The Chautauqua Institution in Jamestown has announced its 2022 Amphitheater shows, with a huge lineup of artists and comedians.
Chautauqua Institution Amphitheater.
Prominently, singer Sheryl Crow will be playing on July 12, bringing hits like “All I Wanna Do” and “Soak Up the Sun” to the Amphitheater. Her openers will be five-time Grammy-winning bluesman Keb’ Mo’ and blues band Southern Avenue.
Sheryl Crow.
On July 11, Cuban pianist and composer Aldo-López-Gavilán will be performing. Excelling as a recitalist and performer, he will also be joined by his brother Ilmar Gavilán, who is a child prodigy and began his career at age 14.
The Gavilán Brothers.
July 15 brings ABBA The Concert, said to be the most authentic tribute to ABBA. They will play all the songs that made ABBA great, including “Mamma Mia,” “S.O.S,” “Money, Money, Money,” “The Winner Takes All,” and “Waterloo.”
On July 16, Chautauqua School of Music faculty members Aaron Berofsky, Kathryn Votapek, and Felix Wang with pianist Phillip Bush will be performing.
Aaron Berofsky, Kathryn Votapek, Felix Wang, and Phillip Bush.
On July 23, pianist Brian Zeger and the members of the Chautauqua Symphony Orchestra and School of Music will be performing. Zeger appears regularly as guest faculty at the Chautauqua Opera Conservatory and is widely recognized as one of today’s leading collaborative pianists.
Brian Zeger and other members of the Orchestra.
On August 5, Brett Eldredge will be performing. He is a country music star, with seven number one radio hits, nine gold and platinum-certified singles, two gold-certified albums, and multiple CMA, ACM, and CMT Music nominations and wins.
On August 8, there will be a dynamic ensemble filled with America’s top brass players, called Seraph Brass, performing. They are winners of the 2019 American Prize in Chamber Music.
Seraph Brass.
On August 17, jazz pianist and organist Matthew Whitaker will be at the Amphitheater. Profiled on shows such as 60 Minutes and The Today Show, Whitaker has played at places like Carnegie Hall and with artists like Jason Moran and Jon Batiste.
Matthew Whitaker.
There are loads of other events happening at the Chautauqua Amphitheater including comedian Jay Leno, The Voice winners Girl Named Tom, The Avett Brothers, and Stars of the Peking Acrobats.
This summer’s shows at the Chautauqua Amphitheater in Jamestown will be packed with loads of talent, from musicians to comedians to even acrobats. Tickets can be found here.
“You can’t move atmosphere and you can’t move history.” That is what Elton John said about Madison Square Garden on Tuesday, February 22, when referring to the Garden possibly being moved a few years ago. He has said many times that the Garden is his “most favorite stage on Earth”. John has performed there over 70 times spanning his 60 year career, but it is still sad to think that no future generations will get to experience an Elton concert at MSG ever again.
That being said, his farewell shows at The Garden were nothing less than extraordinary. The setlist was filled with his greatest hits from the 70’s and 80’s with the exception of “Cold Heart”, his recent duet with Dua Lipa from his “Lockdown Sessions” album which came out in October of last year.
He kicked off the show with “Bennie and the Jets” and “Philadelphia Freedom.” Other songs on the setlist included “Rocket Man”, “Levon” and “The Bitch is Back”. He played for 2 and a half hours and only took two small breaks for costume changes. While addressing the crowd for the final time, Elton said “After this tour is finished, I’m going to spend time with my family, my children, and enjoy the rest of my life. Thank you for understanding. I love you so much.” It was a bittersweet moment. The crowd gave him a standing ovation as he transitioned into “Goodbye Yellow Brick Road.”
