Category: Reviews

Daughtry Brings Holiday Hard Rock Bliss to Toyota Oakdale Theatre

Hard rock band Daughtry brought their “Adrenaline Gone Ballistic” holiday tour to the Toyota Oakdale Theatre in Wallingford, Connecticut. Sleep Theory and Devour the Day joined Daughtry throughout the 13-date tour.

The night was every hard rock fan’s dream. They got a great mix of metal, hard rock and pop-metal while witnessing great live stage performances. Daughtry made a triumphant return to the area after touring Breaking Benjamin and Staind in September and October.

As fans pilled in from the harsh winter cold, the Memphis, Tennessee-native band Devour the Day hopped on stage. Led by Blake Allison on lead vocals, the band blasted into their first tune of the night, “Respect,” off of their Time & Pressure record. The band’s hungriness was apparent from the start. Devour the Day made sure the crowd felt their impact for the seven songs they played. The quartet was the loudest group of the night. They infused post-grunge, nu metal and hard rock influences all into one band that put together a great performance.

Joining Allison who is also the drummer for Pop Evil, is Joey “Chicago” Walser on bass guitar, Justin Kier on drums and Stephen Freeman on guitar. The foursome did an excellent job at getting the – at the time small – crowd ready for the next two acts.

In between Devour the Day and Sleep Theory, there was a brief intermission. But, it wasn’t too long until the houselights dimmed for Sleep Theory. It was fitting that Mariah Carey’s “All I Want For Christmas” was blasted through the speakers sparking holiday cheer. Sleep Theory, also from Memphis, Tennessee, jumped right into the first song of the evening “Fallout,” off of 2023’s Paper Hearts – EP. Sleep Theory’s style of music was very similar to Devour the Day’s. So, the hard rock and metal theme blossomed during their set.

Lead singer Cullen Moore’s vocals were amazing. Throughout the band’s set, he would walk back and forth on stage and interact with the audience while he belted out the lyrics. There have been few singers who could yell in key. Rob Halford from Judas Priest and Bruce Dickinson are some of the masters. But, Moore was able to be in perfect key while screaming which brought goosebumps to some of the fans.

Unfortunately, Sleep Theory was extremely backlit and at times it was hard to see them on stage. This forced fans to listen rather than gain the whole experience of the show. Nonetheless, just by listening, you could tell that the band was extremely tight and together as one on stage. Because they were excellent musicians, fans were a lot more receptive to them and cheered loudly after every song. Sometimes middle bands don’t receive such generosity so it was great that they did.

In addition to Moore, Sleep Theory consists of Daniel Pruitt on guitar, Paolo Vergara on bass, and Ben Pruitt on drums. The quartet put the fans in the right mood for Daughtry and was an excellent middle band.

By this point, the crowd was in a frenzy for Daughtry and very quickly the band jumped on stage and went straight into “The Reckoning.” For the band’s entire performance, the entire theatre was on their feet and did not sit down for one single minute. There was a buzz in the building for their headline set since the next time the group would be in the area would be on the Creed summer tour in 2025.

Rounding out Daughtry was Chris Daughtry on lead vocals and guitar, Brian Craddock on guitar, Elvio Fernandes on keys, Marty O’Brien on bass and Jeremy Schaffer on drums

Like Moore in Sleep Theory, Daughtry’s vocals were amazing and were the best out of the three. For the time that the band was on stage, you could feel his power and strength. Even though he was as serious as can be while singing, in between songs he charmed the crowd. At one point before “Home” he told the audience to “light up anything that lights up… phones… lightsabers are also welcomed.”

The band kept their stage simple so the audience could focus more on the music. Only a few screens were lit up behind the group with lights draped on the drum riser. It was nice that the band kept their stage simple and did not overwhelm the crowd. Twice during their set, they paid homage to the mighty Led Zeppelin and Journey. During their rendition of “Crashed” there was a snippet of “Kashmir” before they fully jumped into a cover of “Separate Ways (Worlds Apart).”

The crowd let out a thunderous cheer to some of their favorites. “Home” and “It’s Not Over” received the loudest approval with fans taking out their phones to record the song or their favorite moment. It was great that they even played a handful of tunes from their newest record, Dearly Beloved. Their new material was even received positively by the crowd as if it were already setlist staples

When the band walked off stage before the encore, you could hear a low roar for them to come back on stage. It originated at the back of the theatre in the rafters before thrusting its way towards the front. Fans got what they wished for. Daughtry played “The Dam,” “Heavy Is the Crown and “Artificial” as the three encore songs before calling it a night.

