Hello everyone. Hope you all had a safe Memorial Day weekend. Back in March, when Switzer and her husband Josh came down from Vermont for a visit, they informed me that they were having a going away party in May because they were moving to Montana. Josh was pursuing his masters and they wanted to see some more of the country. I made plans to go up to Vermont on the weekend of May 18th for the party. On April 19th, the music world lost one of its great spirits, Levon Helm. 2 weeks after that, a group of musicians from Burlington announced they were holding a benefit for farmers and would make it a tribute to Levon Helm and the Band. And they were going to have it on May 18th.
The benefit was being held at the Higher Ground in Burlington, VT. Nice cozy venue with great sight lines. There was a large bar in the back and one on the side. It holds 800 people and the show was sold out but there was still plenty of roam.
Up On Cripple Creek, Down South In New Orleans, Further On Up The Road, Stage Fright*, Who Do You Love?**, Rag Mama Rag, It Makes No Difference, Ophelia***, Evangeline#, Helpless***, Wide River To Cross, Life Is A Carnival^, Don't Do It^, Caravan^, The Shape I'm In, Forever Young^^, The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down^^, Baby Let Me Follow You Down^, The Weight
E: King Harvest (Has Surely Come), I Shall Be Released^^^
Bob Wagner- guitar/vocals
Clint Bierman- guitar/vocals
Peter Day- bass/vocals
Ray Paczkowski- keys
Ron Rost- keys
Steve Hadeka- drums
Chris Peterman- tenor sax
Adam Dotson- trombone
Dave Grippo- alto sax
Steven Bernstein- trumpet
Luke LaPlant- baritone sax
*- w/ Anders Parker on lead vocals
**- w/ Matt Hagen & Mike Clifford on lead vocals
***- w/ Will Evans on lead vocals
#- w/ Marie Claire on lead vocals
^- w/ Josh Panda on lead vocals
^^- w/ Ryan Miller on lead vocals
^^^- w/ everyone
Notes: John Fishman on drums from
"Life Is A Carnival" through the end of the show.
You can download it here
http://bt.etree.org/details.php?id=555076
While pregaming at the last heady bar in Burlington, The 3 Needs, we heard that they were going to be doing the Last Waltz. I almost shit my pants. That album was one of the goto albums in my college days. I knew it inside and out. I even have the audience recording of the Last Waltz Concert. It was 4+ hours but had to be edited down for a film and double album. When they opened up with Up On Cripple Creek, I knew we were golden. They changed the order of the songs due to personal/logistical reasons but you won’t hear myself complaining.
Bob Wagner handled most of the lead guitar parts and he looks like he came from central casting for a lead guitarist shredding classic rock tunes. Down South in New Orleans is not a Band original so I then knew I we were going to get the great covers and guest tunes from the album. He showed his chops on the solo for Further On Up the Road. They introduced the band and Gov. Shumlin spoke. His first question, “How many of you out there are growing something?” got some laughs ‘cause I’m sure all the crops being grown aren’t legal.
Stage Fright started the parade of local musicians to the stage. Anders Parker handled the lead vocals admirably. In the film, the Ronnie Hawkins performance of Who Do You Love is one of the highlights. His stage presence is so large that it took 2 Vermonters to fill his shoes. Mike Clifford was in a Fishman dress print shirt and Matt Hagen looked like Hank Williams Jr if he started on an Amish basketball team. They absolutely killed it. The even attempted the screams the Hawk did. Matt Hagen also did the fanning motion with his hat to cool down the smoking guitar solo Matt Wagner was playing.
Then local legend Brett Hughes (who I met when he came to Hanover to perform at Switzer’s wedding reception) came onstage to do one of Levon’s signature tunes, Rag Mama Rag. While performed at the Last Waltz, it is neither in the film or the album. So now I was really geeked because I knew we could be getting ANYTHING!
Evangeline was another song while in the movie, was not performed in live in front of an audience. The vocals of Matt Wagner and Marie Claire blended like waffles and maple syrup. The Helm solo song, Wide River to Cross, was a nice touch but it did bring the energy level down a bit. But no worries as Mr. Joshua Panda was about to blow the roof of the sucka.
This guy owned the stage the minute he stepped on it. He was so good I forgot Fishman was sitting behind the drum kit now. Life is a Carnival, Don’t Do It, and Caravan each built one on top of the other. Panda is truly a showman of the highest degree. When he got to the leg kicks in Caravan, the audience (including myself) was going apeshit.
Forever Young and Dixie were great audience singalongs and a chance for the crowd to catch their breath. Then came the song I was waiting for, Baby Let Me Follow You Down. On the album, Dylan rejoins his one time backing band to destroy this tune. While the HYF version didn’t quite make it to that top rung of the ladder, they still did a great job, staying faithful to the album’s arrangement of it.
The Weight had everyone come out and trade the lead verses, just like the Band and the Grateful Dead used to sing it. For an encore, they did the farmer’s anthem King Harvest and I Shall Be Released was the perfect sendoff for us into the night.
