|
|
West Regional Report
Edited by Sarah Bruner - sarah@syrup.orgIn This Issue
Phil Lesh and Phriends Phil and Phriends at the Warfield The Warfield Experience String Cheese Incident at the Fillmore Greetings From Ashbury Park KVHW and Jazz is Dead KVHW at the Moore Theatre
Phil Lesh and Phriends
San Francisco, CAby Rob Turner
I just had one of the best weekends of my life, one of those experiences that makes you thankful to be alive right now. Before I review the Phil + Friends portion of the weekend, I have to thank David Saslavsky. He is a true friend who jeopardized his chance to see these legendary shows in an effort to see to it that I could also attend. He wrote a letter and mailed it in the air. He also gave me a voucher he had earned from Southwest Airlines so I didn't have to hurriedly drive across country (believe me, I would have) to avoid paying $1300 for a last minute plane ticket. He also secured my ticket for the Neil Young Boston solo acoustic show that found me scampering back to the east coast just a few hours after the last notes echoed through The Warfield. Dave, you are a true friend, thank God for you, as I had convinced myself that I would miss these landmark shows weeks ago. Please check out his interview with Phil Lesh, also included in this month's issue.
Please bear in mind that this was written from memory and notes, as I do not yet have a tape of these shows.
The shows commenced with Steve Kimock, followed by Phil's kids and Mr. Lesh himself knifing through the Warfield curtain to grace the crowd front and center. When Phil came out, the roar in The Warfield was deafening. These were his first shows since last August, and he has had serious surgery since. Phil was visibly moved by this response, which seemed to continue for at least five minutes. A San Francisco Giant World Series Championship probably wouldn't have elicited such noise, and it was very nice to be screaming for Phil with the Bay Area faithful. Phil then proceeded to deliver a very memorable and gentle version of Eric Clapton's "Hello Old Friend" with his sons lending backing vocals, even the "aahs" in the instrumental section after each chorus. Great job kids, everyone around me was very moved by Phil's performance with his children, who he introduced as "my best friends." Phil, you are a class act! The table was set, and the anticipation was high.
Before I gush over these spectacular shows, I have to mention that a large part of the beauty and excitement of this event was the fact that these players had never before performed together in public. I think comparing these shows to the finest Phish, Grateful Dead, Other Ones, Zero, or KVHW shows is a bit presumptuous. One cavalier fan even took it upon himself to print up a bumper sticker proclaiming this band "The Better Ones." Most of the clearheaded folk I spoke with considered this an act of an over-excited fan. This unit was outstanding, but let's let them play ten or fifteen more shows together before we start seeking comparisons to established units. Thursday's show opened with a "Viola Lee Blues," which immediately set the tone for the run. Phil and his friends seemed eager to emphasize that these shows would be about ensemble playing rather than simply trading off solos. The band gradually moved through tempos and textures with each member finding his space. Anastasio was clearly laying low and mainly responding to Kimock and Lesh's playing at first. Page was barely audible to those of us lucky enough to be up front, as he was for much of the run (although I understand he could be heard quite well in the balcony). At one point I caught Trey seemingly marveling at Kimock after Steve let a jaw-dropping series of notes spring from his fret board. There was another point that the band became quiet, and maybe a little confused, and for a moment I thought I heard strains of Phish's "Piper" and "Prince Caspian" in the air. This eventually led to a bouncy rhythm that many around me said sounded like "Chinacat Sunflower," but I felt it sounded more like the verse section of a 1973 era "Here Comes Sunshine" (not the opening riff, but the music behind Garcia's lyrics). This only needed to be slightly altered and they were back in "Viola Lee Blues." In hindsight, they were probably headed there all along. Clearly an epic version of the song, I heard everything from 30-39 minutes, but I don't have a tape so I really don't know. I would've timed it with a stopwatch, but I was very close to Trey and I understand he frowns upon such acts.
"Big Railroad Blues" was the first Dead song played that night that most in the audience had actually seen the Dead perform. Trey replicated Garcia's low notes and sang in a Garcia style. I was first taken aback at Trey's seemingly fearless jump into precious territory. Here at the Warfield, when a Garcia tune is sung by someone other than Phil, the air is thick with scrutiny. Trey was unaffected by this and his delivery impressed most of the Dead faithful that were in attendance. Even when he stumbled at one point, he did not let his vocal energy waver. I for one was almost knocked over. He nodded over to Kimock for the first solo, and Page even offered a lil' electric piano on this one. The crowd responded to McConnell's roadhouse style solo with roaring approval. Trey displayed his mastery of the low notes on the guitar during his solo, but he was more moved by Steve Kimock's guitar work. At song's end, Anastasio went for what seemed to be a complementary visit over to Kimock's side of the stage, knocking knuckles with him before returning to his equipment to tune up for "Jack-a-Roe." This was a hit and miss version, with some spirited lead work by Mr. Kimock. Three songs into the run it was clear that Kimock and Anastasio are each able to wander into the Garcia style of guitaring without sounding derivative..
Then came the real shocker for me: "Cosmic Charlie." This song was so clamored for in the late 80s that a Cosmic Charlie Campaign was set up with the sole purpose of convincing the band (re: Garcia) to break this song out. (There was a period of a couple of years where flyers where handed out at many shows encouraging people to lean on the band to perform this nugget.) This was also a very huge choice to me, as it conjured memories of my very close friend Charles "Court" Heiss who lost a battle to Leukemia when we were in high school. Earlier in the day, I had wandered by The Bill Graham Civic Center where I had seen a Dead New Year's run with Court many years before when it was called the San Francisco Civic Center. While wandering around the building memories of that spectacular run filled my head, especially playing hackeysack with Court in the hallways during set breaks. I also recalled reading the lyrics to "Cosmic Charlie" at his memorial service. Court was already in my mind, and they played his song, which I had never seen by any original member of The Dead, very strange indeed. I would love to tell you that it was a spectacular version, but I would term it a struggle with some great moments. It certainly benefited from McConnell and Anastasio's vocals, which were right on for much of the song. This is a very difficult song to sing and play, and I was impressed that this new ensemble had the cojones to attack it in the first set of the run. The best moments were in the last jam, which lilted along in the style of some of the great 1976 Dead versions. Somehow everyone around me knew that "Wolfman's Brother" was coming next except me. When I heard the familiar Page intro to the song I was amazed. Phil's gonna play a Phish song!!!!!!! Wheeeeeee! Sorry, I'm not ashamed to find this very exciting. However, Kimock's punchy steel work (I want to say pedal steel, as he was sitting down, but I didn't see any pedals, consult your local musician on this one) gave the song a unique feel. At one point I saw Trey motioning to someone in the crowd, which I later learned was Phish bassman Mike Gordon, who wrote the song, and was understandably pumped to see Lesh play his song. I was surprised that Trey bailed on the little ring riff he usually does after "The Telephone Was Ringing" line. I was even more surprised that Phil stepped up to sing on the second chorus!!!!! I thought I heard Lesh offer some lyrics from Traffic's "Surely Took More Than You Gave" while Trey was singing the final refrain. The jam coming out of the song started innocently enough, but then it swirled down into a dark little space jam (in stark contrast to the muscular jams Phish has come out of this song with recently) which surprisingly led into "Uncle John's Band." Kimock's lively Caribbean guitar over the intro segment was reminiscent of the salsa-fueled version of this song that The Other Ones were performing last summer. He, Molo, and Lesh locked in hard as they did many times last summer with The Other Ones, particularly toward the end of the tour. Once they reached the body of the song, the band reverted to a more traditional Grateful Dead feel. Kimock wandered all the way to center stage to exchange licks with Trey and Phil. At one point the music built to a feverish level with Kimock seemingly bathing in the energy that was being created. They didn't seem to know where to go with the song after the final refrain, so another space jam settled out toward the crowd before Trey produced a sound that was so stirring that Phil lifted his hand and ended the set gently with a lowering of his hand. I found this a fittingly unusual and challenging end to a very unusual and challenging set of music, although it may have been disappointing to those seeking a more traditional rock n roll rave-up ending.
