My Year in Music 2013
Raw Statistics
Phish
Shows – 14
Other
Shows – 21
Festivals
– Soulstice (4 sets), Cascadia (5 sets) & Eugene Celebration (2 sets)
Studio Albums
4)
The Wood Brothers – “The Muse”
The
fifth album from Chris and Oliver Wood is the first to feature full time
drummer, vocalist and shuitar player Jano Rix.
Jano has undoubtedly improved their chemistry but there’s something a
little off with this disc. The Wood
Brothers thrive with certain rawness and this record is obviously still very
good but it’s a little more polished and slick than their previous releases. Highlights include the title track, “Sing
About It,” “Honey Jar,” “I Got Loaded” (a Robert Camille cover) and the rocking
“Who the Devil.”
3)
Assembly of Dust – “Sun Shot”
The
fourth album from AoD is also the first to feature new drummer Dave Diamond and
keyboard/violin player Jason Crosby.
“Sun Shot” is a big departure from 2009’s guest heavy “Some Assembly
Required” but in a good way. AoD got
back to their roots by mixing Reid Genauer’s voice with Adam Terrell’s lead
guitar. There are soft ballads, rocking
numbers and everything in between.
“Vaulted Sky,” “Cluttered,” “Lost and Amazed,” and “Arkansas Down” are
my favorites but this album has an extremely nice flow to it.
2)
Tedeschi Trucks Band – “Made Up
Mind”
TTB’s
second album, and first without original bassist Oteil Burbridge, picks up
right where 2011’s “Revelator” left off.
You can hear the evolution of this 11-piece band as they play to their
strengths like a well oiled machine. The
impressive list of songwriting collaborators includes Oliver Wood (“Made Up
Mind”), Gary Louris (“Whiskey Legs”), Doyle Bramhall II (“Part of Me” &
“All That I Need”) and Sonya Kitchell & Eric Krasno (“Misunderstood” &
“It’s So Heavy”). You really can’t go
wrong with TTB.
1)
The Greyboy Allstars – “Inland
Emperor”
The
fourth album in 18 years from the GBA also features a new member in drummer
Aaron Redfield. What really stands out though
is that Karl Denson contributed no original tunes to this record and it’s still
great! Keyboardist Robert Walter and
guitarist Elgin Park either wrote or co-wrote every track but three (which got
group credits). Maybe I like this disc
so much because it features some Greyboy-tronica in “Multiplier” and “Better
Get a Jump On It” but their trademark boogaloo is still there with some rock
too.
Official Live
Releases
4)
Various Artists – “Move Me Brightly”
– DVD compilation of 8/3/12
I
was a little disappointed this DVD wasn’t the entire 4 ½ hour 26 song 70th
birthday show for Jerry Garcia but Director Justin Kreutzmann did a really good
job editing this monster down. Included
are all of the interviews from the webcast and some more that go further in depth
with Jerry’s immediate family. Since
this was recorded at Bob Weir’s TRI Studios the sound and video are immaculate
and there’s enough musical treats to bring you right back to that epic night.
3)
Mike Gordon – “The Egg” – 3 CDs of 12/11/11
This
was the final show of 2011 for the MGB before they made their way to Amsterdam
in March of 2012 for their last shows until 2014. Mike described this room as “so tight
sounding that evening that every note was easy to hear.” You can tell the band is hooked up right from
the opening “Horizon Line” and the first set features five songs that stretch
past the 12-minute mark. Set two might
not be as good musically but it’s no slouch either plus the Dude of Life adds
vocals to the “Suzy Greenberg” encore.
2)
The Black Crowes – “Wiser for the
Time” – 2 CD compilation of 10/31-11/6/10
In
a first for My Year in Music a download (or vinyl) only release made the
cut. During this sold out 5-night run at
the Best Buy Theater in New York City the Crowes played an acoustic set
followed by an electric set. The first
disc is 77:20 featuring 15 acoustic tracks and the second disc is 78:56 with 10
electric songs. The best thing about
this release is the song selection is anything but stock. Both discs are chock-full of rarities making
this a must have for any hardcore Crowes fan.
