard”
September 7 — “The Philadelphia Story”
All events for the Summer at the Plaza 2022 celebration are free. For more information on the events, go here.
Navigating relationships as a young adult is akin to walking a maze blindfolded, often never knowing where you truly stand. While the term “dating” remains a pseudonym for two people getting to know one another, Gen-Z has developed its own distorted relationship standing, where the two parties are neither “just friends,” nor committed, yet are dependent on one another. On the single “Breadcrumbs,” Piper Page brings transparency to a messy situation.
The song came right from a personal experience with my ‘ex-who-wasn’t-really-my-ex.’ We had an on-again, off-again relationship for several months and it inspired me to write about the concept of ‘breadcrumbing’ which I had just come to learn about.
Breadcrumbing is defined by Urban Dictionary as “the act of sending out flirtatious, but non-committal text messages in order to lure a sexual partner without expending much effort.” The song “Breadcrumbs,” is a soulful ballad that sees the 21-year-old Brooklyn native cleanse herself of her situation-ship. Remaining brutally honest about her standing within this cycle of ambiguity.
Piper Page’s songwriting paints a vivid picture as she recounts a common tale within the current social media based dating scene. While infidelity has alway played a part in relationships, Piper Page captures the essence far less desirable role of “best-friend, with a little romance and flirting in the DMs.”
The meanings are supposed to be completely obvious and relatable. Navigating dating is recognizing that at a certain point, you just have to say what you mean. Instead of always thinking someone is going to know what you mean.
The record is one in a slew of singles from the songstress in anticipation of her upcoming album, Based on True Events. Singles like “Do You Want Me Or Not?” and “Risk” follow similar themes of “experiences with dating and exploring relationships as a young adult for the first time.” Yet, Piper Page’s polished vocals gives each record a mature feel.
New York City-based pop-punk band Baby Got Back Talk debuted their latest single and music video for “Model Minority” off their upcoming Wiretap Records debut EP, Existential Shred, due out in September.
The band was originally formed in 2017, consisting of G’Ra Asim (vocals/bass), Rhiana Hernandez (keyboard), and Jake Lazaroff (guitar/vocals). After years of sharing bills with acts like Choked Up, Universe Ignore Her, and Gibbons, Wes Ruiz (drums) was eventually brought into the band’s fold.
Baby Got Back Talk likens this new single to Keri Hilson’s “Pretty Girl Rock,” – where “Model Minority” is a rallying cry for queer people and people of color. The accompanying music video directed by Carla Troconis is a homage to My Chemical Romance’s “I’m Not Okay (I Promise) with a more modern twist. The band also teamed up with producer John Naclerio and Nada Recording Studios for their latest EP.
We’re what punk looks like in the 2020s: driven by a DIY ethic, conversant with social issues–especially as they pertain to gender and race, enabled by inter-web, bankrolled by day jobs, powered by a rad like-minded community, resonant with the most venerable iterations of rock ‘n’ roll but firmly committed to injecting some new flavor into the mold.
– Baby Got Back Talk
Previously named one of AfroPunk’s Top 8 Punkest Bands on the Planet, some of the band’s performances include the AfroPunk Festival in 2019 and Punk Island the year before. Their full-length album, Genre Reveal Party, was mixed by Paul Leavitt who has worked with All Time Low, Senses Fail, and Yellowcard in the past.
To keep up with the band, you can find them on socials @babygotbacktalk across platforms and at babygotbacktalk.com.
The unique event features craft beer accompanied by live musical performances throughout the day and evening – topped off with a massive firework finale.
Over 50 NYS craft breweries will travel to share their unique brews with festival-goers, many of who had participated in the NYS Craft Beer Competition.
Heritage Hill sits on 300 acres of protected farmland and resides on one of the highest points and center of New York State. Nine counties can be seen from the venue, creating the perspective of being “top of the world.”
Heritage Hill
Dan Palladino, Owner of Heritage Hill Brewhouse, spoke about the excitement of hosting the BriteVibes Beer and Music Festival.
Our family is excited to be the new host of the BriteVibes Festival and we cannot wait for you to experience the beauty of our farm and location. As host of Empire Farm Days, we know how to host a great event and by partnering with NYSBA we are going to collectively give you a full-day experience you will never forget.