The second set opened with Phil singing a groovin' version of "Alabama Getaway" with Kimock stealing the show with some aggressive Gibson guitar plucking. "Sugaree" was outstanding, with Phil singing. Trey delivered a very nice Garcia-esque lead at the first guitar break. The jam before the "In Spite Of All You Gain" verse was a Kimock showcase, with Trey augmenting him with some sweet gentle feathered notes. I was so impressed with the blatant respect that Trey was showing for Kimock in his stage presence and his playing. The final jam is where it took off, as Kimock set a funky groove for Trey to first softly bounce off of, and then to gradually build to a very aggressive, almost Phishy "Sugaree" closing jam, which seemed to work Phil up as his lead vocal was extra spirited on the final refrain. Phil then tossed a bone to myself and the other Dylan fans in attendance with "Like A Rolling Stone," Kimock's playing behind Phil's vocal sounded strikingly similar to Robbie Robertson's "lead behind the vocals" style he used on this song on Dylan's 1974 tour (you may want to check this with Carsten Wohlfeld, Bill Pagel, Glen Dundas or your local Dylan guru). "Like A Rolling Stone" was a fine example of how Phil's singing is better than ever these days as he sang this seminal rock standard extremely well. This led into a very smooth transition jam into "I Know You Rider" with Phil taking the "I wish I was a headlight" verse. There were some rough moments with the harmonies on this one. Also, Trey ripped one pumpin' solo, but he didn't wrap it up in time for Phil's verse, so they took it around one more time which created a slight energy lull mid song. The last solo belonged to Kimock, he seemed to build on Molo's heavy drumming (this guy attacks those skins!).
Now it was time for Trey to remind these California folks that he is not shy. He stepped up to sing "Row Jimmy" and he offered some of his best singing I've ever seen. The slow Jerry songs are sacred ground, but who better to take a shot at them than Trey Anastasio, a man that is no stranger to performing under pressure (anticipation is incredibly high before Phish shows these days, especially their Halloween, New Years, and Clifford, Went, and Lemonwheel type gigs) He gave some slight twists to the song, instrumentally and lyrically (for example "Broken heart don't seem so bad" rather than "feel so bad"). It was nice to hear Trey have a strikingly melodic presence. Kimock seemed a bit reserved on this one, leaving most of the solos up to Trey, and Phil (in his own subtle lead bass kinda way). Then an outrageous "Shakedown Street" with Trey singing and Page singing the backups. Phil seemed to really enjoy himself, smiling back at Molo who was producing a deep, funky groove and then beaming at Trey who was offering some quirky Garcia-esque guitar work. Strictly from an "energy of the moment" standpoint, this was the highlight of the night and when I began to transcend my awe and start to REALLY BOOGIE!! At one point, some dancing girl who was completely out of control and indifferent to everything except her own bliss came slamming up into a very nice couple who had waited hours for their space. The girl was scolded, as she should have been, and removed, but it definitely was a scar on an otherwise sensational "Shakedown." The jam leading out of "Shakedown" seemed like they were trying to segue into "The Wheel" but they couldn't quite get there, so they just kind of stopped the jam and started "The Wheel" (Saslavsky said they NAILED this transition in the sound check that he was inside for). This was the clunker of the night, as their vocals were not great, and the playing was ragged. There were a few missed lyrics, and many moments of hesitation. We were able to hear Page offer some gorgeous piano on "Wheel" but other than that, I think it was a bit of a throw away version. Then they charged into a very fun "Not Fade Away" that had one rollicking jam. The crowd started doing the ol' "Not Fade" clap and yell, and the band went with it for a while, before Trey and Phil started a scat thing that drowned the crowd out, and eventually led to a more traditional rock and roll end to the song. The encore was "Mr. Tambourine Man" with a Byrd's style intro, but once they were in the song it was more akin to a faster version of the one Dylan performed with The Dead (unrehearsed I might add) at Anaheim in 1987. Very fun encore, my favorite moment being when they came out of the last jam back to the Byrd's-style riff to close the show.
The icing on the cake this night was running into my friend Darren Reynolds at the back of The Warfield after the show. Darren is a great old friend of mine that lives in San Rafael, and until just before the show he thought he would be missing the entire run. His friend, Eric Burns, came up with a ticket and my boy D got in for the first night, he was all smiles and bubbling with energy from the show. Darren used to be a regular presence up close at Grateful Dead shows, and has taken to String Cheese Incident, Phish, and The Disco Biscuits these days, a great guy who absolutely adores improvisational rock and roll. He and his wife Karen are expecting their first child in early September, and I assure you an SCI T-shirt will be on the child by late September!
When I went down to the Theater at 11 or so Thursday, expecting to sit in line all day, I was given a number on the back of my ticket (29) and told to come back at five. So, Friday I made my way down there somewhere around 7:30 am, and when someone showed up at the theater at 9, I was blessed with a #1 on the back of my ticket. I was totally jazzed to lead the line when they cued us up at 5. By the time 7 rolled around, at least ten people had been added to the front of the line by Warfield staff. The staff members were saying things like, "this one works for us" (why is he in line with his girlfriend rather than on a list) or "this guy is making me a tape" and pushing back the people who had waited in the morning and then waited again for a couple of hours in the afternoon. I spoke with some of the locals, and this is apparently par for the course at The Warfield. This was very disappointing to find out, reminding me of how Phish has taken up the practice of roping off the best section at Hampton Coliseum so a bunch of folks can be close to the band while they talk through the most intimate moments of the show. By the time I entered The Warfield, the only rail (front row) available was way over on the right. I later learned that there are a few people who get in pretending to be handicapped. This is offensive to people who waited in line, but downright detestable to people who are truly handicapped. None of the people immediately behind me who had actually waited got front row, and I only did because I stayed ahead of the folks cutting in line with some of my east coast aggressive behavior, which I don't mind busting out if I'm feeling screwed.