1)
Grateful Dead – “Sunshine Daydream”
– 3 CDs & 1 DVD of 8/27/72
Per
archivist David Lemieux this show was by far the most requested one that hadn’t
been released from the vault. Apparently
the reason it took so long to make available was that the Dead didn’t own the
rights to the film. Well let me tell you
it was worth the wait. The audio is
pristine but it’s the movie that really takes the cake. Interspersed at random places in the film is
real live footage from some of the original acid tests. This legendary show took place in the town I
live in so it’s a great historical document as well.
Top 5 Non-Phish Shows
5)
12/6/13 • The Black Crowes • Portland, OR • Arlene Schnitzer Concert Hall (17th show)
Sting Me, Twice as Hard, Good Morning Captain, High
Head Blues, Remedy, Ballad in Urgency > Wiser Time, Oh! Sweet Nuthin’, She
Talks to Angels. Thorn in My Pride, Soul Singing, Jealous Again, Hard to Handle
> Hush > Hard to Handle
E:
Torn and Frayed, Happy
Any discussion of this show has to begin with the horrendous
drive in a full on blizzard from Veneta to Salem. Without a doubt one of the top-five most
stressful drives of my life…and that’s really saying something. We left at 11:00 and arrived at our hotel at
2:45 which all things considered probably wasn’t that bad but my knuckles were
ready to be any color but white after that drive.
Being that the Crowes were off for a full 12 days
prior to this show I was worried we’d be in for a stock setlist and not much
jamming. Well I was 50% right as the
show started slowly with some classics and then began to pick up steam with
“Captain.” When the opening riff of
“High Head” echoed out the momentum of the show really shifted and when an
early set “Remedy” absolutely exploded the place was suddenly on fire.
We were getting down with reckless abandon thanks to
the four seats we had dead center right on the aisle (I really appreciated
those people not showing up) and the somewhat straight laced Crowes crowd was
giving us a WIDE berth taboot. The 28 ½
minute journey of “Ballad > Wiser” was just what the doctor ordered and
allayed any fears I had about new guitarist Jackie Greene fitting in. It didn’t stop there though with Rich
Robinson taking lead vocals on a 10-minute version of the Velvet Underground’s
“Nuthin’.” A mostly acoustic take on
“Angels” with Greene on mandolin followed and let everyone catch their breath
before 12 ½ minutes of “Thorn” closed down the meat of the show.
From there it was back to standards-ville before a
double encore of Rolling Stones tunes.
Nobody does “Torn” like the Crowes (sorry Phish) and I was really
psyched to hear it and “Happy” was just icing on the cake. The only downer to this night was that I lost
my winter hat, so I must have had a really good time!
4) 2/23/13 • Sound Tribe Sector 9 • Eugene, OR •
McDonald Theatre (36th show)
I: Vapors, F. Word, Lo
Swaga, Tokyo, Kabuki*, Shock Doctrine, Frequencies 2 > 3, Scheme
II: Really What?, When the
Dust Settles, Squares & Cubes, Empires, Robot Rock, Grow, Instantly, What is
Love?
E: Moon Socket, EHM
* last time played
3/13/07
This
show has to be prefaced with we had awesome seats, dead center in the first row
of the balcony, thanks to my buddy Dean.
The reason I need to start there is because Saxton Waller’s light show
was just insane. I mean it had to be
seen to be believed and as Dean said the next day “The best light show I’ve
seen since Roger Waters.” To put it
briefly there was a giant digital pyramid behind the band that could display
anything at all and always went along with the music. It was an all encompassing display to say the
least.
Other
than the opening “Vapors” (a tune that has since grown on me) there was no
filler in the first set. “F. Word,”
“Swaga” and “Tokyo” might not be crowd favorites but they are all songs I
like. The bust out of “Kabuki” was
totally unexpected yet thoroughly enjoyed.
“Shock D” kept the momentum rolling but the highlight for me was one-two
punch of “Frequencies” and “Scheme” that closed the set down strong.
At
this point it must be mentioned that this was the absolute craziest crowd scene
I’ve ever been a part of at the McDonald.
The search getting in was beyond repressive but once inside it was a
complete free-for-all. Both of these are
anomalies for the McD as was Palmer Parker walking right by people smoking weed
and the kid next to me smoking a cigarette inside. For Eugene locals this might seem weird but I
witnessed it all…well what I could see between all the smoke and lights.