Live music has been back in Rochester. Jazz has come back as strong as ever. People have been getting out to eat, drink and enjoy merriment. And festivals have returned. But not until the nine days of the 19th edition of the CGI Rochester International Jazz Festival had it all come back together with such a communal celebratory climax. The city was clicking in a way it hadn’t in years.
The sounds of live music filled every street over a few city blocks. From multiple outdoor stages providing free shows. Out of the doors of churches, theaters, ballrooms, halls and bars included in the festival’s Club Pass series. From non-festival sources like street buskers, pizza shops and other music clubs. Every nook and cranny filled with music. Walking down the street it was your best guess if those sweet sounds were reverberating off the buildings or if there was someone actually playing down that alley. Festival attendees wandered around like nomads, searching for musical sustenance.
The Mango Jam
They found an oasis at Parcel 5, a grassy expanse nestled in desirable real estate, that hosted the festival’s headliner series. All headline shows, in the festival’s previous 18 editions held in the beautiful Kodak Hall, were provided for free this year using government COVID grants. By all measures the move was a huge success. Big names provided big crowds with big smiles and big fun. Accessible jazz artists like Chris Botti and Spyro Gyra, newer but not quite in-the-moment sensation Robin Thicke, older nostalgia acts like Sheila E and Prince’s band New Power Generation. Devon Allman, not quite nostalgia, tapped into the sound made famous by his late father Greg, even jamming heftily on the old Allmans hit “Dreams” along with similarly crafted songs of his own. Booker T brought his own bit of nostalgia, providing a running history lesson, recounting his rich history with the Stax label, educating and entertaining alike on recognizable hits from the likes of Otis Redding, Aretha Franklin, Gladys Knight, Albert King and on and on.
But an opening set from Rochester’s native daughter, Danielle Ponder, on the final night, was the big stage set that landed the biggest. The past year has seen Ponder sign her first record deal (debut album arriving later this summer), her first performance on late night television, a set at the Newport Jazz Festival along with shows crisscrossing the country. A star in the making, a hometown hero, playing her biggest Rochester show. Born in a different era she would have certainly been on the list of great Stax artists Booker T rattled off during his set. The voice, the presence, and the songs with which to put it all together. Rather than rehash the past, her set looked to the future, presenting songs from her forthcoming debut like first single “So Long,” “Only the Lonely,” and “Be Gentle.” The crowd was was with her every step of the way, a mutual love affair nearing the end of it’s exclusiveness.
Rochester’s talent pool at the festival didn’t end with Ponder. The free Fusion stage gave local bands two sets on prime festival real estate to draw in the crowds wandering the streets. Creative piano trio The Pickle Mafia arrived weary just off a tour, but were quick to win over the amassing audience. Moho Collective, another trio, teetering in a space between genres, proved as unique and engaging as most any of the national touring artists.
For the festival goers with the Club Pass, nomadic journeys took different paths. Siren songs were waiting to be heeded from inside. People with badges hanging from their necks zigzagged from venue to venue, each space a unique environment, with it’s own beauty, it’s own acoustics. After nine nights of journeying about, paths from one to the other became familiar, their start times an imprint on your brain, and your preferred seat inside like a birthright. Where you were seeing was almost as important as who. And where the artists were playing was almost as important to them as what. Kilbourn Hall had a heavier air of seriousness, even in the loosest of sets. The Big Tent was ready to explode in revelry, even in the quietest moments.
In Hatch Hall, an intimate room with near perfect acoustics, pianist Gary Versace’s trio was careful to fit their more lively combo into the space constructed for the delicate sounds of solo piano and string quartets. Drummer Rudy Royston played with a lighter touch, though still effective and wow-worthy, particularly leading the way in a set-closing “This Thing.” The trio, rounded out on bass by Jay Anderson, found the melody’s through improvised abstractions, like the jazz nomads wandering the streets.