I thought I was further to the side than I was, yet when the curtain came up I was directly in front of Trey as he sang the show opening "Help On The Way." The exchange of leads between Kimock and Anastasio on the first guitar break was spectacular, and Trey's singing was a little more low-key on this one. Trey didn't offer the final line "Without love in a dream it will never come true," instead he opted to repeat "Without love in a dream insanity's king." They then slid into an amazing "Slipknot" with Trey and Steve in each other's heads improvising like they had been sharing the stage for years. Absolutely outstanding amazing stuff…..until they returned to the body of the song which was completely botched more than twice. All was forgotten when they launched into "Franklin's Tower" and to the crowd's delight Page took a shot at singing! With the exception of a flub here and there, he did a fine job. Steve and Trey each lent spirited leads, and Page ripped through with some fancy jangle on his grand piano. This was a very fun version, but the lack of a strong rhythm guitar kept it from getting as intense as it clearly could have (coulda used that ol' Weir sound here!). Trey played a sweet, sweet lead introduction into Pink Floyd's "Wish You Were Here" which Phil lending a strikingly soulful vocal. Anyone who didn't think of Garcia at some point during this song oughta have their pulse checked. Trey was taking the delicate approach through the body of the song. Steve spun off a gradually building, mind-twisting solo after the last lyric, before Trey led the band into "Tennessee Jed" which Trey sang extremely well, even though I am more partial to Bruce Hornsby's southern style lead vocal on this particular number. Kimock sat down at his table steel (What do you call a pedal steel that has no pedals? Somebody help me here!) and punched out some great guitar work as Trey stuck to a Garcia feel brilliantly once again. Then a gorgeous "Stella Blue" which was instrumental probably out of respect to Jerry, but I think it would've been stronger with a lead vocal (rumor had it Trey had sung it in rehearsal, I think Page might've been up to the task if Trey had opted out). It was still one of the more moving moments of the run, and Phil, Trey, and Page offered the "ooooh's" from the "I've stayed in every moonlight cheap hotel" portion of the song. Just about everybody I talked to was very pleased with the decision to perform the song instrumentally. The set closed with an absolutely sick version of "Alligator." Even though Phil has sung this at one show last year, I was really surprised to see it and it really kicked my ass, working me up to my first full-blown dripping sweaty, slimy mess of the weekend. This was the one song of the weekend that I feel they really could have jammed out a little bit more, but I'm certainly not complaining. We did get Phil stepping up for some very aggressive lead bass once again!
When the curtain was still closed before the second set, the band was tuning up with the house music on very quietly. We could hear some riffing coming through, it was probably teasin' Trey. The strains of "Wilson" were heard first, which garnered scattered yellings of "WIIIIILLL-SSOOOONNN" in the same way that audiences respond to this riff at Phish shows (although not as loud, of course). We also heard "St. Stephen," "Dark Star," and even "Mike's Song" hinted, but when the curtain rolled up, the band launched into "Bertha." Donna Jean Godchaux McKay joined, and it was nice to see her, and not just because she is looking very fine these days. I found it very fun seeing Trey sing lead on "Bertha" and sharing the chorus with Donna. There was a extra guitar solo break, so each guitarist could get a chance to cook. By the time they were raving up the end, it seemed the whole room was groovin', a quick glance behind confirmed this. Everybody loves "Bertha," you gotta love that! Then it was time for "Prince Caspian" which Phil seemed to know more than the other three Phish songs played at the run. Steve was firing off slide guitar licks, and he took the jam in a different direction than I was used to from Phish. This was a perfect example of what was enjoyable about this run, Kimock lending his take on "Caspian." I was thoroughly entertained by this trip through Steve's mind. It was worth them bailing on the ending, and even more so when it settled down into "St. Stephen." The opening notes brought a loud roar from the crowd, and Kimock stepped up to rip the lead for most of the song. Thank you Steve, a tremendous job! I also thought the vocals were very strong on this one, and after leveling the room, the band slid into a "The Eleven" jam. I melted into Phil's bass many times during the "Stephen>Eleven," finding his bass work absolutely outstanding. How I miss seeing you more Phil!!! Then Trey's roadie (the Sandsio guy) set up a music stand for him, and the band went into "Unbroken Chain." The playing during the verses was a bit tame, but the instrumental section was much better than any I ever heard the Dead perform (they only played this song in 1995, their worst year) and the room seemed overcome with rapture. Stunning, sensational musicianship from everyone in the band on this jam, perhaps my favorite moment of the entire run. Anastasio was particularly amazing toward the end, prompting Phil to exuberantly praise him for a job well done at song's end. And it was followed by another Trey showcase, as he tore into Phish's "Chalk Dust Torture." While Trey was a little low-key on the vocal, he ripped the shit out of his guitar, and it was during "Chalk Dust" that this band came the closest to a Phish-level show energy. Even Kimock jumped into the fold toward the end after laying low for much of the song. The ensuing "Mountains of the Moon" may not, like "The Eleven" stand up to versions done by The Other Ones, but it is always nice to hear this old chestnut. Trey was lost, but Page lent some elegant lead and backing keys to this gentle, gorgeous tune. It did seem a bit fast, but again, I am not a musician.
Then Trey sang "Scarlet Begonias" with such unbridled bliss that is was infectious. Even the most stone faced "I've seen it all" Dead Head was forced to smile at this exuberant delivery. Donna was helping with the vocals again as well. I was surprised that Kimock hesitated to jump on the solo, when even at the first Other Ones Furthur show in Atlanta (and all of the others that I've heard) he attacked the song like a pit bull. He did get around to playing a sweet lead which built up to the stop/start version of the "Wind in the willows" verse ala The Other Ones. The transition guitar work out of "Scarlet" was interesting, not just because Donna was wooing me with her gentle sway as she danced behind Phil and Trey. Lesh seemed to wiggle between the two guitar lines, leaving me in a semi-trance. At one point I thought they were going to wander away from "Fire On The Mountain" territory, but Kimock and Lesh steered them back toward it, and Trey sang wonderfully again. Donna glided up to the mike to help out on the choruses. It was so nice to hear her voice as I never seen her sing live except for the few songs she joined The Other Ones for in Camden last summer. Phil was offering his familiar buoyant playing behind Trey's vocal, and the first two guitar breaks which were all Trey. They staggered to the end of this "Scarlet>Fire," but what a long, amazing set I tell you. Phil returned to give an impassioned plea for people to become organ donors, as he did every night. Then he introduced the band, as he also did every night. This night he referred to Steve Kimock as on "anti-gravity guitar," and Trey Anastasio as being on "downright, nasty, dirty, funk guitar." Nicely put Mr. Lesh!!
