Nineteen ninety-five was as formative and important a year for Phish as they come. So, it should come as no surprise that it ended at Madison Square Garden, a venue the band today calls “home.” However, the New Year’s run for 1995 would mark only the second and third times Phish ever played MSG. Even though New Year’s Eve ’95 may get all the “glory,” it’s lead-in from the night before has a lot to offer as well.
The show began with the relatively new “Prince Caspian,” from then yet to be Billy Breathes album. It’s a relatively quick and nondescript version. But immediately at its conclusion, some familiar feedback ensues, the signature drum beat kicks in and Phish is off and running with a rare first set, “Also Sprach Zarathustra,” or simply “2001” as it’s commonly referred to today. Phish packs a decent punch in this arena rocker that certainly is a short version when compared to contemporary ones. Yet again, the next song begins before “2001” can even finish. This time it’s “Suzy Greenberg” with Page McConnell leading the way on piano, completing a unique opening trifecta.
Another quick, familiar-sounding feedback jam slows things down a bit before Phish takes off again. This time it’s fueled by Jon Fishman’s signature drum intro to “David Bowie.” This gives the band their first real opportunity to explore the New Year’s space at MSG, and they do just that. A patiently crafted jam is accentuated with some brilliant Anastasio-provided guitar licks, which grow slowly in ferocity. This yields a hearty response of approval from the crowd as the first real jam of the night.
The first set also features a “Kung” sandwich, with the opening and closing sections of “It’s Ice,” ably serving as the bread. There’s even a nod to Gamehendge, courtesy of the ensuing “The Man Who Stepped Into Yesterday” sequence, with the Mike Gordon-led “Avenu Malkenu,” placed right in the middle per usual. Emotions then come to a peak in the first set with an absolutely rousing “Divided Sky” that features a noticeably long “pause.” A quick romp through “Sample In A Jar” brings a first set that seemed to pull a little bit of everything from the band’s mid-90s repertoire.
Native New Yorker, Mike Stone, got to make the chess move, on behalf of the audience prior to the start of the second set. This was the second of two chess matches between the band and their fans in 1995. These wound up being split. And for those unaware, the rematch looms.
While the second set doesn’t offer up as much in the way of rarities as the first, it more than makes up for it in execution. “Ya Mar” opens the second stanza and includes a perfectly placed “Auld Lang Syne” tease from Trey. Another fairly new song still finding its legs in “Free” follows this. But the highlight of the set, and possibly the show, is the triumphant “Harry Hood” that comes next and builds to an incredibly emotional peak. When this is paired with a thunderous “AC/DC Bag,” it creates one of the earlier special Phish moments at MSG.
“Lifeboy” serves as the well deserved ‘breather’ song after this impressive sequence of music. But that’s the last of its kind for this show. “Scent Of A Mule” sees a particularly drawn out “Mule Duel” between Trey and Page before its maniacal klezmer-esque finish. And the set ends in fine fashion with a double closer of sorts. A standard take on the Picture of Nectar classic “Cavern” begets an absolute whirlwind of a “Run Like An Antelope” and the typical musical chaos that comes with it.
For an encore, Phish trotted out “A Day In The Life,” a Beatles cover that was also new to 1995. This would be the only non-instrumental cover of the evening. An impressive performance of nearly all originals, both new and old, defined the second ever Phish show at MSG. And it certainly laid the groundwork for what would be the third time’s “charm” the following evening.
Phish MSG New York, NY 12/30/95
Set 1: Prince Caspian > Also Sprach Zarathustra > Suzy Greenberg > David Bowie, Simple > It’s Ice -> Kung -> It’s Ice > The Man Who Stepped Into Yesterday > Avenu Malkenu > The Man Who Stepped Into Yesterday > Divided Sky, Sample In A Jar
Set 2: Ya Mar, Free > Harry Hood > AC/DC Bag > Lifeboy, Scent Of A Mule > Cavern > Run Like An Antelope
On December 20, 2019, Marky Ramone brought his Holiday Blitzkrieg show to Gramercy Theatre in New York City. Marky was the drummer for The Ramones for 15 years after replacing Tommy Ramone in 1978. He played on nine of the band’s 15 albums and was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 2002.
The group (Marky on drums, Pela on lead vocals, Martin Blitz on bass and Marcelo Gallo on guitar) played more than 30 Ramones hits including “Do you Wanna Dance,” “53rd and 3rd,” “Beat on the Brat” and of course “Blitzkrieg Bop.” They also played covers that The Ramones made popular to punk culture including Creedence Clearwater Revival’s “Have you Ever Seen the Rain” and Louis Armstrong’s “What a Wonderful World.”
Punk Rock started in New York City in the 1970s, and it remains very clear that these songs are timeless judging by the crowd getting revved up. Bodies were slamming into each other relentlessly from the start of the first song until the very end of the show. Although the songs are over 40 years old, the music is still very much alive and continues to attract new fans from the younger generation.
Unfortunately this years show could’t happen due to COVID-19 but hopefully it will return in 2021
Marky Ramone’s Holiday Blitzkrieg, Gramercy Theatre, NY, NY 12/20/19
Setlist: Do You Wanna Dance, Teenage Lobotomy, Rockaway Beach, I Don’t Care, Sheena Is A Punk Rocker, Havana Affair, Commando, I Wanna Be Your Boyfriend, Beat On The Brat, 53rd and 3rd, Now I Wanna Sniff Some Glue, Gimme Gimme Shock Treatment, Rock N Roll High School, Oh Oh I Love Her So, Let’s Dance, Surfin Bird, Judy Is A Punk, I Believe In Miracles, The KKK Took My Baby Away, Pet Sematary, Chinese Rocks, I Wanna Be Sedated, Do You Remember Rock N Roll Radio?, I Just Want To Have Something To Do, Needles And Pins, Loudmouth, Pinhead, Happy Birthday To You, Palisades Park, Glad To See You, Cretin Hop, Have You Ever Seen The Rain, Don’t Come Close, I Can’t Make It On Time, Life’s A Gas, She’s The One, Spider Man, Anxiety
Encore: R.A.M.O.N.E.S., What A Wonderful World, Merry Christmas (I Don’t Want To Fight Tonight), Blitzkrieg Bop
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.