When the audience left the building, the buzz was still thriving throughout the crowd. They witnessed a special holiday performance. There aren’t many groups that can put together a short and small holiday tour and knock it out of the park. But, for Daughtry, they delivered one of the best holiday shows in recent memory.

Devour the Day setlist: Respect, Nobody Owns Me, Good Man, Worse Than Death, Outsider, The Bottom, Empty

Sleep Theory setlist: Fallout, Enough, Paralyzed, Static, Hourglass, Gone or Staying, Stuck in My Head, Numb, It’s Over, Another Way

Daughtry setlist: The Reckoning, Changes Are Coming, World on Fire, Crashed, Separate Ways (Worlds Apart), Home, Waiting for Superman, Shock to the System, It’s Not Over, Nervous, Pieces, Over You, The Dam, Heavy Is the Crown, Artificial

December 16, 2024
Cosby Gibson Releases Poetically Whimsical Album “The Hollow Crown”

Singer-songwriter Cosby Gibson has returned for her seventh album, the poetic and wonderfully whimsical The Hollow Crown.

Hailing from near the Adirondacks, Cosby Gibson is a singer-songwriter who specializes in unique and original folk-style songs on guitar and dulcimer. With multiple Capital District Music awards among many other trophies on her shelf, she spins whimsical tales on life in all of its aspects- the beautiful and the less than so.

Returning for her seventh album, Gibson has released The Hollow Crown– an album capturing the chase for something empty that she aptly dubs a “hollow crown”- something ultimately fruitless or unimportant.

At its core, however, the album tackles what is worth one’s time- remembering. Remembering the good, to remind oneself of the foundation you stand upon, and the bad to untangle the brambles of negative emotion.

Entwined with a sense of the magical between Gibson’s gentle vocals, deft acoustic guitar, and vivid lyricism, tracks like “In This Kind of Rain” and “Asking The Lilies” craft a sense of imagined adventure through the woods, pondering the complications of meanings of life while observing babbling brooks or blooming flowers.

Imagery is also rich in “Spinning in Spirals,” a song full of roses and sparkles and a sense of excited wanderlust, which is contrasted in the vulnerable and insightful “What’s Happening Is You” that decides that lyrical honesty is best for the frank conversation being had.

Wonderfully poetic and positively teeming with flora and fauna, The Hollow Crown is a beautifully crafted collection of tracks that balance emotional honesty with the whimsical. The full album is available now both in digital and physical format through Gibson’s Bandcamp page here.

To learn more about Cosby Gibson, listen to more of her work and The Hollow Crown, and keep up with all of her latest endeavors, be sure to explore her official website here.

December 15, 2024
Ian McCuen Releases Scathingly Topical Album

Buffalo based singer-songwriter Ian McCuen has returned with their latest release, the utterly emphatic and scathingly topical As the Oceans Rise and the Empire Falls.

Buffalo-based Ian McCuen has been wowing listeners since 2017 with the release of their debut album Songs of Fleeting Permanence, Vol. I, the next two installations following in 2019.

A master of the soundscape, McCuen is no stranger to telling tales with their musical skill- which is a strength that lends itself perfectly to their latest release, the 22-track album As the Oceans Rise and the Empires Fall.

Utterly cinematic, As the Oceans Rise and the Empires Fall pulls listeners through each and every notion of emotion with an admirable span of instrumentation, tracks full of lyricism and others left purely instrumental- all-encompassing in an admirable and awe-inspiring critique on the state of the United States and its politics today.

“A Fairy Tale for the Obedient” makes deft use of the Omnichord, drawing upon sounds of whimsy and childhood nostalgia alongside haunting horns which carry directly into the simmering brush percussions and foreboding baselines of the instrumental “Indoctrinated, Propagandized.”

The omnichord returns in “I Don’t Know What Will Kill Us First,” this time taking on an undertone of grimness as McCuen ponders which environmental disaster will be the one to finally do us all in over the sounds of acoustic guitar and later horns, which have evolved into a sound almost funerary in sentiment.

“The Intermission” and “The Underture,” unsurprisingly enough mark the midpoint of the album, at which point McCuen takes the time to remind you that as much as their lyrical pieces stun, soundscapes are well within their wheelhouse too.

