2010

Last month, our own Ryan Dembinsky started a new tradition here on Hidden Track by detailing the first leg of Phish’s Summer Tour 2010 from A – Z.

[Photo by Adam Kaufman]

Today, we present a new list breaking down the recently completed second leg of the tour from A -Z. Take a look…

A is for Alpine – The most well-rounded two-night stand on the tour, the Alpine run had it all from jams to transitions to Fuck Your Face to Trey machine gunning the hell out of the massive venue. There’s a reason the band keeps coming back to East Troy each summer.

B is for Burn that Bridge – The band continued the trend started in Leg 1 of soundchecking this song regularly while refraining from playing it live during the show. There were at least three instances during Leg 2 where the Anastasio/Amanda Green penned tune was played to an empty house.

C is for Cities – Possibly the song of tour, Cities was not only slayed at the Greek and at Jones Beach but was soundchecked in Telluride. The Greek version ranks among the best jams of summer.

D is for Deer Creek – Phish’s Midwest home away from home, Deer Creek once again provided hallowed ground for the band to work its magic. The first set of the first night was a trainwreck but by the end of the show the boys had restored all faith in them and the power of the venue. Night 2, their 20th show there, ranks up there with the best of them from Noblesville. READ ON for more of our look at Phish Tour…

Friday 4 the Foodies columnist Jon Hochstat reminded us that original Gov’t Mule bassist Allen Woody passed away ten years ago today. Woody was such a paradox of a human being. He had such a heavy bass sound but his mando playing was light and beautiful. He was a massive hulk of an intimidating man, yet was a sweet soul with a heart of gold. The Mule has rolled on to achieve lots of success in the decade since Woody left this planet, but there’s no doubt it’s never been the same since his passing.

Allen Woody first gained national exposure in 1989, when he joined the Allman Brothers Band for their “reunion” tour after a seven year break. Woody’s heavy tone gave the Allmans’ sound an edge that was missing since Berry Oakley died and Allen immediately formed a bond with band mate Warren Haynes. Woody and Warren started Gov’t Mule in 1994 with Matt Abts and about three years later the pair left the Allmans to work full-time on the Mule.

The recently released Mulennium – recorded at the Roxy in Atlanta on December 31, 1999 – shows just how impressive the power trio was after more than two years of constant touring. Sadly, we’ll never know what heights the trio version of the Mule would’ve reached had Woody not been found by a chambermaid at a Queens Motel ten years ago today. We miss Woody and hope he’s resting in peace jamming out with the likes of Jerry Garcia, Rick Danko and Duane Allman in the afterlife.

For this week’s B List we’ve put together a collection of 10 Woody-centric videos. READ ON for a look at what Allen delivered during his time on Earth…

Since becoming temporarily obsessed with Brooklyn’s Fang Island precisely two days ago, I’ve stumbled on some of the most passionate descriptions and comments about this band:  “It’s exactly what Wyld

Tom Petty & My Morning Jacket @ Izod Center, August 24

Every old generation likes to tell the new generation that things used to be better back in the day. This especially rings true in rock where many of those in their 50s and 60s like to tell me I totally missed out on the likes of Zeppelin, Hendrix and The Band and that no artist of the ’80s, ’90s and ’00s could ever compare. Last night at the Izod Center was the rare evening when the best of the old school and new school came together as current rockers My Morning Jacket and classic rockers Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers showed that rock music is in good hands over the course of three hit-heavy hours in East Rutherford, NJ.

My Morning Jacket came on exactly at the 7:30PM ticket time so that they could play for as long as possible before The Heartbreakers took the stage. The quartet opened with a little taste of Rollin’ Back before quickly segueing into The Way That He Sings. Despite only having an hour to perform, Jim James and his band mates made the most of each minute and packed the set with their best material. Near me, many of the patrons were clearly at the venue to see Petty and sat with arms folded through the first few songs. As MMJ tore through Off The Record and Gideon I could tell they were connecting with even the most jaded of Petty fans. Bopping heads turned into full body thrashing by the time One Big Holiday closed out the set. It’s always great to see people won over by good, honest music.

As the MMJ set progressed I started feeling bad for Petty. How do you follow one of the best bands in rock who is at its peak? James has great stage presence as displayed during his Wordless Chorus antics which included hiding underneath his cape while still singing loudly and proudly. The band’s newest song, Circuital, fit into the set nicely – quite the compliment considering the gems MMJ threw down on this night.

READ ON for more on Tom Petty & MMJ in New Jersey…

Popular kids TV show Yo Gabba Gabba!’s There’s A Party In My City tour kicks off on Friday night in Bethel, NY and DJ Lance Rock and the Gabba Gang