Nearly a dozen Central New York songwriters gathered at the Capitol Theater in Rome on Sunday, November 10 to participate in Guitars Along the Mohawk. The musical showcase was a reboot of the popular Mohawk Vally television show which aired in the late 1980s. In keeping with tradition, the event was filmed for a future television release.
The event served as a benefit for the Capitol Theater. The picturesque theater, which opened in 1928, has been the beneficiary of a focused renovation project over the last several years, and remains a staple in the performing arts scene for the region.
Among the musicians performing on Sunday included Gridley Paige, Sydney Irving, Cassandra Harris-Lockwood with Mark Kelsey, Mark Macri with Ed Gotham, Justin Smithson, Katie Keating, Rocky Feola, Bill Carman with Scott Fleming, and Rose n’ Thorne. Ed Gorham and and Danny Holmes (Rose n Thorne) performed at the original event in 1987. Each act was given fifteen minutes to showcase their talents.
The Guitars Along the Mohawk television special will air in early 2025. Stay tuned for additional details.
Trees of green, red roses, and timeless jazz standards await audiences in Andrew Delaplaine and Christopher Renshaw’s “A Wonderful World”. The new Broadway presentation of Louis Armstrong’s personal life and music career opened at Studio 54 on November 12th.
James Monroe Iglehart in “A Wonderful World”. Photo by Jeremy Daniel
As I took my seat at Studio 54, it was clear that the audience was a mixed bag of casual listeners, broadway lovers, jazz enthusiasts, and Louis Armstrong superfans. No matter what group each person fell into, we all knew at least one detail of Louis Armstrong’s story: the instantly identifiable tone of his voice.
From the very first word of Aurin Squire’s book, it was clear that star and co-Director James Monroe Iglehart was able to channel Armstrong and imitate the gravelly tone with great precision. He fully embodies the icon in both his captivating vocals and his dialogue, the latter of which volleys seamlessly between dramatic and comedic throughout the production.
As the story unfolds, we find that Squire’s book takes a brilliant approach to Armstrong’s biography, choosing to utilize the legend’s four wives to advance the plot through the 50+ years that are covered on stage. Each romance marks the beginning of a new chapter on the Studio 54 stage in a fast-paced narrative. This format not only lends itself well to walking the audience through Armstrong’s life and career, but it also treats us to four strong leading women.
Most notably, Darlesia Cearcy, last seen on a Broadway stage earlier this year in “How To Dance In Ohio,” delivers a masterful performance as Louis Armstrong’s fourth and final wife Lucille Watson. Cearcy gives such a wide range of emotion in her lines that makes her one of the most well developed characters in the show despite the fact that she is not introduced until after intermission.
James Monroe Iglehart and Darlesia Cearcy in “A Wonderful World”. Photo by Jeremy Daniel
While the cast delivered an excellent performance, I was most impressed by a duo who was never on stage. Set Designers Adam Koch and Steven Royal somehow created a stage that was both simple and sophisticated, vintage and modern, and all around perfect for this story. The versatile scenery masterfully uses one stage design to carry audiences from jazz clubs to dining rooms to tour buses and beyond with very few changes between scenes.
“A Wonderful World”. Photo by Jeremy Daniel
Overall, “A Wonderful World” delicately walks the line between a feel-good musical and an American history lesson. The beautiful set, joyous music, and captivating drama are sure to entertain audiences through their bright blessed days and their dark sacred nights.
On this blustery evening, Kendall Street Company brought the crowd to attention with a full band sound chocked with the influence of jam and alt rock from the late 1990s. A cover of ZZ Top’s “La Grange” was a key energy-driver, followed by an odd yet fun final song performed in the persona of a German band, Sauerkraut. Catch them at the Westcott Theatre on December 5 and Mercury Lounge December 21-22.
After a 30 minute break, Pigeons Playing Ping Pong – singer/guitarist Greg Ormont, guitarist Jeremy Schon, bassist Ben Carrey, and drummer Alex Petropulos – took to the stage for an opening funk trio of tunes to start the night, “Henrietta,” “Live It Up,” and Red Hot Chili Peppers’ “Around The World.” The quartet who formed in 2007 at University of Maryland are workhorses pushing well into their 17th year with no signs of slowing down. Sustained funk jams were moderated by mixed improv that was anything but formulaic.