Like the nooks in the streets, spaces that normally wouldn’t be hosting live music, found themselves hosting two sets a night during the festival. The atrium of an office building with a first floor restaurant transformed into a hot city jazz club. Young singing phenom Samara Joy packed the house for her sets there, as hard a seat as there was at the fest, people queued up waiting for a chance to get in up until the final notes. Churches like the Glory House, with the sun spearing through colorful stained glass, and the Temple Theater with it’s soaring ceilings, hosted the holy spirits of jazz instead of prayer.
Respects were paid to the jazz gods, though, secularly. Jeremy Pelt, with his quintet at the Kilbourn, summed up his philosophy through his friend’s words, “Don’t dog the source.” Something that seemed to be understood by his contemporaries across the festival. Arturo O’Farrill, days later in the same venue, would pay respects to his father, Chico, playing one of his compositions and telling family stories. He in turn was passing it on to his sons, Zach, on drums, and Adam on trumpet, both in his band and both getting their music featured in the set. Three generations of O’Farrill highlighted in a thrilling and exciting Afro Cuban set.
Three generations had nothing on Swedish trumpeter Oskar Stenmark, who traced music in his family back 10 generations. In their set at the Glory House Church, his trio played traditional Swedish folk songs dating as far back as the 1700s. The music was passed down both orally, he played a song learned from his grandmother, and pieces he figured out from scraps of found notes, from a minuet to a traditional Swedish polska, akin to a waltz.
Ravi Coltrane carried the weight of his famous name and jazz heritage, but pushed beyond it with his superb trio, featuring Dezron Douglas on bass and Johnathan Blake on drums. The three were equals, sharing near equal time with compositions and solos, but shining brightest when combining in three-way improvisational conversation. Blake’s “Beneath the Rubble” found the three slowly twisting around each other in an arrhythmic tangle. Coltrane blasted through with some fiery playing of his own on his composition “Marilyn and Tammy.”
Each and every set was an hour (give or take some here and there of course), but not every hour lasted the same amount of time. Or at least, the best of the best made their hours fly by in an instant.
Making his record ninth appearance at the festival, Bill Frisell returned to the Temple Theater with his trio. It was another opportunity to see drummer Rudy Royston deconstruct music with a trio. Thomas Morgan rounded out the band, which played non-stop for the full hour, stringing together familiar Frisell themes with spacey and looping interludes and improvisations ranging from swinging to rocking. Royston, not governed by the limits of the acoustics this time around, provided some true fireworks that got the crowd roaring even where no proper break allowed for it.
Happening in an overlapping time slot (even a nine-day festival isn’t devoid of unfortunate overlaps), Danish trio Under the Surface provided this year’s festival with one of it’s few truly left-of-center moments. Comprised of a vocalist Sanne Rambags, guitarist and sound-wizard Bram Stadhouders, and drummer and percussionist Joost Lijbaart, they also made their hour fly with a non-stop full-improv set. Rambags used her voice more as an instrument than a vessel for a message. Most of what she sang were just vocalizations or what seemed at times to be gibberish, ranging from scatting to operatic yowls to rhythmic incantations. Her body contorted to accentuate and emphasize the sounds she created while she also danced and swayed to the playing of her partners. Litbaart’s set up included a wild array of trinkets and he seemed to make use of nearly all of them. When Stadhouders wasn’t pulling interesting sounds from his guitar he was running his partners through a laptop, looping the vocals into an almost whale call or adding an echo effect to the drums. It was a constantly morphing, constantly moving, constantly interesting tapestry of ethereal and spacey sounds. The spiritual space provided by the Glory House church venue was the perfect environment to experience this set.
The day before at the same venue, another artist proved to be a festival highlight with an almost opposite approach. Big, loud and well-scripted. The NYChillharmonic, an 18-piece group including a string section, horn section, along a full rock band, lightly conducted and led by singer and composer Sara McDonald. What others might try to recreate with synthesizers, this band created live, in a more analog way. The music trended toward heavy prog rock more than anything, but it certainly showed range and was engaging throughout. Yet another hour passed by too quickly.