Nineteen eighty-seven was undoubtedly “the year of the Anthrax.” The Queens thrash metal band released their third album, Among The Living, which elevated them from underground thrash metal heroes to wider acclaim.
The first show of that tour was at a club in Rochester, in May 1987. In Albany they played a half-filled Palace Theatre that same month and then toured both nationally and internationally for the rest of the year. Among the Living garnered wider record sales and great reviews, and they had a surprise hit when b-side hip-hop/metal crossover song “I’m The Man” broke big. By December 1987 Anthrax were headlining large theaters and small arenas – including this packed-out show at Poughkeepsie’s Mid-Hudson Civic Center.
This show had a bulletproof triple-bill, with two fantastic opening acts: Bay Area thrashers Exodus, promoting second album Pleasures Of The Flesh, and the mighty Swiss heavies, Celtic Frost on their Into The Pandemonium tour.
Exodus guitarists Rick Hunholt and Gary Holt – photo by Mark Kurtzner
Exodus and Celtic Frost switched playing first and second throughout this tour, and in Poughkeepsie Exodus opened. They blasted through a quick 6-song set, mostly tracks from the new Pleasures album like “Faster Than You’ll Ever Live to Be,” but some tracks from that classic first album Bonded By Blood (“Piranha,” “And Then There Were None”) and a cover of AC/DC’s “Overdose” dedicated to Celtic Frost drummer Reed St. Mark, for his birthday.
Exodus vocalist Steve Souza – photo by Mark Kurtzner
Celtic Frost played next, and this was their classic Tom Warrior/Martin Ain/Reed St. Mark lineup, and they were amazing. They opened with “The Usurper,” from second album To Mega Therion, an absolute blast of real metal greatness and played a mix from all three of their records. Then-new album, Into The Pandemonium, was different from the guttural early thrash of the first two records, definitely not a sell-out or commercial compromise (they’d do that the next year with the shitty Cold Lake record), but kind of adventurously artsy-fartsy, or “avant garde” as all the reviews called it.
However, the adventurous third record didn’t translate live as well as those earlier songs, so the set had a few new songs (including their cover of Wall of Voodoo’s “Mexican Radio,” and the more traditionally thrash “Inner Sanctum”) but relied more on earlier songs like the crushing “Circle of the Tyrants” and the chugging, head-stomping show-closer “Procreation (of the Wicked).”
Celtic Frost drummer Reed St. Mark – photo by Mark Kurtzner
Drummer Reed received a “Happy Birthday” salute-song onstage, with silly string from the other bands, before Frost concluded their set. Great stuff from a band at their peak, but sadly this lineup’s last show was a few days later when this tour ended, after which drummer St. Mark and iconic bassist Martin Ain departed the band, and mainman Tom Warrior assembled a new lineup which would produce the 1988 blunder Cold Lake, an ill-advised foray into hair metal which destroyed the band’s reputation for some time.
Anthrax guitarist Scott Ian – photo by Mark Kurtzner
Anthrax then hit the stage to huge mosh pits with new album title track “Among The Living,” and played mostly songs from their second and third records: “Caught in a Mosh,” “Indians,” “Medusa,” “Armed & Dangerous,” etc., with only “Metal Thrashing Mad” from first album, Fistful of Metal. The response was huge, and the set finished with key thrasher “A.I.R.,” which had a mid-song sidetrack into “I’m The Man” (singer Joey Belladonna taking over drums while the other band members took the mic and guitarist Danny Spitz chugged along on guitar), back into “A.I.R.,” followed by an encore cover of the Sex Pistols’ “God Save The Queen” and the total thrash of “Gung-Ho!” to conclude the night. A ripping set, and a legendary thrash metal triple-bill.
Anthrax vocalist Joey Belladonna – photo by Mark Kurtzner
Anthrax setlist: Among The Living, Caught In A Mosh, Metal Thrashing Mad, I Am The Law, Madhouse, Indians, Medusa, NFL, Armed & Dangerous, A.I.R., I’m The Man, A.I.R. (cont’d), God Save The Queen, Imitation of Life/Gung Ho!
“Give peace a chance, not shoot people for peace. All we need is love. I believe it. It’s damn hard, but I absolutely believe it… We’re carrying that torch, passing it from hand to hand, to each other, to each country, to each generation. That’s our job.”
There is no better way to capture the whit of music legend and galactic dreamer, John Lennon, than amidst his own words. In hindsight, a dramatic quote proves ever important on the icon’s 40th death anniversary. His words spark a flame in young and old, seasoned and aspiring; to carry on a tradition, to be one, to share your quirks through this thing we call music. It’s why you’re here, reading.
Three days later, Lennon was shot dead in the archway of the Dakota apartment building, in New York’s upper west side. Living with wife Yoko Ono, and inseparable, they were on their way back from a recording session when Lennon was pointlessly gunned down.
John Lennon – December 5, 1980.
“Welcome to the inner sanctum!”
