There are only three members of Fenway Park’s Fenway Music Hall of Fame: Paul McCartney, Billy Joel, and now, Zac Brown Band. That’s because they hold the record for most consecutive sold out shows at the huge stadium in Boston. Luckily, the country rock band is coming to four amphitheaters in New York this summer, playing five shows, and tickets are still on sale for all.
In 2022, Zac Brown Band released their album The Comeback, which featured re-recorded tracks with some of their most acclaimed peers including James Taylor, Jimmy Buffett and Blake Shelton. Their 2023 tour, the “From the Fire Tour,” marks the band’s tenth North American tour.
The 2023 tour will take Zac Brown Band through over 30 shows across the country, as an ode to fans and to those who worked to pull the country back onto its feet from the crises of the past couple years, the band said.
Zac Brown Band at Bethel Woods – photo by Mickey Deneher
Performing with the band on tour are multiple renowned acts, such as Marcus King, Tennille Townes and King Calaway. Zac Brown Band will be coming to Syracuse, Bethel, Saratoga Springs and Wantagh. Tickets are available here, see the full tour schedule below.
2023 TOUR TOUR DATES:
June 30, 2023 – Columbus, OH – Nationwide Arena+
July 1, 2023 – Hershey, PA – Hersheypark Stadium+
July 14, 2023 – Toronto, ON – Budweiser Stage
August 5, 2023 – Canton, OH – Tom Benson Hall of Fame Stadium
August 6, 2023 – Indianapolis, IN – Ruoff Music Center+
August 11, 2023 – Syracuse, NY – St Joseph’s Health Amphitheater at Lakeview^+
August 12, 2023 – Bethel, NY – Bethel Woods Center for the Arts^+
August 13, 2023 – Saratoga Springs, NY – Saratoga Performing Arts Center^+
August 19, 2023 – Boston, MA – Fenway Park+
September 2, 2023 – Gilford, NH – Bank of New Hampshire Pavilion+
September 3, 2023 – Gilford, NH – Bank of New Hampshire Pavilion+
September 16, 2023 – Wantagh, NY – Northwell Health at Jones Beach Theater+
September 17, 2023 – Wantagh, NY – Northwell Health at Jones Beach Theater+
October 5, 2023 – Raleigh, NC – Coastal Credit Union Music Park at Walnut Creek~+
October 6, 2023 – Baltimore, MD – Merriweather Post Pavilion~+
October 7, 2023 – Holmdel, NJ – PNC Bank Arts Center~+
October 12, 2023 – Denver, CO – Fiddler’s Green Amphitheatre+
October 13, 2023 – Denver, CO – Fiddler’s Green Amphitheatre+
October 14, 2023 – Salt Lake City, UT – USANA Amphitheatre+
October 20, 2023 – Irvine, CA – FivePoint Amphitheatre+
October 21, 2023 – Irvine, CA – FivePoint Amphitheatre+
November 2, 2023 – West Palm Beach, FL – iTHINK Financial Amphitheatre+
November 3, 2023 – Tampa, FL – MIDFLORIDA Credit Union Amphitheatre+
November 4, 2023 – Tampa, FL– MIDFLORIDA Credit Union Amphitheatre+
ADDITIONAL 2023 PERFORMANCE DATES:
March 10, 2023 – Glasgow, UK – C2C: Country to Country*
March 11, 2023 – Dublin, IE – C2C: Country to Country*
March 12, 2023 – London, UK – C2C: Country to Country*
March 17 – Tuesday, March 19, 2023 – Willowbank, Australia – CMC Rocks 2023*
Brooklyn jam/prog group PEAK have released two recent performances from the second half of 2022, giving a taste of their live sound in two unique settings – the Delaware Valley Opera House, and Nectar’s.
The first live release from PEAK is Live at Delaware Valley Opera Center, a full show video from the band’s October 28 show at the Delaware Valley Opera Center in Lake Huntington, located just west of Bethel. The band offers very special thanks to Eric Marczo who filled in on bass this fall.
https://youtu.be/D0WIviQFjFo
The second show released is the full audio from the band’s August 26, 2022 performance at Nectar’s in Burlington, VT. They’ll be heading back up that way in early 2023 for another show at the famed venue, now under new, yet familiar ownership.