At the after party, I got to hang with Matt Hagen. He said they did 2 rehearsals, the first being a week before the show and the second on the afternoon of the show. That was also the only practice they had with the horns. I feel very blessed to experience a local Burlington event and iconic venue and would once again like to thank all my friends in the great state of Vermont for making myself feel at home whenever I visit your glorious region.
Hello and greetings. As some of you may be aware, this year is the tenth anniversary of the first Bonnaroo Festival. It definitely has evolved and changed over the years. It has also had an outsized effect on the concert and music industry. But I’m here to reminisce about the first and probably the best one. So sit back, relax and let’s travel back to 2002 and relive the inaugural Bonnaroo.
Devolver had broken up in Feb of 2002. A more accurate description would be Andy left the band. It was not the same without his wailing wail. Then in April I had gotten laid off from my job as a production assistant at Keystone Machine, so I had a lot of free time on my hands. When Bonnaroo was first announced, I was pretty psyched. Widespread Panic was headling the first 2 nights and Trey was headlining the third. 2 sets by SCI, Galatic, Les Claypool and Moe. It seemed it was highlighting the second generation of jambands, with the Dead, Allmans, Hot Tuna, and Little Feat being the first generation.
We got our tickets on the first day and within a week it had sold out. One has to remember that at this time, there really wasn’t a huge festival scene in the US. Europe has had big festivals for years but Woodstock ’99 left such a bad taste in people’s mouths that it seemed like big, multi band festivals were a thing of the past. Without Bonnaroo, no Coachella, no All Tomorrow’s Parties and the myriad of other fests that are around today. Yes, All Good and Gathering of the Vibes had continued on through the 90’s and up to this day, but neither of them was on the scale of what Bonnaroo was attempting to pull off.
A lot of people from Hanover were heading down but my group was limited to Wendy, Andy, Adrian, and myself. Adrian and Andy went in his car and Wendy and myself rolled down in the Shempmobile AKA a 1995 Ford Escort station wagon that I had just purchased that Feb. We left in the early afternoon with an estimated driving time of 12 or 13 hours. I led the way. Our best route was to take Interstate 81 South down the backbone of Virginia. This is one LONG drive through VA. Something like 7 or 8 hours total. You hit the Richmond split and you think alright, half way through the state when it’s more like a third of the way through the state. While driving, a bird decided to make its acquaintance with my front grill. Going along smooth when Boom! An explosion of feathers engulfed the front of my car. Adrian was following us and said it looked like a feather pillow had exploded. After double checking everything was all right with my car, we continued our journey.
We hit Tennessee and begin our long trip across it as Manchester was located nearly smack dab in the middle of the state. For whatever reason, we were going to approach it from the south. The interstate took a little dip into Alabama, which had a huge fireworks store right over the border. It was well after midnight by now and the radio said there was a 10 to 12 mile traffic backup to get into the festival heading southbound. But as I said, we were heading in from the south, so we were northbound and had only a few miles of backup. To quote Mr. Burns, “Excellent”.
We hit the backup just as the sun was rising. As I said before, I had just bought the new and improved Shempmobile in Feb, so this was its first real road test. As we were sitting in traffic waiting for the US-Germany World Cup quarterfinal match from South Korea to begin, my car began to overheat. I found out later that the fan that cools the engine never worked. So to prevent an engine meltdown over 1000 miles away from home; I had to turn on the heat to draw the fever off the motorblock. This made the car very uncomfortable to be in. Andy still swears he suffered heatstroke from this and even gave a speech on it during his matriculation at the Bradley Academy for the Arts. But then again, he did quit Devolver, so fair is fair.
We eventually had to turn the car off and I pushed it into the gates of Bonnaroo. A cop at the gate said “You’ll have to do something about that car”. No shit Officer Sherlock. At this point, I just wanted to get it inside and setup our campsite. The car issue could wait until we left.
While waiting in line inside the gate, the only station Adrian could find the football match on was an AM Spanish radio station. Adrian’s family, who are Italian by way of Argentina, speak their own unique language. It’s a mashup of Italian, Spanish, and American English. So he was able to make out most of the match. Some guy in front of us didn’t want to know any of the details. Why, did you record it on your VCR for post-festival viewing? Remember kids, this was 10 years ago. No DVR’s. Adrian wisely ignored him and we got to listen in real time. The US put up the good fight before losing to Germany 1 nil.
We finally made it to our campsite. While pushing my car in, we ran to 2 girls from the Hanover area, M and K. I’ll use their initials because now they’re respectable members of society. I dated K for awhile so it was cool to run into her again. In a strange twist, Adrian had dated M. What can I say, that’s how we roll on Tour. Parked the car and raced to setup our tents and QuikShade, as space was at a premium. We set up and Andy and Wendy passed out under the QuikShade. Adrian and myself wandered around to soak up everything.
The first day was long and hot. I remember Govt Mule and Les Claypool being the highlights of the daytime shows. Ween played, only knew Roses are Free. Andy and Wendy had set up their chair in the misting tent. Brilliant! I was really geeked about the seeing Widespread being the headliner for the first night. They delivered a solid show but were saving the high quality dank shit for the second night.
