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Phish In Atlantic City – Night 1 Review

{ June 30, 2012 @ 11:12 pm } · { Phish, Phish Summer Tour 2012, Show Reviews }
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Phish spun the wheel and won big with their 3-night Atlantic City run this summer. These shows began building momentum that has continued to grow and grow over what is shaping up to easily be the strongest tour of 3.0. Here’s some random musings, thoughts, pictures, and more from Welcome To Now as we were lucky enough to be on the scene soaking it all in at all three nights. Below is a night one review, with thoughts on the second two nights to come soon!

While there hasn’t been a lot of action on the blog recently, be sure to ‘Like’ the Welcome To Now Facebook Page where we are keeping the love phlowing all summer long!

Phish in Atlantic City – Night 1

Phish came charging out of the gate with bust-outs, energy, and a very fun and playful attitude for set one on Friday night. First set highlights included an always welcome and jovial My Sweet One bustout and a long awaited It’s Ice. While the latter was not flub-free, the band made a great group effort at one of their more complicated originals, and came out with a strong and united effort. The two big standouts of the rest of the set were a sublime Simple -> The Wedge and downright shredded Stealing Time. A beautiful Squirming Coil (right after sunset) put the end to a well-rounded and solid opening set of the weekend.

Bader at Sunset

The second set, however, was another story altogether. Throwing caution to the wind, the band laid down by far the most impressive set of the summer (up to that point) with some stunning and impressive group improvisation and fiery jams. The My Soul opener got the party started in style and then the band got serious and dropped an all around jam-fest 15-minute Birds Of a Feather that really got people moving. Following up this awesome Birds was the set’s only slower points of BOTT and Heavy Things – which featured precise playing and chill jams – but nothing to write home about.

What came next, however, was an adventurous Twist->Piper that showed that the band came to AC to play for keeps. This two-song smoker featured great playing from all of the boys and started the fun summer ‘Woo!’ chanting that has continued throughout the tour. The rest of the set flowed like butter, featuring a beautiful and welcome Billy Breathes bustout (a personal favorite), a danceable and energetic Sneaking Sally, and a David Bowie set closer that featured teases galore from Trey before a raging peak. A First Tube encore nearly blew up Bader Field – an exceptional version worthy of a re-listen for those not there or those who were there whose faces had already melted to the ground.

The Ferris Wheel and Crowd at AC

All in all, night one was the kind of Phish show you walk out of and have a hard time contemplating how much fun and musical exploration is to come over the next two nights. The band came out firing and made it clear this was going to be a weekend to remember. It was arguably the best show of the summer tour so far, until night 2 (review to come)…

Night 1 setlist courtesy of Phish.net:

Set 1: The Sloth, My Sweet One > 46 Days > Camel Walk, Tube > Cities > It’s Ice,Ginseng Sullivan, Stash, Simple > The Wedge, Stealing Time From the Faulty Plan,The Squirming Coil

Set 2: My Soul, Birds of a Feather^[1] -> Back on the Train > Heavy Things > Twist >Piper^[2] > Billy Breathes, Sneakin’ Sally Through the Alley > David Bowie^[3]

Encore: First Tube^[4]

[1] Unfinished.
[2] “Woo!” quotes from Twist in intro.
[3] Stash, It’s Ice, Birds of a Feather, Simple, and Ginseng Sullivan teases. Wedge tease from Fishman.
[4] “Woo!” quote from Twist.

For those of you interested in summer tour recordings, follow Welcome To Now on Facebook and send us a message and we’ll help point you in the right direction ;)

Conspirator – The Independent – 3/24/12

{ March 30, 2012 @ 7:55 pm } · { Conspirator, NVO, Orchard Lounge, Show Reviews, Wyllys }
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This past Saturday night, San Francisco’s trendy, intimate club ‘The Independent’ hosted a serious electronic gathering including Conspirator, Orchard Lounge, Wyllys, and NVO. Suprisingly, the club wasn’t packed to the gills and the crowd was in good spirits for a serious EDM dance party with lots of bay area freaks in attendance. Unfortunately, WTN didn’t make it in for NVO or Wyllys, but we caught both OL and Conspirator and can report that both threw down hard for the SF fans. To get a taste of Wyllys, check out this full set of his + J-Ha and Chainsaw at Sullivan Hall.