The PEAK quartet features songwriter and guitarist Jeremy Hilliard (Turbine), Kito Bovenshulte (Particle) on drums, Josh T. Carter (Haley Jane and The Primates) on bass, and Johnny Young on keys (Mick Taylor Band). The self-described pychedelic indie funk band can be found jamming extensively during live shows, and allow the songs on the album to speak for themselves. Stay up to date with PEAK tour dates and news here.
Multi-platinum, four-time GRAMMY-nominated rock band Goo Goo Dolls have revealed the details for their The Big Night Out Tour with O.A.R. The massive summer 2023 tour will kick off on July 24th, 2023 and roll through major outdoor venues in New York including Northwell Health at Jones Beach Theater, Bethel Woods Center for the Arts, SPAC and St. Joseph’s Health Amphitheater.
On the upcoming tour, John Rzeznik shares, “I’m so proud to finally be able to announce our summer tour with a great band and our friends O.A.R. It’s going to be an amazing night of great music for everyone so BE THERE!!!”
O.A.R.’s Marc Roberge also added, “After working on separate albums in the same studio all last year, John and I realized pretty quickly how much fun we’d have on tour together. We’re all band guys, love being musicians, and started planning a special night that all our fans would enjoy.”
The first album of their career to be produced by frontman John Rzeznik, Chaos in Bloom finds the band continuing to evolve just as they have for nearly four decades together. Consisting of 10 tracks including singles “Yeah, I Like You” and “You Are The Answer”, Chaos in Bloom is an album of biting sarcasm, stadium-ready choruses, and the type of spear-sharp songwriting that’s led them to becoming one of the most influential alternative rock groups of all time.
Formed in Buffalo during 1986 by John Rzeznik and Robby Takac, their newer album Chaos in Bloom finds the band continuing to evolve just as they have for nearly four decades together. Currently, front-man John Rzeznik is gearing up to take the iHeartRadio Theater stage in Los Angeles on December 13th for a special acoustic performance. The show will stream at 7pm PT/10pm ET on YouTube.com/iHeartRadio and broadcasted on iHeartMedia’s Hot AC stations.
Along with this, lead vocalist and guitar to the Goo Goo Dolls, John Rzneik’s birthday was just this week on December 5th. Happy Birthday John!
The Big Night Out Summer 2023 Tour Dates
Jul 24 – Tampa, FL – Coachman Park
Jul 26 – Boca Raton, FL – Mizner Park Amphitheater
Jul 27 – Saint Augustine, FL – The Saint Augustine Amphitheatre
Jul 29 – Albertville, AL – Sand Mountain Park & Amphitheater
Jul 30 – Atlanta, GA – Cadence Bank Amphitheatre at Chastain Park
Aug 01 – Simpsonville, SC – CCNB Amphitheatre at Heritage Park
Aug 02 – Greensboro, NC – White Oak Amphitheatre
Aug 04 – Columbia, MD – Merriweather Post Pavilion
Aug 05 – Wantagh, NY – Northwell Health at Jones Beach Theater
Aug 06 – Bethel, NY – Bethel Woods Center for the Arts – The Pavilion
Aug 08 – Saratoga Springs, NY – SPAC
Aug 09 – Bethlehem, PA – Musikfest
Aug 11 – Atlantic City, NJ – The Borgata
Aug 12 – Holmdel, NJ – PNC Bank Arts Center
Aug 13 – Bridgeport, CT – Hartford Healthcare Amphitheater
Aug 15 – Boston, MA – Leader Bank Pavilion
Aug 16 – Syracuse, NY – St. Joseph’s Health Amphitheater
Aug 18 – Cincinnati, OH – PNC Pavilion
Aug 19 – Sterling Heights, MI – Michigan Lottery Amphitheatre at Freedom Hill
Aug 20 – Cleveland, OH – Blossom Music Center
Aug 22 – Chicago, IL – Huntington Bank Pavilion at Northerly Island
Aug 23 – Indianapolis, IN – TCU Amphitheater at White River State Park
Aug 25 – Franklin, TN – FirstBank Amphitheater
Aug 26 – Maryland Heights, MO – Saint Louis Music Park
Aug 27 – Kansas City, MO – Starlight Theatre
Aug 30 – Denver, CO – Fiddler’s Green Amphitheatre
Aug 31 – Sandy, UT – Sandy Amphitheater
Sep 02 – Seattle, WA – TBD
Sep 03 – Seattle, WA – TBD
Sep 04 – Bend, OR – Hayden Homes Amphitheater
Sep 06 – Irvine, CA – FivePoint Amphitheatre
Sep 07 – Highland, CA – Yaamava’ Theater *without O.A.R.