There were less of the fake handicapped people on Saturday, but the staff tried to set up a special area to stick their friends at the front of the line. I blew them off again, as today Dave had risen early in order to procure that #1 on the back of our ticket. I gradually positioned my body in front of the connected folk, and tonight some of the hearty souls behind me (who had also waited patiently) joined in as well. I was pleased that four or five people who waited reached the rail, although this is still not the amount that deserved it. I was particularly happy to be in the front row tonight because I was wearing a Disco Biscuits T-shirt, and it was my way of letting Phil know what band is tearing up my head these days the way the Dead used to, especially in the late eighties! Like the first two nights, the band cut to the chase immediately with a show opening "Dark Star," instrumental which led into at times lively, and other times lovely instrumental led by Steve. The song sounded familiar, and I later found out this was a Zero tune (apparently KVHW performs it as well) called "Up To You." I'm not familiar with Zero's song titles, but I've seen them sporadically since 1987, so I must've caught it somewhere (I heard that they are now defunct, if this is true it is a very sad truth). This led into "The Days Between," which started shaky and didn't really recover, although there were some nice moments. Phil remembered every word, but there were a couple of parts of the song that his voice couldn't quite handle. There was a long jam coming out of it which started with some interesting leads from Steve. Then Phil guided the band first into a slight "Other One" jam, and then back into "Dark Star." Lesh was sucking the crowd in with his at times seductive, and other times sinister bass work. I started to hear Page more and more now, as he tickled the keys throughout the segue into "Dark Star," and during the song itself. Phil, Trey, and Page traded verses for this one (in that order), all delivering their sections frighteningly well. The trio joined to sing the "Shall we go…" portion in unison, and they finished the verse in this fashion. Kimock then led the band into "My Favorite Things" a jazz standard most closely associated with John Coltrane that originally appeared in the Sound of Music. Again, McConnell was breathtaking with his courtly messaging of the lilting rhythm of this song. Kimock and Anastasio traded jazz-fueled licks for a brief period before the jam stumbled into "Mississippi Half-Step Uptown Toodeloo" with some rough spots and again McConnell stealing the show with his fingers. This song screams for piano and Page was more than up to the task. Lesh even twisted the lyrics with his Dylan-esque phrasing, and Donna returned to the stage to belt out some "across the rio grande-oo"'s. Page then lent a perfectly delicate lead vocal and more piano finesse to the set closing "Bird Song." Trey and Phil led the band into the mystic with some mesmerizing guitar lines, leaving this spectator virtually speechless for the beginning of the intermission.
The second set was where they really flirted with the amazing. Almost every little accident turned into a grand discovery as the music truly began to play the band. Lesh's bass playing was nothing short of tremendous, as he seemed to be making the most of his final night with these amazing friends. The set opened with the much anticipated "Terrapin Station" (which Phish had performed in Virginia last summer on the anniversary of Garcia's death) with the lead vocals being shared again, but Trey sang the key "Inspiration, move me brightly…" portion of the song. They played through the refrain with considerable strength, although there were some minor stumbles. I was surprised once again as Trey conjured a familiar spacey sound and Lesh launched into his fluid version of Mike Gordon's intro to "Down With Disease." Trey accepted his moment to shine blissfully, as he tore through this full-throttle, creating a bubbling cauldron of energy at the front of the stage. The jam winded back toward "The Other One" briefly before returning to the second verse of the shared lyric "Dark Star." Lesh's playing is absolutely soul stirring throughout this whole section, but the "Friend Of The Devil" was a questionable choice to follow. Perhaps this is my own problem, but I can't seem to enjoy anybody singing this song except for Jerry (with the possible exception of Mr. Dylan) and Phil probably could have chosen a song more conducive to his voice ("To Lay Me Down," "Must Have Been The Roses," or (gasp) JGB's "I'll Take A Melody" come to mind). The room started jumping again when the band started up "Casey Jones," which had many great moments, especially when Trey sang "Trouble ahead, Phil in red," and the crowd responded immediately with a loud cheer, causing Trey to chuckle through the "switchman sleeping train hundred and two, is on the wrong track and headed for you," lines. After nailing the "Casey" the band boldly went for the "Morning Dew" a song I was not even expecting in the least. The whole band was amazing on this one, again Kimock and Anastasio displayed interplay that was downright stunning, especially considering it was their third gig together. Lesh buoyed the song with his mindbending bass lines. The final jam had a very nice build to it, with some truly inspiring moments along the way and Phil leading the charge. They seemed unable to come together enough to really slam the ending down hard, but they delivered an unforgettable version nonetheless. When they started strumming into "Goin' Down The Road, Feelin' Bad" I thought it was going to be "Big Railroad Blues" again at first, as it had a similar groove. Phil bounced along through this version, and after playing the end section too early, Trey spun off a sweet solo in the traditional vein. Seemingly as a tribute to the "Bid You Goodnight" coda that Garcia would usually play at the end of this song, this unit actually sang the entire verse through one time (The Dead would sing this verse through 3-5 times in most of their versions) to close the show with typical Lesh class. Phil's plea for folks to become organ donors seemed even more emotional tonight, as did his lead vocal on a wonderful version of "Box Of Rain" a fitting close to a run that can best be described as "instantly legendary."
Phil & Friends at the Warfield
April 16, 1999by Alison King
The card is covered in scrawls of blue ink that melt into each other - I was writing in the dark - and smeared in the places I clutched it while I was dancing. Near the bottom of the card it looks like I was frantically trying to take notes holding the pen with my left foot. Across the top I've written, "Playing to raise the Dead."
I defaced this lovely concert souvenir - a card printed with "ox of Rain" lyrics and a thank-you from Phil - because in the thirty seconds after the lights went down and the sound of "Help On The Way" thundered up from the stage, I realized that I'd sure as hell better document every second of this event. And I wasn't going to trust my brain to remember this one, because it was about to shoot through my skull and into the gaping hole in the space-time continuum that the band had just ripped open.
I had been anticipating this particular Help On The Way ever since I first heard an inkling of rumor that Trey and Page might be playing with Phil - the complex Slipknot tapestry is the essence of a Trey jam structure and a big fat launchpad for veteran psychedelic master Phil Lesh. But I never could have anticipated the Help > Slip that resulted from the meeting of the minds at the Warfield on Friday night.
Recipie for this Slipknot:
Take the distilled essence of a spring '77 Help > Slip. Throw it into the center of the Crab Nebula. Better yet, have Phil Lesh throw it in for you. Add a boiling sunrise, light rays refracted through water, the Northern Lights, and the sensation of warm sunshine washing over you. Top with exquisite joy at knowing that Franklin's Tower is coming next. Bake it in the nebula at the temperature reality melts.The Franklin's Tower that followed was triumphantly ecstatic. Trey jumped the gun exiting the Slipknot nebula and was reined in from the wilderness by Kimock, who then blew away any remaining grip I had on reality with a blisteringly beautiful solo that shredded my concept of what music could be.
After the Help > Slip, I was pretty much out of the ballpark. The band could have played Nelson's Greatest Hits for the rest of the evening and I would have been happy.
The rest of the first set was an exquisite sequence of jewel-like passages, culminating in a raging Alligator bonfire. Trey delivered a dripping, ethereal solo during Wish You Were Here that he finished with a delicious Gilmour twinge. (Reality check: Phil, singing Pink Floyd? What?) Tennessee Jed went down to the old home place, drinking whiskey by a roaring campfire. Stella Blue was breathtaking and delicate, lonely, melting, warm. My card says, "Stella Blue. Kimock lap slide guitar. Most beautiful thing ever. Jerry is here for this one."
You can't read my card in the middle. That's because of the Alligator jam.
