Playing to a sold-out crowd, Chris Stapleton brought his country rock show to Darien Lake Amphitheater on July 11. With support from Marcus King and Nikki Lane, the crowd of nearly 21,000 was treated to a night of amazing music and perfect weather to compliment.
Not really new to music, Marcus King is taking country music scene by storm in recent years. With heavy mix of southern rock and classic country licks, King delivers a stellar performance as he precedes the headliner on stage.
King’s touring band includes, Jack Ryan on drums, Stephen Campbell on bass, Drew Smithers on guitar, Mike Runyon on keys, and Chris Spies on sax.
Heavily influenced by acts like the Allman Brothers and Waylon Jennings, King produces the perfect sounds for a hot summer day.
Chatting up conversation with fans lined up at the photo pit barricade, I came across young and old fans like. There was a young lady dressed as Stapleton, who was attending her first concert. There were best friends who splurged to get up close, and there were families front and center ready to tap their boots to some “Tennessee Whiskey.” Parenting done right, it will always bring a smile to my face to see children at the front the shows. Music is awesome, but live music like that is on a whole other level.
Running about 15 minutes late, Stapleton hit the stage to a loud and boisterous round of cheers and applause as he immediately rolled into “White Horse”, “Nobody to Blame”, and “Second One to Know.” For some it was the first time seeing the country star, for others it was another notch in the belt. Either way, Stapleton had the fans on their toes for the next 90 minutes.
Not one for much chatter during the set, Stapleton rolled through the 23-song set with his wife, Morgane, within arm’s reach. Providing background vocals as well as duets with her husband on most songs, she makes them quite a dynamic duo.
21,000 fans packed into lawn and shell seats for a night of amazing music and 21,000 fans were treated to an unbelievable show by a country mega star and a mega star in the making. This was a night to remember for so many, especially for that young lady in front who got see Chris Stapleton from the very front row.
Leaving the show a little early avoid the notoriously horrific Darien Lake parking lot traffic, you could still hear Stapleton belting out “Fire Away”, “Tennessee Whiskey”, and “Broken Halos”. As I made my way to my car, the crowd was perfectly in sync, just as they were from the first note of the night.
Stapleton continues his tour with Lane and King this summer, as well as stops to perform with George Strait along the way.
Chris Stapleton setlist: White Horse, Nobody to Blame, Second One to Know, Millionaire (K. Welch cover), Crosswind, Trying to Untangle My Mind, South Dakota, Might as Well Get Stoned, What Am I Gonna Do, Think I’m In Love With You, Whiskey and You, Arkansas, Starting Over, Joy of My Life (J. Fogerty cover), Parachute, Mountains of My Mind, You Should Probably Leave, Cold, Free Bird/The Devil Named Music, Traveller, Fire Away, Tennessee Whiskey, Broken Halos
Marcus KingMarcus KingMarcus KingMarcus KingMarcus KingMarcus King1Marcus King
Two-time Grammy Award winner, Jason Mraz, hit the stage at CMAC on Wednesday, July 10. Bringing a night of positive and inspirational messages, Mraz rocked the Northeast shore of Canandaigua Lake, along with Ripe and The Molly Miller Trio in support of his 2023 release, Mystical Magical Rhythmical Radical Ride.
Jason Mraz
With the threat of tornados from Buffalo to Canandaigua throughout the day, Mraz and fans were keeping a close on the weather. As Mraz hit stage around 830, it was clear that many fans decided to stay home. Thanks to venue staff for doing the right thing, as many lawn patrons were offered seats under the cover of the shell.
Getting the night started was Ripe. Fronted by Robbie Wulfsohn, Ripe is a highly energetic pop-funk band from the Boston area. Formed while studying at Berklee College of Music and working through the pandemic, Ripe has developed a mini cult-like following of music fans of all ages that keeps on growing. Pairing with the powerful voice of Wulfsohn were Christian Yogi Saint-Louis on guitar, Sampson Hellerman on drums, Jon Becker on Bass, Calvin Barthel on Trombone.
Opening for an act like Jason Mraz might be intimidating for some, but for these guys, not even the weather was intimidating as they dominated their set. Both Wulfsohn and Becker were all over the stage, never skipping a beat.
Ripe Setlist: Flipside, Stanky, Passerby, Say It To Me, Sussudio (P Collins cover), First Time Feeling, Noise in The Forest, Downward, Settling, (Goon Squad)
As Mraz took the stage donning a retro looking fit, the crowd is energized and ready to dance the night away, a common theme at Jason’s shows. Joining him on the stage that was backlit by large display screen was his Superband, a collection of nine other artists who were all ready for a workout, including Molly Miller, Billy Galewood, and other members of Bushwalla.
“Getting Started” and “Feel Good Too” was the ideal pair of songs to get the set started. Both songs carry poppy, trippy, and happy vibes which set the tone for the next 90 minutes.
Before song three began, insight was offered up on the meaning of “The Remedy.” He went on to talk about a conversation with a high school friend who had a deep conversation with him around age 20 and told Mraz of his recent cancer diagnosis. Definitely, not something anyone wishes to deal with but sadly becomes part of life. In an ode to his friend and the most positive outlook one could have in his situation, “The Remedy” was born. Mraz continued on saying that this friend is alive and well today, and recently celebrated his birthday.
Admittedly, I could not name more than one song from Jason Mraz before the show. As the night progressed, I recognized several, not realizing who the artist was. Not realizing the level of talent I was listening to. Guitarist, lyricist, dancer, and story teller, Jason Mraz offers it all and delivery is second to none.
As he continues his set, he adds in wit and banter related to each song, or the weather as he cracked a couple tornado jokes. He even ‘Rick Rolled’ the Canandaigua crowd. Introducing a song, he began to talk about a special guest who join in him on stage, as he called out Colbie Caillat, an artist who he has collaborated with previously. After a brief pause, he added “…Could not make it tonight” and immediately went into Rick Astley’s “Never Gonna Give You Up.”