Tickets go on-sale Friday, December 9th at 10am local time. To purchase tickets, click the link HERE.
On the 53rd anniversary week of his career-making performance at Woodstock, Carlos Santana was back at the original site of the 1969 festival, the muddy field of happenstance hippie production transformed into the remarkably well-oiled and gorgeously appointed concert venue/museum now known as Bethel Woods. Once again, the Latin blues and jazz-inflected guitarist demonstrated that his passion for music, and his mission to use it to impart a message of love, peace and unity has not cooled one degree.
Photo: Kevin Ferguson/Bethel Woods
I have had the pleasure of seeing Santana live on at least five occasions. The first two were in the early and mid-‘70s respectively, shortly before and then after his embrace of guru Sri Chimnoy and his legendary guitar battles with another Chimnoy acolyte, jazz fusion great John McLaughlin. My third live experience was when he was even deeper into his jazz phase, a 1988 performance at the Saratoga Jazz Festival with a band co-led by Miles Davis and Weather Report saxman Wayne Shorter. The fourth was also at Bethel Woods, in the summer before Covid-19 descended to darken stages and our lives. Each and every time, Santana would rise to the occasion and spit with his guitar “sapphire bullets of pure love,” quoting McLaughlin. As always, he was again backed by an ace band that served up the crowd-pleasing hits and a few surprises.
The show Sunday, August 21 at Bethel Woods was made even better by the staggering 90-minute plus opening set by Earth, Wind & Fire. Though they are enshrined in the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame and have earned a boatload of Grammy Awards and other honors, Earth Wind & Fire just don’t seem to get the respect they truly deserve. They are one of the most successful acts in history, selling over 90 million albums, with a litany of Billboard charting singles that betters most acts of their era. These are songs that have lived on as samples powering hits by new generations of artists, from Drake to A Tribe Called Quest to Bjork. Even without the presence of their founder and leader, the late Maurice White, the 12-piece band put on a staggeringly energetic and hit-packed show. The focal points are the three founding members still performing today – the always smiling bassist Verdine White, percussionist and vocalist Ralph Johnson and the extraordinary lead vocalist Phillip Bailey.
Photo: Kevin Ferguson/Bethel Woods
They hit the ground running at Bethel with an uninterrupted string of eight high-energy hits including “Shining Star,” “Getaway,” “Serpentine Fire,” “Sing A Song” and “Got to Get You Into My Life.” The most striking aspect of an EW&F performance is the undiminished state of Phillip Bailey’s soaring falsetto voice. Even at 71, Bailey hits all the high notes, probably the highest of high notes in all of music, at least since they stopped cranking out operatic castratos in the 17th Century! His son, Phillip Bailey Jr., shares both the lead duties and otherworldly vocal instrument of his father.
The entire band is as tight “as a mosquitoes’ tweeter” to quote another great musician, Nina Simone. The whole affair seems largely directed by the powerful centerstage presence and thumping bass of Verdine White. The band then cooled things down by serving up some of their hit ballads including “Head to the Sky,” “That’s the Way of the World” and “After The Love Has Gone,” before upshifting to more high-energy favorites – “Boogie Wonderland,” “Let’s Groove” and the set closer “September.”
Photo: Kevin Ferguson/Bethel Woods
Santana’s performance began with a throwback to Woodstock ’69, with video of the famous rain chant segueing into a shortened but nonetheless powerful performance of “Soul Sacrifice,” one driven by Santana’s super talented drummer wife Cindy Blackman. The band then performed more early classics, “Jingo,” “Evil Ways,” “Black Magic Woman/Gypsy Queen” and “Oye Como Va.” With his jazz improviser’s heart, Carlos evolved his approach to these well-worn songs, providing bluesy B.B. King-like lines darting around the vocals, a quote from Steely Dan’s “Do It Again” in “Evil Ways” and Wes Montgomery-like octave runs on “Black Magic Woman.”
Photo: Kevin Ferguson/Bethel Woods
Santana then shifted the mood with his fantastic ballad, “Europa.” It boasted a delightfully hesitant rendering of the soaring melody and unexpected avenues in his solo, when he rolled the treble off his guitar giving it what Clapton called “the woman tone.” On this and every number, Santana was supported by a first-rate row of players including longtime bassist and former Miles Davis sideman Benny Rietveld, keyboardist David K. Mathews, percussionists Karl Perazzo and Paoli Mejias and vocalists Andy Vargas and Ray Greene.