Orchard Lounge laid down a spirited high-energy set that saw the three-DJ team tag off and on and even tag team on a few tracks, rarely stopping the music. For the most part, they kept the beats upbeat and accesible, with mid to fast tempo bass-heavy house and funk grooves. After a very, very solid set that warmed everybody up, OL introduced Conspirator round’ midnight. Brownie, Magner, Michetti, and drummer-for-the night KJ Sawka took the stage, Brownie spoke about his love for SF, and they launched into an all out, nearly 2-hour long assualt of banging beats, slick guitar riffage, and some solid jams and comical banter from a clearly ‘loose’ Brownie.

OL at the Indy 3/24

The focus this night was on rock and guitar heavy ‘bangers’ (including a take on Tom Saywer), with a little less Biscuits-style jamming then I’ve seen in the past. This seemed to mesh well with OL’s set and kept the energy high throughout their time on stage. The performance was energized by the dynamic and impressive drumming of KJ Sawka – he really got down and dirty and wasn’t afraid to show off. The band as a whole definitely seemed to be locked in and excited about the music they’re writing and performing these days, and Michetti looks to be getting a lot more comfortable letting go and shredding. The MVP of the performance, however, had to be Aron Magner, who really seemed to be running the show and directing the band at many points throughout the night.

Conspirator - 3/24/12

All in all, a sick night of EDM madness in SF! You can check out Conspirator on tour this spring/summer or pick up their new live DVD.

7 Walkers – Slim’s SF – 3/23/12

{ March 27, 2012 @ 4:14 pm } · { 7 Walkers, Show Reviews }
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Bill Kreutzmann and Papa Mali rolled through San Francisco this past Friday night for a big bay area appearance of 7 Walker’s at Slim’s Music Hall. This swampadelic GD offshoot also features George Porter Jr. of the meters on bass and Matt Hubbard on keyboards. The bluesy, gritty foursome has matured in big ways since they formed a few years ago. Their sound is bigger, bolder, and way more defined now (not to mention they’ve upgraded their light rig a ton as well). Friday night’s show included a bunch of cuts from their studio album such as an extended and exciting take on their self-titled Seven Walkers track. The band also offered up seriously jammed out and heavy-hitting dead classics, especially in set 2, like a rollicking Eyes (George Porter on vocals) and a jaw-dropping Rider that Papa Mali took down with serious emotion.

7 Walkers - Slim's

7 Walkers ~ Slim’s SF ~ 3/23/2012

Set 1: Jam -> Sue from Bogalusa, He’s Gone, Bird Song, Just Kissed My Baby*, Death Don’t Have No Mercy, Hey Bo Diddle, Smokestack Lightning

Set 2: King Cotton Blues -> Eyes of the World -> For the Love of Mr. Okra -> New Orleans Crawl -> Seven Walkers, I Know You Rider

Encore: Wharf Rat

* – w/ Zigaboo Modeliste on Drums, no Bill

Recording coming ASAP

7 Walkers - Slim's

Check out more great pics from the show over at Deadheadland.com

Phil and Friends Night 3 in CO

{ February 21, 2012 @ 6:34 pm } · { Audio, Phil and Friends, Show Reviews, Video }
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If night 2 was a survey of different Grateful Dead eras, choice covers, and a classic Phil and Friends segue-heavy show, night 3 was the much ‘purer’ night of Grateful Dead music. The focus of the night was on 60s and early 70s material, with nearly every song drawn from the pre-1972 Grateful Dead songbook and only one outside-the-box cover in Layla. While the setlist may have been more straight down the fairway on night 3, the intensity and precision of the music continued to be at its highest, with Warren and Scofield most notably finding harmony and cohesion even more than in past nights.