Keeping the jokes going, he offered alternate lyrics to “Pancakes & Butter,” his song about waiting for someone special because they pair well together. Trying to keep straight face, Mraz started singing about Rochester and garbage plates instead of “Pancakes & Butter.” Apparently, the former didn’t flow, and he had to scrap the idea.
As the night concluded with “I Feel Like Dancing,” Mraz was joined on stage with Ripe and they danced the night away. Artists pairing up with each other and creating an amazing scene on stage as the entire crowd is up screaming for more. A very fitting conclusion to a very uplifting show.
Jason Mraz setlist: Getting Started, Feel Good Too, The Remedy (I Won’t Worry), 3 Things, Living in the Moment, Good Old Daze, Be Where Your Feet Are, Look For The Good, Make it Mine, Butterfly, Pancakes & Butter, Disco Sun, 93 Million Miles, I Won’t Give Up, Have It All, You Might Like It, I’m Yours, I Feel Like Dancing
Jon and Alonzo – RipeCalvin & Yogi -RipeCalvin Barthel – RipeAlonzi Demetrius – RipeSampson Hellerman – RipeJon Becker, Robbie Wulfsohn – RipeRobbie Wulfsohn – RipeJon Becker – RipeJason MrazJason MrazJason MrazMolly Miller Jason MrazJason MrazJason MrazJason MrazJason Mraz
On July 13, 1994, while the Grateful Dead drew a reported 60,000 fans to northern Vermont, Phish performed five hours south at Big Birch Ski Area in Patterson, NY to a much smaller crowd who were treated to the musical risk-taking and on stage antics that Phish was slowly becoming known for, barely into their second decade of existence.
Big Birch Ski Area – now known as Thunder Ridge Ski Area – is located in the rural town of Patterson, NY, close to Connecticut border in the northern reaches of Putnam County. Big Birch would host concerts each summer at the base of the mountain hill, with parking at the top of the unimposing slope. Tickets would be purchased at the Lift Ticket window, only $18.50 for tickets at this time.
With a capacity of 6,000 and chill biker security, Phish had played Big Birch previously in 1992, opening up for Santana, but this day would be a vibe check on the growth of Phish in the greater Northeast, especially when the Grateful Dead are playing 45 minutes north of the band’s home.
With such a big show and crowd expected at Highgate, some looked at the show in Patterson as the better option with fewer in attendance and the band rewarding those who made this decision. This small out of the way hill could have easily been overlooked in 1994 for the glitz and glory of all that Dead tour had in store, let alone in such a remote part of Vermont in the middle of the summer. While one band’s star was setting, the other’s was rising, but you might not know this looking subjectively at attendance (despite a capacity of 6,000, there are unconfirmed reports of only 1,000 at this show.) And for Phish, when you snooze on a mid-week show, history shows, you lose.
But for those who attended, they knew to never miss a Wednesday show. A venue that had no permanent seating under the tent did have folding chairs lined up in the front of the venue, zip-tied together. What happened next – well there are two takes on this. First, from Phish.com:
“Fans in the front dissembled the rows of zip-tied folding chairs and stacked them to maximize dancing space.”
or you can take the first hand account of user SoundBoy1 on Phish.net:
“Inside the venue had set up probably 1000 or so folding chairs in the front of the stage. They may have been ziptied together but in no way permanent. As soon as the show started the chairs went flying in every direction including the stage. There were piles of chairs in random spots through out the crowd. They were also being thrown on stage and the band was dodging them. I remember Brad Sands standing a bit offstage and corralling what he could⦠It took awhile for all that to settle down. During It’s Ice you can hear some feedback and Page sounds like he’s fidgeting around a bit. I think that was due to chair chucking. So first set was totally solid but no real hint of what was to go down.”
Either way, Phish fans weren’t going to be seated for this show or have dance space impeded by meager folding chairs. The first set was playful, with a “Buried Alive” right out of the gate and a burst of energy from the “Poor Heart” that followed. Hoist, having been just released in April that year, found “Sample in a Jar” early in the set, followed by two live show staples, “Foam” and “The Mango Song.”
A light jam emerged from the still new “Down with Disease,” Trey sang on megaphone during “Fee” and a pair of Rift songs – “It’s Ice” and “Fast Enough For You” – added to the consistent flow of the show. “I Didn’t Know” would feature Jon Fishman (Greasy Fizeek) on trombone for a change, shifting smoothly into a “Split Open and Melt” that ended the set.
This first set is truly smooth flowing with a big cap ending in the “Melt,” but Set 2 was the treat the fans who followed the lines going south, instead of north. Opening with an unrefined “Possum,” the jam gets weird and stays that way, as the loose jam almost falls apart but is salvaged nicely. “Cavern” started with the typical drum intro, but when the lyrics arose, “Wilson” was sung instead by Trey, leaving the fan (and band?) confused for a moment. A rare mashup for Phish, they weave in and out organically of the two songs, never perfectly but just enough to make this mashup a must listen.
The still new “NICU” bridged the gap to a “Tweezer” that seemed to open up with that part of a “Tweezer” jam right after the lyrics, but moved into the natural progression of the song after that, dialing in after following what could be considered a clumsy entry. Jazzy noodling at the end led into into a slow jam that found its way into an unsuspecting “Julius.” The “Tweezer” jam just seems to keep going if you aren’t watching the time tick from track to track. This isn’t a Bomb Factory “Tweezer” but the slow return would feature a few teases, including “I Know a Little” (Lynyrd Skynyrd) and make way for a country/western version of “Big Black Furry Creature From Mars” that took its time finding the ending of “Tweezer,” eventually.
An ample “Mound” seemed to fit the venue nicely, with “Slave to the Traffic Light” starting very airy with a patient build towards the peak, the “Suzy Greenberg” that followed featuring “Slave” teases from Anastasio. The encore of “My Sweet One” and “Tweezer Reprise” capped the night, maintaining the energy of the first set and the cacophony of the second, a treat for the fans who made the call to see this show in southern New York.