After “Europa,” Carlos went into a long rap about Woodstock ’69. He humorously reminisced about praying to God to help him keep it together during the performance, one he played while high on L.S.D. given to him by Jerry Garcia, with a guitar whose neck was turning into a snake! Making jest of the old adage that “if you were high at Woodstock, you probably wouldn’t remember it,” he said: “If you were as high as I was, you would never forget it!” He added: “What I think we need is more of that Woodstock spirit in the world today, something to help get rid of the fear and division that is destroying society.”
Photo: Kevin Ferguson/Bethel Woods
Santana really hit his electric stride on “(De La) Yaleo” from his career-revitalizing disc Supernatural and the lovely acoustic ballad from the same album, “Put Your Lights On,” the latter sung here admirably by the band’s second guitarist Tommy Anthony, who swapped in for Carlos on several numbers. Santana again saluted Woodstock ’69, with video clips from the fest of now deceased performers like Jimi Hendrix, Johnny Winter, Joe Cocker, Richie Havens, Alvin Lee and organizer Michael Lang, during a soulful reading of the Youngbloods’ hit, “Get Together.”
The band finished out their lengthy set with some the latter-day highpoints from Santana’s discography, including “Corazon Espinado,” “Maria, Maria” and “Smooth.” After a fiery drum solo from Blackman and an introduction of Michael Carrabello, the original Santana conguero who is now back touring with the band, they closed out the evening with a seamless medley including bits of the James Bond Theme, The Doors’ “Roadhouse Blues,” The Chambers Brothers “Love Peace & Happiness” and Sly’s “I Want To Take You Higher.” In keeping with the spiritual nature of this and every Santana concert I have attended, he ended with a positive message, urging the audience to take on a new job: “We all need to become weapons. Weapons of mass compassion.”
Sal Cataldi is a musician, writer and publicist living in New York City and the Hudson Valley,. He is President of Cataldi PR and leader of the band Spaghetti Eastern Music and member of the duos Guitars A Go and Vapor Vespers.
Phil Lesh and The Midnight Ramble Band joined forces for a recent gig on Saturday, August 20 at Bethel Woods Center for the Arts. With the Midnight Ramble Band featuring names like Larry Campbell, Teresa Williams, and Amy Helm (daughter of Levon), the powerhouse ensemble delighted all with a mix of The Band and Grateful Dead material. NYS Music’s Howard Horder was in attendance and captured some of the magic with the photos below. And check out archive.org for an audience recording of the show if the setlist below appeals at all.
Phil Lesh & The Midnight Ramble Band Bethel Woods Center For The Arts – Bethel, NY 8/20/22
Set 1: Tennessee Jed, Rubin & Cherise, Scarlet Begonias > Not Fade Away, Brokedown Palace, Franklin’s Tower, Ophelia, Sugaree
Set 2: Shakedown Street, Playing in the Band, Eyes of the World, Chest Fever, Unbroken Chain, Atlantic City, River Deep, Mountain High
On the eve of the 53rd anniversary of the 1969 Woodstock Music and Art Fair, blues/rock artist Kenny Wayne Shepherd brought with him living blues legend Buddy Guy and up-and-coming blues man Christone “Kingfish” Ingram to the Bethel Woods stage for three sets of incredible music. The showcase of three generations of blues musicians is the inaugural edition of the touring Backroads Blues Festival. In addition to a remarkable evening of music, Shephard spoke with us about the tour and the entire interview can be seen at the end of this article.
The Backroads Blues Festival’s inaugural run is visiting six venues between the Northeast and Virginia and included two stops in New York. Christone Ingram, a Mississippi native who goes by the nickname Kingfish, has had an impressive career so far for only being only 23 years old. While he has a bit of a name for himself, the show was a fantastic introduction for new fans. Though a younger musician, he blazed through his guitar work with emotion as if the blues were his primary language.