“Fear & Loathing (in the Home of the Brave),” while certainly not subtle in its messaging, makes a staunch statement regardless. McCuen pulls no punches in critiquing the hypocrisy found in defending the status quo blindly and existing in fear of anything new without interrogating the reason as to why either of those reactions were elicited- as they conclude, “in the home of the brave, it’s all we’ve got.”

They lean fully into the ominous for “A Ghost Story for the Sheltered,” telling a horrifying story of some untold monster that’s sweeping through your town, hunting you down- a haunting parallel to the paranoia kicked up and experienced by the “Sheltered” of America and a striking narrative on fear-mongering and its consequences.

“Death Is a Business and Sales Are Up” is not only incredibly topical but stunningly produced- headphones are highly recommended for this track, as the panning utilized creates an all-encompassing listening experience that’s practically impossible to pause.

The final lyrical track “A Swan Song for Quittin’ Time” feels like a conclusion in every sense of the word. Featuring a line that became the album’s title, this track feels simultaneously hopeful and hopeless, as McCuen struggles to come to terms with the state of the world- even for those with so much fight in them, there comes a point where the draw of nihilistic acceptance is unavoidable.

The song concludes in an anthemic culmination of all of the album’s instrumentation as McCuen accepts the state of the world as one full of strife and struggle, yet finding a determination to go on in the hope for a better future, they sing “just in case, stick around for the encore.”

There’s a certain cognitive dissonance to Ian’s work- if you let yourself be distracted by their calming vocals or gentle instrumentation, you may just miss their scathing critiques on today’s society. Haunting, scathing, and effortlessly engaging, As the Oceans Rise and the Empire Falls captures the full range of emotions felt within and in critique of the United States today.

To learn about Ian McCuen’s past work, more about As the Oceans Rise and the Empire Falls, and all of their future endeavors, be sure to keep up with them on their official Instagram page here.

December 13, 2024
A Holiday Classic: Darlene Love performs “Christmas (Baby Please Come Home)” on Late Show with David Letterman

From 1986 until 2014, David Letterman would close out his final show of the year with a Christmas episode that featured the one and only Darlene Love. Over the span of those 28 years, Love would perform her holiday hit “Christmas (Baby Please Come Home),” one of Letterman’s favorites.

The appearance found its origins after Letterman saw Love perform the song at the Bottom Line, in a show called Leader of the Pack. He immediately had to have her on the show. Love told Variety in 2014:

He had David [were] down to see the show. [Letterman] said, “You know that song that girl sings? That Christmas song? That’s the greatest Christmas song I’ve ever heard. We need to get her on the show.” That was 1986, and so I’ve been doing it ever since.

The tradition spanned two networks over nearly three decades, appearing from 1986 until 1993 on Late Night with David Letterman, and later on the Late Show with David Letterman when Letterman joined CBS.

The song was originally recorded for the 1963 Phil Spector album A Christmas Gift for You, and while Love performed the song on Letterman’s shows, she told the New York Times in 2014 that she will not sing it for any other TV talk-show hosts moving forward.

For her final performance, the Late Show paid tribute to Darlene Love. Following her brief interview with Dave, the stage filled in with additional musician, including string and horn sections and several backup singers. These singers would not overshadow Love’s powerful voice, and sang her final last verse from the top of Paul Shaffer’s piano, with fake snow falling around her.

Recently, an animated version of “Christmas (Baby Please Come Home)” has been released through Legacy Recordings. The short video follows a young Black girl as she walks home through a snowy neighborhood, accompanied by a happy snowman. Along the way, she stops to admire a Christmas tree and runs into her dog, who is singing along with a pair of carolers. The girl and her dog arrive home, where they are lovingly greeted by her parents. As the video nears its end, the girl opens up one of her presents to find a snow globe with the smiling snowman inside.

At the end of the music video, Love posted a message paying tribute to her late sister, Edna Wright Perry, who sang backing vocals on the track.

Featured on the show prior to Love’s show-stopping performance, Letterman annually welcomed comedian Jay Thomas, to share, as Letterman put it, “the best story I’ve ever heard.” Thomas would then launch into his true story about an encounter with Clayton Moore, the actor famous for playing The Lone Ranger. For 17 years starting in 1992, Thomas would come on the show and deliver the joke, much to Letterman and the audience’s approval. Watch the story unfold over the years.