On the way to NYC, Elton’s private jet was forced to make an emergency landing after it suffered hydraulic failure at 10,000 feet. Luckily he was able to get on another plane and make it to NYC and perform the final two Garden shows. These shows were already rescheduled from last year because of the rise in Covid cases. This tour does not end until 2023 with the last show being scheduled in Sweden. You can see all the remaining tour dates here
Elton John – Madison Square Garden, NYC – Tuesday, February 22, 2022
Setlist: Bennie and the Jets, Philadelphia Freedom, I Guess That’s Why They Call It the Blues, Border Song, TIny Dancer, Have Mercy on the Criminal, Rocket Man, Take Me to the Pilot, Someone Saved My Life Tonight, Levon, Candle in the Wind, Funeral for a Friend/Love Lies Bleeding, Burn Down the Mission, Sad Songs (Say So Much), Don’t Let the Sun Go Down on Me, The Bitch is Back, I’m Still Standing, Crocodile Rock, Saturday Night’s Alright for Fighting, Cold Heart, Your Song, Goodbye Yellow Brick Road
Live music is back and so are The Furious Bongos. In celebration, The Furious Bongos playing the music of Frank Zappa, is making its way through six different cities in April, two of those cities being Buffalo and Albany. The band will perform at The Linda in Albany on the 9th and Buffalo Iron Works on the 10th.
After working alongside great acts such as Oasis, Alice In Chains, REM, and a plethora of other bands, the band has built versatility and shown immaculate prestige in their career.
In honor of live music’s return, the band will be playing songs from Frank Zappa’s discography, regarded by the band as the mother of all musicians, a pun based on Zappa’s involvement with The Mothers of Invention. When it came to his music, Zappa was a pioneer of change and innovation. He allowed his band members to improvise and just have fun on stage. To honor Zappa’s legacy, The Furious Bongos will be doing the same. It will be a night to remember.
Singer-songwriter Sam Kogon released a music video for his single “Barbed Wire” today. The track is the first single from his upcoming EP “Sam Kogon” releasing on April 1.
The music video for “Barbed Wire” was shot in Kingston at Kogon’s family’s pawn shop, “Sam’s Swap Shot.” In the video, a middle-aged man see’s a guitar on sale at the pawn shop that reminds him of fond memories from his youth. The video then alternates between a current and past timeline as the guitar causes the main character to reminisce.
My grandpa Lonnie gave me my first guitar from the store, so naturally I wanted the story to focus around a guitar, in this case it’s a 1963 Danelectro Convertible that came from Sam’s. The guitar represents lost love, regret, but also a fresh start.
Sam Kogon
Director Jeff Mertz said the decision to shoot in Kogon’s pawn shop was intentional and part of the narrative he wanted to tell with “Barbed Wire”.
The shop itself was also charged with nostalgia,” Mertz said. “So the story kind of naturally evolved into being about an older Sam Kogon (played by Lou, Sam’s dad) who’s reflecting on missed opportunities and regret, but is ultimately given a second chance, which he proudly takes.”
To add another personal touch to the video Kogon’s father plays the music video’s main character. Who is supposed to be a semi-fictional version of Kogon (the songwriter) himself.
Metallica might still be the biggest name in the metal scene. After releasing Ride The Lightning in 1984 and Master of Puppets in 1986, the band has achieved unprecedented longevity. Since their nascency, the band has released ten critically acclaimed studio albums, sold-out world tours, and cemented themselves as a household name.
This year, the band will be performing only two stadium shows in the United States. On Thursday, August 11 the band will play at Highmark Stadium in Buffalo, the home of the Buffalo Bills. They’ll then play PNC Park in PIttsburgh a few days later on Tuesday, August 14.
The band previously played the stadium in 1992 alongside Guns N’ Roses, and after 20 years, Metallica is expected to put host a legendary night. Playing at Highmark Stadium is a big feat in and of itself. The venue has only hosted only a number of artists, and among them include legendary acts like Fleetwood Mac, The Who, The Rolling Stones, Billy Joel, and more. Three days later, the band will play at PNC Park in Pittsburgh, PA, the home venue of the Pittsburgh Pirates.
Greta Van Fleet and Ice Nine Kills will open for Metallica. Greta Van Fleet is known for imitating a 70s rock sound with lower fidelity and impressive vocals. Ice Nine Kills’ sound is much more abrasive and edgy. Both bands have gained universal respect in the rock scene, and are perfect openers for the iconic band.