Anyway
set two really brought the heat to the hyped-up sold out Saturday night
crowd. There’s no better way to open an
STS9 set than “Really” and to follow that with “Dust” kept the energy at a
fever pitch. The next big treats for me
were “Squares” and guitarist Hunter Brown completely slaying Daft Punk’s
“Robot.”
“Grow”
was a repeat from Portland two days prior but anyone that was bothered by that
quickly forgot when they dropped the “Instantly” that had been lurking all
night. After blowing the roof off the
joint Deee-Lite’s “Love” was almost superfluous but the crowd was
insatiable
A
16-minute double encore of fan favorites sent everyone into the night smiling
and tired but something tells me the youngsters in attendance had even more
left in the tank. I’m writing this
exactly a week after it was announced that bassist David “Murph” Murphy and the
band were “parting ways.” This review is
somewhat bittersweet for me after all the good times Murph has given me since
my first show way back on 5/22/99. I’m
glad my last show with Murph was a barnburner and here’s to hoping that STS9
lands on their feet going forward.
3)
7/30/13 • ALO • Stateline, NV • Horizon Casino (7th show)
I
Love Music, Blew Out the Walls, Shapeshifter, Try > After Midnight > Try,
Chilly Chilly*, Falling Dominoes*, Dead Still Dance, Plastic Bubble, Cowboys
and Chorus Girls, Suenas de Vegas > Get Lucky > Suenas de Vegas, Walls of
Jericho, Maria, Pobrecito > Lady Loop
E: The Champ >
Barbeque > The Champ
* with Josh Clark on
guitar
At
my age late night shows post-Phish are rarely a good idea but with a chance to
see ALO for the first time since 8/4/07 I couldn’t resist. It was a good call on my part to say the
least as the band played like the ALO I always knew they could be. What I mean by that is they jammed pretty
much every tune they played with guitarist Dan “Lebo” Lebowitz in especially
fine form. The first two numbers were
basically a 17-minute warm up before things started to get out there.
“Shapeshifter”
was 13 ½ minutes of Lebo guitar acrobatics with a nice long tease (verse?) of
“My Favorite Things” inside. “Try” again
stretched past the 13-minute mark and featured a full on segue in and out of the
recently passed J.J. Cale’s “Midnight.”
Just when things couldn’t get any better Josh Clark from Tea Leaf Green
stepped to the stage and proceeded to have a near 20-minute guitar duel with
Lebo over the course of two songs with “Chilly” really standing out.
Keyboardist
Zach Gill kept things light and moving, literally with a laser pointer strapped
to the end of his ukulele, during “Bubble” and “Cowboys” was nearly 11 minutes
of ALO goodness. I had heard “Suenas”
once before on 10/30/05 but I never thought I’d hear it again, much less in a
sandwich with Daft Punk’s “Lucky.” The
obligatory “Jericho” almost reached 10 minutes but it was the 12 ½ minute
“Maria” that killed us.
We
left during “Pobrecito” and it turned out we didn’t miss much after
that. However worth noting is that after
two hours of dancing AFTER a Phish show we saw a bear two houses down from where
we were staying as the cab dropped us off at almost 3 AM. Not that it freaked us out or anything…
2)
3/8/13 • Assembly of Dust • Portland, OR • Mississippi Studios (4th show)
I: Avenue of the Giants,
Elixir, Telling Sue, Bus Driver, 15 Arrows, All That I Am Now, ???, Bootlegger’s
Advice, Speculator
II: Two Poets, Fountain,
Honest Hour, Vaulted Sky^, Rachel, Cluttered^, Mama, Sun Shot
E: ???, Cabin John
^ first time played
We
timed the start of this show perfectly since as we walked in the band was literally
strapping on their instruments. We
sidled up to Mark and Missy about five rows back or so right in front of singer
Reid Genauer. “Avenue” was not a song I
really wanted to hear but what took me aback was the sheer energy and
determination that Reid and the boys were already playing with. When “Elixir” exploded in the second slot all
bets were off and I may have been levitating off the floor as I danced and/or
elbowing everyone around me.