The band would pack up and head west for Finger Lakes Performing Arts Center in Canadaigua (now CMAC), then Jones Beach the night after. Traversing the state for these shows, plus the finale at Sugarbush was prime 1994 Phish, was a treat if you were able to see it in person.
Phish – Big Birch Concert Pavilion, Patterson, NY – July 13, 1994
Set 1: Buried Alive > Poor Heart > Sample in a Jar, Foam, The Mango Song, Down with Disease > Fee[1] -> It’s Ice > Fast Enough for You, I Didn’t Know[2], Split Open and Melt
Set 2: Possum, Cavern -> Wilson[3] -> Cavern > NICU -> Tweezer -> Julius -> Tweezer -> Big Black Furry Creature from Mars[4] -> Tweezer -> Mound > Slave to the Traffic Light > Suzy Greenberg
Encore: My Sweet One > Tweezer Reprise
[1] Trey sang verses through megaphone. [2] Fish on trombone. [3] Played to the tune of Cavern. [4] Unfinished; Played bluegrass style to the tune of Scent of a Mule.
On a perfect summer night for a rock concert, the Red Hot Chili Peppers delivered a sensational sold-out show at Darien Lake Performing Arts Center on Friday, July 12, marking a standout stop on their 2022-2024 Global Stadium Tour.
The concert kicked off with bassist Flea handstand walking over to his bass and immediately jumping into an electrifying and psychedelic jam with guitarist John Frusciante and drummer Chad Smith. This set an upbeat tone that seamlessly transitioned into “Around the World” as vocalist Anthony Kiedis took the stage to a massive roar.
From the very start, the band’s energy was at full blast, capturing the crowd’s enthusiasm. Fan-favorite “Dani California” followed, turning the amphitheater into a sea of singing and dancing.
The setlist showcased the Chili Peppers’ versatility, balancing timeless hits with fresh material. “The Zephyr Song” offered mellow vibes, while “Aquatic Mouth Dance” introduced a new, experimental flavor. The crowd was treated to a heartfelt cover of “I Remember You” by The Ramones, a nod to the band’s punk influences.
The performance continued to build momentum with “Hey” and the band followed up with another Ramones cover, “Havana Affair,” keeping the energy high. The raw power of “Suck My Kiss” and the emotive “Soul to Squeeze” provided a mix of intensity and introspection. The anthem-like “Carry Me Home” led into fan favorite “Californication,” which had the entire amphitheater singing along.
The night’s encore began with a stirring rendition of “Under the Bridge” and concluding on a high note with “Give It Away”, capping off a night of high-energy rock and funk.
The Red Hot Chili Peppers’ performance at Darien Lake was a testament to their long career and legacy. Their setlist combined classic hits with newer tracks, ensuring a memorable experience for fans. The band’s dynamic stage presence and ability to create an engaging atmosphere reinforced their status as one of rock’s most enduring and exciting acts.
Red Hot Chili Peppers – Darien Lake Performing Arts Center, Darien Center, NY – Friday, July 12, 2024
Setlist: Intro Jam, Around the World, Dani California, The Zephyr Song, Aquatic Mouth Dance, Universally Speaking, I Remember You (Ramones cover), Eddie, Hey, Right on Time, Havana Affair (Ramones cover), Suck My Kiss, Soul to Squeeze, Carry Me Home, Californication, Black Summer, By the Way Encore: Under the Bridge, Give It Away
Brooklyn based soul-pop artists Lake Street Dive made their triumphant return to Beak & Skiff on Sunday, July 7. The Beak & Skiff veterans have been long embraced by the Central New York community.
Lake Street Dive was one of the first to bring live music back to the area during the Covid-19 pandemic, with a run of three consecutive shows at the venue in 2021. They are currently touring in support of their eighth studio album, Good Together.
The evening kicked off under crystal clear blue skies and warm temperatures, with a set by Alisa Amador, who won NPR Music’s Tiny Desk Contest in 2022, and dazzled the crowd with her blend of Spanish infused folk music. Amador’s powerful yet soothing vocals danced through out the already filled orchard valley and kept captive hold of the audience through out the 40 minute set. Late in her set, Amador paid tribute to Radiohead, with her own rendition of “High and Dry.”
The familiar opening synths of “Good Together” (the title track on the band’s latest release) kicked off Lake Street Dive’s set. The band immediately had the densely packed audience swaying and dancing, following the lead of singer and front-woman Rachael Price. Price enamored the audience with her charismatic stage presence as she strutted and danced across the stage, never missing a vocal beat. She took a seat and twirled at a makeshift bar on stage during “Seats at the Bar”, and even brought bystanders from side stage to center stage to dance along with her during the appropriately named “Dance with a Stranger.”
While much of the allure of seeing Lake Street Dive in concert is the fun and energetic set, perhaps the highlight on this evening was during “Twenty-Five,” the somber piano-ballad off the band’s latest release. Price’s vocals soared in perfect harmony with her bandmates during the emotional track, which likely left few dry eyes through out the audience.
Lake Street Dive would return to their high energy ways, closing their Beak & Skiff set with the Hall & Oates classic, “Rich Girl” and the band’s own fan favorite “Good Kisser”. The latter track’s catchy chorus allowed Price’s vocals to soar through out the LaFayette Valley one last time.
Starting back in 2002 with a lineup that included Aretha Franklin, Norah Jones, and Sonny Rollins, the CGI Rochester International Jazz Festival continued in 2024 for it’s 21st edition with acts that included Taj Mahal, Sheila E., John Oates, and Christone “Kingfish” Ingram.
John Oates
Hosting over 1,700 artists from 15 countries at 20 venues, Rochester was transformed into a music mecca from June 21-29, as the annual music festival took to the streets surrounding Eastman School of Music.