A little something for Star Wars fans, “The Imperial March” was sandwiched inside “White Night,” and for giant ape fans, “King Kong” followed. A crowd ranging widely in ages from Gen X to Gen Z was dancing along to every song, grinning when the thumping rhythm section vibrated the floors of Empire Live.
Frequent collaborator, saxophonist Lee Ross, joined the band for “J-Town” and stuck around as Jake Vanaman (Kendall Street Company) joined on sax for “F.U.” Driving rock peaks from “Feed the Fire” gave way to “Julia,” which while chill to start, embarked into a surprisingly complex jam to end the set. An encore of “Fun in Funk” was the last piece of the puzzle for Pigeons Playing Ping Pong this evening in Albany.
Pigeons Playing Ping Pong – Empire Live, Albany – Friday, November 8, 2024
Setlist: Henrietta > Live It Up > Around The World, White Night > The Imperial March > White Night, King Kong, My Own Way, Distant Times, J-Town* > F.U.*^, Feed The Fire, Julia Encore: Fun in Funk * w/ Lee Ross on alto saxophone ^ w/ Jake Vanaman (Kendall Street Company) on tenor saxophone
It was an intimate evening at the Ballroom. Normally the pit and first landing areas are standing room only GA. Tonight was a little different with reserved seating replacing those areas.
As the lights went down the packed room was ready, and absolutely erupted when the band took the stage. After a 13-year absence from the area, they let the band know they were missed. And take notice they did, with some big smiles on their faces, Lucinda Williams and her band jumped right in with “Let’s Get the Band Back Together.” From the first song to the last, they were on point, and I’m sure as the tour continues, it will only get better.
Setlist: Let’s Get the Band Back Together, Can’t Let Go, Car Wheels, People Talkin’, Protection, Stolen Moments, Lake Charles, Juke Box, Fruits of My Labor, Where the Song Can Find Me, Are You Down, Rock N Roll Heart, Bleeding Fingers, While My Guitar Gently Weeps, You Can’t Rule Me, Out Of Touch, Righteously
Sammy Rae & The Friends brought soulful vocals, upbeat rhythms, sweet horns, and a genre-crossing show to Terminal 5 on Friday, November 8. Most importantly, they brought heartfelt joy and community to a packed venue when it was so needed – less than a week after the most contentious election in recent history.
Fresh off their first full studio album Something for Everybody, Sammy Rae & The Friends made a New York homecoming at Manhattan’s Terminal 5 for two nights on November 8 and 9. This isn’t the first time the band has toured in New York, having finished their CAMP world tour in Buffalo earlier this year, but it is the first time they’ve been back to showcase their new album.
Sammy Rae & The Friends appeal has grown exponentially since they formed in New York City, and played their first 30-person gig, as Sammy Rae said from the stage. The singer moved to the City in her late teens, originally intending to study music. She ended up playing at venues around the city and building her own network of musicians who would later become the eponymous “friends” in her band.
Smoke Ring, followed by Sub-Radio, opened the show, with the latter jumping onto the stage from their first note. The Washington DC-based Indie-pop band kicked, high jumped and sang soring lyrics for an action-packed hour before Sammy Rae & The Friends came on.
Showcasing that “Friends” isn’t just a name and community isn’t just an ideal, C-Bass Chiriboga, Sammy Rae’s drummer, replaced Michael Pereira, Sub-Radio’s drummer, with just four days’ notice since the latter was stuck out of the country. Throughout their set, Sub-radio and C-Bass created a safe space for queer teens highlighting the importance of music for those finding themselves, especially after an “incredibly hard week.”
As soon as Sammy Rae & The Friends stepped on stage, they exploded with energy, joy, and hope. Building on Sub-Radio’s message, early in the set, Sammy Rae highlighted that governmental policies may come and go but that community and radical joy will build true strength. The rest of the show expanded that message both on stage and in the audience. More than most front people, Sammy Rae shares the spotlight with her band, physically moving to the back of the stage to let her horn section riff off each other, her guitarists take the spotlight, and even letting her bassist solo with a standup bass. A string quartet even joined the band, so did Jacob Jeffries who was in from Los Angeles.
