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
On Sept. 28 Jimmy Eat World came to Albany to say “Something Loud” to the people at Empire Live Albany.
Jimmy Eat World is a rock band from Mesa, AZ that formed in 1993. Their most notable album, Bleed American, had jump-started them to fame with their most well-known song “The Middle.” Jimmy Eat World has been all over the alternative rock realm with songs that could be categorized as pop-punk, emo-pop, and punk-rock to just name a few. Their ability to continue to shift across rock has kept them relevant to fans young and old for the last 20+ years.
The show opened with a last-minute addition rock band, Frankie and his Fingers from Kingston. They formed in 2004 when lead vocalist Frank McGinnis and guitarist Ryan Stoutenburgh found each other in college. Their latest album, Universal Hurt, dropped in March of 2021. They have an upcoming show in Woodstock on October 2nd.
Frankie and his Fingers opened to a growing crowd of mid-20s-late 30-year-olds. They played their hearts out for about 30 minutes with warm applause from the crowd. Frank McGinnis’ energy on stage was very reflective of how excited the band was to be their opening for such a big name. After their set, the band waited by the merch station to greet fans and answer questions.
By the time Jimmy Eat World took the stage, there was no standing room left. They opened strong with lead vocalists Jim Adkins taking hold of the mic and singing “Futures.” Throughout the set, the stage was consistently backlit with blinding lights that shined on beat with many of the intricate guitar strums. The crowd, who many probably have been following since 1995, sang the chorus of “Work” with Adkins and many other songs throughout their time on stage.
Towards the end of an hour and half long set, Adkins prefaced their latest single and tour title “Something Loud” as a song about finding yourself in rock. An idea that has probably fueled Jimmy Eat World to continue to find new sounds in their music.
They thanked their fans for coming and welcoming them back to New York. They closed with their hit, “The Middle.” The Something Loud tour continues in Ocean City, MD on Oct. 1, and a rescheduled show in Burlington, VT on Oct. 3.
Jimmy Eat World Setlist: Intro/Futures, Pain, Bleed American, Big Casino, I Will Steal You Back, Praise, Congratulations, Let It Happen, Work, Blister, Sunday, Hear You Me, Sure and Certain, Rockstar, Something Loud, Denver, Sweetness, The Middle
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.
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
It was officially Fall, and unofficially, Fall weather had also arrived. But for Point of the Bluff Vineyards in Hammondsport, NY on the shore of Keuka Lake, there is still time left for outdoor music. So it was Saturday, September 24 when they invited Shakey Graves and The Ballroom Thieves to perform.
The show got started with some rapid fire questioning from The Ballroom Thieves’ Martin Earley, “You guys wanna party? Do you have your wine? Should we start?” And start they did, just as they do on their new album, with the gently rocking “Worldender,” which included some nifty alternating “oh”s from Earley and bassist Caitlin Peters, creating an acoustically derived digital-sounding effect. They followed with another one off of Clouds, the short and punchy “In the Morning.”
The Ballroom Thieves weren’t just sporting a new album though. Last summer founding member Devin Mauch left the band and this summer Peters and Earley got married. In fact, this show was only their second as husband and wife. The lineup was rounded out by drummer and keys player Kevin Kennedy O’Connell, from not-too-far-off Rome, NY.
The trio found lots of space to explore, mixing up their sound with regularity during their 45 minute set. “Pendulum” and “Bees” saw Peters switching to cello and O’Connell switching to keys for a couple of finger-picked folk beauties. O’Connell left the stage completely for a spell of duo tunes, a cover of Jackson Frank’s “Blues Run the Game,” and “Borderline,” accentuating the couple’s stellar harmonies as they lovingly gazed into each other’s eyes. Then they closed on a trio of grittier rocking with the bluesy “Fistfight” and punchy “Wolf.”