The highlight of the night was an absolutely barn-burner set 2 opening sequence of Stephen->Eleven that featured an out-of-this-world hot bass solo from Phil and silky smooth segue into a raging Eleven. What a night and what a way to end a great run with a bang, enjoy setlist and downloads below. Also, see my previous review from night 2 which now has downloads available as well. Thanks Phil (and friends), for a real good time!

Phil Lesh and Friends, 1st Bank Center, Broomfield, CO 2/18/12

Set 1: Golden Road (To Unlimited Devotion) > Viola LeeBlues > Bertha, Cumberland Blues, Friend of the Devil, Candyman, He’s Gone > Cold Rain and Snow

Set 2: St. Stephen > The Eleven > Foxy Lady Jam > Layla, Bird Song, Uncle John’s Band > Stella Blue, I Know You Rider, Going Down the Road Feeling Bad > Attics of My Life

Encore: Box of Rain

Set 1 DL

Set 2 DL

Phil Lesh and Friends – Night 2 at Broomfield

{ February 18, 2012 @ 7:16 pm } · { Audio, Phil and Friends, Show Reviews }
{ Comments (2) }

Phil and his newly resurrected ensemble of friends stormed the 1st Bank Center last night with an onslaught of inspired music, keeping up the energy and love of what is turning out to be a seriously triumphant, and dare i say ‘Epic’, weekend run. The lot was abuzz with an old school vibe and energy not felt in years before the show last night, and some pre-show snowflakes and crisp air set the stage beautifully for a magical night of music. Everyone brought their A-Game, and it is clear this band has quickly found a groove and a way to highlight each member – a significant challenge given the many big musical voices on stage.

The show itself was a true testament to the dripping psychedelic musical exploration that only comes from Phil’s ‘make something happen, play in the moment’ Phil and Friends ensembles. The setlist read like a dream, with two quintessential Beatles songs in each set that served as the musical exclamation points on the night. Each member shined at different moments throughout the show. Scofield was other-worldly on a smoking and unexpected first set Eyes of the World, while Jackie Greene surprised everyone in the room with an out of left field top notch performance of his original Like a Ball and Chain.

Image via DeadHeadLand.com

Warren led the band through an absolute smoker of She Said, She Said, while Russo and Chimenti were the glue that held the express train together at every twist and turn. And of course, Mr. Lesh, was inspired and full of love and smiles throughout, especially during the later part of the second during the patchwork quilt of Dark Star, Unbroken Chain, and Morning Dew. What was even more impressive than each member’s individual contributions, was the tightness of cohesiveness of the band had with each other. There was countless moments of locked-in cosmic interplay and between the band, especially between Warren, Sco, and Chimenti.

One can only imagine what the boys have in store for tonight. NOW is the time of returning for Phil and Friends, and what a special time it is to be, to be, to be…

Phil Lesh and Friends, 1st Bank Center, Broomfield, CO 2/17/12

Set 1: Jam -> Althea, Estimated Prophet -> Eyes Of The World -> Mississippi Half-Step -> Loose Lucy, Like A Ball And Chain, She Said, She Said, Casey Jones

Set 2: Passenger, New Speedway Boogie, Low Spark of High Heeled Boys -> Gypsy Woman -> Caution > Unbroken Chain > Dark Star (v1) > I Am The Walrus > Dark Star (v2) > Morning Dew

Encore: We Bid You Goodnight

Set 1 DL

Set 2 DL

For more great pics, check out DeadHeadLand’s coverage of the run

Phil Lesh and Friends, 7/21/2001, Hartford

{ February 6, 2012 @ 9:40 pm } · { Audio, Phil and Friends, Show Reviews }
{ Comments (1) }

Hey y’all. We are sick with Phil fever over here at WTN, getting excited for the upcoming Broomfield run. And there’s only one cure for that fever, it’s the sweet sounds of ‘The Q’ – Phil’s early 2000s version of Phil Lesh and Friends featuring Warren Haynes, Jimmy Herring, John Molo, and Rob Barraco. Widely regarded as the most successful post-Jerry Dead band, and for good reason, this band truly smokes. A term I keep coming back to when listening to them is ‘musical density’ — there is a lot of great music being made here, with tons of on the spot composition, interplay, and dripping psychedelic guitar work.

