Just by dumb luck I happened to be in Boston the same night that Widespread Panic came to town. It's been a little over two years since my last Panic show, one of if not the longest stretches I've gone without seeing them, so I was pretty excited at how the timing worked out.
The first set opened with one of my favorites, Pigeons. Bassist Dave Schools dedicated it to the Kings of Leon which made little sense to me at the time, until I saw this the next morning. Classic. St. Louis' loss was our gain, Pigeons opened what was to be a fantastic opening set. Pretty much everything through Surprise Valley was well played well placed and just all around good times. The Bears Gone Fishin was a highlight, the band really came together nicely and guitarist Jimmy Herring was ripping but staying within the confines of the band and the song. When I listen to the current Panic lineup Jimmy seems to stick out and not always in a good way. Too often he still sounds like a special guest in the band. But on this night he kept himself in check and it paid dividends. There was a point in the Bear's Gone Fishin where I thought he was about to take off and leave the band in his dust, but he reeled it back in and the 6 headed monster of old was brought out from the depths.
The 2nd set looked better on paper, but the playing didn't reach the heights of the first set nor did it flow quite as nicely. Maybe I'm just getting old, maybe they're just overused, but musical sandwiches just seem annoying to me at this point. And Panic goes to them a lot. Twice in this set alone, and browsing past setlists they seem to be all over the place. Shelve the sandwich I say. Still, a nice sold set of Panic, a nice solid show of Panic, and a great night. Hopefully it won't be another two years before we do it again.
Closed out the show with an oddly placed Jack encore, but finished it off with a rousing Lawyers Guns and Money that got the sparse New England crowd up and rocking one last time before heading out.
Aught-eight was a surprisingly good year for live music both in quantity and quality. I knew a move from Boston to Rochester would diminish my musical choices quite a bit, but I did have a hopeful feeling that there would still be enough to sate my live music addiction. My feeling was indeed correct. The choices were fewer, but all that did was make it easier to decide which shows to see, and even got me out to see some great bands I definitely would have missed in a more saturated environment. Anyway, here is my list for the best 8 shows of 08, with a mix of the second half of the year thrown in at the end. Click the links for original reviews.
8. El Ten Eleven @ Bug Jar I had never heard of El Ten Eleven but after reading a brief preview of the show in the paper, I thought it might be something I'd like to check out. And I was right! Hot damn! It was a Monday night, and a long freaking wait inside the small club for their headlining set, but well worth it. Probably the only time I have ever walked out of a show and bought 2 albums from the same band.
4. Apollo Sunshine @ Beat Kitchen So happy to get to see Apollo Sunshine this year, what with their outstanding new album and all. I had to go all the way to Chicago to do it, and stay out way late on a weekend work night, but completely worth it. Not the best AS show I have ever seen, but I have a hard time ever missing an opportunity to catch these guys.
3. Phil Lesh/Levon Helm @ Highland Bowl Best venue I attended this year, helped tremendously by the gorgeous summer afternoon, but also just a great spot right in the city with a super-chill outdoor party atmosphere both on stage and in the crowd. Seeing Levon was a great treat, and I really loved the new version of Phil's band, a lot more than others seem to. The song selection was great and the playing even better.
2. Fiery Furnaces @ Bug Jar When it popped up on the calendar that the Fiery Furnaces would be playing the teeny tiny Bug Jar I was floored. When I popped up at the venue and the Fiery Furncaces were actually on stage at the teeny tiny Bug Jar, well I was just floored. Just a crazy crazy show in a crazy crazy atmosphere. I had to remind myself I was in Rochester.
1. Akron/Family @ Boulder Festival These guys got inside my head and just turned up the happy juice, I was in heaven. Mindblowing.
Biggest disappointments: Mike Gordon @ Thursdays in the Park. I never got around to reviewing this one, but let's just say, booooooring. Way too jammy with a way underpar band. Other than that, having to miss Dr. Dog the day after Akron/Family at the Boulder Festival, missing not one but two local MMW shows, arriving too late for Earl Greyhound, and getting sold out from the Felice Brothers.