Lennon’s words in comparrison were wilful, he knew exactly what he was doing. Even pro-Beatle Lennon, wanted to get away from any grounds on his blooming self exposition. It’s a continuous flow of self exploration that Lennon created over. It seems overly introverted, yet Lennon learned about himself in a roundabout, extroverted way. “We write lyrics, and I write lyrics that you don’t realise what they mean until after… like ‘Walrus.’ The whole first verse was written without any knowledge, and ‘Tomorrow Never Knows‘— I didn’t know what I was saying, and you just find out later.”
As we delve into Lennon interviews over the years it is clear why he has reached monumental stature. According to Writer Jonathan Cott, Lennon was unlike almost any other artist, “he allowed himself to be interviewed at crucial points in his life in order to reveal and, perhaps, define for himself where he was in his world,” Shadow In The Night.
Jann Wenner said his interview with Lennon was “The most important, and the peak, of the whole concept of the Rolling Stone Interview. He [Lennon] went all the way to the theory of it, to the hilt.” Wenner never did another one, except with the Grateful Dead’s Jerry Garcia.
John Lennon’s Self Portrait elusive in value, yet monumental in pop-culture.
Mark Chapman, a troubled American “Beatles fan” had travelled from Hawaii to NYC. After Lennon kindly signed his copy of Double Fantasy, Chapman would seek out the star and fire five hollow-point bullets from a .38 special revolver. Four hit Lennon in the back. Chapman claimed he was angered by Lennon’s lifestyle and public statements, thus remained at the scene, reading The Catcher in the Rye until he was arrested. Lennon was pronounced dead on scene. The world was devastated.
Yoko: There’s no bullshit.
John: There’s no bullshit.
But, this was bullshit.
It wasn’t until ten years ago that these last interviews began to see light. With each passing year Lennon would grow stronger in our hearts. His music, and moreover, his philosophy would continue to inspire for generations to come.
“Ive never claimed divinity. I’ve Never claimed purity of soul. I’ve never claimed to have the answer to life. I only put out songs and answer questions as honestly as I can, but only as honest as I can—
John Lennon, Dec. 5, 1980.
With earlier Rolling Stone interviews, on Sept. 17 and 18, 1968, John Lennon was much less raw in his response. His light and airy nature was apparent, walking around the room of his apartment, singing “Hold Me Tight,” and sitting on the floor to chat, despite two hours’ sleep.
Still distinctively Lennon, he remised about his past and heightened personal nature of his work. Lennon is direct. It’s wasn’t a child’s feeling, it was mine. “It was writing about my past, so it does get the kids because it was me at school, my whole bit,” on “Good Morning, Good Morning,” and the same with “Penny Lane.”
“We really got into the grove of imagining Penny Lane— the bank was there, and that was where the tram sheds were and people waiting and the inspector stood there, the fire engines were down there, it was just reliving childhood.”
“I don’t like the Blood, Sweat and Tears shit. I think all that is bullshit. Rock & roll is going like jazz, as far as i can see, and the bullshitters are going off into that excellentness which I never believed in and other going off… I consider myself in the avant grade of rock & roll.”
Here John begins, and was the only to explicitly, demystify his Beatles persona. “We were like kings of the jungle back then,” and later on when asked if Lennon would take it all back he says: If i could be a fuckin’ fisherman, I would. If I hat the capabilities of being something other than I am, I would.
Love, love, love
Love, love, love
Love, love, love
There's nothing you can do that can't be done
Nothing you can sing that can't be sung
Nothing you can say, but you can learn how to play the game
It's easy
Nothing you can make that can't be made
No one you can save that can't be saved
Nothing you can do, but you can learn how to be you in time
It's easy
A mass of John Lennon interviews is worth the read. Don’t listen or analyse too much, just be free in the moment like he was. Put a record on and recount Lennon’s LSD trips, gripes with The Beatles, his love for Yoko and pure artistic outlook on the world. It’s enlightening.
John Lennon is the musical equalizer. He says it how he sees it, and sadly he unexpectedly paid for those words 40 years ago today. The simple minded Lennon (in principle) fancied classic rock like “Spirit in the Sky,” and was “influenced by acid and got psychedelic, like the whole generation, but really, I like rock & roll, and I express myself best in rock.
“Because that’s what’s happened, all these songs just came out of me. I didn’t sit down to write. They all came out , like the best work that anybody ever does, wether it is an article or what, it’s just the best ones that come out.”
The dream is NOT over.
Why Can’t Lennon be alone, without Yoko?
I can be, but I don’t wish to be. Theres is no reason on earth why I should be without her. There is nothing more important than our relationship, nothing. We dig being together all the time, and both of us could survive apart m but what for? Im not going to sacrifice love, real love for any… 🙂 …
Rest In Peace John Lennon: to the one you loved most and to a world you continually inspire.
Months earlier marked Lennon’s 80th birthday. On October 9, a live stream from London’s Hard Rock Hotel celebrated the 2nd annual Dear John concert. The event supported a heartfelt charity, War Child U.K., an organization that helps impoverished families across war zones throughout the world.
Blurred Vision frontman, Sepp Osley, hosted the virtual show featuring tributes from Peter Gabriel, Richard Curtis CBE, Maxi Jazz of Faithless, Lindsay Ell, PP Arnold, Lawrence Gowan (Styx), Andy Fairweather Low, KT Tunstall, Larkin Poe, John Ilsley of Dire Straits, Nick Van Eede (Cutting Crew), Mollie Marriott and Laura Jean Anderson.
For their final East Coast shows of 1971, The Grateful Dead played a four-night run at the Felt Forum in New York City. December 7 marks the fourth and final one of these shows during a still transitional era for the band. Drummer Mickey Hart left the group earlier in the year and the Dead were still in the process of integrating new keyboardist Keith Godchaux who joined them in September.