It says:
Alligator!!
TREY!!???????? explosion!!!!!!!!!!!!???????????By the time the first set ended I could no longer process information. I had ingested no psychedelics of any kind, but I was orbiting the Warfield at about ninety thousand miles. I remember saying things like "Gaaaah" and "Wheeee-ah" when asked how I was liking the music.
If the band set up a beacon to channel the Grateful Dead in the first set, they were receiving live transmissions loud and clear by the second set. The lovely, ebullient Donna came out to sing Bertha for the set opener; Phil slid up and down the bass in joyous noodles. There was no fooling us with that Prince Caspian -- we knew we were in the seventies throughout the second set. Because as my card says, between smudges of ink, the next song was St. Fucking Stephen. The stage lights went red. The band careened into the medieval hinterland of pre-dawn and conjured up prehistoric deities and rituals at Stonehendge, loving every single note that they were playing, finally galloping into the Eleven with sheer happiness.
I think they played other songs after that, and I'm even pretty sure that one of them was the best Unbroken Chain I've ever heard. I ran out of room on the back of the card and flipped it over to finish the set. The card says:
Scarlet Begonias >
AM I WRITING SCARLET > FIRE?
Fire on the MountainIf someone had told me that I would live to witness music like the music that happened in the Warfield on Friday night, I would have told them to pass me whatever they were smoking. I've been convinced for years that the best music ever created happened while I was in diapers. On Friday night, I was wrong.
The Warfield Experience
by Michael ShusterA song, with lyrics, title and structure sets down boundaries within which the music is played. Some bands seek to closely define those boundaries and make them as perfect as possible, while other bands try to explore all the space within them - to push them eyond the places where they started. These bands are known as Jam Bands. Every song is a different adventure and every performance of a song could bring it to a place that no one had thought of before they began to play it.
The Grateful Dead are considered to be the godfathers of the Jam Band and Phish the reigning kings. KVHW is another, newer band from the Bay Area that also pushes the limits of its songs. For three nights in San Fransisco - April 15-17, 1999, these three families merged into one. Billed as "Phil Lesh and Friends" a group of five musicians who had been practicing together for a total of five days blew the roof off of the Warfield, a beautiful theatre hiding amidst the sleaziest part of Market Street and holding a sold out crowd of 2300 people. The band was:
Trey Anastasio (Phish): Languedoc Hollowbody
Page McConnell (Phish): Grand Piano & organ
John Molo (Other Ones): Drums
Phil Lesh (Grateful Dead, Other Ones): Lead Bass
Steve Kimock (Zero,KVHW, Other Ones): Guitars (5+)I arrived at my long time show mate Andy's apartment in Berkeley around 4:00 in the afternoon on Friday. He had been to the previous nights show and was totally blown away. He thought it was the best show he'd ever seen, and he has seen a lot of shows. I was skeptical, at least at first, but that wouldn't last. Despite starting at 8:00 PM, the previous nights show had gone into the wee hours of the morning, well past the time when BART stopped running. The envelope the tickets come in says something like, "Don't get stuck in traffic, take BART to the show." Doesn't say anything about getting home. So we drove. Traffic was light through the maze and over the Bay Bridge (the first time ever for a weekday evening?) and we parked south of Market in the land of ruin. When we arrived at Market, the size and desperation of the crowd began to sink in. There must have been at least 10,000 people looking for an extra ticket. Some had signs saying they would pay $300.00 for one. Some just had their finger in the air, saying they'd be your best friend for an extra. Scalpers were no where to be found - talk about a hard ticket! I have to say, I'm grateful to Andy for not cashing in. He had two tickets to each of the shows, and could have sold his 6 tickets for about a $2000.00 profit. He has too much class to do it, but it must have been tempting.
We didn't really want to hang out in that crowd too long, and so we joined the line of people waiting to get into the show. As we passed through the front doors, we were handed a beautiful embossed thank-you card with the lyrics and music for "Box of Rain" on it and the comment, "It really was love that saw me through - Phil Lesh." A beautiful sentiment from the rock star making his first public performances since his successful liver transplant last December.
Our tickets were way up at the top of the upper balcony and we found our way to the seats. It was already very stuffy up there, as there is little ventilation and lots of smoke. It was a hot San Fransisco night (a rarity!) to boot, so there was little relief. It was going to get much, much hotter before the evening was through.
Help on the Way! Quite an opener and quite a performance. Here is where the space between the structure is so important. To say that they played "Help on the Way" is really to say that when they weren't in some exploratory jam, the theme and words of the song were "Help on the Way." It is a way to begin to describe the music being played, but it hardly achieves the emotion of the time. There was excitement in the crowd and everyone was on their feet. Help segued into Slipknot! and after many solos the band got a little lost when trying to return to the theme; not surprising considering that they've played together only 5 days. Like the artist who originally sang many of these songs, they consistantly got most of the lyrics wrong. However, this was lost or irrelevant to the phans who were much more involved in the space between the structure than in the words of the songs.
The first set also contained "Wish You Were Here," the Pink Floyd classic, sung by Phil, and an instrumental version of the Garcia ballad, Stella Blue, with the lead played by Kimock with a slide on a Lap Steel guitar. It seemed much more poigniant that this song was instrumental - words would have taken away from the emotion of the song. The set ended with a huge ALLIGATOR! This long forgotten "Pigpen" song was abandoned by the Grateful Dead some 30 years ago. In interview, Jerry Garcia had claimed once that they'd play the song again if the fans all showed up in Alligator costumes - perhaps a challenge, perhaps just saying it wouldn't be played again. This smoked. Danceable, rhythmic, psychedelic and amazing. Upon closing out the song, Phil did his best Bob Weir impersonation by making a cheesy set-break announcement and we were left to think about the music that had been made.
The second set was highlighted by two Phish songs, Prince Caspian and Chalk Dust Torture. It was great to see that the old dog (Phil) was willing to learn a few new tricks. These came of great and were well jammed throughout. But the climax of the show was Unbroken Chain, well sung, well played and very moving. Half of the crowd had their eyes closed absorbing the music, the other half was close to tears. But if Unbroken didn't bring people all the way to tears, the Ripple encore did. Heartfelt and poignant and reminscent of Garcia, Ripple was a real treat. All structure, no jamming, that was ok, there had been plenty of jamming already that night.
The truth be known, I was unprepared to absorb the sense and meaning and music of that night. I knew I'd witnessed something special, but didn't quite know what to make of it. The drive back to Berkeley was done mostly in silence as we each tried to come to grips with what we'd just seen.
The weather was beautful the next day and so we decided to go to a baseball game. The Oakland A's vs. the Texas Rangers. Several hours outdoors with the serenity of the ballgame brought my mind into the right space to hear the magestic music that night. This time I was coming prepared.
The structure of Dark Star is very loose. The Grateful Dead used it as a vehicle for improvisational jamming, sometimes not even bothering to sing either of the two verses of the song. It seemed like the perfect song for this Ad Hoc organization of musicians to play. And play it they did - most of the night. The opening Dark Star jam soared to new heights and was at times spacey, jazzy and funky, but was most surprising was that it wound up in a KVHW instrumental, "Its up to you" (this has been repeatedly, incorrectly reported as "Rigor Mortis" on many reports, including one on Sonic Net. Rest assured, the song played was, in fact, "It's Up To You.")