Their message of joy and community didn’t end at the stage. Throughout the audience, lyrics were yelled, fans danced, and Sammy Rae & The Friends encouraged it all – allowing fans to feel everything they needed. At one moment, as Sammy Rae saw members of the audience crying, she stopped the show, saying, “I see so many of you crying, and you’re so beautiful.” The singer then asked audience members to turn to their neighbors and tell them that they were beautiful.
As the night wore on, the band ended by bringing all their stored energy to bear, thanking their hometown audience with massive solos, sending the audience off with one more moment of joy.
Setlist: Friends Intro >Thieves, The Feeling, We Made it, Jackie O, Cool Douge, No Rule Book > Winds Intro, I Get It Now, David, Call Ya Back, Good Time Tavern, Luck of the Draw, Good Life Medley, State Song, Hold the Line, Coming Home Song
Sammy Rae & The Friends will be on tour in the northeast through December before going to Europe in February 2025. Notably, The band has committed to making their entire tour as environmentally friendly as possible, working with Headcount across the U.S. to register voters, and donating one dollar of every ticket sale to local LGBTQ organizations in each city they play.
Tour Dates:
Nov 11, 2024 Ulster Performing Arts Center Kingston, NY
Nov 12, 2024 Academy of Music Theatre Northampton, MA
Nov 13, 2024 Academy of Music Theatre Northampton, MA
Indie folk artist and Queens native Brigid Hart explores every step of picking yourself back up after the unimaginable in her debut album A How to Guide: Living With the Shame.
Born and raised in Queens, Brigid Hart is an indie folk artist who has been weaving her emotions into sound since she was only 10 years old. Having consistently composed, recorded, and released songs since then, Brigid is now a part of the Studio Composition program at SUNY Purchase where she explores and develops her musical skill even further.
Released in 2023, her six track EP I’d Be Just Fine was born out of a partnership with Ben Cuomo and Shanne Garcia formed through her Studio Composition studies. Among her studies and professional ventures, Hart has been performing alongside her band in venues, clubs, backyards, gardens, colleges, and even camp festivals throughout New York State.
Her sophomore year’s work culminated in her second major collaboration with Ben Cuomo, her debut album A How to Guide: Living with the Shame. Formed among the spaces of the SUNY Purchase campus that caught their interest the most alongside a myriad of friends and peers on the harp, violin, mandolin, drums, and more, Brigid’s debut album captures the raw honesty and emotion nestled within her artistry.
A How to Guide: Living with the Shame is a deeply vulnerable piece that explores the effects an experience of sexual assault has on relationships afterwards. Hart’s expression of heartbreak and sadness through the album’s instrumentals is counterbalanced by her witty and self-aware lyrics, creating a balanced and personable listening experience.
“Brigid’s vocals float above the bed of sound created by her finger-picked guitar in open tunings. In both of these projects she managed to keep an intimate and lulling atmosphere while also having dense and unapologetic arrangements that maintain the illusion of Brigid sitting right in front of you.”
– Ben Cuomo
Accompanying the album’s release was the adjacent music video for the ninth track, “Before the Leaves Fall.” A recording of Brigid singing the track alone at a bar is interspersed with personal home-style moments of stillness and double-exposure clips of nature that capture the same gentle warmth felt in the track’s instrumental.
Returning once more to the SUNY Purchase campus, Brigid is working towards her second album to be released in the summer of 2025. The gentle folk sound Hart has developed thus far will be intertwined with a new indie rock approach as she once more expands her repertoire in exciting ways.
To keep up with the latest updates on her upcoming project and all other endeavors, follow Brigid Hart here.
Warren Haynes, legendary guitarist, songwriter, and Gov’t Mule frontman, has just released his highly anticipated solo album Million Voices Whisper via Fantasy Records. This album, his first solo effort in nearly a decade, captures Haynes’ blend of soulful blues-rock with a fresh perspective and messages of resilience, self-discovery, and hope.
The lead single, “This Life As We Know It,” encapsulates Haynes’ theme of embracing change and finding positivity. Accompanied by an in-studio video from Power Station New England, the track serves as an uplifting introduction to the album’s 11-track journey. Produced by Haynes, Million Voices Whisper features powerhouse collaborations, including Derek Trucks, Lukas Nelson, and Jamey Johnson, alongside Haynes’ core band members John Medeski, Terence Higgins, and Kevin Scott.