Shakey Graves entered the stage solo, already plucking out some notes on his guitar, holding a glass of wine wearing a dapper brown suit. He climbed up on a riser at the back of the stage and started banging out a rhythm with foot pedals on a cajon and cymbal, playing “Nobody’s Fool.” Before “Square One,” Graves explained how he always wished he could tour the country playing music, and it happened. But then he found that he was traveling too much so he wished he could just pause it for a bit, and unfortunately for the world, that happened too. He said he was sorry though. Then he wished he could drink wine at the top of a hill overlooking a lake and play a show, and poof here he was.
The rest of his quintet arrive on stage, in matching suits, for “The Donor Blues.” Graves added a lot of emphasis to his music, through hand motions and asides sprinkled throughout the set. When he sang, “I got my gall from the boys back east” he added, “That’s you…” pointing out to the crowd. In “Business Lunch” and “Ready Or Not” his hands kept busy acting out various lines.
Like The Ballroom Thieves, Graves kept the set moving with good variety. “Family and Genus” tied together with “Kids These Days” through a short burst of hectic rock, while the latter kept it up with some hard rocking energy behind solid drumming. But then Graves was alone on the stage again, sitting on the riser and picking out a long intro to “Was Here” followed by “Pansy Waltz.”
When the band came back, they were all taking shots from a small jar of brown liquor handed up from someone in the audience. The band crowded around one mic to sing and clap their way through “Unlucky Sin,” their appropriate we’re-under-a-tent “church moment.” And that zoomed up to the off-kilter “Counting Sheep” which burst into an extended anthemic two-guitar outro. On the show-closing “Dearly Departed” the crowd was encouraged to clap along, and eventually would take over the singing duties in full, lifting the tent in voice and making Graves’ dreams come true.
Ballroom Thieves Setlist: Worldender, In the Morning, Pendulum, Bees, Blues Run the Game (Jackson C. Frank cover), Borderline, Fistfight, Anybody Else, Wolf
Shakey Graves Setlist: Nobody’s Fool, Square One, The Donor Blues, Business Lunch, Ready Or Not, Family and Genus > Kids These Days, Was Here, Pansy Waltz, Unlucky Sin, Counting Sheep, Century City, Dearly Departed E: Late July
While the year 1977 typically, and justifiably, gets a lot of the attention in Grateful Dead lore, the previous year has its fair share of gems too. With the Godchaux tandem now firmly entrenched and the return of Mickey Hart, the band was approaching the peak of its collective power in 1976. A slew of new live material that was unleashed the year before and earlier this summer was proof of this. Today marks the anniversary of the fourth ever appearance in Rochester for the Grateful Dead, last playing here in 1973. A rowdy Upstate New York crowd greeted the Dead for this performance at the War Memorial (now known as Blue Cross Arena) – one that’s filled with a distinct blend of classic songs and some fresher material still relatively new in the live setting.
Tonight’s performance gets a true “rock n’ roll” opener thanks to a lively cover of Chuck Berry’s “Promised Land” that has the Rochester crowd clapping along in time. A couple of impressive guitar licks early on from Jerry Garcia show he’s adequately warmed up and Bob Weir executes the vocals to perfection. Instead of pushing the pace even further, after some brief technical delay the Dead move over to the slow lane for “They Love Each Other.” They still manage to find their way into a nice early groove though, aided by another Garcia solo and some delicate piano work from Keith Godchaux.
After some more extensive post-song tuning, the band then does a slow build towards the intro of what turns out to be an emphatic “El Paso” with Weir once again manning the vocals. This gives way to another first set staple in “Deal” that gets some harmonious assistance from Donna Jean Godchaux on the chorus. She also adds some delightful harmonies to the emotional “Looks Like Rain” that follows and features another organic, slow build of communal energy.
The Dead keep in a similar mode for the slow, near plodding, tempo of “Row Jimmy” that comes next and elicits a few more emotionally-charged guitar solos from Garcia as well as supplemental dulcet tones from Donna Jean on vocals. Once completed, Weir implores the crowd to take place in “America’s Favorite Game: Take A Step Back” to prevent those in the front few rows on the floor of the War Memorial from getting further squished. This seems to call for another cover song and the choice is made for “It’s All Over Now,” a song popularized by The Rolling Stones more than a decade ago.