Best new discoveries: El Ten Eleven, Reverend Peyton's Big Damn Band, Syme, Wax Fang, Le Loup, Cornmeal
Download my 2nd half mix here. My first half mix can be found here. 1. Sympathy for the Devil (w/ Jerry Joseph) Widespread Panic 8 July 2008 Rochester 2. Hey Jude Derek Trucks Band 11 July 2008 Rochester 3. The Other One > Phil Lesh & Friends 12 July 2008 Rochester 4. Another Reason to Go Vetiver 6 December 2008 Detroit 5. Raising the Sparks Akron/Family 21 February 2007 Edgar's Club Clemson, SC 6. Wonderwall Ryan Adams & The Cardinals 27 September 2008 Rochester 7. Dirty Black Nag Cornmeal 9 October 2008 Syracuse 8. The Doctor Will See You Now Wax Fang 2007-11-17 - Headliners Music Hall 9. Better Change Your Mind Apollo Sunshine Daytrotter Session 10. k10 El Ten Eleven Sunset Tavern 5 June 2008 Seattle 11. Impossible Germany Wilco 6 December 2008 Rochester, NY
I: From the Cradle, Better Off, Three Candles>Pickin Up the Pieces, Wondering, PAYMH>Stop Breakin Down, Dark Day Program>Proving Ground
II: Conrad, Already Fried, One Arm Steve>Jam>Driving Song>Papa's Home>Drums>Papa's Home>Driving Song, Gimme>Machine>Barstools and Dreamers, Mr Soul
E: Sympathy for the Devil (with Jerry Joseph)
The weatherman said it was 92 in Rochester. I'm not sure where they had the thermometer set up for that reading, but it was definitely not in the Main Street Armory. It was well over 100 in there with a nice cloud hanging up in the ceiling when I arrived about 20 minutes before showtime. The place was not even 1/10th full, this was just pure bottled heat. As it filled soon after the boys got kicking just after 8 it only got hotter, and the sweat induced and likewise inducing humidity only got worse. It was almost unbearable if it weren't for that bear of a man standing up above me in the Schools Zone. I felt pleased as punch to be catching Widespread Panic in my new hometown of Rochester. The chances they were playing there this year of all years seemed highly unlikely... the last time being over 11 years ago. I was at that one too...good show btw.
Show opened modestly. I have said it before, and I will say it again, Jimmy owns Pieces now. Beautifully done. Party at Your Momma's House had me thinking about Mr Houser the whole time. It never quite struck me until hearing it last night, it was one of his later tunes, but man if it isn't quintessential Houser. This segued seamlessly into Stop Breaking Down. No typical Panic breakdown and build back up, or fizzle out and emerge out, just smooooooth. Ending the set with Proving Ground as the big rocker of the set, but it's a pretty slow rocker. Jimmy brought new life to the ending noise as everyone else fuzzed out in faux intensity, he was still playing notes. Outside of the speed metal world I don't know that anyone can play as fast and controlled as him. In conclusion, set 1 had to be the mellowest set I have seen since the barely audible full on acoustic set at SPAC back in 93.
Maybe we're Better Off?
Dave came out for the second set teasing Walk on the Wild Side very hard. Question was, would they? Opening riff to Conrad said they would. They immediately knocked it down a notch though with Already Fried which seemed to go on forever. Decent song I guess, but pretty damn slow. Then One Arm Steve which is far far away from being my favorite. But who's complaining when they tack on a set-making jam at the end? I couldn't describe it in too much detail, except to say it went places. Highlight of the show. The jam came to a complete stop, really that segue mark is pretty inaccurate. Then came the double breaded sandwich with a meager drums for the meat. This killed the sandwich twofold. One, the jam out of drums is generally excellent, and two, the jam back into Driving is also usually excellent. Kinda missed both those here. The whole band stayed on stage for drums, but it still dragged on for a while. Then Gimme (it was Tuesday after all), which had me thinking of Houser all over again. Haven't seen this one in a long while so that was nice. Set closing Machine>Barstools, Mr Soul had this set coming out nice and solid. No crazy epic midweek underattended weird venue type show, but solid Panic.
They did have one tricky surprise left for us though. At the encore break they brought out an extra amp, mic, and some lyric sheets. So not only a guest, but a random tune to boot. The girl next to me informed me that the venue's answering machine had a message about a Jerry Joseph postshow happening right there at the venue. Not sure if that ended up happening, not sure how it would have happened, but there he was, Mr. Jerry Joseph on stage for the encore. Dave started playing the bass to Sympathy for the Devil from off stage, and Sonny, Jojo, and Todd came on and joined in the groove while the crowd sang "Oo Oo, Oo Oo". Then the all J's guitar trio of JB, Jimmy, and Jerry Joseph came on and got the party started. Great encore, sealed the show up nice and tight. And finally we could get our asses out of the sweat lodge. Memo to the Main Street Armory: Please refrain from booking any concerts from May-October.