Keyboardist
Jason Crosby broke out a violin that added the perfect touch to “Sue” but
“Arrows” was a song that was so far out of left field that it wasn’t even on my
radar. The best part was the band just
destroyed it pumping up the energy in the room to even higher levels. It was at this point I took notice of what
Mark had been saying about Reid and how serious he looked on stage. I mean he was all business and ready to rock
our socks off. “Bootlegger’s” was on my
want to hear list (as was “Elixir”) and almost killed me.
It
needs to be mentioned at this point in the year I was still experiencing an
awful lot of back pain and during “Speculator” I knew the second set was going
to be a challenge for me to stay upright.
“Poets” started the second set off right and “Fountain” kept it going
but alas I had to abandon ship and move to the back of the room so I could lean
against a wall. Crosby broke out the violin
again on “Hour” and then the debuts started.
“Sky”
was another tune I hoped to hear and it was played well for a debut. Crosby hopped back on the violin once more for
a high energy romp through “Rachel” and then the new song we all universally
wanted to hear in “Cluttered” came next.
It totally delivered and had me doing the best wall-boogie I could
muster. “Mama” kept things rolling (even
more violin) and by this time the energy in the room was so thick you could
reach out and touch it. The final encore
of “Cabin” must have been meant as some kind of cruel joke to me since I wanted
to dance so badly but literally couldn’t move.
The
only downer to this night, and I’m not including my back, was that no recording
surfaced. I was in contact with front of
house engineer John Coretto from about the Monday after the show until he
informed me that he wouldn’t be posting it because the goof ball at the venue
didn’t plug his taping rig into the soundboard properly making the first set a
single channel recording. I groveled
more in hopes of getting the second set but alas this will go down as one of
those nights where you had to be there or you missed out.
1)
8/25/13 • New Monsoon • Veneta, OR • My Deck (14th show)
Trust
in Me, Gelstream, Raven’s Eye, Border Ghost, Alaska, Downstream, Condor Canyon,
Stagger Lee, Velvet Pouch, Fearless, Drive Wheel > Country Interlude
setlist may be
incomplete and/or out of order
Did
you ever have one of those experiences that are just magical? Well maybe you have on some level but on this
night everything just came together so perfectly that everyone in attendance
had a GREAT (not good) time. But first
some back story is needed.
This
all started innocently enough with the announcement that NM would be doing a
Kickstarter campaign to help finance their first record in six years. In the jambands.com article some ignorami
were posting all kinds of negativity so I stepped up and defended NM like any
fan of theirs would. So no big deal
another fight of internet tough guys, well hold that thought.
As
part of their Kickstarter NM was offering to play private shows for $1,000 but
the catch was you had to live in the Bay Area.
Since when would that stop an internet ranger like me from at least
inquiring? So I sent an email asking
about the possibility of a non-Bay Area show and the response I got back was
“Are you the same Derreck that defended us in comments section of the jambands.com
article?” I replied that I was and the
next email I got said that the band would be in my area for Eugene Celebration
and was interested in playing my house.
After
the shock of a phone call from lead guitarist Jeff Miller while I was at my
desk at work wore off I rounded up some donations from the willing and the rest
is history. The band arrived at our
house around 11 and dug into the copious spread Teri had laid out for
them. I could tell they were getting
antsy to play around midnight or so but they managed to hold off until the
people that saw Dumpstaphunk close the Celebration arrived. They were even gracious enough to let them
eat and drink some before starting up.
The
first note was struck at 12:56 AM (don’t worry, the neighbors all cleared it)
and I’m pretty sure everyone there was taken completely aback by their skill
level. I’m not sure any of the 20+
people there outside of 3-4 had even heard them play before. To set the scene Jeff and bassist Marshall
Harrell were both plugged in to small amps, Bo Carper switched between acoustic
guitar and banjo and keyboardist Phil Ferlino rotated between acoustic guitar
and accordion. Original drummer Marty
Ylitalo played what I can only assume is some kind of Australian soft drum.
I
had cracked a joke prior to the first note asking when it was too early for
requests (which they all laughed at thankfully) and they played the song I
asked for in slot two. “Gelstream” is
one of their killer tunes that usually goes off late in the second set igniting
a dance party. So when they started it
up and got to the first peak I had to get the dance party started on my deck in
front of the fire pit. “Gelstream” just
ripped acoustically and Bo said after they finished “that was a first.”