Another songwriter took a different, more traditional approach. Ana Egge’s songs were deeply personal, and fairly stripped down affairs. She rounded out her acoustic guitar playing and singing with Alison Shearer on saxophone and flute and Alden Harris-McCoy on electric guitar. They stripped it down even further for “Rock Me,” playing without mics at the front of the Little Theater stage, the audience attentively receiving her earnest words pure and unfiltered. The tales spun in the songs could seem fictional in their oddities and nuance, such as the story about killing and eating a snake in New Mexico, or the Central Park ranger dubbed the bully of New York, but they were all taken from Egge’s experiences. A stirring set that provided a welcome respite from the train of jazz combos piling up elsewhere.
The only thing young trumpet phenom Giveton Gelin was piling up was accolades though. His quartet delivered a welcome back to Jazz Fest night one performance that set the bar for speeding through an hour. It eased in with a gentle trumpet and piano duet and ended similarly, but sandwiched in between was an impressive display of straight jazzing from all members of the band. The backing piano trio would get well cooking and then Gelin would join in with fiery horn work sending it over the edge. One of the next-generation stars presented at the Rochester Jazz Fest we’ll be remembering years later.
Steel pannist Jonathan Scales elicited about as exuberant a crowd response as we saw all week. Obsessed with Bela Fleck and the Flecktones years ago, he admittedly stalked them, traveling great distances to shows and seeking them out afterward. Until it finally worked and he befriended them. His trio, the Fourchestra, certainly seems to be modeled after them as well, with bassist E’Lon JD taking on the wild bass playing typified by Victor Wooten and Maison Guidry playing equally wildly on his kit. Similarly to Fleck and his banjo, Scales is taking his instrument, the steel pan, to places unheard previously. The instruments usual Caribbean stereotype is nowhere to be seen. The music is varied and melodic and beautiful and exciting. Where Fleck would frequently use a steel drum effect on his banjo, here Scales was playing those types of lines with a real live drum instead. The long repeating melody of “Cry” climaxed with a slow building bass and drums, then a set closing cover of Seal’s familiar “A Kiss from a Rose” brought the house down. The crowd wouldn’t let them leave the stage too easily, so an hour became 75 minutes, but still over too soon.
Our jazz fest ended on another high note, with Immanuel Wilkins’ quartet working through material from his January release Seventh Hand. Similar to Frisell’s set in the same theater, themes wove in and out of free form dissonance in an hour long non-stop set. Mellow contemplative beauty burst into a flourish of action from the four instruments, with Wilkins and drummer Kweku Sumbry building toward a fiery finish. Another hour downed in no time flat. And with music like that, a seeming marathon nine-day festival is over before it started and we are already pining for the 20th edition. See you again on Jazz Street in 2023!
The Peach Music Festival celebrates its 10th anniversary this weekend, with performances by Trey Anastasio Band, The Black Crowes, Billy Strings, Joe Russo’s Almost Dead, Goose, the Revivalists, Pigeons Playing Ping Pong, and the reunion of The Word. The daily streaming schedule has just been announced for Peach Festival this weekend, free for Nugs.net subscribers.
Inspired by the legendary Allman Brothers Band, Peach Music Festival will feature founding member Jaimoe with Jaimoe and Friends, as well as Friends of the Brothers, and Brother & Sister (featuring Butch’s kids, Melody and Vaylor). Check out the daily Peach Festival schedule below!
Beyond the four days of live music featuring over 50 artists, this one-of-a-kind experience features food and craft vendors on the grounds and access to the scenic Montage Mountain Ski Resort’s large water park, zip line and ski lift rides.
Buzz among attendees this year centers on if Trey Anastasio will invite a member of Goose to join his band’s headlining set on Saturday night, following Goose inviting Trey on stage at Radio City Music Hall this past week.
The 10th anniversary celebration of The Peach Music Festival will conclude with a spectacular Independence Day Weekend fireworks display on Sunday, July 3.
Mayan Warrior brought their immersive and otherworldly Art Car to The Brooklyn Navy Yard for two shows this past weekend on Friday June 24th and 25th. The legendary music collective has been a part of Burning Man for ten years now and has a long history of bringing the spectacle outside of The Playa for shows in cities across the United States.
These shows are the only chance to see the Art Car this year outside of the festival and also serve as a fundraiser for the collective’s ability to travel to Black Rock Desert and fund their charitable work. June saw the collective stop in Austin, TX as well as New York City and there are two more events in Los Angeles and San Francisco in the months following Burning Man.