Captured just a bit of the tail end of the Sympathy Jam:
Last night's Panic show was all potatoes and no meat. There was Russet and Red Bliss, mashed and baked and deep fried. But no breasts or legs, loins or chops. Every song was the filler of great sets, the dove with the olive leaf that brings you back to land after being set adrift on a long meandering journey. I was happy to have them, and they were well played, but I was yearning to set sail all night, only to keep hitting land. There was nothing really to complain about with the Chainsaw City, Lilly, Walkin, Down opener. Lilly is one of my favorite Panic tunes, such a simple and sweet bass line with that lingering lead and some great lyrics, its one of their better written tunes I think. And Down is always surprisingly welcome. Todd needs to write more songs. Down provides a nice alt-country honk vibe, and his voice is underrated. JB's and his voice mesh nicely in a similar way to how Mikey would sound with a little JB harmonizing. I would LOVE to hear Todd try his hand singing some Mikey tunes, I'm getting giddy just thinking about him singing on Vacation, Sandbox, or Smoke and Burn. His voice is not all that disimilar to Mikey's, a bit deeper, a lot cleaner, and a little froggier I guess.
Got a frantic call from the babysitter during Can't Get High, so had to deal with a screaming baby situation through the beginning of Hatfield. Hatfield seemed just ok, but of course my mind was still distracted, and then Jojo reminded everyone that it was HIS day with a set closing Blackout Snooze.
B of D to open the second set, coupled with our upgraded seats deep in the Schools Zone had the night looking up in a big way. That quickly disappeared into One Arm Steve, which ended in a nice jam, and then fizzled into Thin Air, but wait, the band launched into a Peter Gunn Planet Claire jam for a few minutes before getting back to Thin Air. Kind of bizarre, but they were having fun. Thin Air also ended in a bit of a nowhere jam, which eventually settled into a very nice slow slinky and funky reggae jam. This was the highlight of the night for me. Kind of sad when it comes down to it, but also, this was really really nice. And the way it melted into Love Tractor was just fantastic. Bravo all around. Love Tractor got the energy really high under the big tent. But then of course, all momentum was lost with Pieces. As I got lost in the light and dreamy Pieces, as Jojo was finishing up his lead segment it suddenly hit me, this is like a big fat meatball for Jimmy to knock out of the park! I was immediately transfixed on Jimmy. His solo was quite good, and for about a 30 sec segment it was reaching the peak of perfection at one point, but mark my words, in a year or 2, or maybe just a tour or 2, Jimmy is going to play a Pieces so freaking amazing that it will be talked about for years, and will far surpass the famous Branford version.
Anyway, with a pedestrian Stop Go, All Time Low, Junior closing it was pretty clear this show would not be a very memorable one. Still, a lot of fun, the playing was very good throughout, and I will say, Jimmy is really meshing much better. He was reserved for the most part when needed, which is one thing he definitely has needed to work on. We left before the encore and sadly missed that Me and the Devil, but you gotta do what you gotta do...
Also, I'd like to throw out some love for the Pavilion. $9 beers aside, this venue is excellent. The sound was good, the sightlines were good, easy to get around inside, easy to get to the concessions and bathrooms, and a great location right on the water. They should be hosting shows from late March to late November. I would have no problem bringing a coat and hat to see a show there.
Setlist from Everyday Companion: 1: Chainsaw City, Little Lilly > Walkin' (for your love), Down, Tickle the Truth Into Submission, Can't Get High > Bear's Gone Fishing > Hatfield > Blackout Blues 2: B of D > One Arm Steve > Thin Air (Smells Like Mississippi) > Love Tractor, Pickin' Up The Pieces, Stop Go, All Time Low, Junior E: Me and The Devil > Porch Song, Going Out West
A multi-day multi-stage festival kind of boils down to a tournament of bands, the competition taking place in your own personal preference rather than the bands actually duking it out. While it doesn't lay down exactly like a traditional bracket, it does offer a unique opportunity to compare and contrast different bands on the scene, and whittle down who are your favorites and/or expand your fandom beyond its current state. Langerado played out with some interesting match-ups, some in the dimension of time, bands going up against each other in the same time slot, and others in the dimension of style. So without further ado, here is my LongOverDueRado review.
I tried to hit as much as I possibly could over the weekend, opting for the patented Nedtastic™ style of festival-going, hitting bits and pieces of as much as possible, as opposed to checking out entire sets. I managed to take some short video of most of what I saw (many embedded below, all here.)