But for those who thought the opening was surprising, the biggest surprises were yet to come. First, Phil tried his best to sing Garcia's final ballad, "The Days Between." The effort fell flat in some ways and succeeded in others. The many long verses were sung one after the other, giving no room for the musicians to jam, but after the final verse, Kimock, Anistasio and McConnell each had a chance to shine in the spotlight, with the jam becoming upbeat and at times funky before winding backwards into the Dark Star that had opened the set. Phil, Trey and Page took turns with the verse portion, and all sang the Chorus together, and it seemed at once magical and joyfull. Smiles could be seen all throughout the crowd, from Wavy Gravy near the stage to Mike Gordon off to the side of it. It was a triumphant return. The post Dark Star jam was a barrage of Anistasio and Kimock licks, but Kimock was the one who led the band into the next song, an instrumental version of "My Favorite Things," a song that his other band, KVHW has been doing live recently. This version was over the top and after the final musical phrase of the song, the stage fell silent for a split second before Phil started Mississippi 1/2 step. A good song to regain your balance, get a drink of water or head to the bathroom.
"Bird Song" was originally written by Hunter and Garcia as a farewell to Janis Joplin, but it seems to have taken on much more meaning over the years and much of the crowd was litterally moved to tears. The playing was perfect and masterful and left me wanting more, but Phil announced a set break.
One of the nice things about visiting the same venue many times is that you learn some of the secrets it holds. For example, at the Warfield, doors are opened upstairs to circulate some air. One of these doors is in a corridor that generally isn't too crowded and is well lit. A perfect place to hang out between sets and toss some cards around during the interminable wait for the band to return to the stage. The set break was particlarly long, but eventually they flashed the lights off and on and we returned to the top of the Warfield for the final set of the three night run.
On the third anniversary of Jerry Garcia's death, Phish encored with Terrapin Station - they stayed true to the boundaries and structure of the song, playing it as a tribute. This night, those boundaries were nowhere to be found. The second set opener, Terrapin Station was awesome! Guitar breaks and solos aplenty made this a pleasure. But this was just the beginning; "Down with Disease" was on deck and just when you'd think that Trey and Page would lead the band, it turned out to be Phil leading a good part of it, plucking Mike Gordon's slap bass lines with taste and vigor. But Trey's solo was Transcendental. And this song wound backwards too, becoming funky and jazzy and then spacey and then Dark Star! We were back were the evening started with the band sharing the second verse of Dark Star, and as it ended the jam speeded up. Bass bombs were everywhere... we were lost in the lily fields waiting for a bus... as the band slammed into an over the top "Other One" and as quickly as it started, it stopped again. No one would sing Weir's lines, I suppose, but no one needed to. The energy of the song had the place going nuts.
Out of the silence came "Friend of the Devil," never one of my favorites. Just as I was about to take advantage of this song to refill my water, Trey began to solo. What's this? A massive solo in the middle of "Friend?" It was true, and so the water remained empty and I remained to listen. Next up was another crowd pleaser, Casey Jones. This time, I would refill the water. I got back in time to hear Trey playfully sing, "Trouble ahead, Phil is in Red..." which didn't make much sense except that Phil was wearing a red shirt. Of course the place went nuts.
Good thing I took a break then, because there were no more chances after that. Morning Dew came next and after the first barage of "I guess it doesn't matter, anyway" the crowd started applauding so loudly I thought they'd ended the song prematurely. This was not the case, as the song quietly picked up and built and built and built through the Kimock led jam. Phil came in early with the final verse, right before the musical climax. A miscue, I suppose, but a forgiveable one. They immediately started an upbeat version of "Goin' Down the Road." Since the early 1980's, the Grateful Dead ended "Going Down the Road" with an instrumental version of the normally a cappella "And We Bid You Goodnight." This night, during that "Instrumental" part of "Down the Road," the band actually sang the first verse of "And We Bid You Goodnight." And then they left the stage.
Phil came back on shortly and gave a speach about organ donations. And I'll say it now, I, Michael Shuster, being of sound mind, hereby express an irrevocable desire that my organs be donated upon my death, in honor of Phil Lesh. If you haven't filled out an organ doner card, do so. But more importantly, let your family know. If it should come to it...in their time of grief a doctor will ask them if you wish to have your organs donated. It could save ten lives. But it may also seem to them like a desecration. Let them know you would like to help others live.
The band came back on and Phil introduced the band and they all hugged, then came the expected "Box of Rain" encore, well played, and a realized that this weekend of magical music had come to a close. If it was a one time shot, so mote it be, but this band was so good, I hope they play together again. Only slightly more than 2000 people got into each show - so many more stranded outside. Doubtless the tapes will circulate and those that want to hear it will get the chance, but the magical it of being there will be lost. It was a great time. A special thank you to Page, Trey, Steve, John and especially Phil for putting this ad hoc group together.
String Cheese Incident at the Fillmore
On March 18th, The String Cheese Incident took the stage of one of music's most fabled venues, The Fillmore, for the first of a three night run. With their Winter Carnival Tour almost cpomplete, the three night stand served as the grand finale to an amazing tour.
A band who has earned a loyal following, String Cheese sold out all three nights in advance. As showtime for the first night grew closer, an excited energy gathered momentum. Inside, the auditorium was decorated to a Winter Carnival theme. Mock snowflakes and snowcovered mountains filled the room. And, winter images were projected onto two huge white spheres which hung among the venue's legendary chandeliers.
A Colorado based quintet, String Cheese features five exceptional musicians. Michael Kang split time showcasing his virtuosity on mandolin and violin. Bill Nershi manned the acoustic guitar. Keith Moseley thumped out the basslines. Kyle Hollingsworth added brilliance on keyboards. And, Michael Travis maontained polyrhythmic beats while simultaneously playing drums and percussion. These five musicians combined their various talents to showcase their unique sound, which reflected influences ranging from bluegrass to island and jazz to rock. Their adept prowes at improvisation allowed for smooth transitions and continuity among these varied styles.
The March 18th show epitomized String Cheese: high energy, masterful improvisation, an enthused audience, and unpredictable surprises. The first set sparkled as the band traded off solos. As a whole, the set reflected the band's jazzy side. However, the group brought the energy to a frenzy as the set closed with the first surprise of the night. Before heading backstage for a break, the band delighted with surprise guest Vince Welnick, the last of the Grateful Dead's keyboardists. Vince accompanied Kyle as String Cheese played their own Born on the Wrong Planet. Then, Vince really hit his stride as the set closed with an inspired redering of Iko, Iko. The song proved to be the highlight of the first set as Vince took on the vocals and delivered an extended version of the classic.
The band wasted no time in regaining speed to begin the second set. Opening with Lonesome Fiddle Blues, they payed homage to their bluegrass roots. They followed with San Jose, an inevitable crowd pleaser. Hold What You Got kept the audience in a groove before the grandest surprise of the evening.