Haynes celebrated the release with a special in-store appearance at Looney Tunes Records in West Babylon on November 2nd, performing five solo electric songs including “Back Where I Started,” “This Life As We Know It,” and “To The Sun Comes Shining Through.” The intimate set offered fans a unique, close-up experience of Haynes’ exceptional guitar work and vocal intensity, leaving the crowd with a taste of the album’s soulful energy.
Supporting Million Voices Whisper, Haynes and his band have embarked on a 16-date fall tour along the East Coast, followed by his Now Is The Time Tour, a symphonic experience featuring reimagined selections from his career.
Million Voices Whisper is available on all digital platforms and for pre-order on vinyl, with the deluxe CD version featuring four bonus tracks. For more details, visit Warren Haynes’ official website.
Track Listing for Million Voices Whisper:
These Changes (ft. Derek Trucks) Go Down Swinging You Ain’t Above Me This Life As We Know It Day of Reckoning (ft. Lukas Nelson and Jamey Johnson) Real, Real Love (ft. Derek Trucks) Lies, Lies, Lies > Monkey Dance > Lies, Lies, Lies From Here On Out Till The Sun Comes Shining Through Terrified Hall of Future Saints (ft. Derek Trucks) Deluxe Edition (CD only)
Bonus Tracks: Baby’s On The Move Smooth Sailing Find The Cost of Freedom > Day of Reckoning [extended version] (ft. Lukas Nelson and Jamey Johnson) Back Where I Started (ft. Derek Trucks)
For all the live performances at the expanding multitude of Hudson Valley venues, none may match the bold sensibility championed by the edge-pushing curators at Elysium Furnace Works. Led by James Keepnews and Mike Faloon, EFW’s mission is, in its founders’ words, “to present the work of vanguard artists in settings as dedicated and uncompromising as the art itself.” The final event of their momentous 2024 season will surely deliver on this promise when the electric, eclectic, and deliriously intense power trio, Harriet Tubman, cuts loose at Poughkeepsie’s VBI Theater at Cunneen-Hackett Arts Center on December 7 at 8 pm.
Harriet Tubman was formed in 1998 by guitarist/vocalist Brandon Ross, bassist Melvin Gibbs, and drummer JT Lewis. They take their moniker from Harriet Tubman, an African-American woman born into slavery who was renowned as a liberator of other slaves who, like she, chose to seek freedom by escaping to the North. She accomplished this with the help of a secret network of safe houses, or “stations,” on what was known as “The Underground Railroad.”
Before joining forces, Gibbs built an eclectic discography collaborating with artists including Ronald Shannon Jackson, Arto Lindsay, George Clinton, and Henry Rollins. Ross has done the same in his work with Cassandra Wilson, Don Byron, Henry Threadgill, Tony Williams, The Lounge Lizards, Jewel and more. JT Lewis has divided his time between studio and live work with an a-list of leading names in jazz, R&B and pop, including Whitney Houston, Sting, Bill Laswell, Sonny Sharrock, and William Parker. Together, the trio has waxed five critically acclaimed albums, including I Am A Man (1998), Ascension (2011), and their latest, The Terror End of Beauty (2018)
The music of Harriet Tubman is both familiar and fresh, a unique blend that allows the listener to experience the music free from distracting labels of style or genre.
Several critics have likened their style to a free jazzy, future-forward extension of the musical terra firma first laid down by Hendrix’s Band of Gypsys. There are also elements of Delta Blues, King Tubby-style dub, electronica, 70s-styled jazz fusion, metal, ambient, noise- and progressive-rock.
While Ross may be best known for his mannered acoustic guitar work with vocalist Cassandra Wilson, he is genuinely liberated in this trio, like Harriet Tubman herself. Ross conjures spacious textures and loops as the backdrops to melodies and solos that often impart a white-hot fire, as captured on “Farther Unknown,” the opener of their latest album. Gibbs was once called “the egg in the meatloaf” by his former boss, the late great drummer/bandleader Ronald Shannon Jackson of the Decoding Society.