Karl Denson’s Tiny Universe and the Keller Williams Incident were playing late night sets. SCI/Keller was so packed it was pointless to even try to get in. I checked out most of Karl Denson until I fell asleep on the ground and was kicked by several people. I remember running into Cary Lutz at some point that night. As I was walking back to the tent site after the show, I heard Galactic breakout Big Bottom Girls by Spinal Tap. They had 5 bass players for it. Sorry I missed but had been up for almost a day and half straight and still had 2 more days to go. I found my tent and crashed.
Adrian had run into M and K at some point that evening. He ended up sleeping in their tent the first night. Everything was setup for getting fitful rest until their neighbors decided to have incredibly loud sex in a field full of nonnoise canceling tents. Ahh to be in the land of dirty free loving hippies.
The first Bonnaroo was held over the Summer Solstice weekend, with the second day of the festival being the longest day of the year. The sun rose at the rather early hour of approx. 5:30 AM. I had my tent setup so the first beams of light came right through my front door. Way to go Gallielo of Ganja. So my tent was rather hot in about 15 minutes time. I crawled out of it and slept in the shade of my car. I needed my rest ‘cause I had a full day of music.
After some consultation with Adrian, he made a few good points. This was the first time either of us had seen the North Mississippi North All-Stars and they kicked ass. Adrian was also blown away by the John Butler Trio and said I had to mention Blackalicious performed without Blackalicious. Galactic played 3 times during the festival. I only caught the daytime set but Stanton Moore is the Man!
Adrian and myself ended up hanging with M and K for most of the day. The lineup on the Main Stage was String Cheese and then Widespread Panic. We were ready for liftoff by the time WSP hit the stage. While I didn’t know it at the time, WSP guitarist Mickey Houser was dying of pancreatic cancer. He looked bad but played his heart out. It would be the last time I’d see him perform. But he left it all on the stage.
The highlights included Steve Winwood joining Panic for Glad and Low Spark of High Heeled Boys. (He also sat in with SCI for I’m a Man, a staple of the golden era of Devolver). The peak moment of the weekend came at the end of the first set. The boys brought out Dottie People and the People’s Choice Choir while the lights were down. They then proceeded to unfurl an all time, peak moment in my existence, musical or otherwise. They had a gospel tent revival for 40,000 people. My mind is still shredded. I got goosebumps writing about it. I’m kind of glad that I didn’t know about Mickey’s condition. The emotions would have been a little too overwhelming.
Can’t recall anything else about that night lol. See, some of my memory is impaired. Rest up and get ready for the third and final day. One thing about Bonnaroo is the unique musical collaborations that occur. I mentioned the Keller Williams Incident before. On the last day they had Col. Bernie’s Bucket of Brains, featuring Col. Les Claypool, Bernie Worell, Buckethead and Brain. We saw Buckethead walking around before the show. But really, how can you miss a guy over 6 feet tall with a mask and KFC bucket on his head.
It was a mostly improv set with the respective masters of their instruments tearing it up. We ran into Beard of Frank Miller’s Beard at one point. He was telling us the story of how he was squatting over a toilet that wasn’t all that clean. Through the danger that is gravity and keeping your balance, he fell out of the portapotty. Adrian had remarked earlier he was trying to hold it in all weekend because of the condition of the portapotties. I remarked the ones I just used were clean enough to eat in. He thus took one of the most satisfying shits of all time. This was the only time it rained the whole weekend, and then it was just enough to settle the dust.
Later that day, we met up with M and K again for one final day of insanity. M had broke her sunglasses the day before and lost one of the arms. As we settled in for the late afternoon set of Phil and Friends featuring Bob Wier, we found her lost sunglass arm. In a giant field, we somehow managed to end up in the same exact spot as yesterday. Phil’s set was solid with the highlight being Tennessee Jed. But the Cryptical>Other One>NFA>Cryptical> I Know You Rider was pretty fucking good as well. You can stream it here.
Trey was the last night’s headliner. This set is famous for a few things. One,
Trey is fucked up out of his skull. He is gushing over all the love he has for this place and overwhelmed by everyone’s support. Now remember, at this time Phish was broken up and A LOT of people expected them to reunite at Bonnaroo. He also spent a lot of time thanking the Green Crew for cleaning up after shows. This was also Trey’s solo Afro Cuban Funk before Phish 2.0 band’s peak as far as I’m concerned. They tore it up. The show is so long it takes 4 cd’s just to contain it all.
There was no music after Trey so our plan was to head out right after Trey ended. We had packed up out campsite and drove our vehicles closer to the exit. Which a lot of other people had done as well. While we were waiting in traffic to get out, my car began overheating again. Now it wasn’t very hot out at 1 or 2 AM but that didn’t matter. Wendy was supposed to ride home with me but had to work Monday night so she rode with Adrian and Andy braced himself for another journey in the Devil’s Limo.
We pulled over by the exit and just threw out tarps and sleep on them. The car next to us was still partying hard, doing lines of coke to Oasis. While I do like Oasis, listening to jacked up people singing along with Champagne Supernova at 3 AM is not awesome.
Once the sun was up, traffic was moving pretty steadily so we hit the road. While rolling out, we ran into Kim and Jess. Back in the day, these 2 could out party pretty much anyone I knew. It was early AM but they were hanging out drinking under a tree. Found out later their crew was waiting on them so they could roll out of the site. D’oh!