Original keys player and founding member Pigpen had also recently rejoined the group after a stint in the hospital. With the band now at full strength, they unleashed a chock full two sets of music on this evening that showcased their full potential, paving the way for their legendary Europe ’72 Tour that would follow a few months later. This show in particular was deemed so good that it would later go on to become an official Dave’s Picks release, serving as Volume #22 in the series. It sees the band at their finest, mixing up a healthy blend of rock, rhythm, and blues along with a little holiday cheer.
Grateful Dead Felt Forum 1971 Dave’s Picks
The last show of the Felt Forum run of ’71 begins with “Cold Rain and Snow,” a song that had established itself as a common opener in this era of Grateful Dead. Garcia delivers a couple of pristine guitar licks with new keyboardist Keith Godchaux providing timely fills on organ. The newest member of the band then moves over to piano as Bob Weir takes over on vocals for a quick yet feisty “Beat It On Down The Line.” With the band seemingly warmed up on a couple of classic numbers, Pigpen then takes over on lead vocals for the first time with the fairly new “Mister Charlie,” a song that debuted just a few months ago at the Yale Bowl which would be played every night of this run and for good reason. His sultry singing combined with some more vintage Garcia guitar play make for a soulful combination that, alas, doesn’t stray too far.
The first extended play of the evening is another fairly new song that actually debuted at the same show, “Sugaree.” Garcia and Godchaux exhibit more great chemistry early on with each taking a nominal solo and bassist Phil Lesh locking down the bottom line in style throughout. An even newer song that would remain a staple of live Dead shows for their entire career then follows in “Jack Straw,” another one that made an appearance at all four shows of the run. Godchaux’s work on piano compliments Weir’s vocals perfectly and the band eases through this classic number that seems to pick up speed from start to finish. After a quick introduction from Lesh, Pigpen then returns to center stage for his typical rambunctious take on “Next Time You See Me” that includes a couple of ripping solos on harmonica. The joy that the Grateful Dead get in playing this blues cover is nearly palpable.
This carries right over into another one of the new batch of songs, “Tennessee Jed,” which has Weir and Garcia harmonizing nicely on the choruses. Another song that would remain on set lists for years, this one is peppered with an extra bluesy guitar solo from Garcia that’s dripping with flavor. After Weir leads the Dead through a lively “El Paso,” things slow down considerably with the “Brokedown Palace” that follows which gets a considerable round of applause from the Felt Forum crowd at the onset. It’s a true group effort with Lesh joining in on some vocal harmonies and another typically tender, yet brief, solo from Garcia.
With the Dead no strangers to a Chuck Berry cover, afterwards they get in the holiday spirit and bust out a cover of “Run Rudolph Run,” a song they would only play a handful of times ever this month. It’s classic 12-bar blues with Pigpen, naturally, on lead vocals for a quick song that’s melodically similar to Berry’s “Little Queenie.” The band then stays in blues cover mode with a rare take of “You Win Again,” a ballad first sung in 1952 by Hank Williams which made its live debut just last month and would never be played again after 1972. The first set then wraps up with a couple of Grateful Dead classic originals starting with a fiery “Cumberland Blues” that sees Lesh leading the way with spirited bass play and Godchaux delivering a flurry of chords on piano. That troublesome train conductor “Casey Jones” then caps off a jam packed first set that seems to cover all the bases.
With the bar set high from a rollicking first set, the momentum carries right over into the second set with a powerful opening 1-2 combination of “Sugar Magnolia” and “Ramble On Rose” that sees Weir and Garcia passionately belting out the vocals on each, respectively. The torch is then passed back over to Pigpen who leads the band through yet another classic cover, this time it’s Jimmy Reed’s “Big Boss Man.” Another soulful harmonica solo serves as the bridge to some more bluesy guitar licks delivered by Garcia on this one. A lightning quick take on the new “Mexicali Blues,” another song that found its way onto the set list all four nights, then precedes a silky smooth rendition of “Brown Eyed Women.”
This sets the stage for the last Pigpen-centered song of the evening and the most extended “jam” of the show – a 12-minute enthralling cover of Howlin’ Wolf’s “Smokestack Lightning.” Pigpen’s iconic singing and harp play mesh perfectly with Garcia’s blues-driven guitar stylings and the band takes their time on this one, stretching it out nicely. Sadly, this is the second to last version the Dead would ever play with Pigpen, a founding member of the band. The “I been gone so long” lyrics sang in repetition towards the end of the song hit especially hard knowing that.
This is followed up by a rather mellow take, compared to later standards of “Deal” another fairly new song in the band’s catalog that made its debut at Port Chester’s Capitol Theatre earlier that year. This is succeeded by “Truckin’,” a song the Dead played at every show of that vaunted Capitol Theater run earlier in the year and one that finally sounds like it’s starting to develop an identity and jam capabilities thanks to the addition of Keith Godchaux who shines on the organ on this rendition.
The second set then comes to a triumphant finish with the classic closing sequence of “Not Fade Away” > “Goin’ Down The Road Feeing Bad” > “Not Fade Away.” Bill Kreutzmann on drums makes his presence felt early and often on “Not Fade Away” which elicits a truly blissful jam of sorts that flows effortlessly into the beginning of “GDTRFB.” For an encore, the band breaks out one last song from the new batch, “One More Saturday Night.” It would only be the second time ever used in this spot, one that it would soon become commonplace for the rest of their storied career, closing out the fourth and final show Dead show at Felt Forum in grand fashion.