The first set staples then roll on, this time with “Loser,” another Garcia-dominated number. The soulful, introspective lyrics are matched by a guitar solo that has the Rochester crowd in mass, loud approval. Once completed, the Dead then introduce Rochester to the most recent of their traditional song pairings. This time, it’s the relatively new “Lazy Lightning” and “Supplication.” With both songs making their live debut just months earlier in 1976 at shows in Portland OR, this was undoubtedly the first time this sequence was able to experienced for some East Coast Dead Heads. “Supplication” hasn’t even been given lyrics yet and is played as a sturdy instrumental that the Rochester crowd eats up.
The opening set comes to an end with an interesting pairing of songs. First, it’s a rather unusual late set placement for “Brown Eyed Women” that has some early vocal flubs from Garcia on the intro but then wastes no time rounding into form with the crowd once again lending on-time audible support through applause. “The Music Never Stopped,” another newer song that just came into its own this year which features more vocal interplay between Weir and Donna Jean, then closes the book on the first set.
The second one opens with another relatively fresh tune, this time it’s the Garcia and Robert Hunter composition “Might As Well,” another song that made its live debut just months earlier. It’s supported by another bouncy guitar solo and gets a welcomed reception from the crowd. Afterwards, the recognizable drum beat that begins “Samson and Delilah” ensues and the Dead are off and running with another newer song that’s still finding its footing in a live setting. Weir nails the Biblical lyrics and Garcia provides more than enough support with some fiery guitar licks with bassist Phil Lesh competently holding down the bottom end.
After another band “huddle,” a drawn out intro to “Help On The Way” ensues with the band almost seemingly throwing in a “Music Never Stopped” tease for good measure before fully diving into “Help.” It feels like a slightly quicker version that’s played a little faster than it’s traditional styling yet, nevertheless, still flows seamlessly right into its traditional running mate in “Slipknot!” with no issues. This latter half of the pairing quickly devolves into a free-flowing, improvisational jam with Garcia and Lesh once again leading the way. This yields some of the more intensive and psychedelic jamming of the evening, a perfect springboard into the “Drums” section which soon follows.
After essentially putting the cart (“Space”) before the horse (“Drums”), the Dead jump right back into a high-octane, free wheeling jam that winds its way perfectly into the beginning of a thunderous “The Other One” that shows the band at their improvisational best.
After reaching a climax, the Dead slow things down considerably with “Wharf Rat” which gets another warm reception from the Rochester crowd. Garcia leads the band through this ballad-esque number with typical aplomb and his signature vocal stylings. In a bit of a twist, once completed they actually go back and play a definitive “Slipknot!” reprise for a few minutes, returning to the main theme and a smooth segue into “Franklin’s Tower” that, along with “Help On The Way,” completes a holy trinity of Grateful Dead songs. The band, and Garcia in particular, take their time with this crowd favorite and it results in 17-plus minutes of euphoric musical composition that the War Memorial crowd eagerly soaks up.
The Dead then bookend tonight’s show in Rochester with another Chuck Berry cover, this time “Around and Around,” sung by Weir in his typical increasingly rambunctious fashion. A “U.S. Blues” that doesn’t seem to have made the recording then wraps up tonight’s Rochester show. The band would continue their Upstate New York travels and play a gig the following night at a different War Memorial, this one in Syracuse.