Somewhere in VA we hit a drive thru to get grub for lunch. While waiting in line, my car started steaming. I thought if we could just get back on the highway and get air flowing over it, which would cool it down, we would be golden. While driving at 65 mph, my timing belt gave out and the whole car shut off. Andy guided it to the side of the road safely. Wendy had left us her cellphone in case something like this happened. I called Triple A and they said it would be an hour until a tow truck arrived. At that moment a state police cruiser rolls up and got a tow truck in 10 minutes flat. Damn thank you officer for not noticing how bad us dirty hippies stank.
The tow truck driver was a redneck and big Dale Earnhart Sr. fan but luckily I knew enough about NASCAR to shoot the shit with him for the 4 hours it took us to get home. I have premium service with AAA so the first 100 miles were free but I still had to cough up 140 bucks for the rest of it. I still smoked cigs at the time and had the ash fall off and burn right through my Phil Lesh Miller Light t-shirt. (Lesh filling Bass great)
As I’ve said before, Tour can be tough. I was unemployed at the time so I had more than enough time to come back to reality after one of the most amazing musical weekends of my life. While Bonnaroo has devolved into a more typical music fest with nonjamband headliners and even really shitty hiphop (looking at you Kanye), the first one will always hold a special place in my heart and soul for the great times with my friends.
Dave Kemp
BA American Studies
PhD in Rock and Roll
Greetings everyone. Hope things are good in your hood. After short winter hibernation, I am back and on the attack. This week, Moe and Boxcar Social gets the Kempepedia treatment as I review Moe from Philly on March 9th and Boxcar Social on March 10th.
The plan was to meet up at Ms. Meg’s fantastic apartment around 6. Switzer and Josh were driving down from Vermont after a class. For myself to get to Meg’s around 6, it meant I had to drive on the Turnpike and the Schuykill Expressway into Philly during rush hour. I hate rush hour traffic. I have a commute of a little over a mile and it’s one of the things I really like about my job. But in the name of all things Tour, I was willing to bite the bullet.
Boy was I wrong. I’ve hit more traffic on a Saturday afternoon. Smooth sailing the whole way, even at obvious choke points. Thought I was off by a few hours. Chill at Meg’s until Switzer and Josh arrive. Meg had to skip the show as her Saturday was going to be an 18 hr. marathon of grad school and a high society ball. We were in no rush because
1) Meg’s crib is 5 minutes away from the Electric Factory
2) To quote Switzer, “It’s not Phish”
We arrive a little after the show had started. The bass was rattling the windows, echoing through the parking lot. After the usual incredibly tight search that is typical for the Electric Factory, (no I don’t have anything stashed in my smokes, but thanks for double-checking), we head inside and upstairs.
03/09/12 (Fri) Electric Factory - Philadelphia, PA
Set 1: Skrunk, Cathedral, Godzilla > Runaway Overlude, Suck A Lemon, Awesome Gary > Moth > Don't Fuck With Flo
Set 2: Seat Of My Pants > meat. > Puebla > Billy Goat > Moth, Silver Sun, Rebubula, E: Queen Of Everything > Akimbo
We got there sometime after Godzilla. It was, to quote another friend, “a total shreadfest”. Moe is all about the twin guitar attack and tonight was no exception. The Gary>Moth>Don’t Fuck with Flo was awesome and a great way to end a first set. After going through a human sausage maker to get outside for a nic fix, the second set was on.
The Meat had a Voodoo Chile theme running through it. There were also several passages throughout the second set that would not have sounded out of place in a 1975 Floyd show. Nice spacey segments coupled with the high energy of Moe is a recipe for success in my book. Old school fav Rububula closed out the set with its tribute to East Coast mommas.
We split during the encore but not before Al comes out and rattles off people who are seeing there 20th show, third anniversary, etc. He gave a shoutout to someone who had been seeing them for 15 years. Well, I saw you guys back in 1996 and loved the Dead cover you did, so how about some dap for that?
Sleep on the couch, until the rumble of the El train wakes me every 30 minutes. Alarm goes off and I’m instantly up and ready to roll. As I remarked to Switzer while she was still half asleep, “I love Tour”. We had to drive back to Hanover because we had another show to go to, this time featuring Hanover’s own Boxcar Social.
The plan was to meet at my crib at 4:15 to get ready and hit the road. As Josh and Switzer were leaving Philly, they got a flat. They pulled off the highway and ended up in one of the nicest sections of Philly, right by St. John’s College. Which by the power of Tour, is where Megan’s grad school class is located. So they got to have lunch with her and made it to my place around 5.
Boxcar was playing a daylong fest produced by MonkeyLion Productions (whose founder, Nate, is originally from Hanover) and sponsored by Roy Pitz Brewing Company. It was live music all day and Boxcar was playing right before the headliner Hexbelt. I drove because they had driven down from Vermont the day before. What’s it like when I drive to a show?
Yup, it’s that awesome.
