Rest assured, this video is here because of the music, not because a member of the band was on a show everyone loves. It’s true, the folk collective Cowboy and
Another night, another new venue for Phish as the HT faves headed to the Lake Tahoe Outdoor Arena for the first of two performances in the mountain town. These shows are being webcast on LivePhish.com leading to fans to speculate as to whether the broadcast would have an impact on the band’s performance. Would they play a “greatest hits” show or would they jam? We got a little of each tonight, but certainly more improvisation than the last shows which were webcast – Alpharetta – as the quartet threw down an exceptional 17-minute Light in the second set.
[Unofficial Lake Tahoe Poster by Steve Conroy]
After an uplifting opening segment of Party Time, Oh Kee Pa Ceremony > AC/DC Bag and Mellow Mood kicked off the set, guitarist Trey Anastasio struggled to find his footing in the composed sections of Rift, Punch You In The Eye and Horn. The first Meat of 2011 was an example of how Phish dug deeper into their catalog in the opening stanza as compared to the first three shows of the leg. David Bowie featured the first exploration of the night and was highlighted by a beautiful but short major-key jam. A blazing 46 Days that didn’t stray too far out of the box closed the set.
The second slot in the second set seems to indicate “jam” in the 3.0 formula. This slot has hosted many of the wildest explorations of the era and that was the case again tonight when Light came out of a wild and wooly Gotta Jibboo. Light was used as a springboard to a lengthy trip to the unknown often in 2009 and 2010, but in 2011 its role was for quick and dirty jams. That started to change back in Watkins Glen and Light returned to its former glory tonight. This jam wasn’t a Trey shredfest – all four members made important contributions to keep the psychedelia flowing for over 10 minutes. Page McConnell made ample use of the synthesizers in his arsenal while Anastasio added effect-laden layers to mesh with the rhythm section. At times the jam hinted at Timber Ho and Undermind but the “ripcord” was never pulled. READ ON for the rest of the recap, the setlist, The Skinny, photos, tweets and much more on Phish in Tahoe…
We keep our eyes peeled for new tour dates announcements each week and compile them on Tuesdays for this handy column… As live music junkies we get really excited when
Wow! A recent auction allowing investors to participate in a future funding round may push the valuation of DropBox to $10 Billion. Yes, with a “B”. Billion. That is phenomenal. Not too many companies can boast a market cap anywhere near that. For a tiny company with scant few employees, you’d have to assume that they are doing something right. You’d assume right. DropBox makes it extraordinarily easy to sync documents and files between computers. But what else can it do besides syncing simple items like memos, spreadsheets & pictures from one computer to the next? In this weeks Technology Tuesday we’ll look at some creative ways to use DropBox.
Unless you’ve been living under a rock, you know about DropBox. A small cross-platform program that allows you to sync files easily across any computer as well as mobile devices like Android & iPhone. The “secret sauce” of DropBox is that there is nothing to learn. Syncing is just as easy as dropping files into a folder like you are accustomed to already. Automagically, your files instantly appear on any of your connected devices. No pain. No hassle. On the off chance you have not yet tried DropBox, feel free to sign-up with this referral link (mine, thanks!) Free accounts get 2GB of storage & syncing that can be increased all the way to 8GB with referrals.
he point of this article is not an overall review of DropBox, comparisons with other syncing applications or a discussion about recent security lapses, rather it is to share some pretty cool ways that I use DropBox. While these principles may work perfectly fine on other syncing applications like Wuala, SugarSync, or Allway, I can only speak to DropBox and my two years of use. READ ON for more about ways to use DropBox…
Words and Photos: Gerry Hardy
In the week before the Newport Folk Festival kicked off, the headlines in the music magazines read “Newport Folk Sells Out.”
Oh here we go, the moribund traditionalists are on again about the lineup not being “pure” enough for folk, adulterated this year by interlopers such as rockers Gogol Bordello and Elvis Costello ( both listed as acoustic), Wanda Jackson’s rockabilly, the Decemberists and Delta Spirit.
A closer read revealed that the headlines in fact referred to this year being the first time in its 52-year history that the Festival had sold out, 10,000 tickets for each of the two days. And this was two weeks in advance in a year that saw weak ticket sales nationally for concert events.
All this was due in no small way to Festival producer Jay Sweet and his team’s keen ear, strong musical sense and dedication to making the festival an event that looked both forward and backward. Sweet handpicked 36 acts in a mix that included old timers Ramblin’ Jack Elliot (79) and Earl Scruggs (93) alongside first timers The Civil Wars, Tegan and Sara and Sallieford. Pete Seeger (92) continued his unbroken streak of Festival appearances, sitting in for brief appearances with many of the younger acts.
READ ON for more on the Newport Folk Festival 2011…
Two of my worlds collided last night when Phish unveiled a cover of Paul Simon’s 50 Ways To Leave Your Lover last night at the Hollywood Bowl in Hollywood, CA.
Back in 2009 our staff put together a list of 10 Venues Phish Should Play (that they’ve never played at before) and number one on our list was the historic Hollywood Bowl. Tonight, Phish finally made their Hollywood Bowl debut as the second leg of Summer Tour 2011 continues.
For Phish’s first show at the Bowl they leaned on heavy-rotation staples throughout the night. The exception came in the middle of a fierce Weekapaug Groove during the second set, when drummer Jon Fishman made his way towards center stage where a mini-kit was set up. Fish led the band through a debut cover of Paul Simon’s 50 Ways To Leave Your Lover in which he simulated Steve Gadd’s signature drum part while singing the tune. The jam of the night came out of Piper and explored a number of different spaces quickly before melting into Mike’s Song.
READ ON for the setlist and The Skinny from Hollywood…
Words and Photos: Jason Gershuny
Phish kicked off the second leg of their 2011 summer tour at the picturesque Gorge Amphitheatre, which served as the backdrop to two terrific shows, each with their own share of highlights. This was Phish’s 6th trip to the Gorge in the last 14 years, and I for one have to say that there are few other places that I would rather see this band.
For those who have never been, imagine camping in a sprawling high desert landscape with a visible horizon for miles around. Thousands of travelers from all over the country create their own colorful worlds with whatever materials they happened to bring with them. Friends congregate to create sprawling tapestry villages to get out of the heat. During the day, the sun is merciless and shade is at a premium. But the incredible payoff lies in the beauty of the amphitheater itself.
As you finally find your way out of your makeshift shade structure to head to see the music, you get your ticket scanned and you are faced with a relatively steep hillside that blocks your view. In cresting the pinnacle of that hill, the world opens up before your eyes to an expansive view that covers miles and miles of the wandering deep blue Columbia River carving elegantly through the rock of the Gorge. All this is before your eyes with the stage in the foreground of your view.
- Previously on HT: The Skinny – Night One, The Skinny – Night Two
READ ON for more of Jason’s thoughts and photos from The Gorge…
Jesse Sykes & the Sweet Hereafter got their first mention here on Hidden Track back in January of 2007, during HT 1.0, when we had a reoccurring feature around these
We’ve been following the status of Phil Lesh’s planned Marin County music venue with great interest since the story first came to our attention in May. Lesh envisions hosting the