View this and other Grateful Dead shows from across the years in New York State with our interactive map below
Grateful Dead Community War Memorial Auditorium – Rochester, NY 9/27/76
Set 1: Promised Land, They Love Each Other, El Paso, Deal, Looks Like Rain, Row Jimmy, It’s All Over Now, Loser, Lazy Lightning-> Supplication, Brown Eyed Women, The Music Never Stopped
Set 2: Might As Well, Samson & Delilah, Help On The Way-> Slipknot!-> Drums-> The Other One-> Wharf Rat-> Slipknot!-> Franklin’s Tower-> Around & Around
The Capitol Theatre, affectionately known as “The Cap,” lies in the center of the Westchester County village of Port Chester. The historic venue constructed in 1926 has hosted thousands of legendary musical acts (The Rolling Stones, Grateful Dead, David Bowie, Bob Dylan and Pink Floyd to name only a few), but never The National, until Friday, September 23rd.
Marquee | Photo by Michael Dinger
The National are winding down a 12-date tour of North America that commenced at the Moon River Music Festival in Chattanooga, Tennessee on September 10 and concluded at the inaugural Sound on Sound Festival on September 25. The Port Chester show was added to their tour schedule back in June as a special companion performance to their festival appearance at Seaside Park in nearby Bridgeport, Connecticut.
Matt Berninger | Photo by Michael Dinger
Supporting The National was Indigo Sparke, a singer-songwriter from Sydney, Australia named by her parents after the Duke Ellington song “Mood Indigo.” In the summer of last year, Sparke moved to the United States to work on her sophomore studio album, Hysteria, produced by The National’s very own Aaron Dessner. Performing for nearly 40 minutes, Sparke and her soaring vocals were accompanied by Jeremy Gustin (drums), Adam Brisbin (guitar), back-up singer Jackie West and later in her set, by Dessner himself.
Indigo Sparke | Photo by Michael DingerJeremy Gustin | Photo by Michael DingerAdam Brisbin | Photo by Michael Dinger
At the conclusion of Sparke’s set, a brief ceremony followed in celebration of The Cap’s 10-year anniversary of its reopening under Peter Shapiro’s ownership, one of the most successful independent concert promoters in the country. Shapiro’s $2 million plus in renovations has restored “the original rock palace,” with its 65-foot domed ceiling, to its former glory, featuring top of the line acoustics and a state-of-the-art lighting and projection system.
Peter Shapiro | Photo by Michael Dinger
With Port Chester Mayor Luis Marino on hand, September 23rd was also officially proclaimed “The Capitol Theatre Day,” commemorating what The Cap stands for: live music, community and spreading joy into the world through concerts. Shapiro addressed the 2,000-capacity sold out audience, “It ain’t easy to do this, but this is why we do it, for a night like tonight. We are going to do another 10 [years] and hopefully we’ll get The National back if you give it up for them.”
10-Year Commemoration | Photo by Michael Dinger
As Leonard Cohen’s “I Can’t Forget” played over the house PA, the quintet from Cincinnati, Ohio comprised of Matt Berninger (vocals), twin brothers Aaron Dessner (guitar, piano) and Bryce Dessner (guitar, piano), and brothers Scott Devendorf (bass) and Bryan Devendorf (drums) took the stage to thunderous applause. Accompanied by Ben Lanz (trombone, synthesizers) and Kyle Resnick (trumpet, keyboards), The National’s opening number was “Don’t Swallow the Cap,” taken from 2013’s Trouble Will Find Me.
Aaron Dessner | Photo by Michael DingerMatt Berninger | Photo by Michael DingerBryce Dessner | Photo by Michael Dinger
The indie rock veterans who formed in Brooklyn in 1999 would go on to play for two solid hours, bestowing to their fans a 24-song set that would include a representative sampling of their impressive music catalog, including “Bloodbuzz Ohio” (High Violet, 2010), “The System Only Dreams in Total Darkness” (Sleep Well Beast, 2017) and “Light Years” (I Am Easy to Find, 2019). Berninger and his bandmates also treated us to four new songs, including “Moon Drop Light” which was written only the day before, “This Isn’t Helping,” “Tropic Morning News (Haversham)” and “Weird Goodbyes,” the lead single from their forthcoming album featuring their friend Bon Iver.