Grateful Dead – Felt Forum, New York, NY – December 7, 1971
Set 1: Cold Rain and Snow, Beat It On Down The Line, Mister Charlie, Sugaree, Jack Straw, Next Time You See Me, Tennessee Jed, El Paso, Brokedown Palace, Run Rudolph Run, You Win Again, Cumberland Blues, Casey Jones
Set 2: Sugar Magnolia, Ramble On Rose, Big Boss Man, Mexicali Blues, Brown Eyed Women, Me and My Uncle, Smokestack Lightning, Deal, Truckin’, Not Fade Away > Goin’ Down The Road Feeling Bad > Not Fade Away
Encore: One More Saturday Night
View this and more Grateful Dead shows from across the years in New York State with our interactive map below
Phish has made their way across New York State in the Fall many times over the years, particularly in 1995 and 1997. Those stand out years in Phish history overshadow 1999, and the December 5 show in Rochester deserves a second look for more than the “Jennifer Dances” premiere with which it has come to be associated.
A warm afternoon before the show gave way to a cold and windy night, just the weather shift you’d expect near Lake Ontario in early December. Two years removed from their December 11 show at Blue Cross Arena, which featured a monster “Down with Disease” and the debut of Ween’s “Roses are Free,” you’d be forgiven if you didn’t listen to the other Rochester Phish show from the tail end of the 90s. But what a show this one was too.
An overlooked Fall Tour show, this one captures ‘Never Miss a Sunday Show’ perfectly. Give a listen via Phish Tracks and you’ll see why. The first set begins with “Carini” busting out of the gate for a short and sweet version. “Gotta Jibboo,” was just beginning a span of heavy rotation that went through Fall 2000, and featured deep bass from Mike Gordon who tucked himself right into the pocket of the groove, with Trey Anastasio accelerating towards a hearty finish.
“Back on the Train” follows, adding another of the four Farmhouse tracks heard this night, then a top tier “Taste” that clocked in over 13 minutes is a must hear version as well. “Bug” and “Sparkle” follow, and then BAM!, a strong “Tube” with added keys from Trey who explored this added outlet many times on this tour, all the way through Big Cypress.
“Lawn Boy” and “Ginseng Sullivan” filled in before a new twist on “Twist” emerged, with a new arrangement that would continue to evolve over time, and may feel even more familiar to fans these days than versions prior. This long and winding “Twist” keeps it up for 12 minutes to close the first set.
Starting set 2 with “Mike’s Song” boded well and ol’ reliable did not shy away from stretching its legs until an unexpected segue into “Meatstick,” which had been finding frequent plays since that summer. While this version clocks in at a strong 12 minutes, it is only the second most notable version from New York State (at that time,) as the band led an effort to have the crowd perform the “Meatstick” dance at Camp Oswego enter the Guinness Book of World Records. Little did the Rochester audience know that this song would usher in the new millenium a mere 26 days later.
This version of “Meatstick” is now unique in that it does not feature Japanese lyrics, something that would not appear until the next summer in Japan, and later in America, becoming a staple of nearly every version of since 2009.
After “I am Hydrogen” segued out of “Meatstick,” a fiery “Weekapaug Groove” with no let up wrapped up this Mike’s Groove. A loud speaker hiss can be heard before the start of “Brian and Robert,” and after this breather, Trey spoke to the audience, saying,
Thank you, we played here a few years ago and we were talking backstage, this is definitely a very favorite room of ours, people are very cool and its a special place and we apprecaite being here. we’re going to trying out a brand new song on you, it’s called “Jennifer Dances”
Trey Anastasio, preparing the world for “Jennifer Dances”
With a little less salt in the gravy this night, the excitement and elation of getting a debut original was palpable, and the crowd got the first of the storied “Jennifer Dances.” Maybe you enjoy it, maybe you chase it, and perhaps you loathe the mention of this ‘ballad,’ but on this night, the audience was laser focused on the new tune.
The remainder of the set picked up after the dip in the middle that the interrupted the flow. The “Maze” clocks in at nearly 15 minutes, full of driving funk via Page McConnell’s keys, and is followed up nicely by “Fluffhead,” adding an exclamation point to the “Maze.” But wait, there’s more! “Chalkdust Torture” > “Frankenstein” closed the set with as much back to back energy as pounding a Red Bull and following up with a 5 Hour Energy – hearts were pumping at full capacity for the final half of this set.
For an encore, the band left the stage and returned to a microphone set up on Page Side, so those on the floor gravitated over for an up close version of the barbershop quartet “Hello My Baby, ” by then a fading acapella number and the last one until 2009. “Character Zero” found the energy from the second set, bottled it up and unleashed on the crowd to close the night.
Phish have made their presence known in Rochester over the years and made their December 1999 show as memorable as the 1997 show that garners the most attention. In that way, December 5, 1999 is the Jan Brady of Phish shows in the Flower City. Stream the show via Phish Tracks.
Phish, December 5, 1999 – Blue Cross Arena, Rochester, NY
Set 1: Carini > Gotta Jibboo, Back on the Train, Taste, Bug, Sparkle, Tube, Lawn Boy, Ginseng Sullivan, Twist[1] Set 2: Mike’s Song -> Meatstick > I Am Hydrogen > Weekapaug Groove, Brian and Robert, Jennifer Dances[2], Maze, Fluffhead > Chalk Dust Torture > Frankenstein Encore: Character Zero, Hello My Baby [1] Slightly new arrangement. [2] Debut.
In 1986, Bob Mugge, the foremost documentarian of music giants, decided to make a film about jazz’s greatest living improviser, the “Saxophone Colossus” himself, Sonny Rollins.
Prior to tackling the mighty Rollins, Mugge had created acclaimed documentaries profiling Latin pop star/political activist Ruben Blades, proto-rapper Gil Scott-Heron, soul/gospel legend Al Green, intergalactic jazz visionary Sun Ra and a bevy of reggae’s biggest stars at 1983’s Sunsplash Festival.