String Cheese welcomed Welnick back for more jamming. However, always determined to outdo themselves, they also invited San Francisco legend, Merl Suanders, aboard. The night reached a climax as the group jammed out Stevie Wonder's Boogie on Reggae Woman. A world class showman, Merl's stage presence radiated as he sang with unparralled passion and joy. By the end of the tune, the three men on keyboards were switching back and forth among the instruments in an act of colorful spontanaity. This second set ended with the five members of String Cheese doing their fun tune, Johnny Cash.
As a whole, the night can be described as no less than amazing. The String Cheese Incident lived up to expectations and added a night of their magic to the legacy of The Fillmore.
Greetings From Ashbury Park, OR
A couple of months ago, I expressed a fear for a summer devoid of my favorite brand of music. The rumors of no summer west coast Phish shows have proved to be an unfortunate reality. Medeski, Martin and Wood, moe., the Disco Biscuits, and String Cheese Incident have all been and gone, and will likely not return until the fall at the earliest. The Portland jam band scene looked bleak. Although Galactic will be at the Aladdin Theater in early June, it seemed I would have to hit the road to get my jambands fix. I was fully prepared to go out and look for the music, instead it seems, the music has found me.
A few weeks back, as I prepared to head south to the Warfield, I was kindly invited to a 4:20 - Earth Day Festival to be held at the Roseland Theater. The show was scheduled for April 24th, the Saturday following the last of the Phlesh shows. The invitation to the festival had come from Eric Schwieterman, guitarist, vocalist, and one half of the song writing team for a Portland jam band called Ashbury Park. Back in December I had caught the end of Ashbury Park's set opening for KVHW at the Roseland. I remembered thinking at the time that they were pretty good. And best of all...they were NOT a Bruce Springsteen cover band. Nonetheless, I feared that no matter how well Ashbury Park played, they would suffer by comparison to the soon to be legendary Uber-group I would see at the Warfield. Happily, this was not the case.
The bandmembers, like a growing portion of the population of Portland, are mostly from somewhere else. Eric (acoustic guitar, vocals) and drummer John "hoping you feel" Becker migrated westward together from Bloomington, Indiana about two years ago. The pair stopped along the way in Montana where Eric wrote many of the songs he has contributed to the 50 or so originals in the Ashbury Park inventory. Rounding out the immigrant members of the band are keyboardist Billy Burdett who migrated from Chicago about 4 years ago and bassist Blake Swensen who comes from the land of the ice and snow (Alaska). The closest thing to a native Oregonian in Ashbury Park,and the other half of the songwriting team in the band is Jar (electric guitar, vocals) who has been in Portland for the last 15 years, playing previously in several local bands, including Band of People and Self Indulgence. Jar, I found after the show, is appropriately named, since that is exactly what his guitar playing will do to your senses.
The lineup for the festival included Ashbury Park, Sweet Juice, River Roots, and the Hanuman Trio. Ashbury Park was preceded onstage by a performance by the All City Drum Circle and The Goddess of Ganja. While the drummers pounded out their tribal beat and the goddess danced her magical fertility dance upstairs, those of us enjoying the fruits of her labors in the basement hospitality room were treated to an impromptu backstage acoustic jam on Jimmy Cliff's "In Limbo" by Eric, Jar, and an unidentified guitarist from Sweet Juice. The band departed for a pre-show head check and I moved on upstairs to the Balcony to find my seat and a Full Sail.
Ashbury Park, April 24th 1999, Roseland Theater, Portland, OR
Set I: *Rain >
Underdogs
Blessed Be The King
Rectangle Town>
Angels Tease>
The Other One Jam>
Rectangle Town>
Angels>
Space Jam>
(So Silent, So Wonderful) The Days
They Had No Name
Isabelle
Almost Falling Down
Wash The Past
Down By The River* Beatles Cover First Time Played
Before the show, the stage manager of the Roseland had asked Ashbury Park to take the stage and segue out of the drum circle jam into their first song. They refused of course, since, as anyone who has heard the song Rain knows, the opening of the song is completely acappella and would not have worked out the way it did. Which to put it simply was magnificent. The last time I had heard Rain performed live was the opening to the Grateful Dead's last "rain set" (Rain, Samba In The Rain, Looks Like Rain, Box of Rain) in Pittsburgh on 6/30/95. In an instant I was transported back to that show, a feat of musical magic that had escaped Phlesh the week before despite the transcendence of their performance.
The interplay of musicians within a good band, who are familiar with each other from many hours of practice, will always supercede the performance of a super group that has rehearsed for a few days, no matter WHO is in the supergroup. Ashbury Park IS such a band; they were in my opinion better than Phil Lesh and Friends, simply (but not only) because they have played together a lot longer. Another quality the band has, which Phlesh certainly does not need, is a certain hunger to excel. Since, they (Ashbury Park) are in the process of establishing themselves as a live band (that is well worth your time to check out I might add), they seemed to be putting more into their performance than the seasoned veterans of the jamband world. More what? I don't know, but IT was definitely there.
Sliding effortlessly out of Rain into Underdogs, the first of ten original tunes they would perform Ashbury Park morphed quickly through the jam band spectrum from the Grateful Dead, to the Allman Brothers, to The Band, to Santana, to The Doors, to Johnny Cash, to String Cheese Incident and back, finally blending them all into a unique sound. They have successfully found yet another niche within the jam band array, one that as far as I know was previously vacant. The influences in their live sound are clear but are by no means premeditated. The band grooves, they float, they glide, they soar, they provide polyrythmically undulating gestalt epiphany therapy. The root of the performance appears to be the songs and the lyrics from which the blooms and leaves and tendrils of the jam grow and spread like Ivy through the room, into your ears, carrying your brain away with them. The high point of the set came in the glorious Rectangle Town>Angels>Other One>Rectangle Town>Angels>Space Jam>(So Silent, So Wonderful) The Days torrent. A dusty Arizona desert suddenly inundated with a summer thunderstorm. The flash flood cascading down Sabino Canyon, tearing Saguaro and Cholla and Ocatillo from their sandy perch. Flowing, undulating, cascading, finally melting into the oblivion of the playa. The Other One Jam was HUGE, curing the Jones for the song I had developed the week before when Phlesh had aborted it shortly after it had begun. The remainder of the set was pure gravy in the wake of the musical flood. The set closed out with the title track of the soon to be self-released first Ashbury Park album Down By The River. The album will have 8 songs, all of which were recorded live during the past several months. Eric gave me a demo of some of the tracks which may end up on the disc and the feel of the live performance is definitely captured.
In the next month and a half Ashbury Park will be playing several shows around Oregon (including the country faire) before heading out on their first world tour (which was kicked off at the Roseland). I urge you to check them out if you can. I promise you will not be dissapointed! Watch out for the fairy corps.