“Raven’s”
was a first to my ears and had me buying Jeff’s solo album the next day. “Alaska” showcased Bo’s vocals and had
everyone following the story of an outlaw dad and his fiddle playing
daughter. “Downstream” was another that
came off very well acoustically with Jeff seeing just how loud he could take
his solo. Then I piped up again asking
for the brand new instrumental “Condor” which I couldn’t believe they actually
played for me. Marty commented to me
after the set that he hadn’t even heard that tune before and it sounded SO good
acoustic.
Bo
did himself justice again on the traditional “Stagger” and then Teri got her
request when they busted into “Velvet.”
There was some band discussion about what to play next and I heard
someone mention Pink Floyd’s “Fearless” so I piped up again and said “If I have
a vote I vote for Fearless” and they freaking nailed it! Again, it sounded so good and polished that
no neighbor in their right mind would have complained. The closing duo of “Wheel > Country” once
again saw Jeff pushing the limits of late night noise but no one was
complaining. In fact, pretty much
everyone left was dancing around the fire.
They
stopped playing at 2:58 AM and everyone’s mind was kind of blown at what had
just gone down. For starters after midnight
it was Marshall’s birthday and Chip and Kristina’s wedding anniversary so that
added even another level of magic to the evening. Things went so well that I got a text from
Jeff the next day that on their drive home they were still talking about what a
great time they had and how much they’d like to come back next year. I got an email a few days later from Jeff
saying the same thing, so who knows, maybe Surastock II will be happening this
summer.
Much
thanks to everyone who contributed because without you this magical night would
have never happened. I just wish there
were some pictures or some kind of documentation of this evening but oh well.
Top 6 Phish Shows
6)
11/1/13 • Atlantic City, NJ • Boardwalk Hall (150th show)
I: Cavern, Runaway Jim,
Sand, Halfway to the Moon, Halley’s Comet, Tube, Possum, When the Circus Comes
to Town, Sugar Shack, Jesus Just Left Chicago, David Bowie
II: Twist, Gotta Jibboo, Makisupa
Policeman > Light > Chalk Dust Torture, Meatstick > Boogie On Reggae
Woman, The Wedge, Slave to the Traffic Light
E: Sneakin’ Sally
Through the Alley
Before
I get into this show I’ll address why the “Wingsuit” show from 10/31/13 didn‘t
make the list. I loved the second set on
10/31 as it was happening and just as much the 20+ times I must have listened
to it since. And while the third set was
above average as far as third sets go the first set was just so meh that I
can’t include the show. Unlike many of
the more famous reviewers of Phish shows I’m not solely looking for a big jam
or three in the second set. I actually
prefer shows where the first set delivers AND the second set has big jams.
My
seat for this night was practically straight on but also in the very last row
of the venue. Some people complained
about the sound afterwards but I didn’t experience any of those problems where
I was slightly to the right of center.
The people around me were so cool that it made the night that much more
enjoyable since I was rolling solo.
You
could tell the boys meant business right away when “Runaway” went past the
9-minute mark and included a funky breakdown section where the theme from
“Shaft” was toyed with. In the middle of
the “Shaft” jam Trey stepped to the mic and said “Who’s the green private dick
who’s a sex machine to all the chicks? Cactus! John Cactus.”
So they were obviously feeling good and when “Sand” was dropped in the
three hole so was everyone in the audience.
This “Sand” almost made it to 11 minutes and had everyone getting down
with reckless abandon. “Halley’s” and “Tube”
kept the momentum going and a solid “Bowie” closed things down.
Things
got really crazy in set two with “Twist” reaching 21 ½ minutes and featuring a
full on jam based around Queen’s “Under Pressure” to the point that I had to
note it in my setlist book as a segue. A
10 ½ minute “Jibboo” kept everyone in the groove and “Makisupa” featured more
comedy from Trey about smoking OG Kush under a bush. A 14 ½ minute “Light” was the next highlight
and “Meatstick > Boogie On” was fun with more bush references.