In this band, he provides the sub-harmonic foundation for their wildly wonderful and unpredictable sonic excursions, alternating between deep, steady grooves punctuated with thunderous chords and rapid-fire melodies of his own. Drummer Lewis provides the beats, which are polyrhythmic, funky, tribal, and swinging. Lewis functions at the conductor, creating the pulses and crescendos that propel the surprisingly dense sound produced by the trio. Harriet Tubman has a bit of everything for anyone with open ears, – free jazz, metal, blues, electronica, noise, swing, funk and dub – often co-existing happily in a single bar of music.
Elysium Furnace Works’ 2024 season has brought Hudson Valley music lovers some of greatest names in jazz with an experimental edge. Past concerts have featured local guitar hero David Torn, The Matthew Shipp Trio, legendary Ornette Coleman collaborator bassist Jamaaladeen Tacuma and trumpeter Peter Evans. Fans of experimentally-minded guitarist should also consider checking out EFW’s November 16 event at VBI with AM/FM. This power duo of guitarist Ava Mendoza and violinist Gabby Fluke-Mogul synthesize a heady brew of avant-jazz, blues, and noise – radically upending experimental music(s) past, present, and future.
Harriet Tubman will perform on Saturday, December 7 at 8 PM at the VBI Theatre of Cunneen-Hackett Arts Center at 12 Vassar Street in Poughkeepsie. Tickets are $30 in advance and $40 at the door — advance tickets are on sale here.
In the 1980s, Iron Maiden led the charge in the New Wave of British Heavy Metal movement, guiding heavy metal music into a resurgence in popularity. A younger generation of hard rock fans embraced Iron Maiden and other NWOBHM bands that injected the intensity of punk rock into the more polished heavy metal sound of the 1970s.
As impactful as that new genre of music became in the 1980s, few bands survived beyond that era. Decades later, Iron Maiden still rules the heavy metal world. Forming in 1975 in London, England, Iron Maiden reached its widest mainstream appeal with a series of platinum albums and arena-headlining tours in the 1980s. Perhaps indicating another possible resurgence, the band’s 17th and most recent album, Senjutsu, recorded in 2019 and released in 2021, proved to be Iron Maiden’s highest-charting album in the United States.
Senjutsu (Japanese: 戦術, “Tactics”) was the band’s first album of new songs in six years. Despite fluctuating record sales, Iron Maiden’s tours have maintained high drawing power. Part of the success of the band’s tours in the 2000s was the return of vocalist Bruce Dickinson and guitarist Adrian Smith to the fold in 1999. Since their return, Iron Maiden stabilized as a sextet, with founder and bassist Steve Harris, guitarists Dave Murray and Janick Gers, and drummer Nicko McBrain, who is touring despite suffering a stroke in January 2023.
The latter part of Iron Maiden’s The Legacy of the Beast World Tour in 2022 introduced audiences to three songs from Senjutsu, but the overall setlist was largely a retrospective repertoire. The current The Future Past World Tour, which began in Europe in 2023 and will end this December in South America, includes five songs from Senjutsu, five songs from 1986’s Somewhere in Time, and five other songs, mostly from the 1980s. Fan favorites like “Run for the Hills” were omitted on this tour.
At Barclay Center, as at other tour stops, the house music blasted at 8:50 p.m. with UFO’s “Doctor Doctor,” followed by Vangelis’ instrumental “End Titles” from the 1982 science fiction film BladeRunner. Indeed, the graphics of the stage setting soon referenced the futuristic cyberpunk style associated with that film. The center back of the stage showed two animated videos of Iron Maiden’s mascot, Eddie the Head, the cyborg version on the left and the samurai on the right. Within seconds, a center panel revealed an artistic rendition of a barren, dystopian-looking city street in Japan in the dark of night.
The musicians began the synthesized bass and guitar introduction of “Caught Somewhere in Time,” the opening track from the 1986 album, Somewhere in Time. The front line of Harris, Smith, Murray and Gers immediately made use of the entire stage, pacing everywhere as they played their instruments. Wearing dark goggles and an open calf-length coat, Dickinson ran onto the stage, spun his microphone stand high above him, and added to the high energy. The now-standing audience sang loudly to the repetitive one-line chorus.