Kenny Wayne Shepherd, who conceived the idea of this festival and curated the show, took the stage with his own band between Kingfish and headliner Buddy Guy. Shepherd is a musician who knows the business and how to draw his audience in to his music and guitar with his stage presence. Shepherd’s set included not only his own work, but concluded with a hat tip to the legendary B.B. King with “You Done Lost Your Good Thing Now.” Headlining the show was Buddy Guy, who celebrated his 86th birthday over the summer. There is a lot to be said for seeing and hearing Buddy perform which is why his shows are not just a performance, but an experience. He works the crowd with his wit, humor, and a sharp sense of being in the moment with his band to deliver pure, unfiltered blues.
Before the evening concluded, both Shepherd and Kingfish joined Buddy Guy on stage to trade solos and do some call and response traditional to the style. As Buddy Guy usually does at the end of his shows, he set his guitar down and let his band (along with Shepherd and Kingfish) jam and play him out while he paraded around the stage to toss some guitar picks into the crowd.
The Backroads Blues Festival was a unique experience of listening to three generations of musicians fit into a touring concert format. The crowd was left energized by the music with conversations about each of the three performers drifting through the air when the lights came back on. While the festival tour is wrapping up this weekend, we’re looking forward to the future versions of the Backroads Blues Festival coming back around to New York.
Interview with Kenny Wayne Shepherd
Steve Malinski: You mentioned during the show that the, this touring festival’s kind of been a dream of yours for a few years. So what inspired that dream to bring a few gen generations of blues musicians together like that?
Kenny Wayne Shepherd: Well, I felt like there’s something, you know, there’s an opportunity for something like this. There’s kind of a void and I was looking to fill it. When I was a kid, there was an annual touring blues festival that B.B. King did. And, you know, I went to it several times over the years as a spectator, as a fan and saw some of the greatest talent in blues from Etta James, B.B. King, Joe Cocker, Stevie Ray and Jimmy Vaughan, Robert Cray, Buddy Guy. I mean, the list goes on and on, right. And then not too long after I joined it as an artist and did the tour myself with my band several times over the years. So, I mean, I just have a lot of really fond memories of that festival and those kinds of experiences. And I think I wanted to give the fans the opportunity to have their own experience like that, you know? I also think the genre still needs something like that. The multi-generational approach where you had three different generations of kind of the hottest names in blues. But I mean, the goal is just to have the best bands that are out there right now. I mean, it doesn’t necessarily always have to be representative of three generations, but I thought that was a really perfect way of kicking off the tour.
SM: Yeah, it’s kind of a neat way of doing that.
KWS: Yeah, I think it was good. I mean, Kingfish, he’s one of the big up and comers, he just won a Grammy. I mean, he’s kind of really blazing a trail and making a name for himself. And then, I’m the generation before and then Buddy’s, obviously the generation before that and everybody’s kind of at the top of their game. And so, it was a really strong lineup.
SM: So how’s the experience been so far with it having a few shows in the books already?
KWS: I think it’s great. I mean, to be honest with you the first night in Providence was completely packed. And it was a really great opening night. Bethel had a great crowd as well, but, you know, we were getting constant feedback. My people who were out in the merch area and the crew that was scattered throughout the venue and even myself at the end of the night… all the people that were working at the venue as they were leaving were just extremely complimentary about the show, said it was one of the best shows that they had there all season.
So you know, that’s great. I mean, obviously, this is my project and it’s very important to me, but I mean, I’m telling you every single person that walked outta that venue that walked past me told me how great the show was. So that’s really satisfying. It’s very encouraging, especially because we’re trying to establish the brand here, because we want to move forward with this on an annual basis. They said they would love to have us come back again.
SM: Yeah. One of the things I was going to say is I see huge potential for this growing into something more than just the limited run of shows you’re doing this summer.
KWS: Yeah, this tour is more to get the word out, establish the brand and kind of like a proof of concept for lack of a better term. But back in the day the B.B. King fest would have around four headlining acts and then they would also have local acts that would perform, you know early on in the day. I mean the whole thing would start, and the local act was playing at like 4, 4:30 in the afternoon, you know? So it was a bit of a longer event and I’m hoping that we can grow into that. And the goal is to be inclusive. We’re gonna have, the hottest women of the blues, the hottest artists. Also, it’s like everything doesn’t always have to be electric either. There might be, you know, some more acoustic driven blues artists that will be included in the bill going forward and things like that. But regardless, it’s gonna be the top performers in the genre for sure.