With The famed music school in the heart of the festival, they provided three stages for use during for incoming acts. Kodak Hall at Eastman Theatre, Hatch Recital Hall, and Kilbourn Hall, all of which are housed in the same building along the makeshift Jazz St.
Kodak Hall is the largest of the venues, and played host this year to Taj Mahal, John Oates, Lee Ritenour, Laufey, and Samara Joy as headliners. While Mahal and Ritenour each garnered a respectable crowd the first weekend it was Laufey and Joy who each packed Kodak Hall, with fans lining up shoulder to shoulder to get their seats.
Rochester Regional Big Tent
Laufey, who hails from ReykjavÃk, Iceland, has risen to stardom in recent years after playing with Iceland Symphony Orchestra at 15 and competing on regional variations of The Voice and Got Talent. Winner of 2024 Grammy for Best Traditional Pop Vocal Album for Bewitched, she amazed the sellout crowd with her classic and smooth jazzy voice. A sound that transports the listener back in time where you had to adjust the AM dial manually. Bringing the classic jazz sounds to Gen Z fans, Laufey mixes in some pop music layers that keeps her audience on their toes, regardless of age. In the days after the show, I could still hear fans talking about her and how they can’t wait to see her again, or how it was one of the highlights of their week.
Samara Joy made her third trip to Rochester for the festival, this time as a headlining act. The Brooklyn native has played the previous two years on smaller stages and packed the house each time, so it only seemed fit that she played the Kodak Hall. Fans were packing the theatre for nearly 45 minutes prior to showtime, as they eagerly awaited the three-time Grammy winner to grace the stage.
With refined vocals and strong comparisons to the likes of Ella Fitzgerald and Billie Holiday, Joy has delivered top tier performances three years in a row for the Rochester crowd, and she shows no signs of letting off the gas as she continues her current tour.
Playing to a much smaller crowd than other headliners, John Oates came into Rochester, and delivered an outstanding performance to the group of lucky fans who dedicated their time. Half of the 70s and 80s powerhouse Hall and Oates, the latter played a simple set of Americana/Roots, sounding like a rustic Mark Knopfler. With each song, came a story. A story of how a song became what it is, or a personal story like showing up to a meeting with a bucket list recording artist, while still recovering from a night in the Big Easy. A relic of a bygone era, John Oates needs to be on your concert wish list in 2024. Tour Dates
In addition to Kodak Hall, Hatch Recital Hall and Kilbourn Hall both hosted a series of shows with nothing less than excellence during each performance. Hatch Recital Hall is a classic hall with a handful of balcony seats available. The smallest of three theatres, Hatch offers incredible acoustics throughout and played host to some great piano pieces and woodwind sounds. Featured acts here included Franck Amsallem, Bill Charlap, and Connie Han.
Eastman Theatre
Kilbourn has more of an old world feel to it, and lends itself to little more diverse acts. ARTEMIS, Edmar Castaneda, and Django Festival All Stars were just a few of the amazing acts to serenade patrons of the hall.
Castaneda is a Columbian born harpist, who plays the piece flawlessly while laughing and having the time of his life. Not something you see or hear every day, the harp delivers majestic sounds with every strum that left the crowd in awe. Accompanying Castaneda on stage were a drummer who offered simple background beats, and a flutist who matched sounds perfectly as the show moved on.
Django All Stars (Samson Schmitt on lead guitar, Pierre Blanchard on violin, Ludovic Beier on accordion and accordion, Antonio Licusati on bass, Franko Mehrstein on rhythm guitar) played both Kilbourn Hall and Rochester Regional Big Tent across the street. For the smaller venues, each of these performances were nothing less than amazing and easily one of my favorites to watch. With duals that rivaled the banjos in Deliverance, this stellar group of artists bring the music of Django Reinhardt into the modern era and put their own spin on it in the process.
Moving on the smaller venues, The Wilder Room has become a go to spot for festival goers in recent years. A former club for affluent locals, the Wilder Room offers a beautiful space for music. Great acoustics with the open floorplan and high ceilings, Levin Brothers, Twisted Pine, and CMD were among the acts that graced the stage. CMD made their presense know on the last night of the festival and did not disappoint. I spoke with a couple fans who stayed late on this night just to see the band for second time. A trio of local musicians, CMD (Casey Filliaci, Mark Terranova, and Dave Cohen) delivers a jazzy spin on 80s pop and rock hits from artists like Peter Gabriel, Sting, and Lou Gramm that make the listeners hear an old favorite in a new way. All three musicians have other projects in the mix, but seem to have the right connection here and will have an album coming out in December.
âJazz isn’t a style…it’s a feeling.â
C. Filiaci
Christ Church, tucked right inside the festival perimeter, is a hidden gem of venues. Darker in mood, the acoustics are truly amazing, as Alex Hitchcock, Andy Milne & Unison, and Kaisa’s Machine were able to create sounds that resonated all around the church walls and left patrons yearning for more.
While this nine-day affair was focused on music, you can’t have a festival without food. Enter food trucks. Grilled cheese, poutine, mac and cheese, and meatballs were just a sampling of the culinary delights you had to choose from. Local staples like Macarollin and The Meatball Truck Co were on site and always had a line. Newer trucks like Roc Dilla Food Truck and MelttruckROC came in this week and put Macarollin and The Meatball Truck on notice. Roc Dilla was the run-away winner for me, with quite possibly the best quesadilla I have ever had. Perfectly crisped shell with cheese blend and pork carnitas on the inside and then drizzled with homemade ‘dilla’ sauce and fried tortilla strips. Classically served with pico de gallo and sour cream, this quesadilla will give you the jazz hands as you head to your next destination.