Dickinson was remarkable on stage. The 66-year-old’s soaring, operatic-style vocals were remarkably strong and brilliantly clear, especially considering that he has survived bouts of cancer on his tongue, neck and throat. He also moved amazingly well, continuously leaping across the stage, thanks to a recent hip replacement and five and a half inches of titanium hammered into his femur. Iron Maiden’s three-guitar structure extended nearly every song to showcase the talents in the band. Flighty solos, harmonious twin and triple guitar leads, and even a few brief duels superbly filled out the songs. Several times, Dickinson took advantage of these interludes to walk offstage and change his wardrobe.
In addition to all the futuristic visuals that accompanied Iron Maiden’s music, a 10-foot-tall Eddie made three appearances. The creature’s first cameo was during the second song, “Stranger in a Strange Land.” Appearing as a cyborg, parts of his internal musculature were exposed and his eyes glowed bright under his cowboy hat. Eddie returned to the stage during “Heaven Can Wait” and engaged with Dickinson in a gun battle, illuminated by pyrotechnics. Eddie’s final cameo was during the song “Iron Maiden,” in which he appeared as a samurai, threatening Gers with a giant katana sword.
Iron Maiden concluded the main set with the song “Iron Maiden,” which was recorded when Paul Di’Anno was the lead singer. Di’Anno died this past October 21 at age 66. The cause of death has not been disclosed, but he suffered health issues in recent years that restricted him to performing in a wheelchair. The band returned on stage for a three-song encore. The musicians and their fans maintained the same high level of energy for two hours. As the musicians took their final bows, a recording of the Monty Python song, “Always Look on the Bright Side of Life,” played through the arena’s speakers, finally reducing the temperature of the event.
Iron Maiden is far from finished. Although the band has no plans for recording new music between now and then, Iron Maiden this past September announced its next tour. The Run for Your Lives world tour will begin in May 2025 in Budapest, Hungary. The tour will celebrate Iron Maiden’s 50th anniversary with an elaborate stage show and a setlist comprised of selected songs exclusively from the band’s first nine albums, from 1980’s Iron Maiden to 1992’s Fear of the Dark. American dates have not yet been announced.
Iron Maiden – Barclays Center, Brooklyn – Saturday, November 2, 2024
Setlist: Caught Somewhere in Time, Stranger in a Strange Land, The Writing on the Wall, Days of Future Past, The Time Machine, The Prisoner, Death of the Celts, Can I Play with Madness, Heaven Can Wait, Alexander the Great, Fear of the Dark, Iron Maiden, Hell on Earth, The Trooper, Wasted Years
It has been just over a week since Phish played three shows in Albany, raising $4M from ticket and merchandise sales, as well as live stream fees, all to support the Divided Sky Residential Recovery Foundation and the recently opened facility in Ludlow, VT.
photo by Conor McMahon
The non-profit addiction recovery organization started by Trey Anastasio has set a $10M fundraising campaign goal to support the facility through capital improvements, future property acquisitions, increasing staff and ensure a scholarship fund that remains accessibly to anyone in need, regardless of their ability to pay.
“It’s hard to put into words how grateful we are to Phish and their fans for this generosity. But this isn’t about words–it’s about action. And because of these concerts, we will be able to help many more people take charge of their lives and to recover from addictions.”
Melanie Gulde, Program Director and co-founder of Divided Sky
Watch the video below for an overview of the Divided Sky Residential Recovery Program featuring testimonials from Anastasio, Gulde, guests, alumni, and staff.
This type of fundraising haul is not atypical for Phish. In 2023, Phish performed two benefit concerts at SPAC, raising over $3.5M for flood recovery efforts in Vermont and Upstate New York and welcoming special guest Derek Trucks. There are also two Phish charities – the band’s Waterwheel Foundation and the fan-based Mockingbird Foundation – have both raised millions of dollars for local causes and charities since their inceptions in the late 1990s (Ed. note: I am on the Board of Directors of Mockingbird Foundation, supporting music education across the country.)
The hometown show feeling provided a unique buzz in the air to the pre and post-show festivities, for although Phish was here in 2018, the mid-week shows were marked by cold and rain, and aren’t the most memorable shows the band has played on South Pearl Street.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PofMFlw8MJI
The mellow anxiety of seeing so many people at the hometown venue fed into the buzz, a unique combination as a trio of shows were upon the crowd. Friday night’s show paid tribute to Phil Lesh, who passed away earlier that day, and the band brought out the jams early as well as throughout a huge second set.
