June 14, 2011

Phish Alpharetta #1: Setlist and The Skinny

Scott Bernstein June 14, 2011 4 Comments

Phish fans raved about the Verizon Wireless Amphitheatre in Alpharetta, GA after the band’s two performances there last summer. Tonight, Phish returned to the venue for the first of two shows. If you can’t make it to Alpharetta you can watch all the action live through a Live Phish webcast.

[Screen Grab from Webcast]


As with each of the past three shows Phish picked a sign in the audience to provide the name of the opening song. This time for the fitting Dinner and a Movie got the call. Moma Dance followed and led into the sixth Possum of the tour. There were other rotation staples a plenty in the opening stanza including Cities, Fluffhead, Ocelot and Kill Devil Falls. The band also dipped into their catalog for a bluegrass cover, Norman Blake’s Ginseng Sullivan, which saw live action for the first time in 50 shows. While the start of the 87-minute set didn’t contain much improvisation, the end was a different story. Bathtub Gin came to a big climax similar to the version from two nights earlier at Merriweather and a cover of Traffic’s Light Up or Leave Me Alone featured an extended solo filled with firey work from guitarist Trey Anastasio that was the clear highlight of the set.

Carini may have been a jam vehicle for Phish in 2010 but in 2011 each version has been of the straightforward variety and tonight’s set two opener quickly segued into Sand in what seemed like a surprise to every member of the band except Trey. Sand has had a fine tour thus far and tonight’s take was no exception. Down With Disease once again featured out of the box exploration for a spell before the band deftly worked their way towards Maze. Anastasio and Page McConnell were both in fine form technically throughout the light on improv second set, so Maze was a good choice to give them each a chance to shine. A sequence of well-played, heavy rotation stalwarts followed to close the set – Meatstick > Also Sprach Zarathrustra > Bug > A Day in the Life > Run Like An Antelope leading to a Quinn The Eskimo encore. Phish returns to Alpharetta tomorrow night.

READ ON for the setlist and The Skinny…

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Phish Merriweather Run: A – Z

Scott Bernstein June 14, 2011 8 Comments

Continuing a Hidden Track tradition started last summer, today we break down Phish’s recently completed two-show run at Merriweather Post Pavilion with a look at the performances from A – Z.

A is for Access Me – Mike Gordon’s Access Me was dusted off for the first time in 2011 on Saturday night and in this writer’s opinion it was the best version of the Undermind tune yet. It wasn’t a perfect rendition (as pointed out by DaveO) but far surpasses the flub-laden versions from Alpine ’04, Miami ’09 and Manchester ’10.


B is for Badass Boogie On – Following on a trend started at Bethel, Phish had fun with the outro of this Stevie Wonder cover on Sunday night making for quite the interesting take on the tune. We’ve reached the point where we’re excited to hear Cactus kick on his micro synth signaling the start of Boogie On after a few years of mostly standard versions.

C is for Crab Cakes – I stumbled upon a small crab cake stand at the venue and was so hungry that I didn’t care about the $15 price tag. I was shocked when I took my first bite and realized this was no ordinary crab cake. It was all killer crab and very little filler and quite honestly was the best venue food I’ve ever eaten.

READ ON for more about Phish at Merriweather Post Pavilion…

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Best of Cover Wars: Hallelujah Edition

Andy Kahn June 14, 2011 4 Comments

[Originally Published: May 25, 2010]

Leonard Cohen’s Hallelujah, off his 1984 album Various Positions, is one of those songs that seems ubiquitous but the original version rarely heard. The song plays out as an epic saga and has a seemingly endless supply of lyrics that never drag on if delivered properly. It’s been covered nearly as many times as there are verses. Countless times it’s appeared on soundtracks to films and television shows as a poignant backdrop to directors’ attempts at tugging on heartstrings. While what follows are each great renditions, I implore you to start with the original done by a maestro and true craftsman of song.

Cover Wars

The Contestants:

Jeff Buckley: Buckley’s hauntingly dramatic version from his 1994 debut Grace is the best known cover of Hallelujah. It’s one of the best known covers of any song ever. Many people who love the Buckley version have no idea Cohen was the originator – I know I’ve met more than a few.

[audio:https://glidemag.wpengine.com/hiddentrack/wp-content/uploads/2010/05/hallelujahbuckley.mp3]

READ ON for the scoop on the rest of this week’s contestants…

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Hidden Flick: The Mountains In The Mind

Randy Ray June 14, 2011 No Comments

In the end, it is not our minds that fail us, but our hearts.

Indeed. The resolve to hold onto one’s convictions can be a very tricky thing. Once faced with death, one is apt to just give up, and run towards safety. After all, isn’t life itself preferable to certain dissolution? But what if one has had a vision? Ahh…tricky, yes. This little Flick ditty is dedicated to those who must do something, never expecting to get paid, or rewarded in any way, but doing it because they have to, they must, they need to fulfill some sort of higher purpose—indeed, the resolve to hold onto one’s convictions.


In Carl Theodor Dreyer, the cinema gained not only an original visual eye, but one gained a sometimes rather surreal look at what drove motivations, what kept focus, what swelled the heart of the beast within. Floating away, skin is temporary, but the soul shows the true power, does it not? Or, is that an illusion, too? Idea to material mist to oblivion?

Dreyer’s greatest treat for the mind’s eye may have been Vampyr with its otherworldly imagery and performances, but nothing can quite compare to his tour de force, which is rightfully heralded as one of the outstanding works of the silent film era. Released in 1928, it was almost lost to the hourglass of the modern age, but has avoided complete obscurity. The film also contains the hidden secret for all truth-seeking thespians—an ethereal and beautiful performance comes from within; specifically, the eyes.

READ ON for more about this week’s Hidden Flick…

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Tour Dates: Mac At Bat

Jeffrey Greenblatt June 14, 2011 No Comments

We keep our eyes peeled for new tour dates announcements each week and compile them on Tuesdays for this handy column… While Paul McCartney may not be able to hit

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Alex Skolnick: Double Identity

Leslie Michele Derrough June 14, 2011 No Comments

Alex Skolnick is living a double life. On one end of the spectrum, he is an electrifying guitar player speeding up and down the heavy metal highway. At the other end, he is composing notes of sophistication and magnetism, sometimes calculating the next melody in a long drawn out verve of jazz patience. Which end of the musical hourglass he tips the most likely depends on which coast he is on. And this duality is just fine with him.

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Booker T. Jones: The Road From Memphis

Nathan Rodriguez June 14, 2011 No Comments

Following  Booker T Jones' 2009 Anti- release Potato Hole which won the Grammy for “Best Pop Instrumental Album,” the B-3  legend returns with The Road From Memphis. Produced by Jones with The Roots' ?uestlove and Rob Schnapf (Beck, Elliot Smith), Memphis was recorded by Daptone Records mastermind Gabriel Roth with backing by The Roots.

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