Mayan Warrior at The Brooklyn Navy Yard, 6/24/2022. Photo by Tyler Alixx
The Mayan Warrior Art Car is one of the most unique music and art installations in the country. “The mutant sound system has attracted hundreds of thousands, blazing a trail of sonic creativity that celebrates the burgeoning underground Mexican electronic scene and pairs ancient art with modern technology.” The car itself is a large bus that has been stripped down and rebuilt with the goal of portraying ancient Mexican art and culture. The front of the bus adorns a large Mayan head and the entire production is laced with vivid lighting, pyro, and laser features. Even in such a large room, the production is mesmerizing no matter your perspective.
Mayan Warrior at The Brooklyn Navy Yard, 6/24/2022. Photo by Tyler Alixx
The music for the night came from the Mayan Warrior community and musical curators including Mandrake, Perel, Jenia Tarsol, Dramian, Asaf Samuel, Chaim Avital, Moscoman, Robin Scott, and Lovecraft. While you can not pin down the music to a particular genre, there is a strong deep house background but all of the performers brought unique and interesting elements to their sets. From live guitars, to vocalists, and deeply experimental tangents the music never stopped evolving throughout the weekend.
Mayan Warrior at The Brooklyn Navy Yard, 6/24/2022. Photo by Tyler Alixx
Stranger Than partners with Mayan Warrior to design a truly immersive experience around these shows. The Art Car itself is a dominant presence in the room, but there are also art installations, vendors selling jewelry and art, food vendors, and advocates. While the music is certainly a major proponent of the experience, it is far from the whole story. Fully costumed dancers and acrobats are seen dancing and engaging with the crowd. Two dancers on stilts put on a spectacle on the dance floor while fire breathers were seen blowing flames from the Art Car. The fans that Mayan Warrior attracts also contribute with costumes and wearable art of their own. Combined with the Pride celebration in NYC over the same weekend, the energy and atmosphere of these shows was unmatched.
Mayan Warrior at The Brooklyn Navy Yard, 6/24/2022. Photo by Tyler Alixx
Next up for Mayan Warrior is The Playa at Burning Man. After that, you can see the Art Car in Los Angeles in October and San Francisco in November. Check out a photo gallery below for more photos from Night 1 at The Brooklyn Navy Yard.
Queens native Action Bronson put on a free show for Summerstage at Flushing Meadows Corona Park on Saturday, June 25th. The show was part of Queens Live thrown by the City Parks Foundation and also featured Karen Y Los Remedios, Statik Selektah and host Ralph McDaniels. Queens Borough President Donovan Richards was also in attendance. Richards said “Queens Live! isn’t just back for a second year, but it’s coming back bigger and better. I couldn’t be more excited to partner with the Capital One City Parks Foundation SummerStage team to bring Queen’s own Action Bronson to his home borough in what should be a fantastic free afternoon of music.”
Action Bronson at Flushing Meadows Park
Ralph McDaniels is the founder and curator of Video Music Box, the first tv show to feature hip-hop videos primarily. McDaniels has also produced over 400 videos for some of the biggest names in hip-hop including Wu-Tang Clan, Nas and Roxanne Shante. He has also produced several documentaries.
Ralph McDaniels at Flushing Meadows Park
Karen Y Los Remedios is a group from Mexico and features singer Ana Karen Barajas, producer jiony and guitarist Z.am.pa. Their latest EP, Recuerdos de Expiacion was released last year and features the songs “Resistencia” and “Permanencia.” In an interview with katacult.com, Ana and jiony said “We have been working through a lot of years together making collaborations. However, when we started the project of “Karen y Los Remedios”, the idea of making music with Latin roots, especially cumbia was the main goal.”
Karen Y Los Remedios at Flushing Meadows Park
Chef, actor, tv host, artist and rapper Action Bronson headlined the concert and performed with pure energy. His setlist was mostly songs from his latest album Cocodrillo Turbo. Griselda producer Daringer was Action’s DJ. The two have also collaborated many times in the past as well. Special guests included Alchemist, Hologram and Yung Mehico on sax. Action’s 2 year old son even made an appearance during the last song “Actin Crazy.”