It was held at a restaurant/banquet hall called the Orchards. The restaurant was rather fine, upscale dining. No dirty hippies in there. The banquet hall was full of them, along with a lot of kids. Glad Boxcar is a PG rated band, except when the Steelers lose, then Brian gets profane.
We got there and found our crew. As I getting out of my car, I get a text from Paul Kraft, mandolin picker for Boxcar. His dog Chloe needed emergency surgery and he would not be able to make the show. Damn that sucks. And the boys have gotten a new bass player, one Lann Lucas. As the Chinese say. “May you live in interesting times”.
When we first arrived, a bluegrass band called the Boro Boogie Pickers were performing. They were an authentic bluegrass band. They had male and female vocalists and a washboard. They were really good. Did an amazing cover of “The Battle of Evermore”.
The other band was called the Cabin Fever Project and they were definitely suffering from something. Their percussionist had a set up that would make Neil Peart from Rush blush at it’s size. They had 3 guitarists, except when the one guitarist played the washboard. He played it in the style that made him look like Clyde from the Clint Eastwood Every Which way but Loose film series. And if you have no idea what I’m talking about, “precocious souls, enjoy your youth. Like Mohammed, it’s the truth.”
They also covered Folsum Prison Blues, which is hilarious because that was on Boxcar’s list of Songs We can do that don’t suffer from lack of Mandolin and Songs Paul does not Sing On. Their originals were pretty bad and the lead singer sounded like he gargled battery acid. So after a little bit of help with the setlist, Boxcar took the stage.
Boxcar Social, 3/10/12 The Orchards, Chambersburg, PA
Push, Something To Say, River Song > MSWS > Unrest > Whipping Post > Unrest, 43, Symptoms, Normal We're Not, Thinking It Over, Frannie Mae
*Debut Show with Lann Lucas playing Bass and Brian Davis playing Acoustic Guitar and Djembe. Mandolin player Paul Kraft was unable to perform due to a last minute emergency.
For a first show with a new bass player and no mandolin, they fucking killed it. Lann’s more subtle bass playing fits in perfectly with their sound. The added dimension of the acoustic guitar playing rhythm could be the sound that the band was missing before. The Man Smart Women Smarter got all the hippie chicks up and shaking what their mamas gave them. Normal We’re Not is another strong original and Frannie Mae is a great way for crowds to remember them by.
The strangest thing that occurred was the appearance of a Scott B. lookalike. And I don’t mean he was wearing a Superman costume. Back in the golden Era of Devolver, Scotty B. had developed a unique style of dancing. Imagine Chris Farley trying out for the Chippendale’s Dancers, but with Patrick Swayze’s moves and without the girth.
So the Bizarro Scotty B. hits the floor wearing a bandanna circa 1980’s Bruce Springsteen and owns the dance floor. The funniest thing was that no one in attendance had been around to see Scotty B.’s moves back in the Golden Age of Devolver. Man I’ve been living the life I love and loving the life I live for a really long time.
Would like to add that Chloe had successful surgery and is back doing her thing, which is being a very chill dog. So there you have it. Just another day in the life of hitting the road in the search of eternal joy and never ending splendor.
Dave Kemp
BA American Studies
Ph.D. in Rock and Roll
Hello everyone. Hope you’re enjoying this taste of spring we’re all experiencing. And speaking of spring, one thing you could always count on was the Dead's Spring Tour. And, with that, what better time than now for the latest installment of my award deserving series, It Was 20 Years Ago Today… as I look back at the Grateful Dead at the Cap Centre in Landover, MD March 8 and 9, 1992.
Spring of 1992 was my first at Penn State. I was free of my parent’s supervision and was living the good life. I did not have a car, so figuring out how I was going to do any shows on the Dead’s spring tour was my main priority. But then Jerry and the boys decided to cut me a break and scheduled the spring tour to fall right in line with Penn State’s spring break. Synchronicity!
The first night was typical of that era. I went down with a few friends. One of whom was a female friend I’ll call GH, she recently had a kid and I don’t want to stain her newfound MILFdom. No major hassles going down but, as usual, the police were making their presence known. If you were speeding in a car covered in stickers, look out.
Here’s the setlist:
03/08/92 (Sun) Capital Center - Landover, MD
Set 1: Let The Good Times Roll, Touch of Grey, Minglewood Blues, Ramble On Rose, Black Throated Wind, Loose Lucy, Desolation Row, Big Railroad Blues, Music Never Stopped
Set 2: Samson & Delilah, Way To Go Home, Foolish Heart > Looks Like Rain, Wave To The Wind > Jam > Drums > Space > All Along The Watchtower, So Many Roads, Throwing Stones > Not Fade Away, E: Mighty Quinn
First, a rather lengthy first and second set. I point out the length because the next night was a little shorter. Is there a better way to start a show than with a song called “Let the Good Times Roll”? The Loose Lucy found Jerry in fine form. The Railroad Blues and Music were a great way to finish off the first set.