The
icing on the cake of this show was undoubtedly the nearly 12-minute encore groove
bonanza of Robert Palmer’s “Sally.” The
“Shaft” theme was revisited and it felt like the band was trying to sap every
last bit of energy the crowd had left.
Kenny and Larisa wanted to hit the tables after the show but all I had
energy for was my head hitting the pillow.
Overall I didn’t think the three shows I saw on fall tour matched the
quality of what I had seen in the summer, but I’m not there every night either.
5)
8/4/13 • San Francisco, CA • Bill Graham Civic Auditorium (144th show)
I: Crowd Control, The
Divided Sky > Wilson, Foam, Halley’s Comet, My Soul, Ya Mar, Army of One,
Taste, Gumbo, Train Song*, Pebbles and Marbles
II: Energy, Runaway Jim
> Carini > The Wedge, Light > David Bowie, Silent in the Morning, Meatstick,
Quinn the Eskimo, You Enjoy Myself
E: Sanity, Bold as Love
* last time played
8/13/10 (120 shows)
Teri,
Kenny, Larisa and I probably had our worst seats of the 3-night run way up on
Page side with a somewhat obstructed view.
That’s what you get when you wait until the last minute at an all GA
concert but we did have plenty of room to boogie. Anyway a 16 ½ “Divided” got the first set
rolling and “Foam” was absolutely nailed.
I always love it when Page summons his inner Elton John on “Army” and
“Gumbo” was a funky treat. The bust out
of Mike’s “Train Song” was unexpected so late in the set but it was my first
“Pebbles” since 8/7/09 that really got my juices flowing. “P&M” almost made the 10-minute mark with
the band doing the composed portion justice and extending the jam taboot.
My
first and only version of The Apples in Stereo’s “Energy” made the wait worth
the while getting way out there with a quickness. The “Runaway” that followed was the
centerpiece of the show and probably the best version I’ve heard out my
31. Landing this epic “Jim” in “Carini”
nearly imploded the building making “The Wedge” a cool down tune. This opening 4-song stanza was 42 ½ minutes
but then Phish walloped us with another 24 minutes of “Light > Bowie.” I thought the show might be over here but the
train kept rolling along until a nearly 19-minute “YEM” closed things down.
This
second set had the feeling of a tour closer even though there was a show the
next day in Hollywood. The double encore
of “Sanity” and Jimi Hendrix’ “Bold” (my first since 8/5/09) kept that feeling
alive as we headed out into the San Francisco night with smiles on our faces.
4)
8/31/13 • Commerce City, CO • Dick’s Sporting Goods Park (147th show)
I: Buried Alive, AC/DC
Bag, Wolfman’s Brother, Yarmouth Road, Fee, Halfway to the Moon, The Wedge,
Halley’s Comet, Bathtub Gin, Bouncing Around the Room, Mound, Gumbo, Run Like an
Antelope
II: Chalk Dust Torture,
Light > 46 Days, Steam > Free, Joy, Also Sprach Zarathustra, Tweezer >
Backwards Down the Number Line
E: On the Road Again^, Tweezer
Reprise
^ first time played
We
ended up on Page side about mid-way back in the bleachers sitting with Mark,
Missy, Eric, Teresa and Kerry. The seats
would have been perfect had Mark listened to Missy and not moved us back but
late arrivers like us can’t be choosers.
The one-two punch of “Buried” (only my third ever and first since
4/15/04) and “Bag” got things started properly before an 11-minute “Wolfman’s”
settled everyone into the groove. “Fee”
was a welcome treat especially for Teri and the next highlight was a 13-minute
“Gin” that featured teases of “Dave’s Energy Guide.” A solid “Antelope” closed things down before
the main event.
“CDT”
was the real deal and probably the second best jam I heard all year. It stretched to the 23 ½ minute mark and
featured several different segments that seemed to build off each other with
some nice “Manteca” teases as well.
“Steam > Free” was short but very sweet and at one point I thought
“Free” might actually go off but alas it was not to be. “Joy” was a breather but “2001” ramped up the
energy once again before the surprise of the night came in a late set “Tweezer”
that made the entire sold out crowd detonate in ecstasy. The 12-minute “Tweezer” was a rocking good
time that I thought might end the show and it probably should have. The debut of Willie Nelson’s “Road” was nice
to hear before we sprinted to the car during “Reprise.”
