On Thursday, July 21, 2022, Albany’s 6th installment of Alive at 5 kicked off with The E-Block and Souly Had, opening up for headliners, Ballyhoo!. Facing an intense heat wave throughout the week in Albany, the show was moved to the Corning Boat Launch to shield guests from the sun.
Souly Had is an r&b and hip hop artist also from the Capital Region. He went from doing covers of Amy Winehouse songs to signing a deal with Island Records in 2019. Souly Had’s single “Crush” did well on streaming platforms and “Maybe Not” took off on Tiktok. Both The E-Block and Souly Had have a collaborative performance at the Lost & Found on July 23rd.
Left: Guitarist Sebastian Right: Bassist Nick Lucera
The pop reggae rock group Ballyhoo! from Aberdeen, MD seemingly brought the heat with them on stage. With their beach-rock style, they made the middle aged crowd feel like they were on the boardwalk. With temperatures in the mid 90s, it was reasonable to see the crowd spaced out and enjoying the vibe. The vocals were not that great for most of the set, so all the audience had to go off of was the beat. Towards the end of their performance, the vibe shifted from chill beach-rock to pop-punk. There was lots of head banging, standing on amps, and hand waving that really brought excitement for the audience. They left pretty abruptly leaving the crowd confused. There were weak screams for an encore coming from the back that Ballyhoo! did answer.
Ballyhoo! is preparing to go on tour with alternative hip-hop artist, Shwayze, starting August 2nd in Indianapolis. Before that show, they are preforming at Reggae Rise Up festival in Maryland on July 31st.
Ballyhoo! Set List: Cerveza, Destroy Me, Girls, MD Summer, Middle Finger, This Chick is Wack, Social Drinker, Cali King, Front Porch, Message, I Don’t Wanna Go, Dark Sunglasses, The Fool, Cali Girl, Burrito, Struggle, Blaze This Weed, Scarlet Blue, Walk Away, Mind Over Matter, Jameson, Mixtape; Encore: Panama
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
After a two-year COVID hiatus, the 16th Pleasantville Music Festival returned on July 9. The all-day event featured a cornucopia of musical performances with 18 acts between three stages.
We try to check off as many boxes as we can so there is something on our stages that everybody will appreciate.
Festival Director, Bruce Figler
Under a bright blue sky, attendees moved freely between the Chill Tent, Pamnation Party, and main stages. With each location offered its own style of music. Superbcoordination of stage starttimes allowed most fans to catch most if not all of the performances.
Platinum Moon
Pleasantville music festival has prided itself on the promotion of local musicians. Staying true to their mission statement, the opening acts on each of the three stages were winners in the Lagond Music School ‘s 2022 “Battle of the Band” competition, where first place winners, Platinum Moon, were rewarded with opening the main stage. Rounding out the triumvirateof winners was Westchester based Noshows — who appeared on the Pamnation stage — along with Carter Quinn Tanis (hailing from Cromwell-on-Hudson) who performed in the Chill Tent.
The Pamnation stage, set up between the Chill Tent and the main stage, offered a separate dance area. The Narrowbacks from Pearl River took full advantage by getting the crowd up and moving with their Irish rock. Pamnation stage closers, Illiterate Light, raised the bar with a guitar and drum duet from the Virginia natives. The audience roared along with enough liveliness to mimic an arena.
The Narrowbacks
Resembling a circus big top, the Chill Tent offered an oasis for acoustic performers. Located at the back of the festival grounds, the Chill Tent lived up to its name: benefiting from a constant breeze flowing through the performance area. Throughout the day solo, duo, and trios graced the stage. Paula Cole closed out this space backed by a three-piece band. Under a subdued purple glow, Cole and band shared an intimate performance filled with songs and insights from her lengthy career.
Glenn Tilbrook
The main stage was not to be outdone. Highlights included Glenn Tilbrook of Squeeze performing solo. Tilbrook played a host of Squeeze songs including “Take Me I’m Yours” and “Black Coffee in Bed,” to the crowd’s enjoyment. Standing tall with his custom-made red Squire Telecaster, Black Joe Lewis and the Honeybears followed, sharing a powerful blues set. Festival headliners, X Ambassadors, closed out the evening with lead singer Sam Harris singing and dancing from one end of the stage to another. Teenage girls lined the front of the stage giving their approval after every song. The Ithaca band presented a dynamic performance of their music, capping a stellar day.