MacarollinRoc DillaMelt Truck Roc
As the festival hits day five, a new stage is erected on the grounds known as Parcel 5. The site of a former shopping center, Parcel 5 is now an empty lot that politicians and local developers fight over almost on monthly basis about what to do with it. Currently, there is nothing permanent there for activities, and it has been used for the Jazz Festival for the past seven or eight years, always drawing large crowds. Sponsored by mega grocery store, Wegmans Food Markets, these shows are all free, all the time. Surrounded by more food and beer trucks, the grounds become a gathering place for music fans and anyone who just wants to let loose. Artimus Pyle, Trombone Shorty, Bruce Hornsby, and Robin Thicke have drawn huge crowds in recent years. 2024 brought an amazing lineup that included Sheila E., Miller and The Other Sinners, Cimafunk, and Jon Cleary.
Shiela E. is no stranger to Rochester, as she has played this festival on multiple occasions, and still amazes anyone who shows up. Miller and The Other Sinners have made themselves known in Western NY in recent years and played to an amped up crowd. Bluesy, jazzy, and folky, David Miller heads the band with authority and everyone on stage plays up to the energy level set forth.
The best act from this stage has to be Cimafunk, where Afro-Cuban Rock is the name of the game and Erik Alejandro Iglesias RodrÃguez knocked it out of the park with ease. Backed by an energetic group of eight fellow Cubans, Cimafunk’s music forces fans to get up and get moving before they can even think about it. Drawing inspiration from George Clinton, James Brown, and Prince, Cimafunk is more than just street beats, its a vibe like you have never heard before. A couple fans I encountered from Syracuse have taken road trips and even cruises to experience the shows. Look for them near you, and if you like to dance, you need to go see them.
For 21 years, the CGI Rochester International Jazz Festival has graced downtown with a wide variety of musical talent from all over the world. Free shows, ticketed shows, workshops, fun, and food are all a part of what has made this event grow tremendously over the years. All this is thanks to producers and founder John Nugent and Marc Iacona who have worked tirelessly to build the festival to what it is today. 2025 will be here before you know it, so make plans now for June 20-28.
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Western New York’s summer got a little brighter as Norah Jones’ latest tour with Mavis Staples blew through CMAC in Canandaigua and ArtPark in Lewiston on July 5th and 6th, despite the rains pouring down Friday night in Canandaigua.
Gospel legend, civil rights icon and sole surviving and torch-bearing Staples Singer, Mavis Staples and her band of bass, drums, guitar and backup singers, took the stage first. She needed assistance walking to the front of the stage, and took some breaks with a seat and some sips of tea in between songs, but when the mic was in front of her, she was a ball of fire. The stage, and the entire venue, was in her control.
Her voice, gravelly and soulful, belted out affirmations of love, for oneself, others, and of course God. Like a preacher from the pulpit, in case you missed the message, she repeated it a couple more times in her banter.
The set mixed Staples classics like “I’m Just a Soldier,” and “Heavy Makes Too Happy,” with Gospel standards like “I Belong to the Band, Hallelujah!” and more contemporary rock hits like Funkadelic’s “Can You Get to That” and the Talking Heads’ “Slippery People.” Mavis molded these latter tunes to her will, secular messages becoming spiritual. “What’s the matter with him? He’s alright. How do you know? The Lord won’t mind.” hits a little different coming from mouth of Mavis Staples than it does from David Byrne.
As Mavis was helped back off stage after her 45 minutes, she and her band received a rare and well-deserved opening-set standing ovation. One performance from a legendary lady in the books, one more to come.
After a short break, Norah Jones took the stage with Brian Blade behind the drums and Josh Lattanzi on bass, opening their set with “What Am I To You” off Jones’ second album Feels Like Home. Then just minutes in, Mavis Staples came back out to perform “I’ll Be Gone” which she recorded with Jones in 2019. Certainly an early-set show highlight to be blessed with both iconic voices playing off each other. Pete Remm, who wrote the song, was also on board on organ for that and off and on for the remainder of the show.
With that out of the way, Jones’ invited the rest of her band out, Sasha Dobson on guitar and vocals and Sami Stevens on keys and vocals. They kicked into some material from her stellar new release, Visions, with “Paradise” and “Running” before dropping back to early hit “Sunrise.”
The set continued to span her entire catalog, each song it’s own gift. Perfect little moments of musical joy popped out here and there, each tied off in a colorful bow, like from the streamers hanging as a backdrop. A singular smile-inducing note to close “Running,” beautifully bowed bass in “Sunrise,” Blade’s infectious groove in “Staring at the Wall,” the three-part vocal round on “I’m Awake.” Attentive ears were rewarded with these plentiful gifts throughout the night.
As Staples could bend a songs meaning to her will, Jones could likewise bend entire genres to her will. On the hushed and haunting “Little Broken Hearts,” she took on an indie-rock persona, strapping on a guitar. Then on “Queen of the Sea” she was belting out a country ballad. Her classic “Come Away With Me” was stripped back to the trio, with spare upright bass notes and subtle drums, it was Jones at her jazziest, taking control with her piano and voice. But she isn’t a rocker, singer/songwriter, country crooner, jazz musician or pop star. She’s Norah Jones and there’s no one else sounding quite like her.
She waited until the encore for the lone cover of the night, Tom Waits’ “Long Way Home,” before closing out the night properly with her classic hit “Don’t Know Why,”
Note: Review from CMAC, all photos from ArtPark by Patrick Sone Lin Htoo.
CMAC Setlist: What I Am To You, I’ll Be Gone (with Mavis Staples), Running, Sunrise, Begin Again, Tragedy, I’m Awake, I Just Wanna Dance, Out on the Road, Little Broken Hearts, Queen of the Sea, Staring at the Wall, Come Away With Me, All This Time, Happy Pills, Carry On E:ncore Long Way Home (Tom Waits), Don’t Know Why
Sun Ra Arkestra band leader and saxophonist Marshall Allen has lived on Earth for a century, but on Saturday night at Opus 40, he pointed to the sky and asked the sold-out crowd “why can’t we go somewhere there?” suggesting he’s still not done with his exploratory, interplanetary jazz mission.