After Thomas delivered the punchline, he and Letterman would alternate throwing a football at the meatball on top of the Late Show Christmas tree. To wrap up the show, Darlene Love would come out for “Christmas (Baby Please Come Home)” and send the show into the night.

December 12, 2024
“A Complete Resignation Before Fate” – BCCO Perform Tchaikovsky at Brooklyn Museum

The Brooklyn Conservatory Community Orchestra (BCCO), led by its Music Director Dorothy Savitch, performed an afternoon of classical music spanning 180 years to a packed Brooklyn Museum Saturday 7^th December.

The performance began with a rendition of the Siegfried Idyll by Richard Wagner, a delicate, soft Symphonic Poem for chamber orchestra. Wagner wrote the piece for his wife and first performed it with 15 musicians as she woke on Christmas morning in 1870, setting the bar absurdly high for those of us who can just about get the sprouts out on time.

Brooklyn Museum

The piece is gentle and beautiful, led by strings who never reach higher than a pianissimo whisper. A flute arrives, giving the audience an indulgent start to the weekend. After 20 minutes or so the piece breathes its last breath, coasting gently to a stop to enthusiastic applause.

Next up is Vivaldi’s Concerto for Oboe, strings and continuo, written more than 150 years earlier. This Baroque music contrasts vividly to the Romantic poetry of Wagner and was led by Alison Mari, the BCCO’s tenured principal oboe. Mari showed us that the oboe – presumably after far more years of dedication than the classmates who introduced me to it – can be a beautiful instrument.

The strings and oboe, accompanied by a harpsichord, deftly trade a call and response in melody. The piece is highly energetic, evoking, writes Mari in the program notes, the doomed search for an answer to some problem.

The Chief Executive of the BCCO spoke briefly to tell of the Orchestra’s long and proud history at the center of the community – he quoted a bulletin written in 1910 stating how the orchestra was open to anyone from any background. We heard of various fundraisers for the needy held throughout its lifetime, a refreshing reminder of the social power of music and the Orchestra’s mission.

The main event was Tchaikovsky’s Symphony No. 5. The 50-minute work is led by a central motif, dubbed the ‘fate theme’, which appears in various guises throughout its four movements.

The first movement, the Andante, begins with an ominous clarinet. Just at this moment a light draft breathes above our heads; is this fate, some extrasensory dimension slipping into the room? (Or did someone just open the door at the back?)

Finally, part way through this movement and after two relatively restrained performances, the Orchestra can huff out its full dynamic range. This – the raw acoustic power of lungs and fingers and elbows and chambers and valves – is the best part of seeing live classical music; there is something so powerful and timeless about seeing real people make this real sound. We feel it as much as we hear it.

The horns drive us to a staccato climax, pushing, for the time being, fate back whence it came.

The second movement begins with a French horn – plaintive and insecure. The horn and its brass-mates are the driving force behind the entire symphony, and Tchaikovsky and the BCCO show us that the French horn makes a strong case for the world’s most beautiful instrument. This sound, made by this person, is something otherworldly – pure, soft and perfect.

The theme is passed around the stage like a game of telephone, reminding us that one should never take this for granted, this primal, authentic, tangible magic that is acoustic live music. Later it returns once more, Darth Vader style this time – it’s that pesky fate come again to drag us out of our revery. The concert has ended and we must wake from this dreamlike state the BCCO has massaged us into. We trudge out into the cold December evening better-equipped, for this experience, to face whatever our fates hold.

December 12, 2024
Smokey Robinson Delivers an Unforgettable Night at NJPAC on Legacy Tour

On Friday, December 6, Smokey Robinson graced the stage at Newark’s New Jersey Performing Arts Center (NJPAC) as part of his ongoing Legacy tour. The evening was filled with musical nostalgia, heartfelt storytelling, and timeless artistry that captivated the audience throughout.

A Legacy in Motion

The evening began with Smokey delivering an impeccable rendition of Being With You. The opening chords set the tone for a night filled with love, soul, and connection. Midway through the second song, the legendary singer melted hearts by bringing his infant great-nephew onstage. As he crooned Second That Emotion and You’ve Really Got a Hold on Me to the baby, the audience erupted in applause, charmed by the intimate family moment.