Presale tickets will be available to Legacy Fan Club members at 9 a.m. ET and General Fan Club members at 11 a.m. ET on Monday, February 28th. General public tickets will be available on March 4th on Ticketmaster. For more information visit https://www.metallica.com/
The Capitol Theater in Port Chester has provided a stage and an audience for many a band throughout its heralded history, though perhaps none with a legacy quite like that of The Grateful Dead. When they weren’t busy selling out Bill Graham’s Fillmore East, The Cap became the other de facto home away from home for the Grateful Dead on the East Coast. But as the saying goes, all good things must come to an end and today marks the anniversary of the band’s 19th and final show at this historic venue. It comes at a time when the Dead had to reinvent themselves a bit, with the abrupt self-imposed departure of drummer Mickey Hart that transpired after the opening night of this six-show residency. The shows that followed serve as the beginning of a new chapter in the band’s voluminous history, one that sees them still trying to carve out the identity of multiple brand new songs that would go on to become mainstays at a Grateful Dead show.
The Dead start this final show at The Cap with a “Casey Jones” that starts off in rather mellow fashion but fittingly picks up steam as it develops and is roaring down the tracks by song’s end, with Bob Weir growling out the accompanying vocals. He then jumps into the lead vocal position for the Country Western-themed cautionary classic “Me And My Uncle.” Jerry Garcia delivers a bevvy of slick electric guitar fills and Bill Kreutzmann, once again the sole drummer, doesn’t miss a beat while belting out the rhythm. After some now-customary extended post-song tuning, Kreutzmann initiates the opening drum pattern for “Cumberland Blues.” The harmonized vocals are a little delayed in joining in at first but Garcia makes up for this with another effortless run up and down the fretboard and the rest of the song goes off without a hitch.
Afterwards, Pigpen gets his first taste of the spotlight, leading the band through a quick take of “Next Time You See Me,” replete with its typical blues-infused harmonica solo that’s matched by one from Garcia on guitar. Garcia then reclaims the mic for the fledgling Dead tune “Bird Song,” a song played every night of this last run at The Cap except for the opening one. Between verses, Garcia finesses a patiently melodic solo with Kreutzmann nailing the signature syncopated drum beat for a song that would go on to become a live Dead staple.
The Dead then trot out a fairly new cover selection in their live repertoire, “Me And Bobby McGee,” a song popularized by the great Janis Joplin on her iconic Pearl album that was released just last month shortly after her death in October of 1970. Weir belts out the lead vocals with aplomb with Garcia adding a tender touch to the harmonies. “Bobby” is then followed by “Bertha,” one of the few songs to make an appearance at every night of this run as the Dead continue to hone another soon-to-be classic.
Pigpen, now warmed up sufficiently, adds his signature bluesy drawl to the mix with a spirited take of “Hard To Handle” that provides the first real opportunity for some brief opening set jamming, of which Garcia and company take full advantage. The music slowly reaches a psychedelic crescendo before Pigpen reels it back in. This is followed up by “Loser,” another new Dead song that made its live debut at this final run at The Cap. Garcia sounds emotionally invested in the lyrics for yet another another song that involves a high stakes cards game, along with “Uncle,” before laying down a brief solo that fits the mood perfectly.
The Dead gear up for the stretch run of the first set with several minutes of more extended tuning before launching into “Playing In The Band,” another song still very much in its nascent phase after being debuted on the first night of the run. Like that one, it still doesn’t yield anything in terms of exploration or an extended jam. This would be left to the first set closing sequence that begins with another Kreutzmann-fueled drum pattern before Pigpen jumps in on vocals for a cover of “Good Lovin’.” With the first verse complete, the lead then shifts back to Bill The Drummer for an extended one-man drum solo. It’s an impressive display of rhythmic wizardry that changes tones and speeds with ease, before Garcia slyly re-enters the mix, soon followed by the rest of the band. It’s a precursor for the even more psychedelic “Drums” > “Space” sequences that would be a signature of live Dead shows in the years to come. Literally built from the ground up, the jam slowly begins to take on a more solid state and morphs back into the ending of “Good Lovin’.” It caps off a first set that, overall, has a very mellow vibe to it, perhaps as a result of coming at the end of an epic six-show residency or just due to the comfort level that the Dead had established by now at The Cap, with the answer likely lying somewhere in between.