On the Arkestra’s second of two nights headlining Opus 40, part of an eclectic series from Hudson Valley promoters Chosen Family Presents, the 17 piece big band played an energetic 100 minute set, and the 100-year-old Allen never let up for a minute. His ostinato, high-register alto sax and NASA-approved EVI synth sax playing excited the crowd who were in reverent awe of the living legend.
And while recent pieces about Allen’s 100th birthday have populated the pages of The New Yorker and The New York Times, and have certainly enhanced his celebrity, Marshall Allen is pretty much the same musician he’s always been – an acolyte and torch bearer for the life’s work of his old boss Sun Ra. Perhaps that’s why Allen closed the night with this message: “Going to outer space as fast as I can. Ain’t got time to shake your hand.”
It’s hard to shake hands when you’re busy wailing on the sax and tapping your feet. And, let’s face it, the Arkestra isn’t really about one player: it’s an ensemble of the first order, and perhaps the most colorful one going. Adorned in the brightest of future-Egyptians-from-space garb, each member of the Arkestra added his or her individual hue to a melting pot of American, world, and extraterrestrial music. Only the Arkestra can vacillate genres so easily, from free jazz to New Orleans second line to Afro-Futurism to deep blues, to the sound of pure, carefree joy encapsulated in the divine vocals of Tara Middleton.
While it was a hot and muggy day, the evening shade was pleasant and the setlist included a number of shout outs to the cooperation of Mother Nature. While night one was punctuated by some rain, Saturday’s weather got cooler as the band got hotter. Lyrical references to sunsets, sunshine, and the open sky only seemed to help things. And while the band is largely composed of older men, the audience was diverse in age. Children danced alongside parents and hipsters sat on blankets next to aging Deadheads – it was a reminder that Sun Ra music is wonderfully uniting. You can parse it for its academic significance to avant-garde music and the Black experience, or you can let your mind go entirely and just shake your ass to the polyrhythms as the band encouraged in “Carefree”.
Aside from Middleton’s exceptional performance, it’s important to note another member of the Arkestra who stole my attention for long periods of the set. Knoel Scott’s fiery performance on alto sax, baritone sax, conga drum, and vocals stood out. For a number of years now, Scott (who actually played with Sun Ra back in the 80s) has been the de-facto music director and it was fun to watch him signal for the trombones to punctuate a repeating-phrase, or when he called the band back to the head. The guy was intense in the best way possible, with his eyes often rolling back in his head and he attacked his conga drum. At one point, he was noticeably perturbed that the band (who might have been having a little issue with their monitors early in the set) didn’t end a tune together. But, this was just the galactic forces having some fun because one of the lyrical themes of the night was “What do you do when you know that you’re wrong? You’ve got to face the music. You’ve got to listen to the cosmic song” and “You made a mistake. Make another mistake and do something right”.
There were far more “right moments” than mistakes during Saturday’s set. Pretty much every time the group went into “big band mode” for the head of a tune, it was striking just how loud and dynamic the horns were. Trumpeter Cecil Brooks took a number of fine solos and bassist Tyler Mitchell had several shining moments where his soulful walking bass lines ignited the rest of the group. Younger band members Anthony Nelson (baritone sax) and Robert Stringer (trombone) also impressed. Nelson enhanced the low end all night, doubling basslines. Stringer’s solo with a mute late in the set was a particular crowd pleaser. Farid Mitchell also did more than a yeoman’s job as the Sun Ra stand-in on keyboards, especially when he played some rad organ sounds in the set-closer while wearing an incredible mask (my vote for the best Arkestra stage costume).
As for the compositions, the Sun Ra-written hard bop composition “Dancing Shadows” was an exceptional blend of Arkestra poly-rhythm percussion, a tightly played head, and trumpet and alto solos that dipped their toes into the avant-garde stratosphere. The current incarnation of the Arkestra plays jazz a lot more “in” than “out” with Allen adding the “free” elements as more of a garnish than a main dish. Certainly adventurous Ra adherents know that exploring Arkestra albums is sonic adventuring of th first order. Some albums are pretty straight and others send your ears to Jupiter. Those seeking to hear a well-recorded version of “Dancing Shadows” might take a look at the Sun Ra release on ESP-Disk “Nothing Is…”. The album (a personal favorite) features an excellent live performance from a 1966 tour of New York State colleges.
“Boma”, a Marshall Allen composition inspired by a river in Congo, was also a noteworthy moment for a couple of reasons. The piece only exists in the repertoire of the Arkestra in the “under the direction of Marshall Allen” era and it’s a reminder that this particular group of musicians have released a few stellar records in their own right that not only carry on a tradition but have mined new asteroid belts and continue to write. “Boma” is African-influenced and it sounds timeless like much of this music. It could be ancient or from the year 2250, it’s hard to say. What it shares with the Sun Ra music of the past is percussion that extends beyond the jazz cannon and into the African continent in particular (it’s kind of like the music the Arkestra was playing in the early 80s with Salah Ragab and the Cairo Jazz Band and not all that far removed from the reverie of artists like Fela Kuti who just relentlessly groove).
During the show, I saw a fair amount of people rocking t-shirts with stealies, skulls, and roses on them and I was struck by just how much the live music of The Grateful Dead shares with the Arkestra. Even though the bands operate in different genres, their most analogous characteristics are their emphasis on collective improvisation, which makes it so fun to watch various members of the group to see just exactly how they are coloring the mix. Both groups also have an incredible ability to hold an audience in the palm of their hand. At times the music may fall short of expectations, but when it’s firing, like it was during “Carefree” towards the end of Sun Ra Arkestra’s set, the divide between performers and audience crumble and EVERYONE knows that the music is right. You can see it on the faces of the musicians and you can turn around and see that just about everyone is out of their lawn chairs and dancing. It’s a special kind of magic, especially when you’re on top of a mountain in a gorgeous sculpture park like Opus 40.
