March 19, 2010

This morning, The Internet was buzzing with rumors of a hospital trip for the Disco Biscuits guitarist Jon Gutwillig after last night’s show. Barber addressed the rumors with a posting

Yesterday, we posted my list of the Ten Best Grateful Dead Bust Outs of All-Time and for this week’s Friday Mix Tape I compiled all of the tracks that were

The Allman Brothers Band @ the United Palace – March 15 and 18

I have a half-written column on the Allman Brothers Band that I’ve kept, sort of knocking around, for a few years now. It’s the one I plan to write when it’s clear the memories have been great but the thrill is gone, and that there’s not really any polish left on the shoe. It’s bound to happen, right? The Allmans, to their credit, seem to be slowly recognizing as much, thanks to scaled-back touring and the de-emphasis – can we just come out and agree there isn’t going to be another album of originals? – on, well, growth.

It hasn’t happened, the column. No matter how gently or artfully I try phrase those thoughts, they still sounds churlish. What other band has given us this much justifiable magic this late into its career, or hell, this late into its third act (or sixth or seventh, depending how you evaluate lineups and general eras)? If this is a band no longer much interested in growth as it is enjoying its twilight in grand fashion, fine. Nothing wrong with that at all, boys. No question you’ve earned it. No question you can still bring the heat.

This year’s March NYC run has felt a little muted, but only from afar. You wouldn’t call it a dearth of buzz and excitement – if you were in the seats for any of the United Palace shows so far, you still heard the roars and felt the radiant energy – but the move uptown, the hangover from last year’s 40th anniversary extravaganza (each show every bit as good as the hype, as those who were there and the Beacon Box will attest), and the decision to cancel the last five nights of the run cast something of a pall. But in two very different shows this week, Monday and Thursday, I found the confirmation I needed: the end is near, but I’d be out of my mind to quit on the Allmans until they say they’re done.

READ ON for more from Chad on the Allmans @ United Palace…

We’re down to the final eight contestants in our bid to crown the best cover among all the Cover Wars winners of the past 12 months. Thanks to everyone who came out to vote in the last round, which featured a couple of close bouts including Built to Spill winning by the smallest of margins over the Foo Fighters. Perpetual Groove gets the award for biggest ass-kicking as they nearly tripled the votes that Primus received.

Let’s take a look at today’s four bouts…

1. Trey Anastasio – Sultans of Swing vs. YARN – Oh! Sweet Nuthin’
2. Built To Spill – Cortez The Killer vs. UM – Can’t You Hear…
3. Phish – The Ballad of Curtis Loew vs. Pearl Jam – Baba O’Riley
4. GUTML – Godzilla vs. PGroove – This Must Be The Place

Four our first matchup, we’ve got Trey Anastasio and TAB’s version of Sultans of Swing by Dire Straits going up against Yarn’s take on the Velvet Underground’s Oh! Sweet Nuthin’…

Trey Anastasio – Sultans of Swing
[audio:https://glidemag.wpengine.com/hiddentrack/wp-content/uploads/2009/08/treyswing.mp3]

YARN – Oh! Sweet Nuthin’
[audio:https://glidemag.wpengine.com/hiddentrack/wp-content/uploads/2009/09/yarnnuthin.mp3]

READ ON to place your vote on all four Elite 8 matches…

The initial artist announcement for this year’s Gathering of the Vibes has just come out and features an eclectic group of acts. To celebrate the 15th Anniversary of the festival,

If you missed out on this past Monday’s Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony, you’ll have another chance to watch it on Fuse this Sunday at 5PM. It

As we mentioned last week, Furthur will headline a three-day festival over Memorial Day Weekend at Mountain Aire in Angels Camp, CA. Today, we found out the rest of the

Tickets for Pearl Jam’s Spring Tour go on sale this weekend through Ticketmaster and Live Nation. While most of the pre-sales have already happened, the Ten Club presale for MSG