The second set immediately seems to shift gears, beginning with a funked out, wah-heavy “Sugar Magnolia that has plenty of groove to it. Although this lively mood doesn’t last long, instead it sets the stage for the return of Pigpen and his “harp” for an extremely mellow and drawn out cover of Slim Harpo’s “I’m A King Bee.”
The Dead then begin to liven things back up again, starting with “Greatest Story Ever Told,” yet another song that can cite this run at The Cap as its birthplace in the live setting. Instead of stopping there, they segue right into a cover of “Johnny B. Goode” afterwards. Another new addition to the band’s catalog follows in “Deal,” only the second one ever performed live and much slower than the format it would go on to develop. Bob Weir then livens things back up again with vocals that border on screaming for the better part of “New Minglewood Blues.”
The rest of the band then ably backs up Weir on the “Truckin’” that follows this which also elicits one of the better jams of the evening, with Phil Lesh helping navigate the complex rhythms beneath some powerful guitar licks supplied by Garcia.
Just as they had the opening night of the run, The Dead then throw in a late second set sequence of “Not Fade Away” > “Goin’ Down The Road Feeling Bad” > “Not Fade Away.” The “meat” of this particular sandwich is stretched out nicely and serves as a true testament to the band’s ability to shift between the serene and the psychedelic with utter ease. With one last bullet in the chamber, the band then places Pigpen center stage once more for an absolutely classic take of “Turn On Your Love Light” that ebbs and flows with a classic Pig “rap” thrown in the middle for good measure.
It’s a more than fitting end to this legendary six-show run at The Cap. The Dead would go on to play throughout New York State for the rest of their career, performing at other theaters and eventually arenas, but never again would they grace the stage in Port Chester.
The entire show is available to listen to below and also at Live Music Archive
Grateful Dead Capitol Theater – Port Chester, NY 2/24/71
Set 1: Casey Jones, Me And My Uncle, Cumberland Blues, Next Time You See Me, Bird Song, Me And Bobby McGee, Bertha, Hard To Handle, Loser. Playing In The Band, Good Lovin’ > Drums > Good Lovin’
Set 2: Sugar Magnolia, I’m A King Bee, Greatest Story Ever Told > Johnny B. Goode, Deal, New Minglewood Blues, Truckin’, Not Fade Away > Goin’ Down The Road Feeling Bad > Not Fade Away > Turn On Your Love Light
View this and more Grateful Dead shows from across the years in New York State with our interactive map below!
Every wonder what David Bowie classics might sound like if they were reset to the jingle jangle style of America’s folk-rock pioneers, The Byrds? Now you can thanks to “mysterioso rocker” David Byrdie has a new mashed up cover of the Thin White Duke’s 1983 # 1, “Let’s Dance.”
Byrdie is actually a nom de sound of Jeff Keithline, a Woodstock-based bassist best known for his stints with the bluesy Jon Butcher Axis and the band Silverado. His new cover merges Bowie’s lyrics and layered vocal style with the driving music of The Byrds’ 1967 hit, “So You Want to Be A Rock’n’Roll Star.” For good measure, the tune’s outro even features a quote from John Coltrane’s “A Love Supreme.” This is the jazz masterwork that helped inspire the style of this Byrds’ mid-career classic and their even more modal and improvisatory “Eight Miles High.”
Byrdie/Keithline plays all the instruments on the track. He does a fantastic job of nailing and marrying the many stylistic flavors of these two rock icons – from The Byrds’ jangly 12-string guitaring to Bowie’s over-the-top vocal delivery and stacked harmonies. The single, which will hit the artist’s Bandcamp site March 1, has been preceded by a playful video produced by Tonus Maximus (aka Anthony Sunseri). It boasts a boatload of psychedelic visuals, the spirited go-go dancing by Hudson Valley choreographer Laura V. Ward and Byrdie himself, who looks like a cross between White Album-era John Lennon and the bearded L.A. bass legend Leland Sklar. There is also a second video up now on YouTube where a costumed Keithline provides the humorous (and entirely fictional!) backstory on his musical alter-ego.