SM: Awesome. So I’ve seen Buddy Guy a handful of times, and he always talks about learning, not from the book, but just from what he hears and picks up from others. What have you kind of picked up on as inspirations from working with Buddy Guy and Kingfish as you’ve gotten ready for this tour?
KWS: Well, I mean, I’ve learned a lot from Buddy Buy. And so has any other guitar player in the past, you know, 50 years probably. I mean, Jimi Hendrix was a huge fan of Buddy Guy’s. So Buddy influenced, you know, the guy who’s regarded as the greatest guitar player of all time. So people, whether they even realize it or not have been influenced and affected by Buddy Guy and who he is and what he does. So, I mean, the main thing is he’s just incredible at age 86, you know, that he can perform at the level that he’s still performing at. And he’s a true show. And I just, I try and absorb that to the best of my abilities and, and take, things from people like that and incorporate them into what I do. And, that’s the tradition for all of us.
SM: As you know, the Woodstock anniversary is this week. So being on that historic site, were any special feelings that you had performing at Bethel Woods?
KWS: Yeah. You know, I’ve gotten to play this venue more than a few times over the course of my career. And, I’ve been to the site and done that whole thing. It’s certainly cool. I mentioned it earlier on, I think on one of my social media posts, especially because we are doing a music festival and launching a music festival… It’s like that place is sacred ground for music festivals. It was one of the biggest of all time, one of the most historic music festivals of all time took place there. So I thought it was an amazing opportunity to try and do the inaugural run of my festival and play one of our dates at that location.
SM: I noticed you have a tour coming up leading into next year to celebrate the 25th anniversary of your album Trouble Is…. So looking back to 1997 and before, when you signed your first record deal at a six as a 16 year old kid in the early 90s, how do you reflect back on that?
KWS: The first album [Ledbetter Heights] came out in ‘95, right after I graduated high school. I had recorded that one when I was 17. And then the one that we’re celebrating is the second album Trouble Is…, and that came out when I was like 19 years old in 1997. I mean, you know, I was young by any means. To compare to anything that’s a very young age to start a career and have that kind of success. And now I’m 45 years old and certainly, you know, a lot of time has passed. I mean, I think one of the most satisfying things we have accomplished a lot – we’ve sold millions of records. I’ve got several golden platinum albums hanging on the wall, awards on the shelf, all of those great things that any artist could ever hope for. But to me, the biggest accomplishment is the fan base that we have acquired over the years. You know, because people that are fans of this music, the music is timeless. It’s not stuck in an era. So, it’s not like pop music that has a certain sound from a certain era which then people move on from that. This is timeless music. And generally people who become fans of this kind of music kind of dig it for life, you know? And so as a result, that’s why 30 years later I’m out here and we’re still accomplishing things and we’re still making new achievements and we’re still, you know, selling tickets to concerts and selling out venues and moving into bigger venues, into new markets and things like that. That’s the biggest accomplishment because without the fan base that we have, then, none of it would be possible. And so they’ve stuck with me and they’ve kind of hung in there with me for 30 years now and they continue to make it possible for me to pursue, my dreams.
SM: Going off of that, have you run into a lot of younger musicians who are looking up to your middle generation of blues musicians as inspiration?
KWS: So, everybody knows that I started so young. I mean, over the entire 30 years of my career, I’ve run into a lot of younger musicians that come because they heard about my story and, you know, they’re aspiring young guitar players and, and things like that. And so, there’s no shortage of young people that are interested in music and there’s never any void of young people that are interested in blues and for some, it’s a stepping stone and they move on to other genres. And for some people like Kingfish, they try and make a life’s career out of it. But, my job is to be a good example and to be encouraging to them and just kind of do what I can do while I’m here and make my contribution, you know, as solid as possible.
On a hot steamy Hudson Valley night, the Dave Matthews Band summer tour 2022 made a stop at Bethel Woods Center for the Arts. The pavilion and its extended grass area were filled to the max on July 20 with excited fans who were treated to three glorious hours of DMB.
The band behind Dave included: Tim Reynolds on guitar, drummer Carter Beauford, Jeff Coffin on the saxophone, Rashawn Ross was the trumpet play, Stefan Lessard on the bass and Buddy Strong on keyboards. Beauford demonstrated incredible dexterity with his arm movement while on the cymbals while simultaneously keeping a heavy beat with his double drum pedals. Tim Reynolds demonstrated why he has been part of Dave’s crew for years with his guitar prowess. The horn section of Ross and Collins sprinkled jazz grooves taking previously released records in new directions.