Highlights of the Evening

Smokey’s performances of Quiet Storm and the iconic Ooo Baby Baby stood out as unforgettable moments. The emotional delivery of Ooo Baby Baby brought the audience to their feet for a five-minute standing ovation. Clearly touched, Smokey expressed his gratitude, his voice trembling with emotion. The moment showcased his remarkable ability to forge a deep and personal connection with his fans, even after decades in the spotlight.

Introducing Gasms

Smokey took a moment to discuss his latest album, Gasms, expressing surprise at its success. “I was only supposed to release one single,” he shared with a grin, “but there are already four!” He performed two tracks from the album, I Wanna Know Your Body and How You Make Me Feel, which showcased his ability to blend sensuality with sophistication, proving that his creativity remains as vibrant as ever.

Closing the Night

For the encore, Smokey pulled out all the stops. He sang Just to See Her and Tracks of My Tears, prompting a wave of nostalgia that swept through the theater. The evening ended with an interactive performance of Cruisin’. Smokey invited two women from the audience on stage, assigning them each a section of the crowd to see who could sing the loudest. The playful competition filled the hall with energy and joy, capping off an unforgettable night.

Looking Ahead

Smokey Robinson’s Legacy tour continues to enchant audiences, with upcoming dates spanning the United States, Canada, and even the United Kingdom. Highlights include performances at The Paramount in Huntington (March 6, 2025), and The Capitol Theatre in Port Chester (May 31, 2025), before concluding at the Love Supreme Festival in the UK in July.

At NJPAC, Smokey Robinson reminded everyone why his legacy endures. It wasn’t just the hits or the new material but the warmth and humanity he brought to the stage. This concert wasn’t just a trip down memory lane—it was a celebration of a living legend still at the height of his powers.

For fans who have yet to experience this extraordinary tour, Smokey Robinson’s Legacy is not to be missed.

Setlist: Being With You, I Second That Emotion, Really Got A Hold On Me, Quiet Storm, Temptations Melody, Gasms, OOO Baby Baby, Fly Me To The Moon, I Love Your Face, How You Make Me Feel, I Wanna Know Your Body, Just To See Her, Tracks Of My Tears, Cruisin’

December 11, 2024
Brooklyn-Based Composer Avinoam Ettun Releases Latest EP, “Looking Into Your Soul”

Jerusalem-native Avinoam Ettun, currently based out of Brooklyn, has announced the release of his latest EP Looking Into Your Soul, released on December 6.

Avinoam Ettun is a contemporary music performer-composer and improviser based in New York City. With a focus on creating compositions for large ensembles and his own string quartet, Avinoam combines the sounds of electric guitar and chamber music. Ettun actively collaborates with animators, painters, filmmakers, and dancers and explores the intersections of different art forms. Ettun holds a Bachelor of Music in Composition from The Jerusalem Music Academy and a Masters from the New School.

The EP features three instrumental tracks inspired by portrait imagery, recorded in collaboration with pianist Itamar Dahan, with Avinoam on guitar. The project combines jazz, contemporary sounds, and visual art. The first song on the EP, “East West” features a powerful piano riff, coupled with somber guitar tones. The track grows and morphs, hits highs and lows, before coming to a blissfully peace-laden ending.

Similarly, the title track, “Looking Into Your Soul” presents a hearty and emotional piano with an accenting guitar that adds little nuances to each section of the song. Each song sounds familiar, like it has a classic, vintage sound of talent that existed in the past. Avinoam Ettun takes this sound and makes it his own with a blend of notes of eastern instrumentation, and golden era classical music.

Finally, the last track of the EP, “The Dreaming Kid in the Sand” tells a story without using words, as Ettun’s other songs on the album do. The title perfectly encapsulates the theme and vibe of the song. The song truly feels like a child daydreaming in a peaceful yet whimsical place. Avinoam’s music is dynamic, powerful, unique, and inspiring. This kind of music is what today’s soundscape lacks in my opinion. True compositions about true, heartfelt, spiritual themes.

For more information on Avinoam Ettun and to check out his newest EP, “Looking Into Your Soul,” click here.

December 10, 2024
Lespecial Brings Prog-Rock Power to Lark Hall

On December 7, Lespecial brought their genre-defying prog-rock energy to Albany’s Lark Hall for a night of unforgettable music.

The evening kicked off with a lively performance from Timbre Coup, the Capital Region-based jam/prog-rock foursome. With plenty of local supporters in the crowd, the band’s energetic set got the audience primed for Lespecial to take the stage. Their engaging performance left an impression, and fans should keep an eye on their Facebook page for future shows.