To capture Rollins, Mugge would first travel to Tokyo for the world premiere of his “Concerto for Tenor Saxophone and Orchestra” with the Yomiuri Nippon Symphony. The director then sought to contrast the pageantry of the symphony hall by documenting Rollins at what he called a “bread and butter gig,” a typical performance by Sonny and his four-man touring band of the time.
In search of a suitably dramatic background, Mugge first attempted to get approval to film Rollins and band on a Circle Line Jazz Cruise on the Hudson River in Manhattan. When this fell through, Mugge lucked into something that proved even more unique. It was a concert already on Rollins’ schedule that would take place upon a rock stage at one of America’s most impressive earthworks, the sculpted rock quarry Opus 40 in Saugerties, New York.
Created by pioneering artist Harvey Fite between 1939 and his death in 1976, Opus 40 is a world-famous sculpture park and museum with 50 acres of meadows, forested paths and bluestone quarries — including 6.5 acres of earthwork sculpture — in the heart of the Hudson Valley in Saugerties, NY. Called “the Stonehenge of North America,” Opus 40 welcomes more than 20,000 visitors yearly. It has also been the site of scores of concerts by artists like Richie Havens, Pete Seeger and Jimmy Cliff, theater stagings ranging from Macbeth to Hair and numerous films and music videos, including Amanda Palmer’s version of Pink Floyd’s “Mother.”
But no event would have the lasting impact of the performance by Rollins on August 16, 1986, one which is cemented forever as the centerpiece of Mugge’s recently re-released and expanded documentary, SAXOPHONE COLOSSUS.
“When it came to planning my next film, I thought what would be more interesting than doing a film on the greatest living jazz improviser,” recalls Mugge. “Sonny’s wife and manager Lucille also wanted to show that Sonny was still playing great, the best of his career perhaps. As a nice coincidence, they were then preparing for the world premiere of Rollins’ concerto taking place in Japan, so we filmed that then the Opus 40 show.
“Opus 40 is a sculpture rock quarry made by another lone genius” Mugge continues. “The monument coming out of it (the 9 ton, 14-foot tall bluestone monolith called “Flame”) proved to be the perfect opening image for the film. It embodied the ‘Saxophone Colossus’ which I knew would be the title of the film, which is also the title of one of Sonny’s most heralded albums.”
“I can’t remember how we originally booked Sonny, but a week before the concert I got a call from Mugge,” says Tad Richards, a writer, visual artist and Fite’s stepson who has run the Opus 40 non-profit with his wife Pat since 1986. “He said they were making a film and that the Circle Line gig fell through and needed to set something up quickly. He had seen us on Sonny’s itinerary and wondered if they could film it. I said we’d be honored.
“Neither of us really knew what we were getting into as holding concerts was still relatively new here and we had no idea what filming would entail,” continues Richards. “To say we were pleasantly surprised, that doesn’t do it justice.”
The film kicks off with the jaw-dropping “G-Man,” a 15-minute plus excursion where Rollins proves he is indeed the world’s greatest jazz improviser.
As the camera pans down from the monolith, we come up from behind to see Sonny Rollins and his band on the rocky stage with a huge audience in the foreground. After the simple four-bar head is repeated a couple of times, Rollins is galloping off, digging deeper and deeper, with rapid-fire chromatic licks and arpeggios alternating with long held notes and basso growls, often powered by cheeks puffed out from circular breathing. Every so often, he returns to the head and you think he is winding down, just to go off again for another few minutes of profoundly melodic and deeply emotional improvisation. With every new chapter and return, Sonny ups the energy and excitement, seeming to spiritually levitate the large and intensely focused crowd seated on Opus 40’s spacious lawn.
“’G-Man’ proved as much as anything else that he was at the peak of his powers,” adds Mugge. “It became the centerpiece of the soundtrack CD and the film.”
The real drama came later, when in the midst of a long solo improvisation in which he prowled the stone stage like a panther, Sonny Rollins decided to leap off it onto another stone outcropping six feet below.
Tad Richards recalls: “I was sitting with Lucille Rollins on the lawn, stage right, when Sonny suddenly disappeared, stage left. The audience gasped, Lucille especially, and everything stopped. And then, still out of sight, Sonny started playing again, so powerfully and beautifully that everyone in the place assumed it was part of the show, even the musicians. You can see them in the movie; first shocked, then laughing as he starts playing again.
“After a few minutes, Sonny is still playing, still out of sight and Lucille says – ‘I’m a little worried, can you go and check on him?’ So I did and I found Sonny lying on his back, playing with the cameraman standing over him. We waited until he finished his solo and then helped him to his feet.
“Sonny asked how long we wanted him to play and I said I would stop the concert right then, if he needed medical attention. ‘No man,’ he growled, “I’m going to finish the gig’ which he did standing, propped up on one foot. Afterwards, two of our volunteers who were EMTs took him over to Northern Dutchess Hospital where they confirmed he had broken his heel.”
Another witness that day was local saxophonist Gus Mancini.
“What happened was that Sonny was doing one of his long solos, quoting every song there is between these incredible improvised riffs,” remembers Mancini. “Suddenly, he leaps from the flat stone stage to one below and disappears. After a slight pause, he starts playing again, for a long time, still out of sight. Everyone kept wondering where he was. Turns out he broke his heel and was taken off in a golf cart. I actually saw him the next day on TV in a cast and was amazed at how much longer he played at the concert, with his foot in that condition.”
Mugge concludes: “It was a very surreal moment that became famous in the jazz community even before the film was finished.”
The film soundtrack CD, “G-Man,” includes other remarkable performances from that day at Opus 40. These include lengthy outings on two Rollins’ classics, “Don’t Stop the Carnival” and “Tenor Madness,” but none as fiery as the concert and film opener.