Being that it was a Sunday, you knew Samson was going to make an appearance. Now I’m going to do something that may shock a few of you; I’m gonna criticize the Dead. During the 90’s and Vince Welnick’s tenure with the band, they introduced some songs that were not really up to the quality that I came to expect from the Dead. Way to Go Home and Wave to the Wind was 2 of them. WTGH was a Vince tune and just wasn’t a rocking song. Wave was a Phil tune but the lyrics weren’t all that good and I was a little underwhelmed hearing it live. A good Space led to Throwing Stones>NFA ending with a Mighty Quinn encore, sending everyone out into the night feeling happy and wanting more.
I drove home after the show and then drove down the next day by myself. I couldn’t find anyone to go with me. Nad had track practice (he was still in high school) and Adrian had something else going on. Fools! What were they thinking? I wandered around the Lot and eventually ran into a bunch of Heads from York, including Kristian Boyer (his family runs the carnival that hits the Pleasant Hill and Littlestown firehall festivites) and Dion, who some of you have met through me on Phish Tour. They had a raging scene going on and were kind enough to welcome me in. This was my 7th Dead show but the first where I REALLY enjoyed the scene and everything the Lot has to offer. Not sure my brain has been the same since.
03/09/92 (Mon) Capital Center - Landover, MD
Set 1: Jack Straw, West L.A. Fadeaway, Me & My Uncle > Big River, Row Jimmy, Cassidy, Deal
Set 2: Victim Or The Crime, Iko Iko, Corrina, Jam > Dark Star > Drums > Space > I Need A Miracle > Morning Dew, E: Satisfaction
As I noted above, some sets were much shorter than others. This is one of those sets. The Me and My Uncle>Big River combo is almost like one song itself. But I’m not gonna complain about a Jack Straw opener. The meat of this show is the second set. While I’m no fan of Corrina, everything else was tight. The Jam before Dark Star has lots of Dark Star teases. While Bruce Hornsby was a temporary member of the band, he never missed an opportunity to get the band to play this improv masterpiece. Check out 6/17/91 Giants Stadium for another example.
I read later that this show was the first show since 1974 to have a Dark Star and Morning Dew in the same set. Wow. And when they broke out Satisfaction for the encore, I knew it was the first one since 7/6/86 RFK. The crowd went apeshit and you couldn’t even hear Bobby singing. One can’t ask for anything more from an encore.
I hope you enjoyed my retelling of my own version of March Madness as your cry over your own busted brackets.
What’s up people? It’s been awhile for sure. Between a tight budget due to a slow down at work and various minor health problems, I just haven’t been inspired to write. But after an amazing weekend of live music and the announcement of Phish Summer Tour, my muse is back and ready to attack.
My favorite place to see Boxcar Social is Kclinger’s. It’s local and they have just the right amount of volume for the place. Devolver, as much as I love them, can be a little too loud. I was a little late as I had dinner in York with some friends and missed most of the first set. I caught Frannie Mae (which has a great coda) and an improptu birthday song. Damn, looks like the first set was good.
Set 1:
Pockets > SPAP > You Can't Always Get What You Want > SPAP > Pocket, Moonshine Revival, Symptoms, Push > Which Way It Is > Push, Thinking It Over, Funk 12 > D
Frannie Mae, Birthday Jam For Brian*
Set 2:
Normal We're Not, Man Smart, Woman Smarter > Unrest, Coming Into Los Angeles
Mt. Air, Appalachian Range, Relativity, Pound Of Gold, First Tube, Caught Up In The Sound
*-This was an impromptu song written on the spot for a guy in the crowd named Brian who was celebrating his birthday.
The boys are up on archive.org but this show is not up yet. I believe there was a snafu with the recording of the first set. So here is Boxcar on 2/19/12 in Camphill, PA.
The second set was a nice mix of covers and originals. Normal We’re Not is a new tune that highlights what makes this band special. Frank’s guitar and Paul’s mandolin ride the groove laid down by Josh. Super late night for me but I had to rest up for another night of music, NE PA’s own bluegrass band Cabinet.
As many of you are aware, I grew up outside of Scranton, PA. There are many different bars that feature live music in the area but since I moved away when I was 15, I really couldn’t take advantage of it. Cabinet has emerged from the scene and made a name for themselves up and down the East Coast.
They played at a bar/restaurant in Hagerstown, MD call the Hempen Hill BBQ. Very cool heady venue. Lots of open area and very chill staff. A low riser stage placed perfectly in the big room for good effect.
Once again I missed the first set because I was in a poker game. It was the last game of a 10 game season and ended up 6th in points going into the championship game. Glad I played so well, pissed I missed a pretty good first set.
Set 1
Cripple Creek, Old Farmer's Mill, Nashville Blues, Eleanor, Shifty Shaft, How Mountain Girls Can Love, Groundhog, Salt Creek, Tower, Long Journey Home, Coalminers, High On A Mountaintop, Midnight Moonlight, RRR
Set 2
Caroline, Gumboots, Two Timer>Heavy Rain, Little Maggie, Doors, Sharecropper's Son, I Ain't Broke, Susquehanna Breakdown, Old Home Place, 54-46 That's My Number> Clinch Mountain Backstep, The Dove, Wagon Wheel, The Boy In The Bubble, Friend Of The Devil, Kentucky Bootlegger, Pig in a Pen
You can download a soundboard recording here
http://bt.etree.org/details.php?id=553196
You can also stream it here
http://www.archive.org/details/cabinet2012-02-25.theshawman.flac16
Really nice little scene. Lots of cool people and I didn’t see anyone getting out of hand. It was as much of a show as anything I’ve seen at Hampton. There was even a line for the bathroom. I had a chick pay for my nonalcoholic beverage. We met a Head from Hanover than neither myself, Paul, nor Perkins knew. As Perkins remarked, ”We think we know all of the Heads in town, but a few slip through the cracks”. Another member of our family is found.