And like bearded Bobby Weir, Marshall Allen is a mainline back to the origin of Sun Ra, an American original just like Jerry. Just as Jerry took his roots in bluegrass and folk music and mined new territory in psychedelic rock music, Sun Ra left a world of big band jazz standards and oddball lounge music in search of something bigger, more spiritual, and decidedly weirder (and consequently more original).
Let’s be glad that Marshall Allen continues to play and preserve this music so that new ears can fall down the wormhole of endless recordings that the Arkestra left behind. And what’s more, let’s celebrate that this music can still be shared in person, where the experience is transcendent, immediate, and always unexpected.
Marshall Allen is here on Earth, but only to remind us that space is the place. His final frontier feels distant yet, and I’m ecstatic that because of his recent birthday, his star is burning brighter than ever.
Setlist: Face the Music, Sunology, Dancing Shadows, Dorothy’s Dance, Love in Outer Space, Boma, Make Another Mistake, Space is the Place/If We Came From Nowhere Here, Blues Jam, Care Free, Watch the Sunshine
Greenwich Entertainment has released the documentary Revival69: The Concert That Rocked the World in select theaters across the US and on streaming platforms. The film tells the story of the 1969 Toronto Rock and Roll Revival festival, and how two friends inadvertently changed the course of music history forever. This festival single-handedly cemented the legendary status of classic acts, highlighted up-and-comers, and ended the greatest act in music history. With a mix of archival footage, slick animation, and artist interviews, Revival69 captures the energy of its titular festival without sacrificing any details.
Award-winning filmmaker Ron Chapman directs bringing his concert film expertise. Chapman has previously collaborated with Madonna, U2, Sting, and Lady Gaga on his documentary Who the F**K Is Arthur Fogel, bringing him much acclaim. This acclaim has continued with the release of Revival69, winning Best International Feature at the Florida Film Festival. Additionally it was officially selected at the SXSW Festival.
Revival 69 Synopsis
For much of the 1960s, Toronto was not on the map musically. Despite this, two friends were dead set on bringing touring acts to their city. 22 year old John Brower and 23 year old Ken Walker decided to take matters into their own hands when it came to booking acts. The duo started an independent promotion business to bring their favorite artists to Toronto. By 1969, their dreams had become a reality with the duo organizing the Toronto Pop Festival. Legends like the Velvet Underground and Chuck Berry all performed at the first major pop festival in Canadian History.
Building off the success of this festival, the duo immediately began to plan a new event for the fall. While the pop festival was a rapturous success, this new festival’s planning was anything but. The spark for Rock and Roll Revival was purely coincidental, with Brower realizing that some of the biggest names of 1950s rock were all available on the same day – September 13th. The plan from there was simple: book these legendary acts and wait for audiences to flock to Toronto for a historic concert. With Chuck Berry, Jerry Lee Lewis, Bo Diddley and more, who wouldn’t want to see the concert? This however was not the outcome, with the festival planning proving the maxim “anything that can go wrong will go wrong.”
As it turns out, not as many people wanted to see these acts as expected. Brewer and Walker had only sold 2,000 tickets – 7,000 fewer than needed to break even. Needing a headliner, Brower contacted the Doors, who were riding high off the success of their no. 1 hit “Hello I Love You.” This, however, only added to Brower’s issues. The Doors requested $25,000, which Brower did not have, forcing him to borrow money from a local motorcycle gang. On top of this, the Doors soon had to deal with legal issues, as Jim Morrison faced felony indecent exposure charges, leading to a cancellation of all shows.
Enter John Lennon
In a hail mary, Brower and Walker called John Lennon‘s office in London. This point marks a shift in tone for the rest of the documentary. While anxiety still exists in the background, pieces slowly begin to fall into place, with the Rock and Roll Revival seeming more and more likely to succeed. Through the assurances of mutual friends, Lennon eventually agrees to perform in Toronto. This sequence of the film is brought to life by office recordings of John Lennon, humanizing such a legendary figure, and bringing a needed authenticity to these interactions.
Art of the Plastic Ono band from Revival69
Lennon – who had not performed live in years – needed a new band. Much like the haphazard planning of the Revival festival, the formation of the Plastic Ono Band was equally chaotic. Viewers see Lennon alongside Yoko Ono, bassist Klaus Voorman, Drummer Alan White of Yes, and Eric Clapton band together for the first edition of the group. Despite having a large festival scheduled, the group never rehearsed together until they were on the plane heading to Toronto. This sequence feels straight out of a superhero movie, with these legendary artists banding together to form a true supergroup . Additionally, it features small artistic flourishes for keen viewers. Whether it is Voorman’s Revolver-esque drawings of the group, or the instrumental for “Roundabout” playing during White’s introduction, music fans will take joy in these little details.
Revival Comes to Life
Cutting to the day of the festival, the documentary truly comes to life. The driving force for the rest of the film is archival footage from documentarian D.A. Pennebaker and camerawoman Molly Davis. During Bo Diddley’s set, the footage shows audiences smiling, smoking, and dancing without a care in the world. With the anxiety and fear that marks the first half of the film, this footage is a cathartic release. Audiences can see that all of the gambles and hard-work going into the festival actually paid off.
The high-point of these classic performances comes from Chuck Berry. Berry was known for assembling rag-tag backing bands in each city he traveled to. The footage shows Berry enter alongside the teenage members of the local band Nucleus. Berry calls out to the audience “Ole” and “Peace,” ramping up the energy more and more. Then without saying what song will be played or what key it is in, Berry bursts into song. The footage of this set does a spectacular job at visual storytelling. At the beginning of the set, you can see drummer Danny Taylor with fear in his eyes trying to keep up with Berry. After a few songs, however, things begin to click, and following a single chef’s kiss motion from Berry, you can see the band begin to mesh like they had been playing together for years.