The Q

I want to feature one of my favorite ‘Q’ shows ever here on WTN today: from summer 2001 tour, this epic show went down at The Meadows Music Center in Hartford, CT on July 21st. Stops on this tour were Ratdog/Phil and Friends double headers, with the bands switching off headline duties. On this special night, after a warmup set from Weir and Ratdog, Phil and Friends play a 2 set smokefest with a dream second set and fun, bluesy first set with a Weir cameo taboot. Check out the full setlist below, and also feel free to stream the show over at Archive or download a great AUD version I’ve uploaded with all the songs tracked out. Enjoy folks!

Summer Tour 2001 Poster

Phil Lesh and Friends ~ 7/21/2001 ~ Hartford, CT

Set 1: Jam -> Cosmic Charlie, Rainy Day Woman tease* -> Truckin* -> Jam* -> Cassidy*, Beautifully Broken -> King Solomon’s Marbles -> Stronger Than Dirt, Doin’ that Rag

Set 2: Caution Jam -> Dear Mr. Fantasy, St. Stephen -> Eyes -> St. Stephen -> Help on the Way -> Slipknot! -> The Eleven -> Slipknot! -> Franklin’s Tower

Encore: Built To Last

*with Bob Weir (Ratdog opened)

Download the show here

Stream the show here

Welcome to 2012!

{ January 4, 2012 @ 6:44 pm } · { Disco Biscuits, Festivals, Grateful Dead, Phil and Friends, Phish, Show Reviews, Trey Orchestral, Umphrey's McGee, Upcoming Shows }
{ Comments (1) }

Happy new year! Stay tuned for a whole new brand of WTN. Here’s what’s got me excited today:

PHIL LESH – TERRAPIN CROSSROADS LAUNCH!

FULL WEBSITE LIVE

PHIL'S NEW TERRAPIN

PHISH NYE RUN! WHAT A RUN IT WAS, LOVED IT LOVED IT LOVED IT!

Contact -> Sample official vid

GREAT review of Night 1, the best of the run

Lots more to come, but what I wanna know is….

Mountain Jam, 6/4-6/6 – Hunter Mountain

{ June 7, 2010 @ 12:05 pm } · { Audio, Derek Trucks, Festivals, Gov't Mule, Levon Helm, Show Reviews, Video, Warren Haynes }
{ Comments (9) }

This year’s Mountain Jam may just have been the best one yet. Enjoy these setlists, pics, vids, and downloads below! Also, ALL downloads/streams will be added to this post and to the Download Library (see link on left) as soon as they are available.

The Mule - 6/5/10

GOV’T MULE – FRIDAY NIGHT SHOW

Set 1
Stay With Me
New World Blues
World Gone Wild
Time To Confess
The Shape I’m In
Monkey Hill > with She’s So Heavy Ending
Monday Mourning Meltdown
Where Did You Sleep Last Night?
Thorazine Shuffle

Set 2
One Of These Days ->
Fearless
The Wind Cries Mary
Greasy Granny’s Gopher Gravy (Part 1 & 2) ->
Drums
Wishing Well First time Played
Raven Black Night* ->
Gold Dust Woman**

Encore
Inside Outside Woman Blues
Any Open Window >
Steppin’ Lightly

Download Link (Torrent)
Download (MP3s)

* – w/ Kofi Burbridge
** – w/ Grace Potter

Matt Abts on the Drums! (6/05/10)