3)
7/27/13 • George, WA • Gorge Amphitheatre (139th show)
I: Architect, Golgi
Apparatus, The Curtain With, Kill Devil Falls, The Moma Dance, Maze, Beauty of
a Broken Heart, Roses are Free, Say Something^, Ocelot, After Midnight
II: Down with Disease
> Undermind > Light > Sneakin’ Sally Through the Alley > Also
Sprach Zarathustra, Walls of the Cave, Fluffhead, Run Like an Antelope
E: Show of Life, Good
Times Bad Times
^ first time played
We
ended up in the terrace section for this show with Brian, Angel, Gary and
Beddo. The Gorge is my favorite venue on
the planet and on this night it was just a surreal scene with a wildfire
burning behind the stage across the river.
There was so much smoke that it was a little tough to breath at times
and our entire camp was covered in ash the next morning. This is probably my most controversial
ranking within the nerdy Phish community and I will say that upon re-listen
this show did move up my rankings a bit.
I think I was so blown away by the first night that I didn’t give this
night its due in the moment.
I
hate to say that I didn’t really enjoy my first “Architect” but to me it just
didn’t work as a show opener. “Golgi”
made me forget about it pretty quick though and when “The Curtain” dropped it
was like “Architect” never happened at all. It was my first “With” since
12/30/09 and the with section was the perfect antidote for the hot afternoon
stretching to almost 13 minutes. “Moma”
and “Maze” kept the energy high but it was the debut of Mike’s “Something” that
was the highlight of the set for me.
Being that “SS” was a debut it didn’t break form but you could hear the
potential this number has to be a centerpiece jammer. J.J. Cale passed away the previous night and
Phish did him justice absolutely shredding “Midnight” to pieces.
This
second set was a complete barnburner from start to finish with no let up or
breather songs. “DwD > Undermind >
Light > Sally > 2001” was nearly 53 minutes of non-stop music with Phish
completely on point the entire time.
“Undermind” was definitely the highlight of the evening with Fish
hopping on his marimba lumina at one point deep in the jam. The “Sally > 2001” portion was an absolute
dance party as I’m sure you can imagine.
I was sure a breather had to be next but nope the boys jumped right into
a nearly 12-minute “Walls” and there was no break until the encore.
While
“Fluffhead” and “Antelope” kept the energy high I didn’t think either was a
standout version and the encore was mailed in, which to be fair is expected after
such an epic second set. This show was a
darn good time and very well played throughout but I can’t agree with best of
summer or even best second set but it certainly has great replay value.
2)
7/31/13 • Stateline, NV • Harvey’s Lake Tahoe Outdoor Arena (141st show)
I: Chalk Dust Torture,
Camel Walk, Sparkle, Back on the Train, It’s Ice, Brian and Robert, Yarmouth
Road, Kill Devil Falls, Lawn Boy, Ocelot, Stash
II: Tweezer, Tela, Twist,
Architect, Bouncing Around the Room, Run Like an Antelope
E: Julius, Tweezer
Reprise
Teri
and I were alone for this one on the bleachers facing the stage slightly off to
Page side. These seats were by far our
favorite of the four shows we’ve seen in Tahoe and we will certainly hit them
up again if we ever go back.
I’m
always a sucker for a “CDT” show opener and this one was no exception getting
the party started right like it always does.
My first “Camel” since 10/31/10 was very welcome and if I only hear
“Sparkle” once a year I actually don’t mind it.
I love “Ice” and this one was played with some extra gusto so I got down
hard. When our first “B&R” since
11/1/09 started up I sat down but Teri was going nuts as she loves it. She said out loud to no one in particular “I
have to be the only person who’s excited to hear this.” But lo and behold the guy right in front of
her turned around and said “I love this song too” and they high-fived. We both thoroughly enjoyed our first
“Yarmouth” and the 21 minutes of “Ocelot” and “Stash” closed the set down
nicely.