X Ambassadors
With its 16th event in the books, the Pleasantville Music festival has proven itssustainability, offering top-notch performers in a suburban setting while mixing in crafts, food and family-oriented activities.
Main Stage
Platinum MoonClare Maloney & The Great AdventureGlenn TilbrookBlack Joe Lewis & The HoneybearsCrash Test DummiesX Ambassadors
On June 3, Brooklyn-based emo band, Stay Inside, released their newest work and 5-track EP, Blight, via No Sleep Records.
Stay Inside consists of Bryn Nieboer (vocals/bass), Chris Johns (guitar/backing vocals), Chris Lawless (guitar/backing vocals), and Vishnu Anantha on drums. Blight is the band’s newest release since their critically acclaimed 2020 album, Viewing.
Jon Markson of Drug Church and Koyo returns on production for the Blight EP which showcases a more intense side of the emo Brooklyn band. Although only totaling five songs, the lyrics and carefully executed instrumentation put the release on a caliber of its own.
The opening track, “Eraser,” starts slowly, with an emotional rhythm and vocals to draw you in before an intense build with drums and guitar. “Hollow,” plays with a unique beat and engaging message, with the lyrics “so I just sit there with my arms wide / I think I used up all my good lies / Oh god you started losing everything before you try to tell yourself to stop.” The EP was written while NYC was experiencing intense lockdown, and it fully represents the extreme feelings of the time.
Other tracks, such as “Fracture” and “Spore” are great additions to the EP, bringing even more depth and experimentation to the work with addictive drums and melodies. Stay Inside is surely growing and expanding with this most recent EP, Blight.
This summer, the post-hardcore band perform at the Saint Vitus Bar in Brooklyn on July 22. Be sure to keep up with the band on Instagram here and Twitter here, and take a listen to some more of their music, available below.
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
On a hot steamy summer night in Rochester the last place you want to be is stuffed into a packed Bug Jar. For the voracious music fans among us though, some shows are just too good to pass up, no matter the weather. So when L.A. via Bloomington quartet Frankie and the Witch Fingers made their long awaited return to the venue, enough souls made that music over comfort decision to fill the joint. Toronto’s Hot Garbage and locals CD-ROM rounded out the fuzzed-out psychedelic bill.
Frankie and the Witch Fingers took the stage for their set, did a quick long distance secret handshake thing, then launched into newer tune, “Empire.” And launch they did. Into a firestorm of rocking goodness, with syncopated guitars and bass, intricate guitar leads, tribal rhythms, a little West African psychedelia and enough manic drum fills to excite the most jaded fan.
“Cocaine Dream” went full punk, “Pleasure” got funky with some fat popping bass action from Nicki Pickle, and “Realization” had lead guitarist Josh Menashe in straight shred territory. The band and crowd were slick and sweaty and ready for the meat of the set. A “Cavehead”/”MEPEM” combo went long and deep, whirling and winding and peaking and dropping, but always raging forward. Singer and guitarist Dylan Sizemore bounced and shook and vibrated, every note and rhythm coursing through his body. Pickle grooved on her bass sporting a huge “damn this is badass” grin on her face. Drummer Nick Aguilar directed the energy swell after swell, climaxing with a huge rhythmic closing section.
“Dracula Drug” continued the relentless assault. Slow downs in “Reaper” and “Work” were just fake outs to hit the crowd with surprise knockout hooks. By set’s end both band and audience were ready to call the fight. Sweaty lumps of flesh filed outside to reorient and refresh.
Toronto quartet Hot Garbage made their last appearance of their tour opening for the Witch Fingers. A bass-forward garage rock sound, everything blended together in a greasy mash. They took full control of the crowd. The keys, guitar and bass working the head and torso, kneading and pounding and sculpting. While drummer Mark Henein moved everything from the ass down, shaking and pulling like strings on a marionette. “Easy Believer,” long and droning, featured a delicious bass line you could live inside for days. “Ride” a slow psychedelic march, closed the set, and set them on their way back home.
