Admittedly, it feels like an awfully quiet year thus far for finding new music that really strikes a chord. I know that generally means you’re just not looking hard enough,
Canadian Deadheads couldn’t have been more excited for Furthur to cross the border into The Great White North for a set at the Ottawa Bluesfest on Wednesday night. The Furthur
Umphrey’s McGee @ Red Rocks (Jul. 3) & Gothic Theatre (Jul. 4)
When Umphrey’s McGee came to Denver back in January and hosted one of their S2 events at the Fillmore, one of the fan-submitted-themes put up on the board read, “1st Song You Will Play When You Headline Red Rocks”. The band responded by playing a section from the title track from their 2009 studio release Mantis. This took place before the announcement of Red Rocks & Blue and I certainly wouldn’t have thought less of the band if they had re-thought this decision, as it appeared to be decided onstage within seconds. But there we were about six months later as UM finally took the stage as headliners after playing the venue four times as support and the opening guitar riffs of Mantis reverberated throughout The Rocks. Not only did they open with it, split it up into three separate sections in their two hour power-set, but they also skipped the usual music box intro Preamble so they could immediately get down to business.
[All Photos by Mike Sherry]
The opening lyric of Mantis is, “We believe there’s something here worth dying for,” a fitting declaration for a band who was finally crossing a headlining Red Rocks gig off the bands to-do list in their thirteenth year of touring, a career that has seen over 1500 shows, 62 in the state of Colorado. Fireworks – unrelated to Red Rocks – shot off from a nearby speedway were a real treat for the first 20 minutes of the set for those positioned high up enough to see them.
The set was constructed of the band’s strongest material – pulling the majority of the set from their recent more “mature” offerings. Hangover and Hajimemashite were the only two songs played from the band’s formative years and Haji stands the test of time not seeming like a song written by a 21-year old.
READ ON for more of DaveO’s thoughts & Mike’s photos…
Leading the charge of the new wave of lo-fi, psychedelic-folk bands is the Bushwick, NY-based act Woods. The band, who’s Woodist label has been cultivating a scene of like minded
With his vivid poetic narratives and warm orchestration, Sea Wolf’s music has always carried with it an aura of intimacy, and now for the first time ever, he (Alex Brown
Deerhunter have announced their 4th LP, Halcyon Digest, though an interactive xerox art project and the launch of a website, halcyondigest.com . Ubiquitous frontman Bradford Cox describes "…always being fascinated
The Shotgun is a monthly series of "shotgun" CD reviews by Eric Saeger. This month he shotguns Teenage Fanclub, Concrete Blonde, Black Sabbath and more
A few months back String Cheese Incident announced a set of two Hulaween shows at the legendary Hampton Coliseum that take place on Friday, October 29 and Saturday, October 30.
We’re less than two weeks away from what looks to be the biggest and best Camp Bisco yet, as Camp Bisco 9 runs from July 15 – 17 at Indian
In keeping with our big wrap-up week of Phish’s fun-filled first leg of their summer tour, today we bring you an A to Z rundown of the highlights, songs, venues, jams and surprises which added to an overwhelmingly positive reception to the 18 show extravaganza.
[Photo by Adam Kaufman]
A is for Alpharetta – To one of my new favorite summer venues, thanks for a great time. Nice lot scene, easy-in easy-out traffic management, decent bathroom set ups, a nice lawn with trees for shade, and oh baby, that Pit! With a pretty well-functioning wristband system to keep it from getting too crowded from folks getting stubbed down, yet a remarkably easy pavilion, the Pit feels like the Hampton of summer. Even the hotels kind of have that Hampton feeling (and the Marriott is the crown jewel).
B is for the Best Shows – The whole second half of the first leg really knocked it out of the park: the second night of SPAC kicked things in to high gear, Camden dropped the hammer, and the rest of the shows took it home. If forced to make a top three list, it’d all about the Sunday shows. In first place, the 4th of July show took home top honors as it hit both the surprises and improvisations for a perfect combination of fun, energy, and rarities. In second place, the second night of Merriweather proved to be the hottest show of the tour in terms of actual temperature, but second best in terms of playing, and then finally, SPAC II takes third.
READ ON for more on Phish Tour: From A to Z…