Biggest disappointment was not being able to motivate the herd early enough to hit Assembly of Dust, Tea Leaf Green, Apollo Sunshine, or ToubabKrewe. Second biggest disappointment was the absence of Rodrigo y Gabriela who were stopped at the border due to a name mixup. I am more disappointed in not seeing them post-fest, at the time I didn't quite know what I was missing. But I do delight in the fact that the current administration's bungling has reached pretty much every corner of the known universe. I mean who woulda thunk their policies would affect the Langerado lineup?!
Sharon Jones vs. Cat Power After just a quick introduction to both New Monsoon and Langerado itself, things kicked into gear at the Swamp Tent with Sharon Jones and her Dap Kings. They say she is a female James Brown and they ain't kiddin, an apt descriptor if ever there was one. This is a front lady that knows how to work a room, even if that room has no walls. Gotta love her.
Contrast that up against Cat Power, a woman struggling to overcome stage fright. You could tell she wasn't comfortable up there, but she was doing her best. Just a very strange stage presence for sure. During her cover of Satisfaction, she pulled off some very awkward Mick Jagger moves. I enjoyed her set, but I had heard her live stuff with the band she was touring with from The Greatest, and I think I would have liked that band better. I loved the country twang element to that outfit, and it was missing here. They closed with an interesting cover of Crazy.
North Mississippi All-Stars vs. Galactic I have to just say, I find the North Mississippi All-Stars to be pretty overrated. They bore me pretty quickly. And when they bust out the "electric washboard" they just lose me, that might be the worst instrument ever invented. Painful. So I caught a little bit of their set, and local sacred steel band The Lee Boys sat in. That turned out to be a nice little jam. Such is the beauty with festivals, I got my quick fill and headed over to Galactic.
Galactic played a fantastic set. Do they ever not? They are pretty much a sure thing. And when Stanton is jumping out of his seat in rhythm, you know it is on. When they move from the classic NOLA funk Galactic, and move to the newer blues-oriented Galactic, they lose me a little. Now they're just sounding like the NOMAS. Didn't I just see them? Well Galactic is always a fun time, but had to run out and catch some of the Hold Steady too!
Hold Steady vs Stephen Malkmus Heard so many superlatives about the new Hold Steady album, Boys and Girls in America, that when I finally heard it I was sorely disappointed. This is it? I mean, it was good, but I didn't quite see why it got so much ink. Maybe seeing them on stage would help me "get it." And I did. Kinda. They were rocking, they were fun, they were funny. Definitely enjoyable, but I still say, over-rated (clap clap, clap clap clap)
I am a late comer to Pavement and Malkmus. But I do have a ton of the material, and listen and enjoy it frequently. I had no expectation of the live show, but I was excited to see him. He blew me away! This band freaking R-O-C-K'd in the USA. Damn. I expected short well-crafted tunes, not blazing hot spine melters. And the female bass and drums combo was the and-one three point play. Tight. Loved it. I wasn't completely surprised by it, but it was still the biggest surprise of the weekend, moreso because it was a fairly unsurprising weekend.
Bela Fleck and the Flecktones vs. Medeski Martin and Wood The two "jazz" bands of the weekend. But that's about all they have in common. It had been ages since I last saw the Flecktones and I was excited to get back with the Flying Hippos. I am a little disappointed in their latest studio effort, but it was great to see they are still the same great band live. Not often you will see a better group of musicians on stage together. And Futureman is playing some real live percussion now! ...in addition to the "classic" synthaxedrumitar.
Speaking of amazing groups of musicians, how about a little em, em, and double-u? Don't mind if I do. Always a treat. I think they would have worked better in the tent, or even on the smaller of the two stages, but the largeness of the big stage kind of diluted their impact. I thought the set came off a little flat. By their standards that is, and it was still great stuff.
Trey Anastatio vs Explosions in the Sky Well we all know about his off-court issues as of late. So how would that translate to his game? Who knows? I haven't seen a TAB outfit since his 2nd tour. It seems to me that his solo stuff, while at first a nice way to escape the rigors of Phish and just rock out, is now just not challenging enough for him. He is really not doing anything new, for himself or for the world of music. He looks bored, he plays bored, and I am bored. Sure he can still rip a mean guitar solo, but to what end? And why?