During a break from Dead & Company tour in June of 2018 John Mayer started to build “Sob Rock” on your Instagram in portrait mode from Electric Lady studios in New York City. The IGTV episode compartmentalizes the ideas behind the albums first single “New Light”. Mayer said on a Tales from the Golden Road broadcast that Dead & Company is a little “Hendrixy.” Well Sob Rock is a little “Princey.” Mayer takes you on the ride from the songs original sample to one of Prince’s guitars making it’s way on the album. It was unplanned that it showed up during the recording.
He even put a compressor on the studio sound like the Purple one used to do. Mayer tells IGTV during the making of “New Light”… There’s this moment at the end of the solo going in to the last chorus…that’s cool. When you got a guy like Pino Palladino for a turn around like that, you set the dude free and go let him just feel it out.
Bassist Pino Palladino joins guitarist Isaiah Sharkey, drummer Steve Farrone, percussionist Lenny Castro, keyboardists Gregg Phillinganes & Jamie Muhoberac, guitarist and vocalist David Ryan Harris, Carlos Ricketts, Tiffany Palmer, and John Mayer for the “Sob Rock” 2022 tour. It hits 20 cities this year. Mayer debuted “New Light” in the encore live with a Phish like confetti curation during his last solo world tour opener in Albany in July of 2019.
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Mayer welcomed everyone at Albany’s old Knickerbocker Arena to “The Sob Rock Era” on the February 17 2022 debut show. The former “Dozin at the Knick” room holds the same stage Mayer birthed his Dead & Company role for transportation in October of 2015. Oteil Burbridge told NYS music about his perception in Dead & Co. “When Bill Walton says you’re good you stop worrying.” In fact the next venue the new group played that tour was MSG.
Let me tell you something this blows my mind. I’m up here playing these songs and I look out to see you & the dream is complete. Thank you.
John Mayer
The Albany audience responded with the same pieces of 80’s flair as Mayer on stage. The crowd sported radio walkmans with dead tape in deck, vintage commercials, faded sport jackets, tie dyes, scrunchies, wayfarers, Sob Rock newspapers, Stealie fleeces and Fast Times at Ridgemont High piano scarfs in motion. John Mayer thanked Lee Chris Art mid show for her vibe in the crowd.
The last train home carried the act down the Hudson River to Manhattan’s Madison Square Garden for two sold out evenings of John Mayer on February 20 and 21. Mayer’s last two night run at the Garden was with the Dead & Company for Halloween 2019.
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It should come as no surprise that the only artists work weaved in the tour’s set list so far is “The Beautiful Ones” by Prince sung by “Sob Rock” guitarist David Ryan Harris. John saw David Ryan Harris from the crowd during his sit in with the Leroi Moore era Dave Matthews Band at Jones Beach in 1995. Mayer and his new band also played material off “Room for Squares”, “Heavier Things”, “Continuum”, “Battle Studies”, “Born and Raised”, “Paradise Valley”, and “The Search for Everything”.
Mayer encouraged everyone in Albany to dance in unison to “Moving on and Getting Over”. John sings to “Rosie” at the Garden… Don’t Leave me here under the January rain, come let me in, take my heart by the hand. “I Don’t Trust Myself (With Loving You)” was played in Albany and New York City for those suspicious minds in each town.
I will beg my way in to your garden and then I’ll break my way out when it rains. Monday night at Madison Square Garden had the show turn split screen for a special presentation. For the first time ever the “Sob Rock” catalog was performed live stripped down acoustic along side many other classics on the fourth night of the tour. It felt vert reminiscent of The Grateful Dead’s 1980 Radio City Halloween shows that split the bill acoustic & electric.