Upcoming Dates
May 16 - Old Masonic Temple, Portland, OR
May 22 - The Green Room, Portland, OR
May 27 - The Mount Tabor Pub, Portland, OR
June 11 - Roshambo's Bend, OR
June 19 - Solstice Festival, Marcola, OR
KVHW & Jazz Is Dead - Maritime Hall, San Francisco, CA
Saturday, April 24, 1999
KVHW opened this nearly sold out double bill at the Maritime Hall in San Francisco with "Why Can't We All Just Samba?" Though this soaring, souful instrumental set a beautiful mood -- with Kimock playing on dual-necked stand up lap steel, as usual -- it nevertheless wasn't in any way "over the top" compared with other versions. It nevertheless hushed close to half of the nearly 2200 people in attendance (a very difficult achievement in the Bay Area, notorious for having disrespectful, chatty crowds at improvisational rock shows).
The "Footprints" (a Wayne Shorter tune) that followed was magnificent. Kimock employed the Florida guitar with the envelope filter on, thereby grasping the same phat tone that Garcia consistently used in songs like "Shakedown" and "Estimated Prophet." The jam segment went all over the map, to places "Footprints" had yet to trod. An excellent "must-hear" version!
Similarly, both "High and Lonesome" and "Point of No Return" were powerful. Though neither moved me as much as several other versions have, they were still awe-inspiring in places. The band members -- Ray, Bobby, Alan, and Steve -- were playing with much more spirit than last night! There were, however, times when it seemed that Alan and Steve, in particular, weren't quite communicating with the same skill that they have in the past. This might be due to a lack of rehearsal time together recently. Both played excellently, but at past KVHW shows, I was always astounded at well well Alan seemed to be able to "read" Kimock. Last night, there was some exceptional music and communication between band members in these two huge tunes, but just not as much as I usually see at KVHW shows. Anyway, both "PoNR" and "H&L" are worth hearing again! And Ray's voice on "PoNR" was once again gorgeous (he even threw in a new, presumably improvised on the spot "Strangers in Paradise" verse).
"You're the One" contained some fiery Kimock riffs, as expected. But the "It's Not Impossible" that closed KVHW's hour and twenty minute set was fantastic! Possibly my favorite version of this tune, ever. Just an incredible way to end the set. All things considered, this single KVHW set was more than twice as good as Friday's entire show, as I heard them. It was great to see KVHW once again.
JAZZ IS DEAD headlined last night, playing two sets (as KVHW had done the previous night). Alphonso Johnson on bass, Jimmy Herring on guitar, T. Lavitz on keyboards, and Rod Morgenstein on drums. Steve Kimock also played with them for the entire first set and the first few tunes of the second set. Martin Fierro played with them in the second set on "Eyes" and "WRS/Let It Grow," and played excellently! Donna Godchaux Mackay came out before the second set (the "Wake of the Flood" Dead album was performed in its entirety) and sang a few of "Mississippi Half-Step's lyrics ("Across the Rio Grandio, across the lazy river.."). She also sang "Here Comes Sunshine," briefly, before the band launched into that one.
JAZZ IS DEAD put on a very good show. It was much better than Friday's gig, and it was a treat to hear Kimock play along on so many tunes, even though he didn't know some of the material very well (e.g., Crazy Fingers). Rod Morgenstein's drumming is still way to heavy-handed for my taste, generally speaking, even though Cobham's had been heavy most of the time, too. Rod is still a talented musician. Lavitz's keyboard tones also didn't move me. He's clearly got impressive talent, and I shouldn't have suggested otherwise in my two cents on Friday's show. The tones he uses just really bother me.
Herring and Johnson, on the other hand, performed beautifully all-around to these ears. It was a lot of fun to hear all of these Dead tunes played live (many of them for a second time in less than 30 hours, but some for the first time). It was exciting in particular to hear so much of "Terrapin Station" performed. The setlist was fun, even if the second set tonight was almost exactly the same as that which they played on Friday night. I never thought that I would ever see "Terrapin Flyer" performed live! It was a special evening, and most in attendance were thrilled! The Maritime was still pretty crowded at the end of the night (2:15am or so?).
Great musicians, to be sure, but JiD ought to improvise -- to loosen up -- more often, and not be so damn tight. "Eyes of the World," for example, ended the same way that it did on Friday, with Alphonso soloing magnificently in the midst of these annoying, repetitive, staccato'ed, pseudo-"Eyes" chords from Herring and Lavitz. A very poor arrangement, in my opinion (the arrangement of "Scarlet," on the other hand, which they played on Friday, was quite unique and jazzy, if memory serves). In spite of this strange ending, Martin Fierro's solo in "Eyes" was wonderful, and made this cover worth hearing once again in less than 30 hours.
Highlights of their show for me included almost every solo Kimock took (e.g., during Help/Slip, Terrapin, Dark Star, Terrapin, Stella, etc.), EVERY solo Martin Fierro took, almost every Herring solo, and a few of the collective jams (and improv) -- in "Dark Star" in particular. Herring and Kimock complemented each other quite well, and communicated frequently on-stage via their guitars. It was, once again, in the space of only ten days, a blessing to be able to witness two exceptionally talented guitarists delight in each other's company.
Try to catch JAZZ IS DEAD if you can. They are very talented musicians and it is fun hearing all of these wonderful Dead songs played so well. It might not turn out to be "your bag," but if you catch them on an inspired evening, you are bound to at least be impressed by the musicianship, even if Rod's heavy-handed drumming on precious songs like "Row Jimmy" and "Lady with a Fan" offends you. Grateful Dead cover bands are not usually my cup of tea, but after seeing the Lesh & Friends shows last weekend, and these Jazz is Dead shows, my opinion on that score is changing. I want to hear Dead songs played well!! It has been wonderful (and a blessing) to hear so much Dead played so damn well, all in the space of ten days!
Setlists
KVHW
Steve Kimock (guitars)
Bobby Vega (bass)
Alan Hertz (drums)
Ray White (r.guitar, vocals)One Set (1:20 set) Why Can't We All Just Samba?
Footprints
High and Lonesome
Point of No Return
You're the One
It's Not ImpossibleJAZZ is DEAD
with Steve Kimock*, Martin Fierro**, and Donna Jean Godchaux Mackay
Alphonso Johnson (bass)
Rod Morgenstein (drums)
Jimmy Herring (guitar)
T. Lavitz (keyboards)Set One*: Help->Slip>Space->
Dark Star >
Crazy Fingers >
Lady With a Fan ->
Terrapin Station ->
Terrapin ->
Terrapin Transit ->
At A Siding ->
Blues for Allah in here somewhere ->
Terrapin Flyer ->
Terrapin Refrain >
Franklin's TowerSet Two:
Donna 1/2 step vocal intro >
Mississippi Half-Step*,**
Let Me Sing Your Blues Away*,**
Row Jimmy*
Stella Blue*
Donna HC Sunshine vocals intro >
Here Comes Sunshine
Eyes of the World**
Weather Report Suite** >
Let It Grow**
|
| JamBands.Com is published on the 15th of every month. Submissions are due ten days earlier on the fifth of each month. Please contact the specific editor for the section you are interested in contributing to. For general content comments, please e-mail jambands@jambands.com. For all technical web site issues regarding this page, please contact Sarah Bruner. |