“Mr. Dobalina”
“If You Must” from Both Sides of the Brain
Extended hip hop “Clint Eastwood”
Jan 172010
Jan 032010
A full moon hung over the perfect storm that brewed below on the streets of downtown Miami. On a near 80 degree night in late-December, New Year’s Eve revelers, Phish heads, and Lady Gaga fans came together in such a mind-boggling confluence that it didn’t merely defy the laws of physics, but actually tore a hole in the space-time continuum. A¬† black hole, a swirling vortex of ravenous nothingness actually appeared over Biscayne Bay for a brief moment.
Droves of screaming maniacs, laden with glitter and noise makers roamed madly around the streets and sidewalks of the James L. Knight Sports Complex – and those were just the New Year’s Eve partiers! As I made my way through the downtown Hyatt, a rather large, gay man in a sparkle shirt and some type of sequined bald, skull cap stormed by with two over-sized Latino girls in under-sized tutu’s. Face bright red with his eyes blazing wildly, he began yelling out loud, “Oh my God! Oh my God! Please! Please, if you find a ticket on the floor, please give it to me. It’s mine and it fell out of my pocket – Oh God! Oh my God, I paid so much¬† money for that ticket. I’m going to fucking cry, oh God!” The girls seemed unphased. “God speed crazy gay dude,” I thought to myself. “GaGa fan,” my wife guessed. This became a game for her throughout the night; “Wook or Gaga.”
Tokyo or Miami? The packed trains around downtown.
The full moon heaved the throngs of people back and forth across downtown like the tides. A fine line between modest control and absolute chaos was drawn in the sands that night. Bumper-to-bumper traffic ebbed while waves of humanity – from people dressed-up for the glammy festivities of the night to those who haven’t showered for days – flowed across the streets, between cars and across intersections with utter disregard for traffic laws.¬† People selling liquor from coolers, others selling a wide range “party favors” from their pockets or trunks of their cars, the streets of downtown Miami were lined with¬† nitrous tanks – hundreds of people brandishing over-sized balloons, like some sort of twisted carnival. It was mayhem, but with only a (visibly) minor police presence, everybody maintained. I didn’t see one violent or criminal (besides the open drug use) act. People of all groups were kind and friendly and despite being on the precipice of complete disorder; everything went off without a hitch.
This is my first Phish show. Part of the reason I never got involved is that it seems like another language, a cult with a secret handshake. It made being a late-coming fan just seem so daunting. Another thing was that the music didn’t do much for me. I understand that these guys are master-musicians, and I love music that is heavy on improvisational jam, but Phish seemed like a nerdy jazz-fusion band with goofy lyrics. A good portion of my friends are hardcore Phish fans and some of my most musically knowledgeable friends are Phish heads as well. They just seem to care about music, so I had to experience Phish for myself.
There is almost no need to discuss Phish’s musical prowess. These guys lay it down. Each member is absurdly talented, though I would have liked to see drummer, Jon Fishman, have some more power. His touch is unnervingly soft and delicate – unbelievably precise – but very soft. I would love to see Trey let out an unrestrained banshee cry, kick over his mic stand,¬† and shred is guitar over his head, then run back and hump the guitar on the amp in an orgy of feedback and distortion – but I guess that’s not really them. They don’t have much stage presence (except on trampolines), but then again their music and the tender connection with their audience is far more powerful.
The first thing to notice is the raw energy of the crowd. It is uncanny, transforming a stale arena show into a festival.
Section 104's "Glow Man" aka Bill
People aren’t texting and talking as much as I thought. They are hanging on every note, surging with the same energy on the streets and in the halls hours before the show as they are 3 hours into it. There is really nothing like it.
The set-list was stellar according to true fans and I felt like I was at a giant party for four hours. I have never attended an arena show that ended at 1:40 AM. They began the show with “AC/DC Bag” and continued through the night with 3 separate 1 hour and 20 minute sets. Following the New Year’s celebration, Phish foisted one of their trademark gags on the crowd:
Drummer, Fishman, climbs into the disco ball that descended from the ceiling at midnight.
The ball was then loaded into a cannon which was to fire it into a net over the audience. The disco ball was shot through the roof instead of the net.
A helicopter then comes and lands on the roof, presumably to sweep Jon Fishman to safety. Then Phish are left without a drummer … or are they?!
A member of the audience is then chosen “at random.” A girl comes down from the lower bowl and at some point behind the amplifiers she ducks down and Jon Fishman wearing the same outfit as the girl emerges. The unsuspecting crowd thinks this girl is sitting with Phish to play her favorite song, “Fluffhead.” She (he) starts off shaky and then tears it up to the crowds amazement. I was sitting behind the stage at this point and could see it transpire. I actually saw it and was still duped for a few minutes. So at the end of the show, this “girl” who’s been drumming comes out to take a bow. Jon Fishman ducks behind the amps again and the girl runs to center stage. Abra-cadabra bitches! Later, the drummer, comes out for the encore dressed as the girl to let everyone in on the gag. Ha ha, cray-zay!