Matt Berninger and Indigo Sparke | Photo by Michael Dinger
Berninger exuded frontman charm throughout the entire evening, shining the spotlight back on Sparke as she reappeared onstage for “Rylan,” another offering from I Am Easy to Find. “Graceless,” from The National’s aforementioned sixth studio album Trouble Will Find Me, was proceeded by “Fake Empire” (Boxer, 2008), widely considered to be one of their best songs. A five song encore followed as Berninger, in typical fashion, thrilled fans as he left the stage during “Mr. November” (Alligator, 2005) and waded through the entire floor crowd, reappearing momentarily at the opposite end of the venue, before trekking back to the stage. The epic evening unfortunately came to a close at 11:15 pm, but not before a goosebump-inducing, crowd sing-along of “Vanderlyle Crybaby Geeks,” a second contribution from High Violet.
The crowd sings along | Photo by Michael Dinger
The National Setlist: Don’t Swallow the Cap > I Should Live in Salt > Bloodbuzz Ohio > The System Only Dreams in Total Darkness > I Need My Girl > This Is the Last Time > Slow Show > This Isn’t Helping > Wasp Nest > Moon Drop Light > Conversation 16 > Tropic Morning News (Haversham) > Day I Die > Rylan (with Indigo Sparke) > Light Years > Pink Rabbits > England > Graceless > Fake Empire > Encore: Weird Goodbyes > Mr. November > Terrible Love > About Today > Vanderlyle Crybaby Geeks
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 SeaChuck E. Costa performing at Takk HouseThe Sea The Sea performing at Takk HouseMira Costa performing at Takk HouseThe Sea The Sea performing at Takk HouseThe Sea The Sea performing at Takk HouseThe Sea The Sea performing in the middle of the audience at Takk HouseJosiah Johnson performing at Takk HouseM’Gilvry Allen performing at Takk HouseJosiah Johnson performing at Takk HouseM’Gilvry Allen (left) and Josiah Johnson (right) performing at Takk HouseJosiah Johnson performing at Takk HouseJosiah Johnson and M’Gilvry Allen performing at Takk House The Sea The Sea and Josiah Johnson closing out their performance at Takk HouseM”Gilvry Allen hugging Mira Costa
Willie Nelson gave an intimate performance to 5,000 lucky fans at a sold out City Parks SummerStage show in Central Park on Tuesday night, September 20. The show was amidst the last few dates of Nelson’s Outlaw Music Festival. The festival ends om October 16 at FivePoint Amphitheatre in Irvine, California.
Willie Nelson at SummerStage 9.20.22
Willie sounded and looked great as he ran through decades worth of hits in his hour and a half performance. He started his set with “Whiskey River,” a Johnny Bush song made popular on his 1973 album “Shotgun Willie.” He followed that with “Still Is Still Moving to Me” (from 1993) and “Bloody Mary Morning,” a song inspired by his struggle to become a better parent, released in 1970.
Willie briefly turned the show over to his son Micah, aka Particle Kid. Micah told the crowd his dad once said to him, “If I die when I’m high, I’ll be halfway to heaven,” adding that it was the greatest song title he ever heard. Willie replied “Why don’t you write it”, so he penned “Die When I’m High (Halfway To Heaven.)” Continuing the theme of Willie’s well know pot smoking and cannabis activism, they also performed “Roll Me Up and Smoke Me When I Die.” Willie has been arrested several times over the years for marijuana possession dating back to 1974. Fast forward almost 50 years and now marijuana is legal in many states. Willie even has his own weed brand called Willie’s Reserve.
Other highlights included mega hits “Mama, Don’t Let Your Babies Grow Up to Be Cowboys” and “On The Road Again” as well as “Always on My Mind” and Georgia (On My Mind).” The show ended with “Will the Circle Be Unbroken/I’ll Fly Away” and “It’s Hard to Be Humble.”
SInger-songwriter Charley Crockett open the show for Willie. His latest album, The Man From Waco was the second album he released this year. Crockett also won two Austin Music Awards this year. One for Musician of the Year, the other award was for Best Country Artist.