Timbre Coup setlist: Firestorm, August, 55, Arnold Schwartzeneggar, HTRAB, Machine Head (Bush cover), January

Lespecial, a prog-tronic power trio took the stage with their signature sound that defies expectations. With each member contributing vocals and synths in addition to guitar, drums, and bass, their music filled the room with a robust energy that was hard to believe came from just three people. Seamlessly blending genres, the band moved effortlessly from smooth, swaying jams to heavier riffs that had the crowd headbanging in unison.

The band made several references to an incident after the previous night’s show in Syracuse, where their van was broken into, and bass guitars, along with Luke and Rory’s luggage, were stolen. Despite the setback, bassist Luke Bemand powered through with help from his trusty Ibanez Soundgear bass, which he hadn’t used in years, while both musicians rocked Lespecial merch as an improvised wardrobe solution.

As the set approached its finale, drummer Rory (check out his Primus audition reel) delivered a jaw-dropping solo while the other band members took a short break to prepare for the final songs. The crowd was left in awe of his stellar performance, capping off an unforgettable night of progressive rock brilliance. Exiting the warmth of Lark Hall, concertgoers were greeted by a steady snowstorm blanketing the streets—a fitting end to a night that will be remembered for its electrifying energy and unique challenges, both on and off the stage.

lespecial – Lark Hall, Albany – Saturday, December 7, 2024

Setlist: Repeater, Machine Elf, Snell’s Fleet, First Light, Rays, Divider, Bitch Don’t Kill My Dub (Kendrick Lamar cover), Disassociate, Fruit Wolf Dance, Orb, Vessel, GDH3, Unearthed, Drums, Thela Hun Ginjeet (King Crimson cover), Lungs of the Planet

December 10, 2024
Moon Hooch Brings Relentless Energy to Bowery Ballroom

If you want to rave to a collection of saxophones and woodwinds, then Moon Hooch is the band for you. Yes it’s weird, yes it’s wild, and yes it’s a fun show to dance to.

Moon Hooch at Bowery Ballroom 12.7, Photo Credit: Aidan Lukomnik

On Saturday, December 7, Moon Hooch brought their energetic mix of Jazz and Electronic music to Bowery Ballroom in downtown Manhattan.

A truly New York sound, Moon Hooch was born when Michael Wilbur (Horns, woodwind, vocals), Wenzl Mcgowen (Horns, woodwind, synth), and James Muschler (original drummer) met at The New School. The band, now with Cyzon Griffin on drums, started playing together as buskers across the city. Often playing in the subway, Moon Hooch was banned from the Bedford Ave L station for bringing in crowds that were dangerously large.

Audience Member; Photo Credit: Aidan Lukomnik

That history of busking can be heard in their music, as the trio at times evokes the guttural sounds of an oncoming train paired with high-pitched notes reminiscent of a closing subway door. They even use found objects, like a traffic cone, on stage as a mute to alter their sound.

Photo Credit: Aidan Lukomnik

On December 7, COFRESI opened for Moon Hooch. The drummer and beatmaker brought together modern techniques (looping, drops, Trap and Dancehall melodies) with samples from hits like, “Ain’t No Sunshine,” “Stand By Me,” “Mr Sandman,” and “It’s Tricky” to create a sound all his own.

COFRESI Photo Credit: Aidan Lukomik

As Moon Hooch took the stage, audience members head banged, grinded, and jumped up and down – emphasizing how many different musical sub-cultures came out to see the band.

The band’s physicality is impressive, as Michael Wilbur and Wenzl Mcgowen dance throughout a set that’s over an hour while Cyzon Griffin’s rapid drumming holds down the beat. Throughout the set there wasn’t an idle monument with high energy songs one after another, only rarely bringing in classical music phrases to give the audience a breather before the beat drop.

Photo Credit: Aidan Lukomnik

At the same time, that lack of idleness has its own drawbacks. After a while, songs in the set started to run together with limited ability to determine where one song stops and the other begins. This run-on of songs was exacerbated by similar musical motifs and almost identical lighting cues that could cause a listener Deja Vu. While the band sometimes threw their hands up to engage the audience, they never stopped to talk to the crowd. Better performance pacing, verbal engagement with the crowd, and breaks between songs would do the band well.