If having a talented band was not enough, Dave Matthews Band audio tech Joe Lawlor joined the band on stage for “Cornbread”. As soon as Lawlor plugged in, he cranked out the opening notes of “The Star Spangled Banner”, ala Jimi Hendrix, to pay homage to the hallowed grounds of the Woodstock festival.
With little to no banter from the stage, Matthews would occasionally speak directly to the crowd offering his humble thanks to everyone for spending the evening with them. The set of 21 songs was filled with DMB staples “Crush,” “Funny the Way it is” and “Stay or Leave.” Throwing in a wild card, Dave pulled out Peter Gabriel’s “Sledgehammer,” which proved to be a crowd pleaser.
For the encore, Matthews came out solo to play “Some Devil.” The band then joined him to close out the night with “Ants Marching.”
Phish made their much anticipated and welcomed return to Bethel Woods this weekend. Two packed shows on Friday and Saturday, not far from the original Woodstock grounds, saw the band delight fans with song selections that covered every facet of their ever-growing musical catalog. Phish first played Bethel Woods eleven years ago, with three legendary shows that seemed to serve as prime examples that the band was fully engaged again after reuniting two years prior. Although it was only two shows this weekend, they certainly didn’t do anything to ruin the mystique between Phish and these hallowed grounds.
Friday night’s show had a discernable old school feel to it right from the get-go, courtesy of a “Golgi Apparatus” show opener, the first one of those in nearly seven years. The “Sample In a Jar” that followed reached heights that few “Samples” have seen, fueled by a monstrous jam that evoked memories of The Baker’s Dozen and is a must hear. The rest of the first set featured other older songs like “Timber” and a “My Friend My Friend” > “Guelah Papyrus” sequence. And it wasn’t just limited to originals, with “My Soul” and a raucous and much welcomed “Walk Away” to close out Bethel’s opening set.
In typical fashion, Phish stretched things out a tad in the second set with a boisterous “Mr. Completely” to start that set the stage for an incredibly captivating “You Enjoy Myself.” Bassist Mike Gordon shined on a cover of “Boogie On Reggae Woman” later on which preceded a harmonious “Scents And Subtle Sounds” with a wonderfully slow build in emotion. The closing sequence on Friday night reverted back to the ‘classic’ format with a trifecta of “Wilson” > “Possum” > “Cavern.”
Phish Bethel Woods Center For The Arts – Bethel, NY 7/22/22
Set 1: Golgi Apparatus > Sample in a Jar, My Soul, Gumbo[1] -> Saw It Again > Timber (Jerry the Mule) > Meat, Lawn Boy > My Friend, My Friend > Guelah Papyrus, Brian and Robert, Walk Away
Set 2: Mr. Completely > You Enjoy Myself > Fuego > Joy, Boogie On Reggae Woman, Scents and Subtle Sounds > Wilson > Possum > Cavern
E: A Life Beyond The Dream
[1] Unfinished
Phish returned to Bethel Woods on Saturday night for one more go ’round and the old school vibes were thrown out the window right away with a show opening “Evening Song,” a tune from the band’s recent Sigma Oasis release and only the fourth one ever performed live. Next, the band dusted off some Kasvot Vaxt material with “Turtle In The Clouds” and Gordon and Trey Anastasio’s signature dance moves on full display. The emotional peaks of the opening set were handled by a “Fast Enough For You” that fed right into the ever majestic “Divided Sky.”
Phish made the last set, and certainly the encore, count before heading out of Bethel Woods. A somewhat surprising “Prince Caspian” began the proceedings before Phish injected a mega-dose of funk with a sterling cover of The Talking Heads’ “Crosseyed and Painless.” A mid-set “Miss You” served as a needed breather before the set later concluded with two more vintage jam staples in a “Twist” > “Carini” combination. To cap things off for a memorable two-night Bethel run, Phish played not one but five songs, clearly not wanting to leave just yet. A “Horse” > “Silent In The Morning” traditional pairing kicked things off, followed by “Fuck Your Face” and the grand return of “Buffalo Bill,” the first one in three years, close behind. Fittingly, on the grounds of Woodstock, the show came to end with a raging cover of “Fire” that saw Anastasio channel his inner Hendrix, replete with an instrumental run through of “The Star-Spangled Banner.”