Charley Crockett Setlist: Jukebox Charley, Jamestown Ferry, I’m Just a Clown, Baby don’t tell me that, Banjo Pickin Man, Going Back to Texas, The Man From Waco
Willie Nelson Setlist: Whisky River/Stay a Little Longer, Still Is Still Moving to Me, Bloody Mary Morning, I Never Cared for You, (Die When I’m High) Halfway to Heaven, Mamma’s Dont Let Your Babies Grow Up to Be Cowboys, Angel Flying Too Close to the Ground, On The Road Again, Always on My Mind, Everything Is Bullshit, Good Hearted Woman, Georgia (On My Mind), I Been to Georgia on a Fast Train, I’ll Love you Till the Day I Die, Roll Me Up and Smoke Me When I Die, Write Your Own Songs, Truck Drivin’ Man, I Thought About You Lord, Will the Circle Be Unbroken/I’ll Fly Away, It’s Hard to Be Humble
The fourth installment of the Sea.Hear.Now Festival brought more than 30,000 fans of all ages to the picturesque waterfront in Asbury Park, New Jersey this past weekend, September 17 and 18. Produced by Tim Sweetwood of C3 Presents (Austin City Limits, Lollapalooza), along with iconic rock photographer Danny Clinch, his good pal Tim Donnnelly (a music journalist turned promoter) and HM Wollman (an industry veteran), the festival is a celebration of live music, art and surf culture.
Excited fans during Wet Leg’s set at the Park Stage | Photo by Michael Dinger
A Transparent Clinch pop-up gallery in Bradley Park featured pieces of art contributed by several of the artists performing over the weekend, as well as photographs snapped by local native and rock legend Bruce Springsteen. The weekend also included a professional team surf contest known as the “North Beach Rumble,” and despite the relatively calm ocean waters, still went on as planned. A portion of the proceeds is also donated to grassroots, non-profit environmental organizations and community charities such as the Surfrider Foundation, Operation Beachhead, Clean Ocean Action, Garden State Equality and Boys & Girls Clubs of Monmouth County, to name only a few.
Beach crowd watching Boy George & Culture Club’s set at the Surf Stage | Photo by Michael Dinger
When the gates to the festival grounds in the seaside town known for its sandy shore and beachfront boardwalk lined with shops, arcades and cafes opened promptly each day at noon, patrons were treated to a lineup that included more than 25 artists performing across three stages, aptly named Park, Sand and Surf. The Surf (main) Stage hosted headliner Stevie Nicks of Fleetwood Mac fame on Saturday and Green Day, the rock trio of Billie Joe Armstrong, Mike Dirnt and Tré Cool, on Sunday. Festivalgoers with VIP and Platinum wristbands had premium access to designated corrals on the side of each stage, including an exclusive viewing area with elevated sightlines of the Surf Stage.
Lollipop jellyfish blowing in the ocean breeze | Photo by Michael Dinger
The spectrum of music genres performed over the weekend was wide-ranging, more than ample to satisfy the taste palette of all patrons in attendance. There was punk (the aforementioned Green Day and IDLES), bluegrass (Billy Strings), pop (Boy George & Culture Club, Peach Pit and Aly & AJ), folk (The Head and the Heart), reggae (Skip Marley), blues (Gary Clark Jr.), rap (Michael Franti & Spearhead), Indie (Annie DiRusso, The Backseat Lovers, Wet Leg and Courtney Barnett), and of course, rock (My Morning Jacket and Cage the Elephant). And if the more than ten hours of music on the beach or in the park was not enough, there were ticketed “Late Night” shows at two of Asbury Park’s most venerable bar venues, The Stone Pony and Wonder Bar, which of course all sold out.
Tim Donnnelly & Danny Clinch | Photo by Michael DingerBerkeley Oceanfront Hotel | Photo by Michael Dinger
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.”