At set break I struck up a conversation with the banjo player, Pappy. I was ready to talk all things Scranton when he tells me he was originally from Cleveland. 6 guys in the band and I talk to the one that isn’t from NE PA. I did talk to 2 other members of the band after the show. They seemed very cool and down to earth.
Caroline is a great tune that really shows off Cabinet’s harmonies. The fiddle player had a board for his pedals and effects that rivaled the old Mission Control board back in Devolver’s golden era. Sharecropper’s Son had a hoedown train, which was kind of like a conga line for bluegrass. First time they ever did that. The last five songs just built one on top of the other, leaving the audience wanting more. A nice mixture of covers and originals, just like another band with a mandolin. And Cabinet’s harmonies are CrosbyStillsNashesque.
While I love following a band on Tour, there is something really cool about seeing 2 different great bands on back to back nights. Since my muse has been reawakened, expect to see more of Kempepedia on a regular basis.
Dave Kemp
BA American Studies
PhD in Rock and Roll
Greeting friends. The holidaze are almost upon us again. A time to reunite with friends and family that you haven’t hung with in awhile. But it’s also a great time to see shows, because what better way to celebrate than with your friends and family. So I thought I would revisit some holiday runs that didn’t get a write up the first time around. And who wants to wait until 2029 for an installment of my world famous “It was 20 Years Ago …”series? So, with out further ado, I present for the first time the epic run that was Phish at the Wachovia Center in Philadelphia, PA 11/24 and 11/25/09.
As I’ve said before, my favorite time of year for Tour is the Fall. The leaves are turning, football season is well under way, and bands return to the arenas and theaters after basking in the sun all summer long. The Fall Tour started only 2 weeks after Festival 8, so the boys were fired up and ready to go. And what better way to celebrate Thanksgiving than with Phish shows in Philly the Tuesday and Wednesday before Turkey Day.
I got my tickets with no real plan how I was gonna proceed. My brother lived right outside of Philly and I thought it would be cool to see my niece and nephews in between the craziness that is Tour. Most of my friends were only going to the Wed show so I made my plans accordingly. Switzer was coming home before the shows. She was going to stay over at Megan’s apartment (yes, this is the same one I have waxed poetically over and over about, mainly on my chronicles about Camden shows). Then early Wed, she was going to shoot over to the airport and pick up her fiancé (now soulmate and husband) Josh and hit the show. She said she needed a ride to Philly, where she had a place to stay, then a ride back to Hanover after the Wed show. Sounds as perfect as can be!
I came down with a nasty cold the Friday before the shows and didn’t even make it through a 7 hour day. When Monday rolled around, I was in no shape to work 12 hours and then do 2 days of Tour. So I called in sick (something I rarely do) to rest up and was in much better shape on Tuesday when we roll out.
We got to the Lots before they even opened. We waited with all the vendors and then rolled in. We had the choice of going left or right and Switzer said right. We got cutoff by some douche bag (Chill out man, its 6 hours until the band goes on and we are already in the Lot.) Some asshole vendor, selling bunk items no doubt. No one directed us so we found a spot 3 or 4 rows off of Shakedown, no need to be right in the middle of all the madness. I like it much more when we can visit and get out of the Lot rather quickly. Switzer’s friend Courtney was going to meet us in the Lot. And where in the Lot? Directly under the light post that said M3. Could it be any easier for peeps to find?
She rolled up and had a hatchback station wagon just like mine. We fashioned a covering out of old ponchos and a cassette deck mp3 adapter that I didn’t use anymore. Just a little bit of old junk in my car and I totally went MacGyver on their asses.
As I stated before, Switzer was staying at Megan’s apartment but Meg didn’t have a ticket. I assured her she would be able to procure one in the Lot at less than face value. You couldn’t give them away at some of the Summer shows. As we wandered around Shakedown, we ran into a typical Italian American Philly Dead Head selling tickets. He was wearing a too tight Dead tie-dye, gold chain and half-assed mustache. I’ve seen a hundred of these guys at shows over the years. Megan flashed her Lot skills by bargaining with the guy and got the ticket for 20 bucks. Mission accomplished!
A few friends showed up, again drawn to us by our beacon of light shining through the darkness of Lot. I had a great conversation with a rabbi I meet who was following Phish. Where else am I going to get advice from my rabbi? A temple?
We make our way inside and got some phatty seats, Fishman’s side, second level and get ready to rage!