Rochester’s psych rock band CD-ROM got the night off to fun start with lots of reverb and fuzzed out guitar and synths. Vocalist Jesse Amesmith made creative use of effects using her voice as an instrument, working on off and all around the stage while the keys and guitars and drums matched her moves. Zeppelin-worthy rock outs were met with time-shifting whirlwinds and high-energy punk ragers.
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
The Kronos Quartet have a long history of creating unique and visceral music for a variety of different platforms. Last week, the San Francisco based string quartet came to the Lena Horne Bandshell and performed their live documentary, A Thousand Thoughts for the Celebrate Brooklyn! summer series. Directed by Sam Green, the documentary chronicles the string quartet’s history, various member lineups, and takes a deeper look into the musical theories behind some of the group’s more iconic work.
The Kronos Quartet at Celebrate Brooklyn! 7/14/22. Photo by Joseph Buscarello
The show began with Sam Green introducing the concept of the “live documentary” and how he went about convincing the group to take part. As the band took the stage, they also appeared one-by-one on the screen behind them as part of their interviews for the film. They each joked and seemed confused about the concept of performing music for a documentary live. As the show went on, the uniqueness of the presentation became more apparent. Seeing Dave Harrington and others talk about the music on screen while they were performing on stage in front of you truly gave you new perspective to the music.
The Kronos Quartet at Celebrate Brooklyn! 7/14/22. Photo by Joseph Buscarello
Green talked about the persistence of natural music in our every day lives and even had the audience take a full minute to sit in silence and tune into our surroundings at the start of the show. Described as a “meditation on music itself-the act of listening closely to music, the experience of feeling music deeply” the film tends to focus on how the members of the group discovered various musical styles that caught their attention. Hank Dutt told a story about how he discovered throat singing from a CD he packed for a long international flight, becoming fixated on one song for the entire trip, and the urge to find that artist in order to learn more and collaborate.
The Kronos Quartet at Celebrate Brooklyn! 7/14/22. Photo by Joseph Buscarello
The documentary began with a history of recorded music, including the first known audio recording called “The Lost Chord.” The presentation shifted between bits of interviews with the quartet members, anecdotes about the creation of some of their projects, and their perception as a “modern string quartet” that were breaking the rules and revolutionizing what a string quartet could be.
The Kronos Quartet at Celebrate Brooklyn! 7/14/22. Photo by Joseph Buscarello
A Thousand Thoughts is only performed as a live documentary, and the screening for Celebrate Brooklyn! was the last scheduled performance this year. Alongside the interviews of the members quartet, the film also well known collaborators of the group such as Philip Glass, Laurie Anderson, Steve Reich, and more. The group has been performing since the premiere of the film in 2018, so keep an eye on their website for future screenings next year.
One of the first big ‘boy bands’ of the 1980s, New Kids On The Block hail from Dorchester, Massachusetts and consists of brothers Jonathan and Jordan Knight, Joey McIntyre, Donnie Wahlberg and Danny Wood.
Fans heard chart-topping hits and legendary catalogues spanning generations all night long. It follows the colossal commercial and critical success ofNKOTB’s 2019 tour by the same name. Which was their biggest since reuniting in 2008 which grossed $53.2 million, sold more than 650,000 tickets and pioneered a super-sized show each night with multiple acts (Salt-N-Pepa, Tiffany, Naughty By Nature and Debbie Gibson).
Donnie from NKOTB walking around the floor taking photos with fans. Photo credit- Mike Miller
The crowd was mostly filled with female fans, but all the fans in attendance seemed to know the words to every song. There were two stages on each end of the floor which made some fans closer than usual. With a bar style single row seating layout along the edges of each stage, fans got up close and personal.
En Vouge Photo credit- Mike Miller
NKOTBhit the stage on the MixTape Tour 2022 to perform fan favorite #1 hits like “Hangin’ Tough,” “I’ll Be Loving You (Forever),” and “Step By Step” while tour mates Salt-N-Pepa (“Push It,” “Shoop,” “Whatta Man”), Rick Astley(“Never Gonna Give You Up,” “Together Forever”) and En Vogue (“Don’t Let Go [Love],” “Free Your Mind,” “Give It Up, Turn It Loose,” “Hold On”) kept the party going with music that catapulted them to stardom and solidified their places in music history.