Seekers and travelers, both aquatic and avian, endured a nauseating sense of moral conflict while making their way to see Goose on June 24th and 25th for the sold out Radio City Music Hall shows. News of the Dobbs Supreme Court ruling was fresh; strong introspective notes of guilt and grieving rang in battle with the plans for a most jovial gathering. Hurdles of planning jumped for months to make those nights happen. Travel high jumps cleared in the last hour. All of this legwork to prepare for two nights when we thought we could finally be animals and move our abdominals for a night, instead receiving news that life for women just got a whole lot scarier.
Good news brought to you by Goose and Trey by Em Walis
Goose’s cover of “Mad World” from the South Farms Halloween show played on repeat the whole drive down. A song which leaned into the darkness in the throws of pod-era guilt stricken live music attendance. It also was a song Doom Flamingo played later that night with powerhouse feminist badass Kanika Moore appropriately addressing this particular moment of darkness.
During moments of self-preservation and protection, the mind for some went to a strange place where the value of innocuous thoughts skyrocketed. Distraction in the form of social anxiety, primal desire to hunt for big game in the form of a limited release poster, and theories of potential setlists and sit-ins began to swarm the mind, blocking out any space for all-out panic about women living in those states.
Empresses by Em Walis
SOS
Shock-driven imagination created a surreal mental image worthy of the “Weird Goose Dreams” facebook group. The line outside of Radio City before Connecticut Indie Groove band Goose played back to back sold out shows at Radio City Music Hall painted the sidewalks like the signs that once were held up only a few blocks away outside of MTVs TRL. Memories of pop-punk fandom long ago trailed while approaching. Opening conversations were mentally rehearsed. Would Dripfield have been hitting #1 on the hit music video countdown show if it were still airing today?
So ready by Em Walis
Why the rehearsals? The typical over-thinker would estimate that of the 6,000 guests, a core group of, say, 10% would be in attendance for every show. Another 20% will go to every run within a day’s driving distance. 30% will see every show where they can return home the same night. 20% could be first-timers and the remainder… It was complicated.
100% Sold by Em Walis
In a landscape of ever-changing risk, evolving life circumstance and financial whirlwinds, that percentage unaccounted for above could be dedicated fans, unable to attend for a solid chunk of time. Thankfully, they were able to continue to follow the band, only from the VIP view of the livestream and rode the rails of the coffee table with company of an active group chat. The poster line was more like reflexes with a Nintendo game, instead of the running of the bulls (or in this case, geese). The importance of a historic night for band and community might have inspired months of preparation in order to attend. The emotions of the prodigal children ran high.
The time they left Scarf the Redeemer in charge of the pit at RCMH – Georgiana Platt
Before crossing the street over to the line, all thoughts were immediately interrupted when a man standing with arms outstretched and body language that shouted, “Welcome!” and “I’m so glad you made it to the show!” Golden light poured over the massive Radio City Music Hall and line as far as the eye could see weaving behind. Scarf draped over the outstretched arms, the bit of fabric which has become a rock relic illuminated with vibrancy from the sun as it set behind.
The scarf danced and waved tirelessly during those early streams where the pods were spaced such that only two people from the crowd could be seen when Marta Goedde switched the cameras to the front of house viewpoint. A symbol of giving it all you’ve got to both thank the band for taking a risk during a dark time and to honor those that were not in a position to safely attend. A symbol of hope when we needed it most. A man whose outstretched arms and scarf draped, larger than life in front of the epic Radio City Music hall could only be described as “Scarf the Redeemer” washed away all doubts with a single hug. Radio City. Goose. Good News. Mood Boosted. Game on.
Start and end with glizzy sacrament by Em Walis
Seekers
Familiar faces full from streams and memes were assembled at the front of the line, taking part in the sacrament known as the eucharist of glizzies. Why show up so early when there are assigned seats? The group up front at Radio City absolutely wanted a poster, but more importantly, value the time waiting on line for doors as part of the community experience. Hours of sharing and connecting before as well as mutual experience up front for every show has created an unbreakable bond and ritual that could not be forgotten, even if their ticket put them somewhere up in the three Mezzanines.