I discovered Explosions in the Sky a few years ago the minute I finished watching Friday Night Lights. Yeah, that movie was alright, but the soundtrack was SICK! Who was that?!! I have been listening to them ever since. And with the local Boston show selling out in less than a day, this was my big chance to check it out. The band assaults you with soaring and gorgeous guitar playing, sometimes three guitars at a time. Each song SOUNDS like Explosions in the Sky, and it may be the aptest band name. I think every song should just be called Explosions in the Sky Part 1, EitS Part 2, etc. So every song seems to follow the same pattern, slow, quiet, build but not much, linger, build, build, BAM! BAMBAMBAM! and then fall apart. Linger, slow, quiet, and then back up AGAIN. Each song can go through this pattern 3 or more times. They are all great, they are head-bobbing, eye-closing, mouth gaped masterpieces, but after song after song takes on the same shape, it gets a little overwhelming, tiring, and repetitive. That and the fact that it was by far the most obnoxious crowd of the weekend, and I left with about 10m to go to close out the fest with a little Widespread Panic. As I left though, I kept thinking, man, Trey should really, could really, be doing something more along the lines of that stuff. No reason he couldn't, not in my mind anyway.
The Slip vs. Jim James Arrived in time to just catch the tail end of the Slip. They have interestingly been involved in 4 out of the 5 times I have seen My Morning Jacket. Jim James was spotted enjoying their set on the side of the stage and hugged the musicians as they filed off.
Soulive vs. GreyboyAllstars Haven't really been into Soulive in a while, I was disappointed too many times. But in this setting at this time, it was pretty enjoyable. I think they're just not the kind of band I can sit and watch for too long, so getting a taste at a fest was just the thing. Boston's own Toussaint acted as their frontman for a few tunes and added a nice new element to the music.
Likewise, I was not that into Greyboy the last time I saw them. Karl Denson just bugs me and he just brings this band down I think. I would much rather see Robert Walter with his own band, or a different band at least. I was kind of hoping this reunion would be short-lived. Guess not. Anyway, once again, in a small dose and at a fest, obviously there's some great musicianship up there, so this was not too shabby for the while I was there.
KeirenHebden vs. Steve Reid (or Machine vs. Man) KeirenHebden is Fourtet. Fourtet is KeirenHebden. I have had some Fourtet living on my ipod for a couple of years. I listened to it, I liked it, I never thought much more about it beyond that. I never dug deeper to find out the who or the what, I just enjoyed it for what it was. But I did always assume it was a quartet, thus the name. Wouldn't you? Well no, it is just one guy making all that electronic noise. Not sure how his shows usually work, but here he was paired with Steve Reid, an old drummer who is an old school drummer. This guy played with everyone who was anyone..but I had never heard of him. So this guy was good, really good, swinging, grooving, he was working his kit like only the old school jazz and groove guys can. His drums were talking the talk. Pair that up with the newest of new schools, Hebden, who's instrument was a bunch of effects pedals laid out on a table, and a laptop. Essentially, what a guy like Trey has at his feet, this guy had on a table in front of him, working it all with his hands. It was tough to say what was scripted and what was improv, but form my perspective it was almost all off the cuff, and to see these guys interact, man and machine, was something to behold. It was the kind of thing that sometimes worked and sometimes didn't, but when it all came together it made it all worth it. Very interesting stuff.
JJ Grey and Mofro vs. Band of Horses Bad matchup, no connection. I apologize, but they are the two odd bands out in this game. Mofro are the defacto hosts of this dance party, having played in every Langerado thus far and being that JJ is from Florida. And they were very hospitable and gracious hosts, great afternoon set, perfect music for the setting, and the addition of the horn section sounded great.
I am neither here nor there on the Band of Horses. Some people love them, some hate them, I am right in between. I enjoy their album, but it doesn't stick with me at all. I hear it I like it and I forget it. I felt the same way about their live set. I enjoyed it, it was good, and then it was done. My only real memories of their set was trying to figure out what kind of drugs they were all on...they each looked hopped up on something different. And the whole MMJ comparison with these guys completely falls apart in the live setting.
New Orleans Social Club vs. TajMahal vs. Toots and the Maytals The old guys still getting it done region. New Orleans Social Club did just that, brought the whole stage and everyone around it down to New Orleans, old New Orleans. It was Meter-Neville-Butler-rific. And it was great to see classic bluesmanTajMahal and classic reggae mon Toots. A two-for-one I gotta see that guy but when will I ever get to. Both were seasoned festival players and knew how to work the crowd, other bands should have been taking notes.
My Morning Jacket vs. Widespread Panic As this post as gone on way too long (future posts will be much shorter in length I assure you) I will stop short of my fawning over both these bands, and just say, yadayadayada, I was really tired the next day. But you yadayada'd the best part. Indeed I did.
And I know you have all been waiting for, who made my final four? MMJ, WSP, Malkmus, and EitS. MVPs of the weekend.
Tons of great coverage of Langerado over at Hidden Track. Check it out.
