Archive: 2010

Of course, the 48-year-old singer of the Flaming Lips doesn’t feel very comfortable discussing art.  In fact, every time he uses the word, he makes sure you know that he knows that it’s all just a bunch of bullshit.  But, the fact remains:  Coyne and the Lips are responsible for elevating pop music to the status of art – whether it be an album that requires the listener to play four discs on four stereos at the same time (Zaireeka), or one of the greatest musical creations of the 20th century (The Soft Bulletin).

The Black Crowes frontman Chris Robinson and wife Allison Bridges welcomed a baby girl on Saturday (26.12.09) and both mother and daughter are doing well. The baby – who was born at the couple’s Californian home – has been named Cheyenne Genevieve and weighed in at 6lbs 3oz. Chris’ representative said: "Chris Robinson and his […]

Just as the new year gets into swing, Wilco has announced their spring tour schedule with a majority of the dates taking place on the east coast this time around. Shows of note will include two nights in Montclair, NJ at the Wellmont Theatre and a rare rock show at Harford CT’s The Bushnell. Wilco […]

On the same day that Vampire Weekend streamed their second-full length Contra on their MySpace site, they mapped out dates for a North American tour.    The “Contra Tour,” begins  in mid-March, following a series of previously announced warm-up U.S. gigs in January and an extensive European leg in February.  Pre-sale tickets will go on sale […]

Chris Cornell announced early Friday  on his Twitter feed that "The 12 year break is over & school is back in session," directing fans to www.soundgardenworld.com for future updates. The band has not performed live together since announcing its breakup in the spring of 1997, but it appears that will change in 2010. Soundgarden was […]

“Let’s get the show on the road”

Last night in Miami, we reached the conclusion of an important year in the history of Phish. The quartet worked up their skills and dug deep through their repertoire all year long. Quite often the band was successful at satiating their notoriously hard-to-please fanbase while aiming to stay clear of the dreaded “nostalgia act” tag. For the fourth show of four at the American Airlines Arena, Phish didn’t disappoint offering the typical NYE fare of a few hearty jams, plenty of classics, a few bust outs and the “gimmick” which this year revolved around a little known female drummer named Sarah.

Unlike on the 30th, the quartet kicked things off with a fairly standard opening sequence of AC/DC Bag, 46 Days and Water In The Sky before stretching it out a bit for Bathtub Gin. There was so much energy floating around the venue – which was way more crowded for New Year’s than any other night – that the band would receive big cheers any time they dropped a familiar lyric or an impressive musical phrase. I’d love to say the boys were extremely tight last night, but there were plenty of clams and missed transitions, although that’s somewhat to be expected on New Year’s Eve.

The first set continued with more high-energy standard fare such as The Moma Dance and Guyute before the band pulled out a few more lost gems. First up was Swept Away > Steep which hadn’t been played since July 1, 2000 followed by Demand which hadn’t been played since November 14, 1996. Both songs got huge reactions and we’re played pretty well. Steep didn’t feature “the scream” of 1996 versions and the Demand was sans Split Open and Melt jam. It became clear the band had purposely looked for the most obscure songs in their catalog to bust out at these shows and it was extremely appreciated.

READ ON for more from Scotty on Phish New Year’s Eve ’09-’10…

I was about to put together a list of all the New Year’s Eve setlists from around the scene when I came across Jambase’s article doing the exact same thing. Rather than duplicate their efforts, be sure to check out their New Year’s Eve Setlist Roundup for setlists from the likes of Furthur, Widespread Panic, […]