Tuesday, 11/24/2009
Wachovia Center, Philadelphia, PA
Set 1: Chalk Dust Torture, Bathtub Gin, Cities > Camel Walk, The Curtain With, The Wedge, The Moma Dance, Reba[1], Golgi Apparatus, Stealing Time From the Faulty Plan
Set 2: Possum > Down with Disease[2] > Twenty Years Later > Harry Hood > The Mango Song > Mike's Song > Simple > Slave to the Traffic Light > Weekapaug Groove[3]
Encore: A Day in the Life
[1] No whistling.
[2] Unfinished.
[3] Slowed down in parts.
Notes: Cities was played in response to a fan with a sign requesting the song and featured alternative lyrics referencing Thanksgiving. Reba did not have the whistling ending. Disease was unfinished. Much of Weekapaug was played at a significantly slower pace than normal. Prior to ADITL, Fish teased the Weekapaug drumbeat.
First set was very high energy. But when isn’t it when Phish plays Philadelphia? I've always felt blessed living so close to a city that bands love to throw down in and tonight was no exception.
We go our separate ways and I make it to my brother’s in one piece where I get a good night’s sleep, hang with my family and recharge. My oldest nephew, Owen, who was 3 at the time, declared he wanted to go because if Uncle Dave likes it, it must be fun. Someday my young padawon, but not this Tour. I can barely take care of myself on the road, let alone a child.
I’m still on I-76 when I get a text from Switzer “Lot M3 bitches”. She got the same exact spot on the Lot. That is why she is HMLL! I reunite with them and this time a band called Flux Capacitor is playing in the lane behind us. Good spots near Shakedown and a live band, hell yes! Andy Miller and some friends somehow scored rooms at the Holiday Inn that is right next door to the arena and they made their way over.
While all this is going on, we are waiting to see what is going on with Switzer’s fiancé Josh. He was supposed to arrive in Philly around noon but was fogged in at the Newark Airport in northern New Jersey. It was only a few hours north of us by car but his flight kept getting delayed because of the foggy, rainy mess that was all over the East Coast.
His luggage was on the plane so he couldn’t just bail on the flight. But we had a plan. Megan was going to pick him up from the airport and take him to the Lot. She knew exactly where to take him because we were in the exact same spot as the night before. He could stash his bag in my car and then meet up with us inside the show. And, as long time readers of my blog no doubt know, I had an extra set of keys for my old car just in case a crazy situation like this one came up. Megan came to the Lot, got my keys, picked up josh from the airport and took him to my car. He put his bag in my car and through the magic of texting, found us inside the show. He ended up only missing half the first set. Not too shabby.
Wednesday, 11/25/2009
Wachovia Center, Philadelphia, PA
Set 1: Kill Devil Falls, 46 Days, Sugar Shack, Halley's Comet > Divided Sky, Sleep Again, Ocelot, Train Song, Wilson > Run Like an Antelope
Set 2: Birds of a Feather, Farmhouse > Tweezer, You Enjoy Myself, Esther, Time Turns Elastic > Tweezer Reprise
Encore: Oh! Sweet Nuthin'
Notes: During Wilson, Trey implored Mike to take a "heavy metal bass solo" (and Mike complied). The lyrics to Antelope were changed to "Been you to have any Mike, man?" followed by another bass solo from Mike
This show was good until the second set. During the first 2 years of Phish 3.0, a lot of people have rightfully complained about the set flow. Check out second set of Merriweather 8/15/09, the flow just isn’t there. 11/25 was the definition of this. I’m not saying the music wasn’t well played, and they had some nice jams, it just lacked energy. Birds was a good opener, but you could hear the sigh from the crowd when they followed that with Farmhouse. The Tweezer had some nice moments but then just stopped. The Esther really didn’t get anyone dancing and then Time Turns Elastic. I literally heard people groaning and even saw quite a few heading towards the exits. This song is very long (15 min) and when placed in the right spot, it does work. But late in the second set is not the right spot. Trey tacked on the Reprise and then they went off stage.
After a 2 night run in Philly and with everyone heading home to see family the next day, you would think Trey or someone else in the band would have a few words to say before they sent us on our way. They came out and said nothing. They then proceed to play a rather mellow encore, Oh Sweet Nuthin’. The chorus is “You ain’t got nothing at all.” My theory is that Trey was pissed at the crowd’s reactions to some of the songs in the second set and decided to tell them to go fuck off. You don’t know anything. You don’t have anything. Just my theory but based on the way they ended the run, I know I’m right.
Switzer, Josh, and myself made our way back to Hanover after the show. Switzer was spent and passed out but Josh was a trooper, he stayed up the whole way home. We listened to the Dead 12/6/73 from Cleveland, OH. I wanted a desolate show and what area would be more desolate than a show from Cleveland, in the dead of winter. The area was economically reeling in the early 70’s, so what better way than to celebrate Thanksgiving than this show. It does have a 43 min. Dark Star and since I can’t stream archived Phish shows, take a listen to this hidden gem.
While I’ve been to many a holiday run, this one seemed like it was ready to be written about. If you’re in the Hanover area this coming weekend, a few things are happening. On Sat, Boxcar Social will be kicking out the jams DOWNSATIRS at the Coliseum in Hanover, starting at 10 p.m.
Dave Kemp
BA American Studies
Ph.D. in Rock and Roll