Saturday night opened with “Possum,” just as the Saturday show in 2000 began, and a well rounded set highlighted by “Stash,” “Tube” and “Bathtub Gin” laid the groundwork for an action packed Set 2. From “Disease” onward, there was hardly a moment to breathe, let alone be distracted by Game 2 of the World Series, until late in the set during “Lonely Trip” where the unfortunate few who looked up at TVs near the bar had to suffer for the only letdown of the weekend. The “Dave’s Energy Guide” tease in Fuego (around the 9-minute mark) was just one highlight of this set, where deep improv driven by Page McConnell aided in keeping fans as dialed in as the band was.
By Sunday, where the banner hanging in the rafters would need to change from 16 to 19 shows, this friends and family affair started with shout-outs contained in the lyrics to “Heavy Things” and the newer “What’s Going Through Your Mind.” A bust-out of “Access Me” followed, along with spooky jams in “My Friend, My Friend” and an intense, never-ending jam in “Kill Devil Falls.”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MguC2nYEK7U
For the five-song second set, “Everything’s Right” led the way for a 16-minute installment, followed by “Chalkdust Torture” going beyond the 23-minute mark, and “Mercury” – complete with a restructured intro – following suit. A breather from “Wading in the Velvet Sea” gave way to the original McConnell Vida Blue number, “Most Events Aren’t Planned” which has found a second life since appearing during Phish’s Baker’s Dozen.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-9w1K0pIncw
To close the run, you might have expected “Divided Sky” but that would mean Phish doing something predictable. Instead, a four song encore, punctuated by the opening “Gotta Jibboo” (shout out to Albany’s Jibboo Crew!), with “Waste,” “Bug” and “Character Zero” closing the run of three incredible and charitable concerts.
Now, for those who attended the shows, you knew the cause was charitable given the month of rumors preceding the announcement of the shows, but there were times when the local media might have otherwise not known. The initial news of the concert announcement was shared of course, but when Albany County Sheriff Craig Apple sent out his press release noting a total of four arrests from the concert weekend, this is where the local media in Albany (like WTEN) could have made a small effort to tie the charitable aspect of the shows to the minor number of arrests (with around 50,000 tickets sold, that’s a ridiculously small percent of attendees – if they even were – at 0.008%) or go a step further and compare these few arrests to other local concerts held at MVP Arena.
Running pat-on-the-back news makes sense for Sinclair-owned WRGB, but the disservice begins with ignoring the purpose behind these shows, which supports those most affected by opiate addiction, by eschewing the steps taken by the other 99% of attendees to these shows that supports the treatment center in Ludlow, VT.
Beyond that, three concerts in a row at MVP Arena are an economic boon to the city, with sold out hotels across the region, full restaurants and bars on Pearl Street, and Downtown Albany seeing a busy weekend of tax revenue coming into the region, much from out of state. These tax dollars from music tourism are a real thing that continue revitalization efforts in the local economies of music destinations like Albany; whether the local media wants to investigate this angle remains to be seen.
WNYT’s Zach Richter gave ample coverage to the shows with a focus on the Divided Sky Foundation, one that presents the cause as tied to the band through Anastasio’s recovery journey since his 2006 arrest in Whitehall brought him to sobriety. But when the arrests are shared in a Monday segment, no connection between the two is made.
The Times Union did not run the story on the arrests, instead opting for a brief review and gallery of the shows, a true look at the shows with a focus after the fact on the charity side of the shows. Why is the TU the outlier here, when all the information on the shows is readily available to anyone seeking the answer? But therein lies the rub – you have to want to seek out more than what is spoonfed to you. Otherwise, you’ll eat anything they feed you.
With $4M raised from the shows, I would challenge these outlets to find out what other bands and artists out there do anything similar, and focus on the benefits of these shows – in and out of the arena – rather than the few bad apples.
You can support the Divided Sky Foundation by picking up merch from the shows, or visit the website directly here
Less than two months to go until Phish celebrates their 16th New Years Eve at Madison Square Garden. Get more info here.