I have had the pleasure of seeing Rollins a half dozen times over the years. These included shows at NYC’s The Bottom Line, the Village Gate and his legendary 80th birthday show at Carnegie Hall, where he played for the first time on stage with Ornette Coleman. I also saw the discussed Circle Line Cruise show, a week after his outing at Opus 40.
The Circle Line concert was, with little doubt, one of the three best shows I’ve ever seen. At it, Rollins played with his casted foot elevated, laying back in a Lazy Boy Lounger! It was typical of the Sonny shows I saw. He started off with an equally exciting and lengthy version of “G-Man,” building and digging deeper with each passing minute, without ever being boring or repetitious. He did an even more amazing and lengthy exploration on Stevie Wonder’s “Isn’t She Lovely,” the encore of this boat show. I saw him do the same thing on his opening number shortly thereafter at The Bottom Line show.
After these first numbers, I always asked myself if I should just leave. What more could he possibly do to impress, entertain, enlighten? I had certainly gotten my money’s worth. It was always pure musical gladiator stuff – creativity, craft and soulsmanship of the highest order from a lone genius. A performance checkmate in one move.
Today, 90-year old Sonny Rollins lives the quiet life in Woodstock, N.Y., retired from playing due to respiratory issues linked to his being in downtown NYC on 9/11. You can enjoy him speaking about his life and craft, and at the height of his improvisational powers with his Opus 40 performance and footage from his never-released concerto with Mugge’s new expanded Blu-Ray version of the documentary.
For more jazz goodness, check out Tad Richards’ Listening to Prestige, a multipart book series and blog that is chronicling all the releases from this great independent jazz label of 50s and 60s (530 and counting to date). For the past 22 years, Gus Mancini has been performing live every Sunday morning on WDST/Radio Woodstock’s “Woodstock Roundtable with Doug Grunther,” as well as gigging with numerous outfits including his rotating cast of improv warriors, The Sonic Soul Band. And for another spirited but definitely less awe-inspiring musical chapter from Opus 40 past, catch this writer performing “Divine Nonchalance” with his Spaghetti Eastern Music under the monolith at a show on Labor Day 2018.
On a late-fall Sunday evening in Albany, Nine Inch Nails brought their “Further Down the Spiral Tour” to the Knickerbocker Arena (now MVP Arena). The December 4, 1994 performance was notable not just for the opening acts – Marilyn Manson and Jim Rose Circus – but also a show cut short when a fan threw a shoe at the head of NIN drummer, Chris Vrenna.
Ticket stub – Nine Inch Nails, Albany, NY – December 4, 1994
The second part of Nine Inch Nails’ Self Destruct Tour saw shows in Buffalo and New York City coming on either side of the Albany show, and following the release of the critically acclaimed album The Downward Spiral. With recent performances that summer – not only the legendary mud show at Woodstock 94, but also in Poughkeepsie at the Mid-Hudson Civic Center a few weeks prior on August 3, 1994 – the Albany show was hotly anticipated by grunge loving teens.
And while this show’s openers were Marilyn Manson and Jim Rose Circus, other openers this tour included bands from the grunge era – Hole, The Melvins and Pop Will Eat Itself.
Manson and his band were introduced onto the stage by the Jim Rose Circus, with a lineup including serial killer inspired aliases – Daisy Berkowitz (guitar), Twiggy Ramirez (bass), Madonna Wayne Gacy (keyboard) and Sara Lee Lucas (drums). This was among the first times fans could see the controversial Marilyn Manson live, and while memories of the opening set are fleeting – the 30 minute set likely began close to the ticket time of 7:30pm, with many fans still waiting to get inside – one fan recalls from Manson’s set a vulgar tirade directed at a young woman in the crowd.
Both before, during and especially after Manson’s set, hundreds of fans in seated sections rushed down the aisles past security, packing the floor to nearly uncomfortable levels even before Jim Rose Circus took the stage. The ensuing snarl of bodies on the floor meant the circus – a freak show, really – meant that there were many more eyes on the stage for graphic stunts. The modern-day circus freak show that first made its name at Lollapalooza 1992, had interjections from Rose who kept the crowd on the hook as ringmaster, guiding the captive audience through a series of tricks and stunts taking place across the stage.
Early 1994 NIN Tour After-Show Pass
Among the acts were swallowing and regurgitating razor blades, smashing a cinder block on a strongman’s chest, ‘eating’ sparks from a grinding machine, and one member of the circus taking a unstrung 1970s tennis racket (smaller than today) and squeezing his entire body through the racket, slowly but surely dislocating appendages and succeeding in the act. For the more adventurous, click here to see what the performance included, but for those in attendance, time has thankfully aided in forgetting some of this set.
Note – I was a week away from turning 17, and still to this day, have only rushed the floor at a concert once. While the Nine Inch Nails performance was as memorable as could be, the Jim Rose Circus interlude has stuck with me for 30 years. I don’t know where my seats actually were for the show, but they sure weren’t on the floor. Of all the times to rush the floor and crowd near the stage…
photo by Paul Carter
And for the next 20 minutes or so as the freak show went away and a screen lowered behind Nine Inch Nails’ gear, the anticipation grew steadily for an already GRAMMY-winning band (Best Metal Performance – “Wish”) to play songs from the new album, as well as the previous seven ‘halos‘. What would amount to a 74-minute show due to the aforementioned shoe to the head, was nothing short of memorable, albiet confusing at the end.
The Nine Inch Nails lineup for this tour included frontman Trent Reznor (vocals, guitar, keys), Robin Finck (guitar, keys, backing vocals), Danny Lohner (bass, guitar, keyboards, backing vocals), Chris Vrenna (drums), and James Woolley (keys, programming, backing vocals). With a sepia-toned screen/banner behind the band, projections followed along with the music as themes of darkness, death and generally disturbing imagery were shone, adding a visual layer to a band that drew heavily on imagery in music videos for “Closer” and “Hurt,” in addition to previous videos.