Mayer started the night solo to light the room with “Neon”. He led the pack from his seated chair on the psychedelic piece “If I Ever Get Around To Living” that explored the Garden’s room. Tom Petty’s Drummer Steve Farrone is also a part of Sob Rock University. David Ryan Harris and John Mayer did an acoustic duo cover of “Free Falling” for extra credit.
The only other artist work besides Mayer to be featured on the acoustic set was Paul Simon. Mayer sang Simon’s “Homeward Bound” as the outro to his original track “Stop this Train” at Penn Station. The set closed with a “Sob Rock” & “Graceland” album hybrid debut. Mayer and the entire Garden sang “You Can Call Me Al” in between his new original “Til the Right One Comes”.
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Monday nights special guest in place of Steve Farrone was Philadelphia’s Questlove fresh off his January birthday. Sob Rock guitarist Isaiah Sharkey is a fan of the Philadelphonic sound in Manhattan. Sharkey told NYS music in July that his most influential show from a NY crowd was Pennsylvania’s Joey DeFrancesco at the legendary Blue Note in the village. Philli’ born Saxophonist Vanessa Collier told NYS Music about Questlove’s knowledge and love of music.
It’s not a surface level thing with Questlove. It’s all life. He knows every groove from every single song he’s heard. From a DJ perspective and drummer angle is great.
Vanessa Collier
Questlove was on his way to attend “Sob Rock” at the Garden when he found out he would be sitting in for one of his favorite drummers. Quest’s stop at Penn Station from Rockefeller was immediately felt during “Vultures” to open the second set. He sat on the throne for the six song electric change up & encore. Quest, who laid studio drums to Mayer’s 2004 cut ”Clarity”, loved playing it live to a sold out Garden. The Sob Rock cast saved Prince’s “The Beautiful Ones” snippet for Quest’s set as well. “Something like Olivia” hit like “Lay Down Sally” at MSG.
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All the Sallys swaying next to the wrong Harrys in the audience at the Garden caught a vibe during “Slow Dancing in a Burning Room” to end the show. John Mayer & Isaiah Sharkey pick’s light the same fire Eric Clapton & Robert Cray’s “Old Love” burned in 1989 when he debuted “Journeyman”. In similar fashion Keith Richards & Ivan Neville are headlining the Love Rocks NYC benefit at the Beacon Theater in March to recast his 1989 X-Pensive Winos to the stage with Steve Jordan.
Truth be told I coulda played the whole show. I texted Jimmy (Fallon) earlier I felt like Don Henley in 1988 when last minute he played drums for Guns N’ Roses at the AMA’s. It was hella fun tonight.
Questlove
Pino Palladino certainly saw a dead head sticker on a Cadillac on the way to the Garden. He plays bass on Don Henley’s big apple island ballad “New York Minute.” Jimmy Fallon had a head full of roses and calavera art on his face in the crowd during Dead & Company’s Halloween show at MSG in 2019. John Mayer took a solo during “Standing on the Moon” that night which permeated through the worlds most famous arena in to “Gravity” for his own band’s 2022 encores. In a New York minute everything can change.
Mayer is truly channeling the same solo paths that Petty & Garcia once trailed. Sob Rock’s vibe is very Traveling Wilburys though. Drummer Steve Farrone has backed George Harrison, Tom Petty, and Eric Clapton. George Harrison once reflected about Eric Clapton’s stage presence from the crowd during his legendary Rainbow Theatre Concert from London in January of 1973.
While dressed in an all white suit with his foot tapping on the stage Harrison said he took on the glow of an angel playing a long to the music. At 44, Mayer keeps his gravity where the same light Leroi shines on him. Except the New Light is Purple.