Throughout the show, confetti was blasted in the air with cannons. Everyone got covered in it almost like snow falling. On the main stage, they used pyro vertical fire blasts for multiple songs. There was a huge video screen above the main stage so people in the back could see what was going on. The security and the guest experience was top notch at Keybank Center. Everyone had smiles on and enjoyed the night which brought back memories from the 80’s and 90’s.
Rick Astley at Keybank Center. Photo credit Mike Miller
Over the past two years, Rick Astley has amassed million YouTube followers with a series of covers from his studio. Rick has become a major force on TikTok with 1.7 million followers. “Never Gonna Give You Up” was recently featured on the critically acclaimed series Ted Lasso on Apple TV+ and its video has been viewed more than 1 billion times.
NKOTB. Photo credit- Mike Miller
At the very end of the show, all of the acts got on stage to perform “Never Gonna Give You Up” by Rick Astley.
On the Periodic Table of Music, if there were such a thing that is, Kuti (Ku) would most definitely be it’s own element. Fela Kuti pioneered Afrobeat, an infectious blend of West-African and American funk and jazz. It’s a sound that’s influence has found it’s way into a huge swath of music since, but is a bit more difficult to find in it’s purest form. Fela’s son Femi Kuti has helped carry the torch forward. And Kuti’s son Made has in turn continued the tradition. Femi and his band, The Positive Force, including son Made, turned a quaint lakeside winery into a Nigerian dance party on Sunday afternoon. An event as unlikely as it was enjoyable.
The beauty of the Finger Lakes was not lost on Kuti, “I woke up to one of the best views I’ve ever seen,” he remarked soon after walking on stage. And his afternoon view from the stage at Point of the Bluff Vineyards, of the sloping grapevine covered hill down to Keuka Lake’s shores was stunning. On stage though, the beauty was all Nigerian. Kuti led the 12-piece band through a rapid fire 90m African soundscape and political-sphere.
The music was a flurry of movement, as were the people playing it. Three female backup singers shook and gyrated in mesmerizing fashion while Femi Kuti bounced and bounded across the stage. The energy emanating from the band was infectious. Pure elemental Kuti pinged off the stage and into the crowd, zapping each and every person with pure Kuti energy until everyone was dancing in the best way they knew how.
Fun and funky, but not without function. Ingrained within were messages of love, peace, and freedom. “There’s a storm coming … they teach us the to be scared … we need to change the narrative, let the storm bring love!” “I’ve got too much on my mind / I believe with time everything will be fine.” “You can’t fight corruption with corruption.” The messages were a constant.
So too was the music. Just as soon as applause arrived, the next song quickly drowned it out. Kuti vowed to play with as much energy as every other night, even on this, their second-to-last show of a 30-date tour. At 60 years old, he did it and then some.
The show ended with a passing of the torch of sorts. First with a father and son sax jam. Then, father Femi left the stage and Made led the band for a song, a reggae-ish groove with rhythmic singing, highlighted by the band building behind a single note Made held on his soprano sax for a good two minutes, before releasing to a huge explosion of sound. The Kuti torch is in good hands for years to come.
Local singer Danielle Ponder opened the show with a stripped down trio of Avis Reese on keys and Rayelle on bass, in her first gig with Ponder. She continues to work, even wearing her working overalls for this gig, winning over fans everywhere she goes, previewing material off of her debut album arriving later this summer.
Ponder’s songs are written from her personal experiences. Speaking on her songwriting process, she said when she is raw and truthful, the freer she feels. The emotions of the subject matter carry over perfectly to her performances.
The songs seemed to ask more questions than they answered. On “Someone Like You,” accompanied by a slinky bass groove and bending echoey keyboard notes, “Why won’t the stars align? Someone tell me.” On “Fray”: “Anybody out there know this pain?” Even the powerful cover that closed out the set, Radiohead’s “Creep,” asked “Do I belong here?”
There is certainly no question however, Ponder’s career is set on a meteoric upward course. Stay tuned.