Photo Credit: Aidan Lukomnik

On this tour the band isn’t just bringing their relentless energy, they’re also trying to do good. At each city, the band is auctioning off a (small) tree and giving away all of the proceeds to replant trees across the country. In NYC they also worked with Support and Feed – a food equity organization that works to address challenges in food desserts and provide information on plant-based food.

Photo Credit: Aidan Lukomnik

Photo Credit: Aidan Lukomnik

Photo Credit: Aidan Lukomnik

Photo Credit: Aidan Lukomnik

Photo Credit: Aidan Lukomnik

Photo Credit: Aidan Lukomnik

Photo Credit: Aidan Lukomnik

Photo Credit: Aidan Lukomnik

Photo Credit: Aidan Lukomnik

Photo Credit: Aidan Lukomnik

Photo Credit: Aidan Lukomnik

Photo Credit: Aidan Lukomnik

December 10, 2024
Unwrapping the Old Testament of Phish: New Year’s Eve 1995, Live from Madison Square Garden

1995 was a year that defined the 1990s. Michael Jordan came out of retirement to return to the game of basketball. OJ Simpson’s verdict was “Not Guilty.” TLC encouraged listeners to stop chasing waterfalls. Pixar changed the future of animated films with the release of Toy Story. And if you were in the jamband music scene, you experienced a seismic shift in the atmosphere.

Just 49 days after Jerry Garcia passed on August 9, Phish kicked off a massive 1995 Fall Tour in the guitarist’s home state of California. The Vermont foursome played more than 50 shows through December, hitting over 30 states and making a pitstop in Canada. Fans will argue over the best shows (or even best month) during this transformative time period, but most are in agreement that The Who’s Quadrophenia Halloween show in Rosemont, Illinois was a career-defining moment for one of the year’s top-grossing acts just half-way through the megatour.

Official poster for 10/31/95 by Jim Pollock

As the rising stars ripped through the frigid Northeast in December, they were only getting hotter in their raunchy, rock-forward, improvisational playing and it all culminated on Sunday, December 31, 1995 at New York’s Madison Square Garden. The date marked the third time Phish would play “The World’s Most Famous Arena,” but the first time they would sell it out for New Year’s Eve. From the 12/29/95 Worchester show to the 12/30/95 opening night at the Garden, it was hard to imagine how the well-polished act would continue getting better night after night, but Phish is always poised to shock the brain.

There was and always will be a special energy when you see Phish’s name in big bright letters on the midtown Manhattan marquee. As Jon Fishman’s father so eloquently put it, he realized his son had “made it” after the band played their first performance to a capacity NYC crowd on 12/30/1994. As fans anxiously anticipated the first note of the last show of 1995, they were greeted by their hungry party hosts with the first-ever, one-two punch of “Punch You in the Eye” and “Sloth.” It was a high-energy attempt to sonically bottle the energy of the 1995 Fall Tour and to kick off a show considered by Rolling Stone as “one of the best live performances of the ’90s.”

Flip to page 824 of the 2^nd Edition of The Phish Companion, and you’ll find that five of the songs performed that night are considered some of the “best versions ever.” With a fiery first set “Reba,” the second set’s “Runaway Jim” and closer of “Mike’s Song” to introduce the Gamehendge Time Factor laboratory loop, and the unfinished and unhinged “Weekapaug Groove” from Set III with a “YEM” to top it all off, Phish had made a statement—not only in their community—but in the history of live music. They showed the world what fans had been trying to say for over a decade. They were not just a talented, pot-smoking cover band from Vermont, although they did have the chops to cover and expand upon some of the most highly regarded artists in the rock genre. Any band can cover a popular song to get a reaction from the crowd, but Phish reinvents the music they love, and one example of this is their nod to The Who in Set II’s “Drowned” > “Lizards” opener. Not only did the band double the length of the Quadrophenia studio version, but they interweaved the Grateful Dead’s “Fire on the Mountain” to pay tribute to a band that had sold out six shows at the Garden just 14 months prior. Look past the epic jams, the tribute to legendary rock bands, the New Year’s Eve shenanigans, and the three-set masterpiece performance, and you will find a band on stage that wants fans to get their money’s worth – Phish at their core.