SET LIST:
Set I: AC/DC Bag, 46 Days, Water in the Sky, Bathtub Gin, Punch You in the Eye, The Moma Dance, Guyute, Swept Away> Steep, Demand> Seven Below, Lawn Boy, Julius
Set II: Rock and Roll> Piper, Simple, Theme from the Bottom, Shine A Light, Ghost1> NO2, Suzy Greenberg
Set III: Party Time2> Auld Lang Syne> Down With Disease3, Fluffhead, Joy, The Squirming Coil, You Enjoy Myself
Encore: Blue Moon4, Lovin’ Cup
Oct 262009
“Good to Sea” from The Social
“Fortress”
“Non – Photo Blue”
Oct 102009
Set opener, “Lebanese Blonde” at The House of Blues
“Sweet Tides”
Thievery’s cover of The Doors “Strange Days”
Jul 122009
Hank Williams III is one of the most interesting and entertaining live acts to see. His shows are fierce, musically sweeping, and charged with whiskey and pills – you know, like grandma.
The first set is Hank III. This is an ode to when country was country. It was rough, ragged, and emotional. A time when country was dangerous and passionate, not the modern incarnation of dressed-up, fagged-out, soulless, mindless Top 40 ear diarrhea that is lame and gutless shit-pop dressed up in a stetson and presented with a fake country twang. You know, sing songs about the family, the wife, the country that are overt passes to get “Americana’s” attention focused on flat, lifeless music that by no means represents grit or real life experience. Hank III harkens the time when country music was about struggle – internal and external – whiskey drinkin’ and face punchin’. True fucking Outlaw. Hank III relies on some gritty originals, some country classics and the vast wealth of his grandpa’s (Hank Williams) music. His uncanny physical and vocal likeness to his grandaddy makes the experience that much more “real.”
“Those Pills I Took”
A tribute to real country – “My Country Heroes”
A vicious version of ¬†Johnny Cash’s “Cocaine Blues” with the full band on the attack – drums, slide, acoustic, stand-up bass, banjo, and fiddle.
The next phase of a Tricephus show is Hellbilly. This keeps the same country band and style intact with the addition of electric guitar and a harder edge. The result is a combination of hard rock and psycho-billy to produce hellbilly music.
Hellbilly is a brutal hard rock version of Outlaw country
Here is where a Hank III show goes absolutely apeshit. His third set is the Assjack incarnation of the band. All country pretenses are shelved for full-on, balls-to-the-wall hardcore.
It is so amazing that this is still the same show!
This is an Assjack medley of Van Halen, Ministry, and Slayer. Too cool.
Jun 182009
This was the final show of the tour and I fucking missed Grizzly Bear. TV on the Radio writes some great songs, but they are much better on the album. This is the second time I saw them live and confirmed that they aren’t so great (don’t suck) live.
“A Method” the last song of the night with members of Grizzly Bear
One of my favorite tracks from Dear Science – “Halfway Home”
Jun 052009
There were a handful of songs I liked from Atlanta’s MO. At first listen, they reminded me of a Death Cab for Cutie rip-off. Once I saw them live, that perception changed. They are emotionally charged like Death Cab, but with a heavier rock edge. Live, their songs are weighty and powerful with a strong rock presence.
An epic rendition of “Where have you been?”
Manchester Orchestra seems to possess a crowd of fans – powerful and trance-like the fans sing along
May 102009
OK, I’m not going to say my wife made me go. I really grew rather fond of this band. I saw them at several festivals and once on their own. Their songs had a little more weight live and they were able to pleasantly roughen their soft edges. This show at Hard Rock seemed a bit “phoned-in,” but maybe it was because it was the last show of the tour.
“Title and Registration”
Sing along time: “I Will Follow You Into the Dark”
“Marching Bands of Manhattan”
“Transatlanticism” I feel like I’m on an episode of Six Feet Under.
May 062009
The Kings of Leon have two fantastic albums full of hip, catchy, cool and fun garage rock … then I don’t know what the fuck happened. The whole “Sex is on Fire” and “Use Somebody” thing took mainstream dorks by storm and all but erased my previous opinions of the band. This show was the third time I saw them. To tell you the truth, they have a true songwriting talent which is amazing because it takes the entire band’s full concentration to struggle through a song – even though they played for years. So it is obvious that there is not going to be any jamming, rocking out, improvisation, or anything adventurous, but it seems like they found the perfect crowd for that – everyone. The show at UCF only drove that point home with goofballs and drunken frat boys caterwauling at the tops of their voices.
From the days when they were palatable “Slow Night, Long Night”
“Four Kicks” One of my favorites
The better band is really Brooklyn’s The Walkmen
A clip from “In the New Year”
Mar 112009
“Nothing Ever Happened” I like the shoegazer-y Sonic Youth / Pumpkins thing Derrhunter’s got goin’ on. I like the fact that the singer is kind of this homosexual outcast with that Abe Lincoln disease. It makes the music more believable. This last minute and 45 seconds of this song, the outro, made me like this band.