GOV’T MULE – SATURDAY NIGHT SHOW

Set 1
Railroad Boy ->
Temporary Saint ->
Gameface (w/ 3rd Stone From the Sun, Mountain Jam & Norwegian Wood Teases)
Woodstock
Broke Down On the Brazos
Gordon James
Sad & Deep As You with Kofi Burbridge
Kind Of Bird with Derek Trucks
Blind Man In The Dark

Set 2
The Joker
Frozen Fear ->
D’yer Mak’er ->
Frozen Fear
Rockin’ In The Free World ->
Machine Gun (Instrumental) ->
Rockin’ In The Free World ->
Drums
Forevermore
The Spider & The Fly**
Ventilator Blues***
Monkey Man#

Encore
Black
Train Kept A Rollin’

Download Link (Torrent)
Download (MP3s)

* – w/ Matisyahu
** – w/ Eric Kasno, Ryan Zoidis & Sam Kininger
*** – w/ with Eric Kasno, Ryan Zoidis & Sam Kininger
# – w/ Jackie Greene

Mule w/ Derek Trucks - 6/05/10

LEVON HELM AND FRIENDS B-DAY BASH – SUNDAY NIGHT SHOW

Levon's B-Day Cake

Setlist (1 Long Set)
The Shape I’m In
Love Played A Game
Fannie Mae
Bourgeois Blues
Long Black Veil
I Wanna Know
Shakedown Street*
Up On Cripple Creek**
Deep Elem Blues#**
White Dove@
It’s Goodbye and So Long to You@
Ophelia
Sweet Virginia***
Happy Birthday Levon
The Same Thing$
Blind Willie McTell$
Across The Great Divide%
Tears Of Rage
Tennessee Jed
Mardi Gras Day
Hang Up My Rock and Roll Shoes^
The W.S. Walcott Medicine Show^
Unfaithful Servant+
I’ll Take You There+
King Harvest*
Chest Fever$

Encore:
Band and Guest Intros
The Weight (All Guests)

Download (Torrent)
Download (MP3s)

* – w/ Donald Faggan
** – w/ Jerry Douglas
# – w/ Sam Bush
@ – w/ Allison Krauss
*** – w/ Steve Earle and Allison Moorer
$ – w/ Warren Haynes
% – w/ Ray LaMontage
^ – w/ Jackie Greene
+ – w/ Patterson Hood and David Hood

Levon and Friends - 6/06/10

Enjoy selected vids from the weekend in this video playlist:

Allman Brothers Light Up The United Palace

{ March 23, 2010 @ 8:49 pm } · { Allman Brothers, Show Reviews, Video }
{ Comments (1) }

The Allman Brothers closed out their 2010 NYC residency at the United Palace last Saturday night, with their ninth and final show in less than 2 weeks at the venue. The show smoked from start to finish, with Warren and Derek dueling back and forth all night, constantly upping the ante. Warren was on fire, as always, providing his more rock-heavy, trademark incendiary playing while Derek’s slide work soared above it all, transcending and taking the band to a higher level.

Warren and Derek - 3/11/10

Setlist wise, the show featured lots of ABB classics like ‘Whipping Post’, ‘Elizabeth Reed’, and ‘Jessica’, mixed up with deep Blues cuts like Freddie King’s ‘Woman Across The River’, Muddy Water’s ‘The Same Thing’ (featuring extended jazz/blues jam), and Blind Willie McTell’s ‘Statesboro Blues’. Allman also played tribute to McTell in the first set by singing Dylan’s deep and haunting song titled after the blues great – ‘Blind Willie McTell’. The big finale was a 30 minute + sequence of ‘Dreams’, segued into a huge ‘In Memory of Elizabeth Reed’ that featured a cast of guests, drum, bass, scat solos and climactic jamming. All in all, a wonderful to cap to the Allman’s annual run, enjoy setlists and videos below!