The 1995 New Year’s Eve performance was a launchpad for great things to come. 1996 was the year Phish released one of their greatest studio albums in Billy Breathes; they created a blueprint for music festivals by welcoming 70,000 fans to North America’s largest concert event of the summer, The Clifford Ball; brought their unique sound across Europe; dressed up as The Talking Heads for Remain in Light on Halloween; and claimed the throne as the most popular jamband of the 1990s. And they were just getting started.

But the purpose of this piece was never to recap one of the greatest shows in Phishtory, that has been dozens of times before. I’m here to tell you why it sparked a new generation of Phish fans nearly 10 years later.

This is the story of the New Year’s Eve 1995 – Live at Madison Square Garden, the official album release.

If you were in high school during the early 2000s, you had limited ability to enjoy Phish like your cooler, older family members (or maybe even parents). With the first hiatus in 2002 followed by the official farewell in 2004, it felt like maybe you just weren’t cut out to go on a full summer tour with your future college buddies like you dreamed about sitting in Earth Science, doodling pictures of ugly pigs in your notebook.

The internet was starting to get better, but looked nothing like what it does today in 2020. We didn’t have smartphones for Spotify, LivePhish, 4K professionally shot footage, or a girthy YouTube catalog of Vermont’s greatest rock band. You could risk destroying your family’s Gateway or Dell PC by downloading Phish shows from Limewire or Napster, but a lot of them were low quality, poorly recorded, or not even actually Phish (see their “Gin & Juice” cover) and took days to transfer. Apple iPods were expensive, and the use of .mp3s was becoming more common for those somewhat technologically-advanced, but didn’t completely take over until later that decade.

We did have CDs.

Before 2005, the year I graduated high school, the only officially-released Phish shows you would find in retail record stores were Slip Stitch and Pass, A Live One, Hampton Comes Alive, and drips and drabs of the 20-set LivePhish series. If you were lucky enough to have an older friend or family member serve as a Phish mentor, you could scrounge up hand-me-down, fan-traded tapes and CDs by the dozen, but if you had no path to follow besides seeing the band at SPAC in 2004, you were shit out of luck trying to level up from “noob” status in Upstate NY.

This all changed during the holiday season of 2005, when the retired jam band released New Year’s Eve 1995: Live from Madison Square Garden. At the time, the global Phish community was still mourning the loss of their fallen heroes much like the Deadheads of December 1995. The band members were still touring, and I was lucky enough to catch Page McConnell sit in with Trey Ananastio Band at Roseland Ballroom as a college freshman in NYC. That was NOT the Phish experience I had been dreaming about throughout high school.

Official shirt by Jim Pollock

Santa was extra heady that Christmas and next to NBA2K6 and the iconic Tiger Woods PGA Tour 2005 for PlayStation 2, the best gift was undoubtedly the three-disc, week-old live release. From the opening “PYITE” on disc one, followed by “The Sloth,” I was hooked. I had never even heard “The Sloth” before Christmas morning 2005, likely because it was never officially released until that album.

It was like in the movie Neverending Story where Sebastian finds the book and runs off to immerse himself in the incredible journey. I had spun through Slip, Stitch and Pass and A Live One until the discs were scratched and raw, but I had never understood the importance of a full show experience until MSG 1995. It was part performance and part theatrics. The show is the blueprint for quintessential Phish. Gamehendge narration, fantastic themes about the creation of time, covers from the recently performed musical costume The Who’s Quadrophenia, and of course, driven improvisation. In the twelve years of Phish music up to that show, December 1995 is widely considered the best. An entire tour of above-average shows was summarized during that hallowed night in the world’s most sacred rock space.

The live release made a new generation of fans appreciate the show as much as those that were in attendance. It made us extremely jealous we were still in elementary school in December 1995, and if we had just known about Trey Anastasio, maybe he would have been even more important than Michael Jordan, Derek Jeter, or Hootie & the Blowfish.

Big egos can get in the way of sharing in the groove and surrendering to the flow. The most obsessed Phish fans like to think they know more, feel more, and enjoy more than their fellow fan. Although I wasn’t fortunate enough to see Phish 1.0 and barely caught the tail end of Phish 2.0, I was able to listen to the Old Testament of Phish and memorize one of their greatest shows from the front of “PYITE” to the back of the “Johnny Be Good” encore. New Year’s Eve 1995: Live at Madison Square Garden proves that everyone begins their journey in different ways. And if you want to learn how to swim, you’ve got to jump in the water.

December 10, 2024