Phish Bethel Woods Center For The Arts – Bethel, NY 7/23/22
Set 1: Evening Song, Turtle in the Clouds, Vultures, My Sweet One, Undermind > Fast Enough for You > Divided Sky, Suzy Greenberg > Ghost
Set 2: Prince Caspian > Crosseyed and Painless > Miss You > Set Your Soul Free > Prince Caspian > Twist > Carini
E: The Horse > Silent in the Morning, Fuck Your Face, Buffalo Bill, Fire
Set Your Soul Free contained a short Crosseyed and Painless jam with quotes from Trey. Trey also quoted Crosseyed and Painless in Twist. Trey played The Star-Spangled Banner in its entirety during Fire.
The Who closed out the first half of its The Who Hits Back! 2022 North American Tour at Bethel Woods Center for the Arts on Saturday May 28. The tour date coincided with the Memorial Day weekend and the start of Bethel Woods’ pavilion show season.
Roger Daltrey, Loren Gold, Pete Townshend
Opening night duties belonged to Willie Nile. Drawing from his extensive catalog of music, Nile and crew offered up a powerful 45-minute set. Willie shared that he had gone to Woodstock in ’69 specifically to see The Who perform. His excitement of performing on the same stage with them was quite evident. A prolific writer whose songs talk to the common man, Nile dedicated a song to those impacted by gun violence, calling out his hometown of Buffalo. Willie closed with the anthem styled “One Guitar.” As a preamble to the song, he pressed that with one guitar, one voice, we can come together and help the world.
Backed by a full orchestra, Roger Daltrey,Pete Townshend and The Who took the stage. The night was an evening of essential Who. With slight vocal variations to support the aging Daltrey’s voice, both he and Townshend did not let the audience of 16,000 down. The core nine-piece band included Pete’s brother, Simon Townshend, on guitar and Ringo Starr’s son, Zak Starkey, on drums. The show featured a full orchestra enhancing the night’s experience. The orchestra, which varies location to location, was comprised of tri-state musicians, and was led by conductor Keith Levenson.
Willie Nile
Mid-set the orchestra left the stage. Pete and Simon Townshend donned acoustic guitars, shifting the tone a bit, as they started into “Seeker.” The mini set concluded with violinist Katie Jacoby, cellist Audrey Q. Snyder, and Pete Townshend sitting in the round as Roger Daltrey serenaded the audience with “Behind Blue Eyes.”
On the return of the orchestra, Pete noted he had fought against using an orchestra for the recording of Tommy. But with Quadrophenia, he realized its value. It was obvious at this point we were experiencing a live rock opera. The evening came to a close with with a song loosely inspired by Pete’s observations from their time at the original Woodstock Festival, “Baba O’Riley” from Who’s Next.
The Who
Were there guitars smashed or drums blown apart? No. However, that did not matter. This night was the about the genius of Pete Townshend, through the vessel that is The Who. For the Hudson Valley this was a trifecta night: Memorial Day weekend, live music, and The Who with an orchestra. Long Live Rock.
This summer, founding Grateful Dead member Phil Lesh will make his return to Bethel Woods Center for the Arts. And he’s bringing a few friends along with him. Phil Lesh & The Midnight Ramble Band will play one night on Saturday, August 20. It is slated to be part of the venue’s “Woodstock Anniversary Celebration” which will commemorate the 53rd anniversary of the iconic music and arts festival.
In addition to performing with the Dead at Woodstock, Lesh also made an appearance here in July of 2006. The second set included a sit-in from Phish guitarist Trey Anastasio on songs that were performed at the original festival in 1969 like “Dark Star,” St. Stephen,” and “Turn On Your Love Light.”
Lesh’s last appearance at Bethel Woods came in 2019 at Mountain Jam. Phil and Friends trotted out a cover of The Band’s “Chest Fever,” played the first ever “Midnight Highway” and closed out their set with an “Uncle John’s Band.”
This year’s band is dubbed The Midnight Ramble Band, in a nod to Levon Helm’s nearby legendary barn and its late night concerts, and will feature Amy Helm, Jim Wider, Brian Mitchell, Adam Minkoff, Steven Bernstein, Larry Campbell, Teresa Williams, Connor Kennedy, Shawn Pelton, Tony Leone, Erik Lawerence, Jay Collins and, of course, Grahame Lesh.
Tickets go on sale tomorrow at 10 am through Ticketmaster.
