Anyone lucky enough to see Jackie Greene while he fronted Phil Lesh & Friends in 2007 and 2008 had to wonder if the young Californian could command the stage with his own band and exude the same charisma. Greene’s October 7th appearance at Higher Ground answered the question…and emphatically.
It’s one thing for a band to look like they are having fun on a concert stage; it’s something else when they actually are. And that is exactly what happened when The Goo Goo Dolls burst onto the stage at the Hard Rock in Biloxi. With smiles and guitars blazing, you knew immediately that a fun show was heading your way. “Come on everybody”, coaxed vocalist Johnny Rzeznik. “This is our night together”.
I can’t believe they came to Albuquerque!” exclaimed the young girl in the printed sundress. But I don’t think she was referencing President Obama and his entourage’s visit to the Duke City earlier that day. Rather, as we were standing in the upstairs bathroom of The Historic El Rey Theatre in downtown Albuquerque, she must have been talking about the true reason New Mexicans from all walks of life came together this night: Umphrey’s McGee was in town!
Just for a moment, lean your head back, close your eyes and let the music do all the talking. When Slash, who needs no introduction, leaned over his guitar and started going into a low down slow burn guitar instrumental just prior to ripping into his trademark “Godfather” theme, it swept over your skin like warm sunshine in an erotic shower.
Widespread Panic returned to Northeast Florida area for a show at the St. Augustine Amphitheatre on October 1st. Panic last played here in 2008, skipping 2009. Many thought the band would never return due to an incident at the ’08 show; a drunken fan in the pit tossed a beer bottle on stage and hit drummer, Todd Nance, a fight in the pit then erupted and the music stopped until order was returned.
Furthur, the new vehicle for music exploration featuring Phil Lesh and Bob Weir of the Grateful Dead, just recently brought summer to a close with a swing of dates up and down the Pacific coast. After two nights in Oregon and another in Washington, the band headed to Southern California, playing the Santa Barbara Bowl and Los Angeles’ Greek Theatre on September 20th and 21st. For those who showed up for the band’s SoCal gigs, it was two nights of fantastic musicianship celebrating the Grateful Dead’s legacy, as well as a beautiful present and promising future.
Jenny Lewis writes incredibly good pop songs that are fairly upbeat, intellectual and catchy. Her voice is an instrument with which to be reckoned, and every time I’ve seen her perform in the past has been a delightful and exciting experience. Unfortunately, this show seemed unrehearsed, emotionless and disingenuous. I would have rather stayed home and listen to the record and reminiscing on the great times I’ve seen her play with Jonathan Rice and they didn’t make the audience feel used and part of a big joke.
Railroad Earth made its first stop in Wilkes-Barre, PA with Donna the Buffalo, and loaded up with new songs to test upon the crowd. Being a ‘musical guinea pig’ is great – having new material tested on the crowd is always interesting and, when it’s good, it’s great.
Fresh off a summer tour with his band Galactic, Stanton Moore kicked off a new run with The Stanton Moore Trio. The first stop was Boston for a gig at the newly renovated and expanded Paradise Club. The current Trio lineup was to include Will Bernard on guitar and Robert Walter on the Hammond B-3, with Stanton behind his Gretsch kit, but on the Boston show at least, the B-3 was handled by Wil Blades.
Once again music lovers and beer enthusiasts alike found their way to Telluride Town Park for the 17th Annual Telluride Blues and Brews Festival. Not just any mountain town can pull off three days of blues, great beer with not a drop of snow, sleet or rain in sight. Telluride couldn’t have dreamed of better weather for this year’s festival. Maybe it was mother nature’s way of saying thanks for making this year’s event the greenest of them all. Over 26 metric tons of carbon waste was offset this year through use of solar cells, recycling efforts and transportation coordination.