Chuck Berry’s performance from D.A. Pennebaker’s footage
The festival was not just classic acts, also acting as a springboard for one of the greatest names in rock. Brower needed to find a backing band for rockabilly so Gene Vincent enlisted the help of Arizona’s Alice Cooper. Chapman’s direction alongside Pennebaker’s film does an amazing job illustrating the energy and sheer horror of Alice Cooper’s set. As Cooper recalled, they were the underdogs of the show, so had to make their time on stage count. On top of playing scorching proto-metal, Cooper turned the stage into a battleground. He fought with his bandmates, hammered the stage, and sprayed a feather pillow out into the crowd. Interview with singer and audience-member Claudia Barry illustrates the atmosphere of the moment, recalling feeling like “Somebody’s gonna die.”
Alice Cooper’s set illustrates another strength of the film: making the legendary feel human. Throughout the segment, there is a comical back and forth between Cooper and agent Shep Gordon. Their interaction – strangely enough – revolved around a chicken in a pillowcase. Gordon thought it would be funny to release it on stage during Cooper’s set. Cooper, seeing the chicken, decided to throw it assuming that chickens could fly away. It did not fly, and rather plummeted into the crowd, spawning rumors of Cooper’s chicken killing spectacles at concerts. In an interview, Cooper still fights back, saying Gordon refuses to admit he released the chicken. Little flourishes like this help bring a sense of levity and humanity to such a big event.
Alice Cooper’s infamous chicken throw
Lennon Finds Peace
The highlight of the festival – and the film – is John Lennon’s much-anticipated performance. Lennon, despite being the biggest star of the era, is mortified to go out on stage. The archival footage shows him throwing up before the performance, really humanizing Lennon. Despite his anxieties, he alongside the Plastic Ono Band emerged to deafening applause and a sea of candles throughout the crowd. The applause however, died out quickly, as Yoko Ono began to sing. As bassist Klaus Voorman recalled, someone “must have stepped on a nail or something.” Despite the cold reception, John stuck by Yoko throughout the set, hugging her and yelling at the audience to “Wake up” and realize the artistic merit of her performance. These small acts of devotion and love really help to humanize a couple as legendary as John and Yoko.
Voorman provides a thought-provoking monologue through this portion of the film, set alongside a montage of the Vietnam war. This marks a stark contrast with the rest of the film, being much more somber and even bone-chilling at points. Voorman recalls the performance clicking, realizing the duality of Lennon and Ono. He realized that as Lennon sang “Give Peace a Chance,” offering hope for the future, Ono howled with her classically-trained voice, reflecting the current death and destruction of the Vietnam war, with both of these halves coming together to form a truly moving reflection on the war.
Leaving the stage, Lennon immediately announced to his bandmates that he was leaving the Beatles. He had found a new band, a new identity, and a new lease on life, and wanted to move into a new era of his career. Ending on such a big piece of music history like this really works to wrap up the film well. At its heart, the Toronto Rock and Roll Revival was a pet project between two friends that was not assured to succeed. Despite countless monetary, legal, and booking issues that threatened to derail the show, it somehow persevered. Through this perseverance, Brower and Walker inadvertently ended the Beatles, bringing about a symbolic end to the 1960s, and moving rock into a new era.
“When we played at the Rock n’ Roll Revival show in Toronto…it was exciting for John because he felt he didn’t need to live up to the Beatles mystique…we had total freedom”
– Yoko Ono, 2020
Review
In conclusion, Revival69: The Concert That Rocked the World brings one of the most momentous nights in rock history to life. Pennebaker’s superb archival footage displays the utter joy of both the performers and audience. This combined with interviews from organizers, performers, and audience members weaves a complex tapestry. These interviews are the emotional backbone of the film’s compelling narrative. Overall, Revival69 is a perfect film for lovers of 1950s and 60s rock, history, or live performances more generally.
The film is now playing at Manhattan’s New Plaza Cinema for a limited time. Additionally, the film is available to rent or buy on Amazon Prime Video.
The fourth edition of the Summer Gods Tour 2024 with Arizona, Yellowcard and the headliner Third Eye Blind took action at the Darien Lake Amphitheater on July 3.
The evening at Darien Lake opened up with pop rock and electropop band Arizona carrying out a sensational performance, warming up the crowd and they handed over to the 90’s rock band Yellowcard.
“Lights and Sounds” was the opening song from Yellowcard, greeted by fans. Punk rock music stirred up the crowd as they played “Cut Me, Mick”, “Southern Air”, “One Bedroom”, “Keeper”, “The Hurt Is Gone”, “Lift a Sail”. They ended the show with “Ocean Avenue”, set the audience to enjoy the head liner Third Eye Blind.
Third Eye Blind, fronted by Stephan Jenkins, showcasing their musical talent and fascinating stage performance. Opening with iconic song “Motorcycle Drive By”, the band instantly had the crowd singing along the lyrics. After they performed “Shipboard Cook”, the band took a short break to start an acoustic session.
Jenkins played an acoustic solo after the song “Slow motion”, and Brad, the drummer, played awesome drum solo at the end of the song “Jumper”. As they ended the show with “How’s It Going To Be”, the crowd erupted into cheers, marking the end of a memorable evening.
Summer Gods Tour with Third Eye Blind, Yellowcard and Arizona will keep taking these amazing bands across the country. More info can be found here.
Third Eye Blind Setlist: Motorcycle Drive By, Dust Storm, Never Let You Go, Narcolepsy, The Kids Are Coming(To Take You Down), Wolf Like Me/ Company of Strangers, Graduate, Wounded, Weightless / Faster / Water Landing, Shipboard Cook, The Background(Acoustic), Palm Reader(Acoustic), Slow Motion(Stephan Solo Acoustic), Jumper (Brad Drum Solo at end), Semi-Charmed Life Encore: How’s it Going to Be
Yellowcard Setlist: Lights and Sound, Cut Me, Mick, Only One, Southern Air, Transmission Home, One Bedroom, Lift a Sail, Childhood Eyes, Keeper, Be The Young, The Hurt Is Gone, Ocean Avenue.