By
now everyone has heard the legend of the “Tahoe Tweezer” and the 36:48 does not
disappoint. The “TT” is the seventh
longest jam of Phish’s 30-year career and the longest since “46 Days” on
8/3/03. It moved through several
different sections without any down time or space/ambience and is easily the
best jam I heard all year. Of course
this is also where phan “woo’ing” was born but what really stood out to me
about the “TT” was when Trey brought the jam back to the original opening lick
of “Tweezer.” It was such a cathartic
moment because they were jamming so well that it felt like it would never
end…or at least transition into something else.
But instead they started up my fourth ever “Tela” and first since
12/30/09. A monstrous jam followed by
one of my favorite bust outs? Check please!
“Twist”
kept the momentum going and the closing “Antelope” packed a little extra punch
with the crowd dropping some more “woos.”
I may have this show ranked too high but this is certainly a night that
holds more value if you witnessed it in person.
The energy was just ridiculously off the charts and the buzz after the
show was something else. Throw in a song
selection that fits me perfectly and you’ve got the #2 show of the year.
1)
7/26/13 • George, WA • Gorge Amphitheatre (138th show)
I: AC/DC Bag >
Timber (Jerry), Wolfman’s Brother, Funky Bitch, Happy Birthday*, Wilson, Possum,
Tube, Secret Smile**, McGrupp and the Watchful Hosemasters > The Ballad of
Curtis Loew, Split Open and Melt
II: Crosseyed and
Painless > Twist, Steam > Waves > Twenty Years Later > The Mango
Song, Bug > David Bowie, Rocky Top, Character Zero
E: Harry Hood, Fire
* last time played
3/8/09 (186 shows)
** last time played
11/1/09 (156 shows)
This
night was spent with Doug and his friends in the terrace, and what a night it
was. “Bag > Timber” was an awesome
way to start the show with a bang before the funk of “Wolfman’s” got everybody
grooving in the open air environs. After
wishing lighting director Chris Kuroda happy birthday a creative phan got Trey
to put on a homemade “Wilson” shirt, complete with duh-duh duh-duh on the
front, for Seahawks QB Russell Wilson.
Trey seized the moment and went on a rant about how he wanted the
“Wilson” chant to happen at Seahawks games and he eventually got his way with
NFL Films picking up on it (Part1 & Part2).
“Tube”
jump started the second half of the set and the bust out of “Smile” was played
as the sun set and fit in that slot perfectly.
My fifth “McGrupp” ever and first since 11/1/09 was a major treat as was
my second ever version of Lynyrd Skynyrd’s “Loew.” As Brian said after the show “You barely had
time to cheer for McGrupp before they started Curtis Loew.” So true, anyway a near 12-minute completely
raging version of “Melt” closed down what was the best first set I saw all year.
The
second set opened strong with an 18-minute version of the Talking Heads’
“Crosseyed” that had everyone around us getting down like crazy. “C&P” got dark and spacey before moving
into “Twist.” The next 25 minutes of “Steam
> Waves > 20 Years” was expertly played.
“Steam” got the entire place moving as one and my first “Waves” since
8/2/09 was much appreciated. “20 Years”
is a great landing place after some heavy jamming but the band wasn’t done
segueing into a rare late second set “Mango.”
“Bug”
was the real breather of the set and we really needed it at that point. I was sure the strong 13-minute “Bowie” would
be the closer but the band was feeling it and totally in the zone. “Rocky Top” was nice but I knew it couldn’t
close the set. So when Trey asked CK5 to
turn off the lights so they could jam to the moon during “Zero” I didn’t know
what to think. Not only did they jam to
the moon but they also started howling at it, all four of them at once, which
of course the crowd joined in on too.
“Hood”
was a great encore and fit the majesty of the Gorge perfectly during its
celestial 12-minute ride. I think the
band literally didn’t want to stop playing since they were having such a good
time and obviously had the crowd in the palm of their hands. So they threw an old school version of
Hendrix’ “Fire” complete with Trey yelling “Move over rover and let Jon Fishman
take over!” The ride back to the
campground was nothing but smiles and excited chatter. This was truly one of those nights, and post-show
late nights, that can only happen at the best venue on the planet.
>
This year’s coveted NBA-Jam band on the rise award goes to Brooklyn’s Sister Sparrow and the Dirty Birds. Keep your
ears peeled for them in 2014.