Hidden Track

First opening in 1889, the Auditorium Theater has seen an immense variety of top-notch art. From the Chicago Symphony’s debut performance in 1891, to rock shows by the likes of The Who, The Grateful Dead and Frank Zappa, the room always seems to bring the best out of its performers.

It is no surprise that Umphrey’s McGee chose to step up from the familiar confines of the Aragon Ballroom to this landmark venue for their 2008 New Years Run. And step up they did. The little band from the Midwest has grown into a formidable powerhouse, maturing better than I think anyone could have hoped. Last week’s New Years run was truly a professional display of a band once again on the rise.

I first visited the Auditorium Theater in 1994 to see the Broadway adaptation of The Who’s Tommy, and it warped my 10-year-old mind. From then on, I was obsessed with The Who – a factor that in many ways set me down my current path. Had I not seen Tommy, I wouldn’t have started playing music or developed as a listener, and would most likely see things differently than I currently do. Needless to say, I was very excited to see how Umphrey’s would utilize a room with such amazing sound and sight lines.

READ ON for more of Joel’s thoughts and photos from UM in Chicago…

We’d expect an official announcement at anytime, but for now all we have are a few leaked dates for Phish’s upcoming June tour. Besides Burgettstown on the 18, the phab

6/18/2009 = Return to Burgettstown, PA

Punk rock lost a pioneer on Tuesday when Ron Asheton of The Stooges was found dead at his home in Ann Arbor, Michigan. Asheton’s biting guitar sound helped the Iggy

httpvh://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y-ETmFEixgk Gov’t Mule – Black (12/31/2008)

A few weeks ago, a group calling themselves People For A Compressed Trey pooled their resources on Phantasy Tour’s message board to send Phish guitarist Trey Anastasio a vintage Ross

I love snowboarding and I love Widespread Panic, so when Panic announced they were taking New Year’s Eve on the road to play two shows at the Pepsi Center in Denver, CO I knew I had to be there. To channel the band’s famous Sit and Ski run in 1996, I headed to Breckenridge to snowboard a few days before the shows to get my adrenaline up and have a little fun. I was so close to the Mile High Room in Breckenridge, which led me to start thinking about the good old days when the boys would play every song I was familiar with and enjoyed over the course of two sets.

[All photos by Ian Rawn of Playindead.org and atlantaphotog.com]

I headed to these shows with my girlfriend and decided the most efficient way for us to see as many shows as possible, was to go with a package deal at the Crowne Plaza which included a room at the Crowne, wristbands for after-shows, a shuttle for New Year’s, and a private after-show through Sage and Spirit Travel. I couldn’t pass this up.

When we arrived at the hotel, it was obvious that no one else passed it up either. This was more than the usual hippie hotel as there were dreadlocks, vending, girls in patchworks, patchouli, dogs and a couple other familiar scents.

We got to the Crowne Plaza on the 29th, ready for the after-show party with the Everyone Orchestra at Cervantes in Denver. The show was amazing. The Colorado hospitality was like none I had experienced in a long time. During the show, three people were painting in the audience, which was very cool. Hippies were everywhere and generosity abound. The show was going strong when I left at 2:00 AM and I heard it went on until five in the morning. However, I had two more nights of shows and this 31-year-old body doesn’t quite bounce back like it used to.

READ ON for the rest of Brent’s review of Panic NYE in Denver…