John Mayer, Madison Square Garden – February 20, 2022
Setlist: Last Train Home, Shot in the Dark, Belief, Something like Olivia, I Guess I Just Feel Like, Who Says, Rosie, Shouldn’t Matter but it Does, Helpless, Your Body is a Wonderland, I Don’t Trust Myself (With Loving You), Wild Blue, Edge of Desire, Til’ The Right One Comes, The Beautiful Ones*, Slow Dancing in a Burning Room, New Light, Waiting on the World to Change, All I Want Is To Be With You Encore: Gravity *Prince Piece sang by David Ryan Harris
John Mayer, Madison Square Garden – February 21, 2022
Acoustic Set: Neon, Last Train Home, Shot in the Dark, Belief, In the Blood, If I Ever Get Around to Living, New Light, Wild Blue, Your Body is a Wonderland, In Your Atmosphere, Somethings Missing, Daughters, Free Fallin’. Carry Me Away, Who Says, Stop This Train*(Homeward Bound), Til’ The Right One Comes *(You Can Call Me Al)
Encore: Gravity
*Paul Simon verse
Questlove Set: Vultures, Clarity, Something Like Olivia, The Beautiful Ones**, Slow Dancing in a Burning Room
It had been four years since the last run of Ween shows at The Capitol Theatre, and the Rock Palace was indeed in need of a fresh coat of brown. Over a run spanning February 18-20, the genre-fluid band played over 100 songs, among them just a pair of covers, and treated fans to deep dives into their catalog as well as the usual fan favorites including “Frank” and “Touch My Tooter.”
At Stage Left all three nights was an American Sign Language (ASL) interpreter, adding the benefit of visual translation of Ween’s (at times, deeply troubling and/or profane) lyrics to the entire audience, but especially those deaf fans in the audience for whom ASL provides the full concert experience. (See videos below.)
Friday, February 18
Before they could jump into “Pork Roll Egg and Cheese” to start the night, Dean Ween could not hold back his excitement, letting out a ‘Fuck Yeah!’ to the crowd. A fair amount of fan favorites set the tone for the weekend, including “Transdermal Celebration,” ‘Boys Club,” “Voodoo Lady,” and “She Fucks Me,” which had Deaner giddily repeating the refrain while watching the ASL interpreter sign the phrase over and over, much to everyone’s delight.
Of course their song titles are nothing you’d want to bring up casually in conversation; they are designed to be hilarious if not daring for the crowd to shout and request, and can make a conversation go from G-rated to NC-17 before you can say “Poopship Destroyer.”
During a string of songs with Gene Ween on acoustic guitar, he played a portion of Cat Stevens “Father and Son,” possibly the most out of place tune the whole weekend. An older instrumental, “Ice Castles,” appeared about halfway through the evening, just before Gene took a break and the band jumped into “Put the Coke on My Dick.” “Your Party” would close the set appropriately, with “Shamemaker,” off 2007’s La Cucaracha sandwiched between “I’m Dancing In The Show Tonight” and “Spinal Meningitis (Got Me Down).”
Setlist: Pork Roll Egg and Cheese, She Wanted to Leave, Exactly Where I’m At, I Was Nothing, I Don’t Want to Leave You on the Farm, Touch My Tooter, I Gots a Weasel, Transdermal Celebration, Boys Club, Transitions, Mononucleosis, Frank, Voodoo Lady, I’ll Miss You, She Fucks Me, Cornbread Red, Help Me Scrape the Mucus Off My Brain, Father and Son*, Chocolate Town, The Mollusk, I Don’t Want It, Ice Castles, Final Alarm, I Get a Little Taste of You, The Golden Eel, Put the Coke on my Dick, Flutes of Chi, Buckingham Green, Light Me Up, Koko, Old Queen Cole, The Stallion, Part 5, Your Party
Encore: I’m Dancing in the Show Tonight, Shamemaker, Spinal Meningitis (Got Me Down)
*Cat Stevens, unfinished
Saturday, February 19
Night two of the run was just as good as Friday, with a few more rarities worked into the show. “Birthday Boy” and “Piss Up a Rope” kicked off the night with “My Own Bare Hands” following right behind, setting the tone early. “Waving My Dick in the Wind,” “Japanese Cowboy” and a pair of “Stallions” – Parts 1 and 3 – would be among early highlights of the show, before lesser played songs “Boing,” “Ooh Va La,” and “Can U Taste the Waste?”