Shine on by Em Walis
Stickers, baklava and pogs were passed around from arms draped in glistening sequin capes to ones with vibrant colors of one specific tie dye maker. Typically a sign on regional representation, these dyes transcend the regions and have been worn by community members hailing from an area much larger than their origins of Western New York.
The patterns on the dyes both thoughtful and ornate, evoked an unconscious mood boost because the coloring seemed to look exactly like the big looks from some most cherished moments from Goose shows past. The Blue Sky Dyes have been worn by members of Goose over the years which have been featured on streams played at home time and time again. Another mood boost.
Travel MVPs by Em Walis
Travelers
Seven missed flights, one broken truck and a marriage proposal later, one couple finally made it to Radio City for the show. Another seated monk figure had converted his van to follow Goose. Coast to coast, Midwest to Southeast. Representations from across the country were assembled together. The mood was cohesive and upbeat.
The Rockdale by Em Walis
Goin Down To The Rockdale
Arriving inside Radio City Music Hall felt like time travel. Lounges, not bathrooms, all had unique mirrored constructions. Water fountains made with artistry that could not look like anything further than the industrial robot fill stations of today. The merch line spiraled down an oval staircase. The surreal feeling seemed to never end as memories of the Resonance set from a few years ago kept appearing when chatter began to spread about what potential this band had. Familiar faces, big long hugs and selfies galore could be witnessed throughout the halls as thousands of people poured into the venue. This was a powerful feeling at a powerful time.
Peter remembering who is important by Em Walis
Gonna Lay It All Down For You
Before Goose began their first song during the biggest night of their careers, Peter took a moment to address the crowd about the devastating news. He stated the value for women’s rights among the band and tears were falling before the first note commenced.
Arms up, or not. You decide. By Em Walis
Leave Your Coat At The Hotel, We’ll Be Hanging In The Old Barroom
The atmosphere differed tremendously depending on location of seating. Each quadrant held a distinctive personality. Under typical circumstance, a Goose crowd would often resemble that of a high school cafeteria. Same people riding the front rails. Tamara, Crepes and Val on Trevor side, Phil, John and Noah in the middle. Binky between Rick and Peter alongside the Carusos forever dedicated to “Pete side, sweet side.” At Radio City Music Hall, everyone was scattered throughout. Some were able to experience the light show for the first time, despite countless shows attended.
Ryan Stasik believes in shenanigans by Em Walis
Orchestra: Elmegs and Empresses
In the Orchestra seating, there appeared to be a near checkerboard pattern of longtime family and friends mixed with first timers and socializers. Similarly dispersed were those that danced hard with those who would fall under a still, hypnotic trance. In the center of it all, fittingly, was the Goblin King. The “George Washington of hot guys in the jam scene,” according to Andy Frasco. Ryan Stasik was in attendance. “So hot right now,” someone whispered from nearby.
Escaped animal by Em Walis
First Level Mezzanine: Animals
The first mezzanine was a different story. These bunch of animals danced hard and could be called rowdy. The view of the stage from the back rows could have been better, but it didn’t matter. Every person of every age sang each word as if it were a church hymn. It was discovered here that amidst a tumultuous emotional experience, it can be extremely healing to let all of that angst out with dance and shouting the words. Catharsis comes in the form of the silly and leaving egos at the door. Appropriately, this quadrant of the venue went all out bananas when Animals came on. Little did they know the amount of banana jokes that would be made after the following night.
A game the animals played was called “Guess When Goedde is in Charge!” The critters up in mezz 1 would try to spot moments when the lights matched what was happening musically and participants in the game would try to guess what they thought Goedde would say through the monitors to the band like a circus ring leader. “Again!” was the most common guess.
Feed the creatures. They will grow. By Em Walis
Second Level Mezzanine: Creatures
The second level was where true entrancement happened. A sensory experience where holding a prism, balloon while adorning 3D Glasses was common ground. The visceral reactions and empathy held by all. The bigger meaning was felt here. The growth of the band and its fanbase. The creature which grows when nourished and loved. When Trey came on, all bets were off and everyone beamed with excitement in celebration of the good news we all finally needed. Conversations afterword consisted of repeatedly exchanging the question “what the actual f?” back and forth to each other for the remainder of the night.