Ticket stub – Nine Inch Nails, Albany, NY – December 4, 1994
The band went through the setlist (seen below) as they likely did for many shows that tour – a good deal of The Downward Spiral songs, plus some older songs, and the anger-filled anthem “Head Like a Hole” closing the show. It was during this song that someone in the audience threw a shoe (rumored to be a boot, but alas, a sneaker) and hit drummer Chris Vrenna in the head. Presumably, someone threw someone else’s shoe, making it easier to avoid being caught for the offending toss.
Vrenna finished the song, the band left the stage, and a few moments later, an announcement would come over the public address system, saying “The drummer suffered a concussion. The band is unable to continue.â With that, the lights were up and the show was over. Confusion abounded but the crowd was shuffled out towards South Pearl Street, an abrupt ending to an epic evening.
Without a basis for pop-culture shoe-throwing references, this notable tennis shoe toss was relegated to urban legend status, as the incident took place a full three years before Austin Powers coined the phrase “Who throws a shoe, honestly?” and 14 years before an Iraqi journalist threw a shoe at then-President Bush.
photo by Paul Carter
On December 17, 1994, the Daily Gazette gave brief mention of the show in the “Spotlight” section of the paper by writer M.L., under the heading “Really Nailed.”
“For Nine Inch Nails drummer Chris Vrenna, the show ends when the shoe hits him in the head. The Nails refused to come back for an encore after their Dec. 4 show at the Knickerbocker Arena when Vrenna was beaned in the noggin by a sneaker thrown by rowdy fans, according to Soo Hyun, a music publicist in New York City.”
It does not seem though that Vrenna had a concussion, but given the circumstances and sudden stopping of the show, giving the audience a reason was paramount at the time.
This author’s NIN cap from the 90s, still in good/used condition
M.L. continues, “Although the show left a nice bruise on Vrenna’s head, it seems the offending sneaker injured the drummer’s pride more than his body, Hyun said. “There was no damage, it was just a shoe,” Hyun said. “He’s played while bleeding before without any problems.”
The show marked a first for Vrenna, as it was the first time he had been hit while performing on stage by fan throw items. Hyun continued “While fans often chuck objects at the band during their shows, the Knick concert was the first time that Vrenna has been struck while playing. They really expect this kind of stuff to happen.
Luckily, two audience recordings of this show are available here (Sony ECM-155 + Aiwa J505) and here (Sonic Studio DSM6 Mics + Sony TCD-D7). The recordings are decent for the time period, with a little chatter over ambient sections of songs. A close listen to “Head Like a Hole” may indicate when in the song Vrenna was struck – Head, meet Sole – but kept playing til the end.
The memory of the non-encore stands out, and looking back on setlists of the tour, “Closer” and “Something I Can Never Have” were among the songs the crowd missed out on. Still, between rushing the floor, a musical freak, a freak show, and Nine Inch Nails, the night of December 4, 1994 at the Knickerbocker Arena was nothing short of memorable.
Ticket stub – Nine Inch Nails, Albany, NY – December 4, 1994
While no video footage of the show exists, you can view the Nine Inch Nails performance a few days later at Madison Square Garden, on December 7 and 9, 1994, which shows what the entire show in Albany would have been like, encore and all.
Nine Inch Nails – December 4, 1994 – The Knickerbocker Arena, Albany
Setlist: Pinion. Mr. Self Destruct, Sin, March of the Pigs, Piggy, Reptile, Gave Up, Happiness in Slavery, Eraser, Hurt, The Downward Spiral, Wish, Suck, The Only Time, Down In It, Head Like a Hole
On December 2, 2012, the King of Blues, B.B. King played Westbury Music Fair, which is now know as NYCB Theatre in Westbury, New York. At the time he was 87 years but still enjoyed playing for his adoring fans.
King started his music career in 1949 on Beale Street in Downtown Memphis, Tennessee. He named his first guitar Lucille when he ran into a burning building to save it, and later learned that the fire was caused by two men knocking over a barrel of kerosene while fighting over a girl named Lucille. His guitars were usually black Gibson guitars and in 1980, Gibson introduced a B.B. King custom model.
King recorded some of the greatest rock n’ roll hits of all time like “3 O’Clock Blues,” “You Know I Love You,” “Woke Up This Morning,” “Please Love Me,” “Every Day I Have the Blues,” “You Upset Me Baby” and of course his signature hit single “Lucille,” just to name a few. He also found commercial success through a series of all-star collaborations.
On his 1997 album Deuces Wild, he enlisted artists such as Van Morrison, Bonnie Raitt, Eric Clapton, Joe Cocker, The Rolling Stones and Willie Nelson. In 2000, he collaborated again with Eric Clapton for the Grammy winning album Riding with the King. He has released 43 studio albums and 16 live albums and a number of compilations.
AllMusic recognized B.B as “the single most important electric guitarist of the last half of the 20th century.” He was inducted into the Blues Hall of Fame in 1980 and the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1987. He is one of he most influential blues musicians of all time. He is also ranked at No. 6 in Rolling Stone magazine’s 100 Greatest Guitarists of All Time. Over the course of his 60 year-plus career, he has received 18 Grammy awards, the Presidential Medal of Freedom and the Kennedy Center Honors, among many other awards.
King died in May of 2015 at the age of 89. His body was flown to Memphis and a funeral procession went down Beale Street with thousands of people watching and a brass marching band playing “When the Saints Go Marching In.” His body was then driven down Route 61 to his hometown of Indianola, Mississippi where he was laid to rest.