After an intense “I’l Be Your Johnny On the Spot,” Gene found his mandolin for “Ocean Man” before a “Vallejo” set closer. A four-song encore began with “Baby Bitch” and “Tender Situation” before bassist Dave Dreiwitz switched instruments with Dean for “Dont Laugh (I Love You)” and the12 Golden Country Greats lead track “I’m Holding You.”
Setlist: Birthday Boy, Piss Up a Rope, My Own Bare Hands, Polka Dot Tail, Now I’m Freaking Out, Wavin’ My Dick in the Wind, Sweet Texas Fire, Dr. Rock, Japanese Cowboy, Happy Colored Marbles, Beacon Light, I Got to Put the Hammer Down, Zoloft, The Stallion, Part 1, Gabrielle, Boing, The Enabler*, Little Birdy, The Stallion, Part 3, Albino Sunburned Girl, Nan, Fat Lenny, Reggaejunkiejew, Ohh Vah La, Papa Zit, Can U Taste the Waste?, Pandy Fackler, Take Me Away, Object, I’ll Be Your Jonny on the Spot, Ocean Man, Vallejo
Encore: Baby Bitch, Tender Situation, Don’t Laugh (I Love You), I’m Holding You
* Instant Death cover
Sunday, February 20
With a tank still full of gas, Ween swung for the fences early on Sunday with a “Fiesta” opener and two of their best known songs (to non-Ween fans), “Bananas and Blow” and “Roses Are Free.” The rare “Suckin the Blood From the Devil’s Dick” made its first appearance since 1995 prior to “Big Jilm” and “The Argus.”
Among the rest of the highlights tonight were “Stroker Ace,” “Demon Sweat,” “The Blarney Stone” and the ever-romantic “Stay Forever.” An encore of “You Fucked Up” and “Poopship Destroyer” put a brown closing note on the weekend, raising the bar for future Ween runs in Port Chester.
Setlist: Fiesta, Captain Fantasy, The Grobe, I Can’t Put My Finger on It, Bananas and Blow, Roses Are Free, Sorry Charlie, Push th’ Little Daisies, Learnin’ to Love, How High Can You Fly, Suckin the Blood From the Devil’s Dick, Big Jilm, The Argus, Don’t Get 2 Close (2 My Fantasy), Sketches of Winkle, Even If You Don’t, Springtheme, Did You See Me?, I Play It Off Legit, The Goin’ Gets Tough From the Getgo, Stroker Ace, Puerto Rican Power, Seconds, Don’t Sweat It, Demon Sweat, Tried and True, What Deaner Was Talkin’ About, Stay Forever, Ode to Rene, Homo Rainbow, The Blarney Stone, If You Could Save Yourself (You’d Save Us All) Encore: You Fucked Up, Poopship Destroyer
Sibling rockers from Upstate NY, Jocelyn and Chris have announced their eighth studio album, Favorite Ghosts, out May 27.
With careers spanning over a decade, they have never written a song without each other, which is continuing across their lengthy discography. The band has progressed from small-town garage aesthetics to stages coast to coast, all while graduating from Harvard University.
Jocelyn and Chris.
Instead of not creating music during the uneasy time of 2020, the siblings embraced the chance to create the most vulnerable and meaningful songs of their careers. Jocelyn spoke about the album, and how it means a lot to them.
We all have these memories or parts of ourselves that, on the surface, are uncomfortable or make us feel lost. But when you put all those things together, you get the things that actually make you yourself. This album is about coming to terms with the ugly parts of ourselves and learning that they, too, are us. They’re our favorite ghosts. I’m always a proponent of letting the listener take their own meaning from our music. But overall, these songs are hopeful. The past few years have been a hard time to be hopeful. Writing this album gave me that hope again.
The album is produced by their long-time collaborator David Bourgeois and seven-time Grammy winner Joel Moss. Throughout the album, Jocelyn’s powerhouse vocals shine through, while being accompanied by Chris’s guitar riffs, creating an original work of modern rock.
Jocelyn and Chris’s new album Favorite Ghosts is out May 27, and they have released a single “Sugar and Spice” which has been described as “pure American rock goodness” by the American Songwriter.