Mezzanine 3: Red Birds
Perched up above, the full view of the light show was quietly enjoyed by those that dedicated their night to doing everything possible to appreciate the small moments of beauty in life. The colorful moments viewed from a safe distance created a space for the Red Birds to begin to heal. In the most heartfelt performance of the new song “Red Bird,” dedication to all of the women struggling with the supreme court ruling. Caring, judgement free words were sang to the Red Birds up in Mezz 3, reminding the rest of the crowd of Peter’s assertion at the start of the run. Attendee Tony Vasile put it best,
“Red Bird was a necessary anthem for women’s rights tonight.”
Leave your coat at the hotel by Em Walis
Going Down To The Rock Dale
All in all, the two night of Goose at Radio City Music Hall were memorable because of the good news it brought. Everyone seemed to get exactly what they needed out of it and left feeling better than when they arrived. For good reason. Fans both streaming from home and in attendance were able to witness their favorite band live out their childhood fantasy. It does not get more proud mother goose than that. One proud parent in the crowd recalled an early rendition of Goose practicing every Friday night for three hours over the course of seven years before they all left for college. With the occasional Saturday and Sunday jam session peppered in, it is remarkable to see the result of dedication as well as a coming of age tale converging during two beautiful nights.
Media team and long time friends Adam Berta and Bryan Murphy perched by Em Walis
One Life To Live For
The spirit of the night was impactful for more than just bands and fans. The crew behind the scenes have all been friends with Goose for years. The amount of tears shed could fill buckets. It was not only a dream come true for the band to collaborate with Trey, or play this venue. Aspiring audio engineers, lighting designers and photographers dream of working Radio City Music Hall. To ice the cake with both musical and photographic heroes sent it over the edge into something that could once only be joked about as a “Weird Goose Dream” facebook group fantasy.
Not The First Time by Em Walis
And The Sun Will Be Rising Soon
Beneath the brightly illuminated city lights and glowing marquee reading the words “Sold Out” and “Goose” common ground established between birds of a feather and fish in the sea. It turns out, they were all just animals. It was phenomenal. Finding an exit path through the boisterous carnival and second consumption of the eucharist of glizzies outside Radio City Music Hall, chirps of praise volleyed between friends old and new.
Glancing upward, the bright white points of St. Patricks cathedral glowed brightly as they peeked out from behind Rockefeller center. Like a scene from a movie, it all clicked. We have been here before. The face tingling sensation from Arcadia was felt this intensely only one other time during the Goosemas livestream performed atop Rockefeller Center amidst the throes of shutdown.
Its a new light creeping out…
This band seems to have made it a habit of there for us when we need it most.
Goose – Friday, June 24 – Radio City Music Hall, NYC
Set One: California Magic, Elizabeth, Jack-a-Roe (1), Turned Clouds, This Old Sea, All I Need
Set Two: Tumble, Borne, The Whales, A Western Sun, Pancakes
Set Three: Madhuvan, Hot Tea (2), Arrow (2)
Encore: Animal
(1) Grateful Dead cover, Goose debut (2) Studio arrangement with Stuart Bogie on saxophone, D. James Goodwin on guitar, Dave Nelson on Trombone
Goose – Saturday, June 25 – Radio City Music Hall, NYC
Set 1: Atlas Dogs, Moonrise, Wake Up(1), Atlantic City(2), Flowdown, Elmeg the Wise
Set 2: Rockdale, Seekers On the Ridge (Part 1)>Seekers on the Ridge (Part 2), Redbird >I’m Writing a Novel(3), Creatures
Set 3: Silver Rising, Hungersite (4), Arcadia(4), Dripfield(4)>Loose Ends(4), Empress of Organos (4)
Encore: Tomorrow Never Knows(5)
(1) “Wake Up” by Arcade Fire (2) “Atlantic City” by The Boss (3) “I’m Writing a Novel” by Father John Misty WITH FATHER JOHN MISTY!!!!! (4) Trey Anastasio Playing with the boys! (5) Jeff on Guitar w/FJM on Drums, Trey has returned) “Tomorrow Never Knows” by The Beatles
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