Allman, Jaimoe, Quinones, and Haynes

The Allman Brothers Band
March 20, 2010
United Palace
New York, NY

Set One: Don’t Want You No More > It’s Not My Cross To Bear, Statesboro Blues, Stand Back, Woman Across The River, All My Friends, Bag End, Blind Willie McTell, Whipping Post

Set Two: Little Martha > Blue Sky (Instrumental) > Little Martha, No One To Run With, The Same Thing **, Dreams ** > In Memory Of Elizabeth Reed ** > Oteil Scat (Kofi on piano) > JaBuMa > Drums > Oteil Bass solo > In Memory of Elizabeth Reed

Encore: Preaching Blues, You Don’t Love Me ***

* Kofi Burbridge on flute, James van de Bogert on drums
** Bill Evans, saxophone
*** Todd Smallie, bass

Pre-Order the SBD here

Blind Willie McTell:

Blue Sky Jam:

Jam -> Little Martha:

Dreams:

Phil’s 70th Birthday Bash

{ March 14, 2010 @ 7:41 pm } · { Audio, Furthur, Phil and Friends, Show Reviews, Video }
{ Comments (2) }

Furthur closed out their big Winter 2010 Tour with Phil Lesh’s 70th birthday celebration in the boys’ home town of San Francisco this Friday, March 12th. The event, billed as “Furthur and Phriends” featured some special guests and a fun acoustic/electric show format. The first set was a laid back Acoustic set with Chris Robinson, Jackie Greene and Steve Molitz all guesting.

Greene, Molo, and John K.

The second set is where things started to heat up with Greene and Robinson fueling a rock-heavy set that included a ‘New Minglewood Blues’, ‘New Speedway Boggie’, ‘Hard To Handle, ‘Viola Lee’, and ‘Caution’.

Robinson, Weir, and Greene

As if that wasn’t enough the band returned to set 3 with a parade and balloon drop and old school Phil n’ Friends style set with big-hitters ‘St. Stephen’, ‘Other One’, ‘Elevator’ (Molitz/Particle song), and of course both ‘Unbroken Chain’ and ‘Franklin’s Tower’ sung triumphantly by Phil. Enjoy setlist, pics, vids, and downloads below!

Balloon Drop

Furthur and Friends
3/12/2010
Bill Graham Civic Auditorium
San Francisco, CA

Set 1 (Acoustic with Chris Robinson, Jackie Greene, and Steve Molitz)
Ripple (BW),
Lazy River Road (JK)
Fennario (Peggy-O) (CR)
Two Souls in Communion (CR)
Brokedown Palace (JG)
A Hard Rain’s A-Gonna Fall (BW)
They Love Each Other (CR)
Mountains of the Moon (PL)
Attics of My Life (All)

Set 2 (With Greene and Robinson)
Scarlet Begonias (JG)
Minglewood Blues (BW)
Easy Wind (CR)>
New Speedway Boogie (JG)
Viola Lee Blues (All)>
High Time (CR)>
Caution Jam>
Viola Lee Blues (All)>
Hard To Handle (CR),
Viola Lee Blues (All)>
Like A Rolling Stone (CR)>
Sugaree (CR)

Set 3 (With, Greene, Robinson, and Molitz; John Molo plays in place of Jane Lane)
Not Fade Away Jam (with Float Parade) ->
Happy Birthday Phil ->
Balloon drop ->
Not Fade Away Jam ->
Meltdown / Balloon Pop ->
Playing in the Band (BW) ->
Other One Jam ->
St. Stephen (All) ->
Other One (BW) ->
Elevator ->
Unbroken Chain (PL)
Comes a Time (CR) ->
Cream Puff War (CR) ->
Franklin’s Tower (PL)

Encore
Johnny B. Goode (BW)

Give it a listen!

Download (Torrent) – Download (Live Music Archive MP3s) – Stream (Live Music Archive)

Birthday Parade:

Playin’ In The Band: